World Cup Match Venues Click here for more on this story Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 04:53 PM Although the 1999 World Cup is based in England it is being played in five countries; England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Netherlands. The World Cup will start May 14 at Lord's when the host England will play defending champions Sri Lanka. Amsterdam The Royal Dutch Cricket Association will host the match between South Africa and Kenya on May 26 at Amstelveen, south of Amsterdam. South Africa has a slight advantage, having played a Netherlands team at the venue in a touring match in summer last year. The Netherlands failed to qualify as one of three non-test countries for the World Cup. But there should be support for South Africa, where a number of top-flight players are descendents of Dutch settlers. Bristol Bristol is the home of the Gloucestershire county team. The match between the West Indies and Pakistan on May 16 will be the venue’s first international fixture. India will take on Kenya in a Group A match May 23. The ground is fringed by trees and set high above Bristol. The father of modern cricket, W.G. Grace, scored a triple century at the ground in 1896 against Sussex, while Wally Hammond matched the feat in 1934 in a match against Glamorgan. Canterbury The St. Lawrence Ground was established in 1847 and is the home of Kent. The England team went into camp at the ground from May 3 in preparation for the tournament. An interesting feature of the ground is the lime tree that stands inside the boundary and provides an eccentric link between the modern game and its amateur past. It will host the England vs. Kenya match on May 18. Cardiff The Sophia Gardens ground is home to the 1997 English county champions Glamorgan. The ground will be the Australian team base in the pre-competition period. Australia takes on New Zealand in a Group A match May 20 in the Welsh capital. Chelmsford Chelmsford, north of London, is the home of Essex. The ground will feature matches between Bangladesh and New Zealand on May 17 and the match between Zimbabwe and South Africa on May 29. Essex will host Bangladesh in the pre-tournament buildup. Chester-le-Street The Riverside stadium is the home of Durham, led in recent years by burley Australian David Boon and before him England’s all-rounder Ian Botham. The stadium is in a picturesque location and lies beneath the 14th century Lumley Castle. Durham was admitted to the County Championship in 1992 on the condition that it provided a venue where tests could be played. Scotland will play Pakistan on May 20, while Australia meets Bangladesh on May 27. Derby Pakistan, one of the World Cup favorites, will round off its preparations at the County Ground in Derby. The oval has a long history in cricket. An interesting international match occurred in 1868 when a touring Australian Aboriginal team played South Derby. The ground will feature a match between Pakistan and New Zealand on May 28. Dublin The World Cup head to Ireland on May 21 when the West Indies meets Bangladesh in a Group B match. The Clontarf Club ground in Dublin will be the venue. The Irish national team did not qualify for the World Cup. Edgbaston In the city of Birmingham, Edgbaston is the home of England’s county squad Warwickshire. The ground has been a test venue since 1902 when England played Australia. In its inaugural match Australia scored 36, the lowest ever total in international cricket. The West Indies featured in two extreme World Cup winning margins here, beating Pakistan by one run in 1975 and thrashing Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in 1983. Edgbaston will host England's match against India on May 29, plus a second-round Super Six match June 10 and a semifinal June 17. Edinburgh Scotland will play two of its group matches at the Grange Cricket Club in the Scottish capital. The ground, in Raeburn Place, was the venue of Scotland's earliest international -- a match against Australia in 1905. Scotland will play fellow qualifiers Bangladesh on May 24 in a match crucial to both teams. Scotland will return to Edinburgh May 31 to take on New Zealand. Headingley Headingley is home to the Yorkshire county team. The Leeds venue was established in 1888 and has been an international venue for the past 90 years. The conditions tend to favor seam bowling, although the ground has witnessed some memorable batting performances. Australia's all-time world averages leader Sir Donald Bradman scored triple centuries at Headingley in 1930 and 1934. It was also the scene of perhaps England's best comeback in 1981 when Ian Botham scored 50 and 149 runs and 6-95, and Bob Willis took 8-43, to engineer a rear-guard effort to beat Australia by 18 runs after being forced to follow-on. The ground will host a vital Group B clash between Australia and Pakistan on May 23. It will also host Super Six matches on June 6 and June 13. Hove The County Ground at Hove is the home of Sussex and is renowned for its section of deckchairs to accommodate spectators in comfort. The ground has been the venue recently for international women's matches, including the inaugural Ashes series last year between England and