Founded in 1880, Bracknell played cricket until 1955 on the ground adjacent to the old High Street. The pavilion stood near the junction of Crossway and Broadway; whereas the old square lies under the Broadway near the Police Station. The Duke of Edinburgh opened the present pavilion at Larges Lane on 19th April 1955 - play continued on the old ground through the 1955 season.
A number of benefit matches were staged against Surrey who were County Champions from 1952-1958. Among their ranks were Test starts like May, Laker, Barrington, Lock and Bedser. In those days Tommy Jack was an outstanding all-rounder for the club, well supported by the bowling of Tony Denness, John Clarke and Eric Taylor, who all captured over 500 wickets. Viv Jones was one of the best Bracknell players in the mid to late '50s. (Fast bowler, dashing batsman.) He once took 7 catches (as a fielder) in one of the celebrity matches in the late 50's on the new ground.
Many top class players have played at Larges Lane including Butcher and Thorpe from the present test side. The ground has staged many prestigious matches including a start studded Surrey v Sussex game in 1995, Berkshire matches in the eighties and Australia U-19 and Srilanka U-17 fixtures.
The club entered the Truman (later Lee) 1975 league and performed creditably in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, often putting out 6 weekend elevens; a mid-week side plus evening, cup and competitive colts sides. During this period Martin Boyd, Wally Beevers and Alan Phillips scored over 10,000 runs for the club - Paul Marlow, Tim Miller and Glen Clarke have reached this milestone in recent years. Dave Liston (1560 wickets) and Bert Barton (1189) were prolific wicket takers and from the current teams, John Bray (who started for the colts in 1975) has now taken over 1000 wickets. John Ainger claimed the most wicket-keeping dismissals in the clubs history.
in the last 10 years the club's fortunes have fluctuated both on and off the field. Strenuous efforts have been made to improve the facilities, but the playing strength has (until recently) declined. Paul Marlow has continued to maintain the ground to a very high standard and the club benefits from one of the finest playing facilities in the Thames Valley. Work and family commitments have meant that talented players have moved on, while numbers of replacements have been limited (until this season). The 1st XI was promoted in 2001 with some fine contributions from Ashley Crittenden (1084 runs), Pete Cox, Jon Wall and John Bray (72 wickets). The 2nd XI was relegated in 2001, but are bounced straight back with promotion in 2002 by winning the league. In 2002 Bracknell 1st XI narrowly missed out on promotion (finishing 3rd) with South African Wes Kendrick scoring 885 runs at 80.45 from 15 Innings. The 1st XI were relegated in 2003 and promoted as champions in 2004 under the captaincy of John Kirkby. Wes Kendrick scored 966 runs at 80.5 in 2004 and won the league batting award.
The club runs two elevens in the Morrant Thames Valley League on Saturdays , one Sunday team and also enters a side in the Bracknell Midweek evening league and cup (in which the club has tasted several successes in recent seasons).
If you are too old or unfit to play, please come along and support your local club. Social Memberships are available and the club has a fully licenced bar which is open on match days. Any players interested in joining the club should contact one of the captains.
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