Bishops Stortford
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Bishops Stortford
CRICKET CLUB
PROUD PAST – BRIGHT FUTURE
Bishop’s Stortford Cricket Club, founded in 1825,
is one of the few clubs in England that have occupied
the same ground for almost 200 years and to this
day continues to provide a broad range of cricketing
opportunities to the local community. The Cricketfield
Lane ground was originally a field owned by Hawkes
brewery who allowed the club to use it, rent free.
By the 1860s the club had become a much-respected
force in Hertfordshire regularly hosting England XIs and
in 1868 the legendary W.G. Grace played on this ground
for the local side helping to secure a victory over an
England XI.
In 1928, the then Club Chairman, Tresham Gilbey,
handed over the Deeds of the ground to the Urban
District Council (now East Herts District Council). His
only stipulations being that Cricketfield Lane should
remain in the Council’s ownership and be used solely for
playing cricket.
The Club faced some up and downs during the First
and Second World War period with the ground falling
into disrepair but survived with the help of dedicated
club members. In 1971 a facilities renewal programme
saw the Charles Edwards pavilion opened, which helped
to re-establish the club, and secure its future.
1972 saw the emergence of league cricket and the 1st
XI won the league that year, while the 2nd XI also won
their division. League cricket continued to develop and
in 1973 the club joined the new Hertfordshire League,
winning it on several occasions during the 1970s and
1980s. Indeed, during this golden age, Bishop’s Stortford
also featured twice in the National Knock-Out Final at
Lord’s.
Since then the cricket offer has broadened to four
Men’s teams and one Ladies team. The Men’s 1st and 2nd
XIs play in the Saracens Hertfordshire League, the 3rd
and 4th XIs in the Herts and Essex League with our very
successful Ladies 1st XI playing in the ECB Women’s
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Premier Cricket Southern League Division A. There are
also plans to add a second Ladies team in 2019.
The Cricketfield Lane ground is seen as one of the
most beautiful settings in Hertfordshire, having two
excellent cricket grounds on the same site. Last winter
saw significant investment in the playing squares with
25mm of soil taken off the top and new loam and seed
applied which will provide excellent pitches in 2019.
This is one part of a facilities plan that will also see the
Charles Edwards pavilion upgraded with new carpeting
and furniture plus a new outside patio area.
All of these improvements are expensive and
financial survival is a major issue for many cricket clubs
due to the maintenance requirements associated with
the upkeep and improvement to the ground. The club
is very fortunate to enjoy support from a number of
local commercial sponsors; mainly Haigh Construction
(www.rbhaigh.com) and Russell Property (www.
russellpp.co.uk); who are both Essex based companies
and their continued support is invaluable to the future
ambitions of the club. We are pleased that our sponsors
take the opportunity to enjoy the club environment on
1st XI home match days with lunches hosted by the club.