| Utilita Bowl | |||||||||
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |||||||||
 The pavilion flanked by the Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie and Shane Warne Stands | |||||||||
 Interactive map of Rose Bowl | |||||||||
| Ground information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | West End,Hampshire SO30 3XH | ||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°55′26″N1°19′19″W / 50.9240°N 1.3219°W /50.9240; -1.3219 | ||||||||
| Establishment | 2001 | ||||||||
| Capacity | 15,000 (25,000 with temporaryseating)[1] | ||||||||
| Owner | RB Sport & Leisure Holdings plc | ||||||||
| End names | |||||||||
Northern End Pavilion End | |||||||||
| International information | |||||||||
| First Test | 16–20 June 2011: England v Sri Lanka | ||||||||
| Last Test | 19–23 June 2021: India v New Zealand | ||||||||
| First ODI | 10 July 2003: South Africa v Zimbabwe | ||||||||
| Last ODI | 7 September 2025: England v South Africa | ||||||||
| First T20I | 13 July 2005: England v Australia | ||||||||
| Last T20I | 10 June 2025: England v West Indies | ||||||||
| First WODI | 24 August 2006: England v India | ||||||||
| Last WODI | 16 July 2025: England v India | ||||||||
| First WT20I | 1 July 2010: England v New Zealand | ||||||||
| Last WT20I | 6 July 2024: England v New Zealand | ||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| As of 6 July 2024 Source:ESPN Cricinfo | |||||||||
TheRose Bowl, known forsponsorship reasons asUtilita Bowl, is acricket ground and hotel complex inWest End,Hampshire. It is the home ofHampshire County Cricket Club, who have played there since 2001.
It was constructed as a replacement for theCounty Ground in Southampton and also theUnited Services Recreation Ground inPortsmouth, which had been Hampshire's homes since 1882. Hampshire played their inauguralfirst-class match at the ground againstWorcestershire on 9–11 May 2001, with Hampshire winning by 124 runs. The ground has since hostedinternational cricket, includingOne Day Internationals, matches in the2004 Champions Trophy, twoTwenty20 Internationals andTest matches in 2011, 2014 and 2018, whenEngland playedSri Lanka andIndia. In 2020, the ground was used as one of two biosecure venues, alongsideOld Trafford, for the tours involving theWest Indies,Pakistan andIreland which were regulated due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In order to be able to host Test cricket, the ground underwent a redevelopment starting in 2008, which saw stands built to increase capacity and other construction work undertaken to make the hosting of international cricket at the ground more viable. A four-starHilton Hotel with an integrated media centre overlooking the ground opened in 2015. Following Hampshire Cricket Ltd finding itself in financial trouble in 2011, the lease on the ground was sold toEastleigh Borough Council for £6.5 million with a benefactor injecting a similar sum in 2012.
The Rose Bowl played host to theinaugural final of the 2019–21ICC World Test Championship betweenIndia andNew Zealand, resulting in New Zealand winning by eight wickets to be crowned the inaugural World Test Champions.[2]
Hampshire had played at theirNorthlands Road headquarters inSouthampton since 1885, as well as usingDean Park inBournemouth, theUnited Services Recreation Ground inPortsmouth andMay's Bounty inBasingstoke as regular outground venues. Northlands Road was a cramped location, surrounded by residential buildings which meant expanding the ground was largely impossible. Hampshire also wanted to encourageinternational cricket to the county, which would not have been possible with Northlands Road. Talk of a move from Newlands Road had begun as early as 1987, withMark Nicholas discussing the idea with then Hampshire vice-chairman Bill Hughes in aLeeds restaurant.[3] A site was eventually selected just outside Southampton, inWest End, on a gently sloping field owned byQueen's College, Oxford located between theM27 motorway and Telegraph Woods.[4]
The ground was designed by architectSir Michael Hopkins, whose design of the centrepiecepavilion with its tented roof was reminiscent of the Mound Stand atLord's, which Hopkins also designed.[5] Construction started on the ground in 1997, however, the budget for the ground's construction soon spiralled out of control, threatening the very existence of the club. Further funding was secured as construction continued until its first stage was completed in time for the2001 season.[6] Its final cost was £20 million, with a large part of that cost being secured withLottery andSport England funding, while the club's financial future was secured by the incoming chairman,Rod Bransgrove.
