HAMPSHIRE Cricket's Rose Bowl headquarters today won provisional Test match accreditation from 2010.

Chairman Rod Bransgrove called it a "momentous day" for the club and repeated his desire to spend £35m on upgrading the West End stadium which opened back in 2001.

A Hampshire statement read: An England & Wales Cricket Board inspection team of Lin Tatham, Mike Denness, Chris Kelly and David Shepherd completed a review last month of Hampshire's application.

"Category A Match venues have to meet stringent facility criteria and are accredited to submit bids to the Major Match Group chaired by Lord Morris for the opportunity to host Test Matches, One Day Internationals and other Major Matches.

The Major Match Group considered the comprehensive report of the Inspection Team and recommended to the Board that the Rose Bowl be accredited with Provisional Category A status.

There are four conditions precedent which must be fulfilled one year prior to the Staging of any future Test Match awarded to the Rose Bowl to enable Full Category A status to be confirmed which would be required to stage a Test Match. These are: (1)That the Ground Development plans recently announced by Rose Bowl plc proceed and are materially completed one year prior to the staging of a Test Match; (2) That a second access route to a new parking area within the boundaries of the venue be completed, that a new emergency vehicle access be installed and that an additional footpath be made available to facilitate access and egress from the venue one year prior to the staging of a Test Match (3) That profits resulting from the staging of any such major matches at The Rose Bowl will be reinvested by Hampshire Cricket in cricket and the facilities generally; (4) That the substantial progress in the improvement of pitches at the Rose Bowl is maintained and that any proposed Test Match Pitch is assessed and approved by the ECB Pitches Consultant and two Pitch Liaison Officers one year prior to the staging of a Test Match.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: "The Rose Bowl is an exciting new venue with International quality floodlights and impressive development plans which seek to create a truly world class cricket facility.

"The ECB hopes that the Board's decision provides the incentive for the Rose Bowl plc to attract further investment in order to complete these plans in the near future.

"We congratulate the Rose Bowl on this significant step to Full Category A status."

Bransgrove enthused: "This is a momentous day for Hampshire Cricket and The Rose Bowl.

"We plan to invest a further £35 million in this venue to make it one of the leading Test Match venues in world cricket.

"We are pleased that the innovation which this venue delivers for cricket in England and Wales has been recognised with the award of this accredited status.

"I would like to thank all the staff at The Rose Bowl for their dedication and commitment to achieving this fantastic goal.

"We must now continue the hard work to deliver a spectacular international sports and entertainment resort with Test match cricket at its heart.

"Our plans take cricket at the Rose Bowl beyond first class' and will provide fans with the exciting prospect of seeing the world's best in action at an outstanding world-class international cricket ground."

For more reaction, don't miss tomorrow's Daily Echo.