St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, commonly known simply as St.Helens, is a sports venue in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, Wales, owned and operated by the
City and County of Swansea Council
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, coa_res =
, coa_alt =
, logo_pic = Swansea City Council Logo.svg
, logo_res =
, logo_alt =
, house_type = Unitary authority
, jurisdiction =
, foundation = 1 April 1996
, preceded_by = West Glamorgan County Council S ...
. Used mainly for
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
and
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, it has been the home ground of
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours.
History ...
and Swansea Cricket Club since it opened in 1873.
In rugby union, St Helen's was the venue for the first ever home match of the
Wales national team in 1882. It continued to be used regularly by Wales, often for the
Five Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...
, until 1954, but has staged only one full international since, in 1997. More recently, the ground has been used by the
Wales women's team.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club ( cy, Criced Morgannwg) is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Glamorgan ( cy, Morgannwg). Founded in 1888, ...
have regularly used St Helen's as an outground since 1921. The ground has staged two
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
s:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in 1973, and a
1983 World Cup match between
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. St. Helen's was the location of
Sir Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, (born 28 July 1936), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, ...
's six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket, the maximum possible runs in a single over, and the first time it had been done.
St Helen's has also staged international matches in two other sports. In
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
played thirteen matches at the ground between 1945 and 1978, two of which were part of the
1975 World Cup tournament. A
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
international between
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
took place at St Helen's in 1894.
History
Since the ground opened in 1873 it has been the home of the
Swansea Rugby Football Club, and the Swansea Cricket Club.
On 19 June 1928 the ground was the venue of a mile race, for
Swansea Grammar School's Sports Day, won by a teenage
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
; he carried a newspaper photograph of his victory with him until his death.
In 2005, the venue could hold an audience of 10,500 seated before it was re-developed. The famous east stand, which had provided cloisters over part of Oystermouth Road, has since been demolished and replaced with a metallic stand unloved by locals. The tallest
flood light
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
stand in Europe is in St. Helen's Ground. In late November 2007, the ground's perimeter wall in the South East corner, next to Mumbles Road and Gorse Lane, was knocked down and a new wall built further inside the ground, in similar style to the old wall. This was to accommodate a new car park with 39 spaces for the
Patti Pavilion
The Patti Pavilion is a venue for the performing arts in Swansea, Wales, located at Victoria Park to the south west of Swansea City Centre. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes, musical shows and fairs.
The venue is named after Adelina Patti, the ...
.
Rugby
The first home international in the history of Welsh rugby was played at St Helen's on 16 December 1882, against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The ground was the scene of
New Zealand's
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country b ...
first victory over
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in 1924.
On 10 April 1954, St. Helen's staged its last international until a Test match between Wales and
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
was also played at the ground in 1997.
The decision to abandon Swansea as an international rugby union venue in the 1950s was prompted by overstretch of what was then a 50,000-capacity ground; delays for players and spectators travelling west along the
A48, especially at
Port Talbot
Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south ...
; and higher revenues from games at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
.
Swansea Corporation
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, coa_alt =
, logo_pic = Swansea City Council Logo.svg
, logo_res =
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, house_type = Unitary authority
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, preceded_by = West Glamorgan County CouncilSw ...
discussed raising the capacity to 70,000 or even 82,000, but wartime bomb damage inflicted on the city forced a revision of building priorities.
However, the ground has been used to host three
Welsh women's internationals. The first women's international at Swansea was in April 1999 against England, and the most recent was in November 2009 when
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
defeated
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
56–7.
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as ''The Whites,'' in reference to their home kit colours.
History ...
defeated New Zealand 11–3 at St Helen's on 28 September 1935, becoming the first club side to beat the All Blacks. Swansea also defeated world champions
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
21–6 in November 1992, when Australia played their first match of their Welsh Tour.
Between 1919 and 1952, St Helen's was also the home of
Swansea Uplands RFC
Swansea Uplands RFC is a rugby union club based in Upper Killay, Swansea, Wales, who play in the WRU Swalec Leagues. They are currently in Division 3 West A.
Swansea Uplands RFC was founded at the Uplands Hotel, Swansea in 1919 by players of the ...
until the club sought its new home in
Upper Killay
The Gower Peninsula ( cy, Gŵyr) in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It contains over twenty villages and communities.
Villages
Bishopston
Bishopston (, or historically ''Llanm ...
.
During the
1975 Rugby League World Cup
The 1975 Rugby League World Championship (also referred to as the World Series) was the seventh tournament for the Rugby League World Cup. The format differed from that employed in previous competitions; no single country hosted the matches, whi ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
defeated
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
18–6 in front of 11,112 fans (this match was broadcast throughout the United Kingdom by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
). The two sides again played at Swansea as part of the
1978 Kangaroo tour
The 1978 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France comprised the Australia national rugby league team's fourteenth tour of Great Britain and ninth tour of France, and took place from September to December 1978. Coached by Frank Stanton and captai ...
with the Kangaroos winning 8-3 before a crowd of 4,250.
Rugby league internationals
List of international rugby league matches played at St Helen's.
Football
List of Wales International football matches played at St Helen's.
Cricket
![Swansea Cricket and Football Club - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Swansea_Cricket_and_Football_Club_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1485873.jpg)
It was in this ground in 1968 that
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, (born 28 July 1936), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, ...
hit the first six sixes in one over in
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
. Sobers was playing as captain of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
against
Glamorgan
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.
As part of their commitment to the entire country of
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, Glamorgan County Cricket Club play some of their home matches at St Helen's, as well as their regular home ground,
SWALEC Stadium
The Cardiff Wales Stadium, which is part of Sophia Gardens Cardiff ( ; cy, Gerddi Soffia Caerdydd), is a cricket stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in Sophia Gardens on the River Taff. It is home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club and is lis ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, and
Penrhyn Avenue
Penrhyn Avenue is a cricket ground in Colwyn Bay, Wales. The ground was first used by the Glamorgan County Cricket Club, Glamorgan 1st XI in 1966, although County Championship matches have only been an annual fixture since 1990 (with the excepti ...
in
Rhos-on-Sea
Rhos-on-Sea ( cy, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos) is a seaside resort and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins Colwyn Bay and is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late ...
.
Wales Minor Counties Cricket Club
Wales National County Cricket Club is one of twenty National county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents all of the historic counties of Wales except Glamorgan and is currently the only non-English mem ...
, who have played
minor counties cricket
The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...
since 1988, use the ground as a home base. They are currently the only non-English team in the
Minor Counties Championship
The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...
.
International centuries
A single ODI century has been scored at the venue.
References
External links
cricinfo: St Helen'sGlamorgan Cricket Club: St Helen's
{{Authority control
Swansea Bay
Sports venues in Swansea
Rugby union stadiums in Wales
Ospreys (rugby union)
Cricket grounds in Glamorgan
Stadiums in Swansea
Swansea RFC
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Sports venues completed in 1873
1983 Cricket World Cup stadiums