The ground is built into the side of the gently sloping hill on which it is located, resulting in an amphitheatre bowl. The initial name for the ground was announced in 2000 asThe Rose Bowl, in recognition of the club's rose and crown logo and the bowl-shaped nature of the ground.[7]
Hampshire's first scheduledcounty match at the ground was aList A match in the2001 Benson & Hedges Cup againstEssex on 2 May, though the match was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain, therefore the first completed match on the ground was a List A match in the same competition againstSurrey on 4 May, which Hampshire lost.[8]First-class cricket was first played there days later on 9–11 May, when Hampshire playedWorcestershire in the County Championship, which resulted in Hampshire's first victory there with a 124 run victory.[9] Hampshire were not the only tenant in the first year of the ground, with theHampshire Cricket Board playingIreland in September 2001 in theCheltenham & Gloucester Trophy.[8]
In November 2001, theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) awarded the Rose Bowl a YouthTest match betweenEngland Under-19s andIndia Under-19s.[10] The following month the ECB announced the Rose Bowl would be awardedOne Day International status with effect from 2004.[11] Thepavilion was completed in March 2002 at a cost of £2 million, and upon completion it was the only pavilion among the first-class counties to havejacuzzis in the players changing rooms.[12]
In 2003, the ground played host to only the second everTwenty20 match played, when Hampshire hostedSussex in theTwenty20 Cup.[13] The Rose Bowl hosted its firstOne Day International (ODI) on 10 July 2003, whenSouth Africa playedZimbabwe in the2003 NatWest Series,[14] with numerous publications calling the hosting of the match a resounding success for Hampshire.[15]
In 2004, the ground hosted another ODI betweenNew Zealand and theWest Indies in the2004 NatWest Series, though the match was abandoned without a ball bowled. The ground later held five ODIs during that seasonsChampions Trophy, which sawIndia post 290/4 againstKenya, theUnited States dismissed for 65 byAustralia, andMervyn Dillon take figures of 5/29 for the West Indies againstBangladesh: all three of these records remain to this day in terms of the highest and lowest innings scores in ODI cricket at the ground, as well as the best innings bowling figures. During the course of the tournament,England also played there for the first time, againstSri Lanka,[14] though The Rose Bowl was criticised for its organisation of the match, with spectators citing access to the ground, long queues and stringent searches at the gate among complaints.[16]
In 2005, England played their first everTwenty20 International (T20I) againstAustralia as part of the build up to theAshes series, with England winning the match by 100 runs.[17]
In 2006, England played another T20I against Sri Lanka, which England won, due in large toMarcus Trescothick's 72.[18] The Rose Bowl hosted three further ODIs prior to the grounds redevelopment, hostingPakistan in 2006, India in 2007 and Australia in 2009.[14] The ground heldTwenty20 Cup Finals Day in 2008, which sawMiddlesex defeatKent in front of a capacity crowd.[19] Prior to the redevelopment, major matches such as this match and international matches were catered for by erecting temporary seating to boost the grounds capacity from 6,500 to 15,000.
The early years at the ground were notable for immature wickets that favouredseam bowling, resulting in many low scoring encounters. The quality of these pitches drew much criticism. In the first season, seamerAlan Mullally took 8/90 againstWarwickshire in theCounty Championship, which remains the best innings bowling figures at the ground. As the pitches settled down, higher scores became more frequent, though it was still more favourable to bowlers than batsmen. In 2005, Hampshire scored 714/5 againstNottinghamshire, in a match which also sawJohn Crawley record the first triple century at the ground. Hisunbeaten 311 helped Hampshire to reach that formidable total. These records remain to this day as the highest team and individual scores at the venue.Worcestershire posted the lowest first-class total at the ground in 2007, making 86.
