St. Lawrence Cricket Ground

St Lawrence Ground

Kent v South Africans in 2003, showing the old lime tree
Ground information
Location	Canterbury, Kent
Establishment	1847
Capacity	7,000
End names
Pavilion End Nackington Road End
International information
First ODI	18 May 1999:  England v  Kenya
Last ODI	30 June 2005:  Australia v  Bangladesh
Team information
Kent (1847 – present)
As of 2 May 2016 Source: CricInfo

The St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent, referred to as the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence due to commercial sponsorship, and is the home of Kent County Cricket Club. It is one of the oldest grounds on which first-class cricket is played, having been in use since 1847. It is also notable as one of the two grounds used regularly for first-class cricket that have a tree within the boundary (the other is the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg).

Capacity at the ground was increased to 15,000 in 2000, and four One Day International matches have been played there, one each in 1999 (part of the 1999 Cricket World Cup), 2000, 2003 and 2005.

Cricket grounds in most parts of the world are devoid of any trees or shrubs. The lime tree at the St Lawrence Ground was an exception: the ground opened as the Beverley Ground in 1847, and was built around the tree. The presence of a tree within the playing area required special local rules. Shots blocked by the tree were counted as a four. Only four cricketers have cleared the tree to score a six: Arthur 'Jacko' Watson of Sussex in 1925, the West Indies' Learie Constantine (1928), Middlesex's Jim Smith (1939), and Carl Hooper (1992).