County should not have moved to Grace Road

I REMEMBER my first county cricket game back in 1945, played on their previous Aylestone Road ground, watching the County get thrashed by Middlesex.

But the main reason for remembering the game was watching both Dennis Compton and Bill Edrich – the best duo to watch – with them hitting the ball all around the ground with ease and great panache, which was their normal style of aggressive positive batting – a sheer joy to watch.

The Aylestone Road ground was never classed as a good county ground, as it was looked as one that you would find in most villages, so they moved in the mid-40s to Grace Road in Aylestone – named, I understand after the Maestro, the great W.G. Grace.

Just to be Devil’s advocate, I believe it was totally wrong to move into an already over-congested domestic area.

The move was never a sensible one if they expected to attract larger crowds and quality players who would definitely draw the crowds to watch.

Written without prejudice and stating a few basic facts.

Ray Newcombe, Aylestone