Bishop ’ s Stortford
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Bishop’s 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
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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
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