The attraction of international cricket to Hampshire was one of the main motivators facilitating Hampshire's move from Northlands Road. While Hampshire had hosted ODI cricket, obtainingTest cricket status still proved elusive. Hampshire had applied to the ECB for the venue to be given Test status, applying as early as 2006 for the right to host Test matches, however their application was rejected, withGlamorgan'sSWALEC Stadium instead preferred to host a Test match during the2009 Ashes series.[20] This rejection persuaded Hampshire chairman Bransgrove to invest £35 million in redeveloping the ground, which would include the construction of a new access road to alleviate the transport problems which have affected major matches,[21] the expansion of the ground's capacity and the construction of a hotel to make the Rose Bowl more financially viable for Hampshire. By the time permission had been granted for the first phase of the redevelopment to commence, costs had risen to £45 million.[22]
The plans called for the construction of two matching stands either side of the pavilion to increase the permanent capacity to 15,000,[23] as well as a four-star, 175-room hotel overlooking the ground at the northern end. Access problems for spectators were to be eased by creating two ticket gates to access to ground, as well as creating an additional access road off Moorhill Road.[24][25]
The redevelopment plans led to the ECB awarding the Rose Bowl Test status and a Test match between England and Sri Lanka in 2011, with the redevelopment scheduled to be completed before the Test match.[26] The redevelopment was beset with a number of problems. During the construction of the new stands, a construction worker was crushed to death in February 2009,[27] while prior to the Test match the new access road still had not been constructed. Meanwhile, legal action by local hoteliers led to the construction of the hotel at the Northern End being put on hold, with the hoteliers objecting to the possible impact on competition and to the use of public funds from Eastleigh Borough Council.[28]
As part of their preparations for the Test match, the Rose Bowl was awarded the right to host finals day of the2010 Friends Provident t20, during which Hampshire became the first county to win the final at their home ground, when they defeated Somerset in controversial circumstances.[29] Also in 2010, the Rose Bowl was voted "Best International Ground" in an independent ECB survey of fans around the country and was also voted the "Most Improved Ground" by readers ofAll Out Cricket magazine.[30]
The first Test match was played on 16–20 June 2011. It was a heavily rain affected match that ended in a draw, but did seeIan Bell andKumar Sangakkara score the first Test centuries at the ground, in addition toChris Tremlett taking the firstfive wicket haul.
Hampshire found themselves £12 million in debt by the end of the2011 season. With the county unable to maintain the upkeep of the ground from their own finances, the decision was taken to sell the lease from Queens College Oxford (the Landlord) to Eastleigh Borough Council and to sub-lease from the council with buy-back options.[31] This transaction was conditional on a further injection of £6 million from Rod Bransgrove and was completed in January 2012. The council also administered some £30 million Prudential Funding from Central Government for the building of the hotel, which was given the go-ahead after the legal action by local hoteliers was quashed at theHigh Court.
On 29 August 2013, the Australian openerAaron Finch set a new record forTwenty20 international cricket when he scored 156 runs off 63 balls for Australia against England at the Rose Bowl. Finch's innings included 14 sixes (also a record) and 11 fours. The previous record was 123 runs, scored byBrendon McCullum ofNew Zealand. In 2020 the ground was used as one of two biosecure venues, alongsideOld Trafford, for the tours involvingWest Indies,Pakistan andIreland which were regulated due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
The cricket club announced in February 2012 that a six-year sponsorship deal had been signed withAgeas, an insurance provider headquartered in nearbyEastleigh. The deal includednaming rights for the ground, which officially became known as the Ageas Bowl.[32] The deal was extended, but in June 2023 the insurer announced that the partnership was coming to an end at the end of the season.[33] In January 2024, a new deal was announced withUtilita Energy, with the official name of the venue becoming the Utilita Bowl.[34]
Besides the main cricket ground at the Rose Bowl, an additional satellite ground borders the main ground to the south-east. Known as theNursery Ground, it hosts Hampshire Second XI matches at the Hampshire Academy inSouthern Premier Cricket League matches. Its end names are the Northern End and the Golf Club End.[35] Its pavilion is named afterArthur Holt, who coached Hampshire from 1949 to 1965. The Nursery Ground has hosted one first-class match, Hampshire v Loughborough MCCU in April 2013.[36]
The main pavilion, now known as the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion, holds the players facilities, as well as facilities for club members, such as the Robin Smith Suite,Derek Shackleton suite, theRichards Suite, theGreenidge Suite and The Hambledons (a suite named after the famousHambledon Club).[37] Located between the pavilion and the cricket academy building is the atrium restaurant. The cricket academy, which has six lanes ofcricket nets is used by county squads, the Hampshire Academy, cricket clubs and schools. It is known to have some of the best facilities of its kind outside ofLord's and is available for hire by the general public.[38] The two new stands include permanent catering facilities along the internal concourse of the ground floor, which were lacking prior to the redevelopment. Also located on the ground floor of the west stand is the club shop. Both of the new stands contain suites which can be used for conferences and exhibitions outside of match days. The stands are named after two of Hampshire's most popular captains, Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie and Shane Warne.
