| Southchurch Park | |
| Map: | Essex |
| Relief: | yes |
| Location: | Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
Southchurch Park is a recreational park in Southchurch, a suburb in the city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The park is in area and contains sports pitches, including a cricket ground formerly used by Essex County Cricket Club, formal gardens, a boating lake and a café.[1]
| Ground Name: | Southchurch Park |
| Country: | England |
| Location: | Southend, Essex |
| Establishment: | 1906 (first recorded match) |
| Seating Capacity: | 6,000 |
| End1: | Northumberland Crescent End |
| End2: | Boating Lake End |
| Year1: | 1906–1907, 1914–1964, 1966, 1968 & 1977–2004 |
| Club1: | Essex |
| Date: | 12 September |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/748.html Ground profile |
The first recorded cricket match on the ground was in 1906, when Essex County Cricket Club played their inaugural first-class match there, beating Leicestershire by five wickets. Essex played 130 first-class matches at Southchurch Park between 1906 and 2004, playing their final first-class match there against Nottinghamshire in the 2004 County Championship.[2]
In addition, the ground has also hosted List-A matches, the first of which came in the 1977 John Player League and saw Essex play Middlesex. From 1977 to 2004, the ground held 28 List-A matches, the last of which saw Essex play Northamptonshire in the 2004 totesport League.[3]
The ground has also held 19 Second XI fixtures between 1972 and 1996 for the Essex Second XI in the Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.[4] [5]
The ground has hosted tourist matches, with the highest ever number of runs scored on one day occurred at Southchurch Park in a match between Australia and Essex on the 14 May 1948, when Australia scored 721 all out.[6]
In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Southend-on-Sea and EMT Cricket Club.[7]