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Leicestershire CCC

  • History
  • Honours

Founded in 1879, Leicestershire CCC is one of eighteen first class-county clubs within England & Wales. Notably the club holds 3 County Championships and 3 Twenty20 Cup titles with the latter being won in the span of just eight years, making them the most successful club in the shorter format. Distinguished players that have represented Leicestershire CCC include England Legends David Gower, Ray Illingworth and Jonathan Agnew. Other key players from overseas include Brian Davison, Phil Simmons and Hansie Cronje.

Located south of the city centre and a short walk from the King Power Stadium is Grace Road, the home ground and administrative base of Leicestershire CCC. A 6,000 capacity cricket ground which has been the primary ground since 1894, but bought even before Leicestershire CCC obtained first-class status. Three ODI’s have been played at Grace Road, two of which World Cup fixtures although none have involved England.

The first 70 years for Leicestershire CCC were largely spent in lower table mediocrity, with few notable exceptions. The start of improvement came in the late 1950s with the recruitment of players and notable home-grown talent. Another change was in the captaincy, which was handed to former England and Surrey spinner Tony Lock. This appointment helped galvanized the club all around.

The early 1970’s was the start of the first golden era for the club. The introduction of Ray Illingworth installed a winning mentality to a talented squad at the time, ultimately leading to five trophies in five years including Leicestershire CCC’s first County Championship title in 1975. The second period of success for the club came in the late 1990s, primarily in the 4-day format, starting with a runner-up in the County Championship, which was followed by wins in 1996 and 1998. Back at the time this was considered an amazing achievement given the resources of the club compared to other county teams. Also West-Indian cricketer Phil Simmons was an influential figure during this period, being named as one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the year in 1997 while playing for the club.

With the turn of the 21st Century came the explosion of Twenty20 cricket – the shorter, more dynamic form of the game was introduced into the domestic game by the ECB in 2003. Leicestershire CCC saw instant success in this format winning the tournament in 2004 and a further two times in 2006 and 2011. However in the era of the two-division County Championship they have found success more difficult to come by, having not played in the top division since 2003. Currently coached by Club legend Paul Nixon Leicestershire CCC is captained by Dutch International Colin Ackermann. With some success in the one-off format of last year’s County Championship and a solid finish in the Royal London One-Day Cup the club can hope to work from this stability for 2022.

3
County Championship
1975, 1996, 1998
2
County Championship Runners-up
1982, 1994
3
Vitality Blast/T20 Blast
2004, 2006, 2011
2
NatWest Pro40 League
1974, 1977
2
NatWest Pro40 League Runners-up
1972, 2001
  • History

Founded in 1879, Leicestershire CCC is one of eighteen first class-county clubs within England & Wales. Notably the club holds 3 County Championships and 3 Twenty20 Cup titles with the latter being won in the span of just eight years, making them the most successful club in the shorter format. Distinguished players that have represented Leicestershire CCC include England Legends David Gower, Ray Illingworth and Jonathan Agnew. Other key players from overseas include Brian Davison, Phil Simmons and Hansie Cronje.

Located south of the city centre and a short walk from the King Power Stadium is Grace Road, the home ground and administrative base of Leicestershire CCC. A 6,000 capacity cricket ground which has been the primary ground since 1894, but bought even before Leicestershire CCC obtained first-class status. Three ODI’s have been played at Grace Road, two of which World Cup fixtures although none have involved England.

The first 70 years for Leicestershire CCC were largely spent in lower table mediocrity, with few notable exceptions. The start of improvement came in the late 1950s with the recruitment of players and notable home-grown talent. Another change was in the captaincy, which was handed to former England and Surrey spinner Tony Lock. This appointment helped galvanized the club all around.

The early 1970’s was the start of the first golden era for the club. The introduction of Ray Illingworth installed a winning mentality to a talented squad at the time, ultimately leading to five trophies in five years including Leicestershire CCC’s first County Championship title in 1975. The second period of success for the club came in the late 1990s, primarily in the 4-day format, starting with a runner-up in the County Championship, which was followed by wins in 1996 and 1998. Back at the time this was considered an amazing achievement given the resources of the club compared to other county teams. Also West-Indian cricketer Phil Simmons was an influential figure during this period, being named as one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the year in 1997 while playing for the club.

With the turn of the 21st Century came the explosion of Twenty20 cricket – the shorter, more dynamic form of the game was introduced into the domestic game by the ECB in 2003. Leicestershire CCC saw instant success in this format winning the tournament in 2004 and a further two times in 2006 and 2011. However in the era of the two-division County Championship they have found success more difficult to come by, having not played in the top division since 2003. Currently coached by Club legend Paul Nixon Leicestershire CCC is captained by Dutch International Colin Ackermann. With some success in the one-off format of last year’s County Championship and a solid finish in the Royal London One-Day Cup the club can hope to work from this stability for 2022.

  • Honours
3
County Championship
1975, 1996, 1998
2
County Championship Runners-up
1982, 1994
3
Vitality Blast/T20 Blast
2004, 2006, 2011
2
NatWest Pro40 League
1974, 1977
2
NatWest Pro40 League Runners-up
1972, 2001