North Inch
North Inch is a large public park in Perth, Scotland. About 54 hectares in size, it is one of two "Inches" in Perth, the other being the smaller, 31-hectare South Inch, located half a mile across the city. It was the site of the "Battle of the Clans" in 1396. A path circumnavigates the entire park.
Balhousie Castle and Bell's Sports Centre are located on its western edge.
At the southern edge of the Inch is Smeaton's Bridge.
Sports
Several sports take place on various parts of the Inch, including cricket, rugby and golf. The golf course has had eighteen holes since 1892.
Cricket
| Ground information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Perth, Scotland | ||
| Establishment | 1849 (first recorded match) | ||
| Team information | |||
| |||
| As of 19 October 2011 Source: Ground profile | |||
The first recorded cricket match held on the ground came in 1849 when Perth played Grange.[1] The ground held its first first-class match when Scotland played Ireland in 1909. Five further first-class matches were played there, the last of which came in 1970 when Scotland played Ireland. Other first-class matches had seen the ground host the Australians in 1912, Wales in 1923, and the South Africans in 1929.[2] The ground held its first List A match when Scotland played Yorkshire in the 1984 Benson & Hedges Cup. Three further List A matches were played there, the last of which saw Scotland play Lancashire in the 1989 Benson & Hedges Cup.[3] In the 1986 Benson & Hedges Cup Scotland historically defeated Lancashire, marking their first defeat of county opposition in limited-overs cricket.[4]
In recent history the ground has become the victim of repeated vandalism and lack of funds. This led, in 2009, to the extinction of Perth County Cricket Club, which played at North Inch.[5][6]
References
- ^ "Other matches played on North Inch, Stirling". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on North Inch, Perth". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "List A Matches played on North Inch, Perth". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Scotland v Lancashire, 1986 NatWest Trophy". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Drysdale, Neil (11 February 2009). "Perth county cricket club on the brink of extinction". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Bannerman, Gordon (2 September 2008). "Plans to transform Big County cricket". Perthshire Advertiser. Retrieved 19 October 2011.