Australia. The conditions can be cold early in the season. This may factor into the results as two warm weather countries India and South Africa meet at Hove on Day 2 of the tournament. Leicester Grace Road is the home of defending county champion Leicestershire. In 1983 Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani took a World Cup record five catches behind the stumps against Zimbabwe at Grace Road. India and Zimbabwe will meet once more at this venue May 19. The match was almost immediately sold out owing to the large Asian community in the area. Scotland will play the West Indies at Leicester on May 27. Lord's The most famous of all cricket grounds. Lord’s has been the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) since 1866. The MCC was the governing body of cricket until 1968, when the Test and County Cricket Board took control of the administration of the English game, although the Board has retained its headquarters at Lord's. Lord’s has already hosted three World Cup final and will hold a fourth on June 20. The 1999 tournament will also start with a match between England and defending titlist Sri Lanka at Lord's on May 14. The venue was named after Thomas Lord, who founded the ground at St. John's Wood in 1814 when he moved the original turf from Dorset fields, where the first Lord's ground had been established in 1787. The field has a vertical gradient, which slopes two yards (meters) downhill from the Grandstand side to the Tavern side. The two ends are referred to as the Pavilion and Nursery ends. England scored a World Cup record winning margin at Lord's in 1975 when it defeated India by 202 runs. Northampton The home of Northampton county cricket is at Wantage Road in the center of the town. The ground has the smallest capacity of any county ground with seating for only 4,000 supporters. The match between Sri Lanka and South Africa scheduled for May 19 was quickly sold out. The other match is a derby between Pakistan and Bangladesh on May 31. Old Trafford The home of Lancashire cricket was founded in 1856 and has been a test venue since 1884 when England played Australia -- making the Manchester ground the second oldest test venue in England. Matches in Manchester are often affected by rain, therefore teams batting first will have score from the beginning to ensure that they aren't left with a low score if overs are restricted because of rain. The ground shares its name with the neighboring Manchester United soccer stadium. Old Trafford boasts the record of producing the lowest score in World Cup history -- Canada's total of 45 all out in 40 overs against England in 1979. The ground will host a match between Australia and the West Indies on May 30, a Super Six match on June 8 and a semifinal on June 16. Southampton The Northlands Road ground is the home of Hampshire County Cricket team. The earliest record of an official cricket match in Hampshire is 1749. This pre-dates the formation of the MCC by 20 years. The ground favors batsmen, which should prove an advantage for the West Indies against New Zealand on May 24 and for Sri Lanka against Kenya on May 30. Taunton Taunton is the home of Somerset and has been a venue for women's international matches. West Indian star Viv Richards scored Somerset's highest score at Taunton in 1985 when he belted 322 against Warwickshire. The ground will be the venue for the match between Zimbabwe and Kenya on Day 2 of the tournament and the match between Sri Lanka and India on May 26. The Oval The Oval, is Britain's oldest test cricket venue and is home to the Surrey county team. A green expanse in the buildup South London suburb of Kensington, it lies within sight of the Houses of Parliament. The Oval hosted the first test on English soil in 1880 against Australia. The return test in 1882 provided the basis for the traditional Ashes series between the two countries. The ground was constructed on the site of a market garden until the Montpelier Cricket Club took the lease in 1844. The Oval will feature a match between England and South Africa on May 22, the opening second-round Super Six match on June 4 and another Super Six match on June 11. Trent Bridge Trent Bridge is the home of Nottinghamshire and has been a test venue since 1899. The ground derives its name from the Trent Bridge Inn, which was formerly situated on the southern fringe. The ground was created by William Clarke, who married the landlady of the inn and turned the adjoining field into a cricket pitch. He was manager of the itinerant All England XI in the middle of the 19th century. The Nottingham ground will be the venue of England's group match against Zimbabwe on May 25. It will stage Super Six matches on June 5 and June 12. Worcester The New Road ground is home to the Worcestershire County team and is one of the most picturesque of the county grounds. The field is surrounded by trees. One worry is that because the venue is adjacent to the River Severn it is prone to flooding. Australia opens its campaign against Scotland on May 16, while Zimbabwe take on Sri Lanka on May 22.   Related information Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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