Warwickshire County Cricket Club are delighted to reveal the new stand at Edgbaston Stadium will be named in honour of the Bears’ all-time leading run scorer Dennis Amiss upon its completion in 2027.
The Dennis Amiss Stand, an honour which was ratified by both the Club’s Members’ Committee and Board and announced formally at last night’s Annual General Meeting, is recognition of Amiss’ incomparable service to Warwickshire over an association spanning more than 70 years.
He first walked through the doors at Edgbaston Stadium as a ten-year-old when his father, who was a Warwickshire member, brought him to watch Australia in action. The following year, he joined the Warwickshire pathway, and his career flourished from there.
Amiss was offered a contract at 15 and made his senior debut aged 17, but didn’t get the opportunity to bat as openers Norman Horner and Billy Ibadulla shared an unbroken partnership of 377 for the first wicket.
However, he went on to enjoy a stellar career that saw him play more than 1,000 first class and List A games combined and amass almost 56,000 runs, including 117 centuries, across both formats.
After retiring from playing in 1987, Amiss became the Chair of the Cricket Committee at Warwickshire and then went on to serve as Chief Executive between 1994 and 2006. In 2023, he was appointed President of the Club, replacing The Earl of Aylesford and stepped down from his role this year after a three-year term.
Amiss also had a wider impact on the overall game, scoring 3,612 runs in 53 Tests for England with a high score of 262 at Sibina Park, Jamaica, against the West Indies.
In 1977, he became the first player in the modern game to wear protective headgear in a move which revolutionised pitch safety and has had a long-lasting, profound effect on the game.
Other roles include serving time as an England Selector and, from 2007 – 2013, was Deputy Chair of the ECB.
Stuart Cain, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “Dennis really is Mr Warwickshire and he’s had an immeasurable impact on our club during his 70-year association and long may that continue. There is nobody more deserving of this honour.
“Dennis’ name will always be etched into the history of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and it will now also be indelibly marked into its future.”
The Dennis Amiss Stand will replace the now-demolished Raglan and Priory Stands at Edgbaston Stadium as part of Phase 3.2 of Warwickshire’s ambitious Masterplan regeneration project.
It will include a new concourse with enhanced food and drink options, plus improved facilities for disabled spectators.
Phase 3.2 of the Masterplan includes both The Dennis Amiss Stand and a brand-new Radisson RED Hotel at Edgbaston Stadium, part of the group’s RED lifestyle 4-star brand, and is set to feature 146 rooms, including 85 with pitch-facing balconies.
Eighteen of the pitch-view rooms will be fully convertible into hospitality spaces, while Level 4 will feature a rooftop restaurant and bar with a 160 square metre outside terrace offering panoramic views of the Birmingham skyline.
Edgbaston Stadium currently contributes approximately £35 million to the local economy, and projections from the new hotel development increase that to £40 million and £70 million in a Cricket World Cup year.