Also part of the Rose Bowl complex is theBoundary Lakes Golf Club, an eighteen-holegolf course opened in 2017 and set in the rolling countryside which surrounds large parts of the main stadium.[39] The current clubhouse and golf shop are located in the Hilton Hotel. It is hoped the course will be able to host major championship golf tournaments in the future. ADavid Lloydhealth club (formerlyVirgin Active) is also onsite.
Every November the venue hosts one of the largestfireworks displays on the South Coast.[40] It also acts as a venue big-name music concerts. Recent acts to have performed there includeOasis in 2005, who performed in front of 35,000 people,Billy Joel in 2006,the Who in 2007,[41]Neil Diamond andR.E.M., both in 2008, Rod Stewart in 2016, Bryan Adams and Little Mix, both in 2017.[42]Arctic Monkeys in 2023 The late Italian opera singerLuciano Pavarotti was due to play at the ground in 2006, but cancelled his farewell UK tour due to ill health.[43]
As of June 2021[update] a total of 8 centuries have been scored in Test cricket on the ground.[44]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Balls | Inns. | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 119 | Ian Bell (1/2) | England | 169 | 2 | Sri Lanka | 16 June 2011 | Drawn |
| 2 | 119* | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 249 | 3 | England | 16 June 2011 | Drawn |
| 3 | 156 | Gary Ballance | England | 288 | 1 | India | 27 July 2014 | Won |
| 4 | 167 | Ian Bell (2/2) | England | 256 | 1 | India | 27 July 2014 | Won |
| 5 | 132* | Cheteshwar Pujara | India | 257 | 2 | England | 30 August 2018 | Lost |
| 6 | 267 | Zak Crawley | England | 393 | 1 |  Pakistan | 21 August 2020 | Drawn |
| 7 | 152 | Jos Buttler | England | 311 | 1 | Pakistan | 21 August 2020 | Drawn |
| 8 | 141* | Azhar Ali | Pakistan | 272 | 2 | England | 21 August 2020 | Drawn |
As of August 2025[update] a total of 25 centuries have been scored in one-day international cricket on the ground.[45]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Balls | Inns. | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 104 | Andrew Flintoff | England | 91 | 1 | Sri Lanka | 17 September 2004 | Won |
| 2 | 101 | Younis Khan | Pakistan | 109 | 2 | England | 5 September 2006 | Won |
| 3 | 102 | Alastair Cook | England | 126 | 1 | India | 21 August 2007 | Won |
| 4 | 126* | Ian Bell (1/2) | England | 118 | 1 | India | 21 August 2007 | Won |
| 5 | 105 | Cameron White | Australia | 124 | 2 | England | 9 September 2009 | Won |
| 6 | 103* | Eoin Morgan (1/3) | England | 85 | 2 | Australia | 22 June 2010 | Won |
| 7 | 107* | Eoin Morgan (2/3) | England | 101 | 1 | Pakistan | 22 September 2010 | Won |
| 8 | 126 | Ian Bell (2/2) | England | 117 | 1 | West Indies | 16 June 2012 | Won |
| 9 | 150 | Hashim Amla | South Africa | 124 | 1 | England | 28 August 2012 | Won |
| 10 | 189* | Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 155 | 1 | England | 2 June 2013 | Won |
