Preston Cricket Club

A very warm welcome to Preston Cricket Club….

Preston Cricket Club is proud of its long history – although originally played at Temple Dinsley, where maps indicate a cricket ground as early at 1882 – it moved to its current ground in 1929, when the ground was gifted to the parish by the Vickers family, for the use of cricket and other recreational facilities. A restrictive covenant, which accompanied the gift of the land, meant no “intoxicating liquor” could be sold at the ground. And so this has meant that the Red Lion, Preston’s community owned pub, has become an extension of the cricket club with post-match celebrations and commiserations taking place regularly during the summer months.

The cricket club regularly fields four teams on a Saturday playing in the Saracen’s sponsored Hertfordshire Cricket league and two Sunday teams with our Sunday First X1 in the Bedfordshire Cricket League. Preston Cricket is Clubmark recognised and affiliated with both Hertfordshire Cricket and Hertfordshire Junior Cricket Leagues. 

The club has a very active and well attended Junior Cricket programme. Sunday mornings see the ground full of children from age 8 upwards coached by many of the regular club players who once attended the same cricket sessions in their younger days. In the past few years, the Women’s section has grown and they are now getting regular local fixtures and hoping to join a league shortly. The development of our Junior players and indeed the growth of the Women’s cricket squad are of paramount importance for Preston Cricket Club as we move into a new era for the sport.

The club benefits too from great support by villagers and the wider local community either as players or as regular spectators. It is lovely to see generations of the same families who once graced the first team regularly now watching their children move up through the ranks of the teams. The club also, through its links with Heidelberg Cricket Club in Melbourne, regularly attracts overseas players; some of which have come back more than once having moved to the UK and chosen to play again at Preston. That is a huge testament to both the level of cricket and the sense of team spirit fostered amongst all the players in the club.

The Club is very thankful for the support and help it has received – both past and present – over its (nearly) 150 years. The Club is also aware that those working behind the scenes and not just on the pitch make the club the success it is. So, we thank all of you who have supported it – not just its members, (playing and non-playing) but also as committee members, umpires, scorers, groundsmen, tea makers and spectators. Thanks too to the Red Lion – for providing a place to congregate, once the final ball is bowled, just a short walk from the ground.

The quality of cricket for a small village, its forward looking attitude and the level of support it receives from the local community is a powerful statement of the enduring legacy of the club.

Our much-admired ground is located just off the main road just as you come into Preston from Hitchin. There is no better place to spend a summer’s afternoon, watching good quality cricket. We would love to see you either as a prospective player, or as a spectator. We promise you will receive a warm welcome both at the ground and afterwards at the Red Lion.

Ali Morecroft

Preston Cricket Club President 

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