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History
In 1880, Bracknell Cricket Club originally played on a ground beside the old High Street, where the pavilion once stood near the junction of Crossway and Broadway. Today, the site of the old square lies beneath Broadway, close to Bracknell Police Station. On 19th April 1955, the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened our current home and pavilion at Larges Lane, where the club continues to thrive.
Throughout the 1950s, Bracknell hosted several benefit matches against Surrey, who were County Champions between 1952 and 1958. Surrey’s squad included Test legends such as May, Laker, Barrington, Lock, and Bedser. During this golden era, Tommy Jack stood out as an exceptional all-rounder, supported by prolific bowlers Tony Denness, John Clarke, and Eric Taylor—each of whom took over 500 wickets. Viv Jones, a fast bowler and dynamic batsman, was among the club’s finest players in the mid-to-late 1950s; he famously took seven catches in a celebrity match at Larges Lane.
Over the years, Larges Lane has welcomed many elite cricketers, including England internationals Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe. The ground has hosted numerous prestigious fixtures, such as the star-studded Surrey v Sussex match in 1995, Berkshire county games in the 1980s, and youth internationals featuring Australia U19 and Sri Lanka U17.
The club joined the Truman (later Lee) League in 1975 and enjoyed strong performances throughout the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s—regularly fielding up to six weekend sides, a midweek team, and multiple junior and cup squads. During this period, prolific run-scorers Martin Boyd, Wally Beevers, and Alan Phillips each surpassed 10,000 runs - a feat later matched by Paul Marlow, Tim Miller, and Glen Clarke.
Among the club’s outstanding bowlers, Dave Liston (1,560 wickets) and Bert Barton (1,189) set remarkable records, while John Bray, who began in the colts in 1975, has since taken over 1,000 wickets. John Ainger holds the record for most wicket-keeping dismissals, and in 2016, Peter Henly celebrated his 1,000th wicket for the club.
In recent years, Bracknell Cricket Club has focused on enhancing facilities and growing membership. Thanks to the dedicated work of Paul Marlow, our ground remains one of the best in the Thames Valley League. The club has experienced steady growth in both players and supporters, reflecting a period of renewed energy and development.
In 2012, Bracknell Cricket Club proudly achieved ECB ClubMark accreditation, a milestone that supports continued growth, player development, and facility improvement. Our progress continued with a £75,000 Sport England grant used to renovate the clubhouse and upgrade our facilities.
Today, we field six senior teams in the Thames Valley Cricket League on Saturdays, along with competitive sides in the Bracknell Midweek T20 League and Cup and Berkshire Sunday League.
In 2018, we launched our first U9s team, competing in the Berkshire Youth Cricket League. Building on that success since we now have squads at U9’s,U11s, U13’s and U15’s competing at the highest levels in Berkshire Youth Cricket League and Surrey Junior Cricket Competition.