| 11 | 109* | Jonathan Trott | England | 104 | 2 | New Zealand | 2 June 2013 | Lost |
| 12 | 143 | Shane Watson | Australia | 107 | 1 | England | 16 September 2013 | Won |
| 13 | 118 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 113 | 2 | England | 14 June 2015 | Won |
| 14 | 110 | Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 123 | 2 | England | 14 June 2015 | Won |
| 15 | 101 | Ben Stokes | England | 79 | 1 | South Africa | 27 May 2017 | Won |
| 16 | 141* | Jonny Bairstow | England | 114 | 2 | West Indies | 29 September 2017 | Won |
| 17 | 110* | Jos Buttler | England | 55 | 1 | Pakistan | 11 May 2019 | Won |
| 18 | 138 | Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan | 106 | 2 | England | 11 May 2019 | Lost |
| 19 | 122* | Rohit Sharma | India | 144 | 2 | South Africa | 5 June 2019 | Won |
| 20 | 100* | Joe Root (1/2) | England | 94 | 2 | West Indies | 14 June 2019 | Won |
| 21 | 106 | Eoin Morgan (3/3) | England | 84 | 1 |  Ireland | 4 August 2020 | Lost |
| 22 | 142 | Paul Stirling | Ireland | 128 | 2 | England | 4 August 2020 | Won |
| 23 | 113 | Andy Balbirnie | Ireland | 112 | 2 | England | 4 August 2020 | Won |
| 24 | 100 | Joe Root (2/2) | England | 96 | 1 | South Africa | 7 September 2025 | Won |
| 25 | 110 | Jacob Bethell | England | 82 | 1 | South Africa | 7 September 2025 | Won |
As of June 2021[update], 12 five-wicket hauls have been taken in international matches on the ground, eight in Test matches and four in ODIs.
| No. | Bowler | Date | Team | Opposing Team | Inn | O | R | W | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Tremlett | 16 June 2011 | England | Sri Lanka | 1 | 20 | 48 | 6 | Drawn[47] |
| 2 | James Anderson[A] | 27 July 2014 | England | India | 2 | 26.1 | 53 | 5 | England won[48] |
| 3 | Moeen Ali[A] | 27 July 2014 | England | India | 4 | 20.4 | 67 | 6 | England won[48] |
| 4 | Moeen Ali | 30 August 2018 | England | India | 2 | 16 | 63 | 5 | England won[49] |
| 5 | Jason Holder[B] | 8 July 2020 | West Indies | England | 1 | 20 | 42 | 6 | West Indies won[50] |
| 6 | Shannon Gabriel[B] | 8 July 2020 | West Indies | England | 3 | 21.2 | 75 | 5 | West Indies won[50] |
| 7 | James Anderson | 23 August 2020 | England | Pakistan | 1 | 23 | 56 | 5 | Drawn[51] |
| 8 | Kyle Jamieson | 20 June 2021 | New Zealand | India | 1 | 22 | 31 | 5 | New Zealand won[52] |
| No. | Bowler | Date | Team | Opposing Team | Inn | O | R | W | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mervyn Dillon | 15 September 2004[a] | West Indies |  Bangladesh | 2 | 10 | 29 | 5 | West Indies won[54] |
| 2 | Ben Stokes | 16 September 2013 | England | Australia | 1 | 10 | 61 | 5 | Australia won[55] |
| 3 | Shakib Al Hasan | 24 June 2019[b] | Bangladesh |  Afghanistan | 2 | 10 | 29 | 5 | Bangladesh won[56] |
| 4 | David Willey | 30 July 2020 | England | Ireland | 1 | 8.4 | 30 | 5 | England won[57] |
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50°55′26″N1°19′19″W / 50.9240°N 1.3219°W /50.9240; -1.3219
