Old Trafford
Cricket
T20 Blast
Manchester
Score:
39
/ 60
Overview
Perhaps it’s a consequence of the amount of marketing effort put into The Hundred, perhaps it’s that the new tournament has a stranglehold on top-level cricket in the summer holiday period, or perhaps it’s for one, or a combination of, the myriad root causes identified for county cricket’s seemingly endless death spiral, but there really weren’t very many people in for the Blast game I attended at Old Trafford on a late Saturday afternoon in July 2025. Reporting from The Observer earlier on in the 2025 English T20 season suggested this paltry crowd was about average for a club who saw per-game Blast attendance drop from 10,000 to 5,500 between 2019 and 2024. In a ground with a capacity of 26,000, that leads to a lot of empty space and a distinct lack of atmosphere. This is compounded by the odd layout of the ground, with a Hilton Garden Inn featuring pitch-facing balconies in many of its room dominating one side, and the vast slightly rickety-looking temporary stand put up each season for major match days but which sits empty for the Blast looming over another. The pavilion is particularly depressing. It retains the skeleton of the impressive 1895 building but has what looks like a soulless office block growing out of it like some kind of aggressive architectural tumour.
Sure, it’s easy to get to. It’s in one of the UK’s great cities. It hosts a club with a long and storied history. But, honestly, at least for a T20 day, it’s one to avoid.
Score Summaries
Atmosphere & Experience: 3
There is a distinct lack of soul to the ground. The crowd is miniscule and seemingly lifeless. Lanky, Lancashire’s demonic-looking giraffe mascot and his coterie of T-shirt shooting minions, can’t coax more than a half-hearted groan of applause from those who have braved the wind and rain. The match, a comfortable Lancashire victory over bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire lacking in tension and jeopardy similarly fails to elicit much of a response. If it weren’t for writing this review, I would likely have forgotten I ever attended.
Seats: 5
Seemingly accepting that they’ll never attract a sell-out crowd for a Blast game in the 2020s, Lancashire have opted for an unreserved seating policy. Despite the small crowds, you’ll still need to arrive relatively early to secure a decent seat somewhat close to being behind the bowler’s arm. In a city with a reputation for rain (although cursory research will reveal that this is a little unwarranted given that Manchester ranks around 15th on the league table of Britain’s rainiest towns), a surprisingly large majority of seats are open to the elements and there is limited covered space under the stands to take shelter if the heavens do open or if you’re faced with a classic Mancunian drizzle as was the case on the day I attended.
Catering: 7
Reasonably plentiful bars. A good selection of drinks. Food offering a little more limited and restricted to basic stadium classics.
Facilities: 7
Not necessarily abundant, but in a good state.
Getting There: 9
Very straightforward on the tram and relatively comfortable given the limited number of people attending.
Getting Away: 8
Potential of having to wait a while for a tram, even with a smaller crowd. Still fairly easy to get back into town. Much easier if you’re heading towards Sale rather than Manchester.