BCC History - 1880 to date

Bollington Cricket Club was formed in about 1885 by bringing together smaller clubs in Shrigley Vale and Bollington Cross. The Cricket Club has, for over 100 years, played an important part in the lives of an enormous number of residents of the town.

Francis Greg JP provided a specially laid out ground at ‘Gnat Hole’ which included a pavilion and bandstand and paid £20 for a roller to make sure the summer wickets were properly prepared! He was the first BCC President and he held the office for some years. On his death in 1901 the Recreation Ground was bequeathed to the people of Bollington. There was much local rivalry with near neighbours Macclesfield Cricket Club and an excerpt from their history talks of crowds of up to 5,000 for these fiercely contested derby matches.

The glory days of Bollington Cricket on the Recreation Ground were before the First World War. In 1905 the Macclesfield Courier carried the report of an astonished journalist: ‘Fancy a village of 6,000 challenging and playing a city like Manchester with a population of over 60 times that.’ When the Cheshire County Cricket Club was formed in 1908 a number of County matches were played on Bollington Recreation Ground.

Old photos show the ground full of spectators both standing and seated on the many benches. At that time the club enjoyed much success, providing stiff competition for clubs from towns with several times the population. This trend is echoed today.

Finding BCC

The village of Bollington is on the western edge of the picturesque Peak District National Park, four miles north of Macclesfield, seven miles east of Wilmslow, 18 miles southeast of Manchester.

From Macclesfield: Turn off Silk Road (A523) at Bollington Road or Flash Lane roundabout. Follow road for 1.5 miles through village. Turn sharp left into Adlington Road just before the Dog & Partridge public house and the ground is 120 metres on the right.

Bollington Cricket Club
The Recreation Ground
Adlington Road
Bollington
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 5JT

Senior Cricket

Originally in the Lancashire & Cheshire League, and then the Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League along with the likes of many of our local rivals such as Pott Shrigley and Prestbury.

Following a sustained period of success on and off the field over the last few years the first XI now compete in the ECB accredited Cheshire County League division one, a standard on cricket the defies the size of our small village club.

The senior teams comprise a first XI, second XI (Saturday league and some Sunday Cup Fixtures) and a third XI. Senior nets are Tuesday and Thursday evenings in spring and summer and winter nets run after Christmas at Tytherington High School on a Sunday.(see senior page)

Junior Cricket

Historically, the junior section of the club has been responsible for the development of many of today’s established seniors. Enjoying a fantastic revival at the moment our junior section offers youngsters participation in the sport at the following levels:

Kwik Cricket
An introduction to the basic skills of the game for 7 to 10-year-olds using lightweight equipment and a plastic ball. In 2005 this was held on Tuesday evenings, during the summer term and about 25 youngsters regularly turned up.

Junior Cricket
The club offers coaching (by qualified coaches) and competitive participation in various league and cup competitions (See Junior page for age groups)

Coaching is usually Monday or Wednesday evenings, Summer Term, and winter nets run in the Spring Term at Tytherington High School on a Sunday.

Many of our older junior players regularly get opportunities to play senior cricket-in fact some of our best seniors have come through the junior section!

The junior section has a membership of about 70-80 and there is no doubt that the ground is a hive of activity from the end of April until mid July when the junior season ends. The club continues to use the facilities until mid September when the senior season ends.

Clubmark

Bollington Cricket Club has worked hard for and achieved Sport England’s Clubmark. This is an accreditation that is awarded by the English Cricket Board when the club is able to demonstrate that it meets the ECB criteria for the playing programme, child protection, sports equity and ethics and club management. The club has also been invited to act as a Focus Club for the Cheshire Cricket Development program.

Chance to Shine

In 2008 BCC had the honour to be nominated by the Cheshire Community Coach to be the Chance to Shine club for the area as a result of our thriving junior section. Chance to Shine is an initiative run by the Cricket Foundation aimed at getting cricket back to its grass roots and into state schools. We are the only club in the borough to be selected and there are only a handful in Cheshire. This involves working in local schools and providing events and competitions for these school children to participate in, hopefully to include Kwik Cricket Festivals at the Recreation Ground.

Bollington Recreation Ground

Bollington Cricket Club is an important factor in the future of the Recreation Ground. In an age where exercise is an endangered species and the Government is looking for ways to encourage young people away from their games consoles and adults away from the TV we provide the opportunity for anyone who is interested to participate in cricket and related physical activities. We also provide free entertainment throughout the summer months, which is watched and hopefully enjoyed by many. On a fine day many families bring a picnic down to enjoy whilst watching the match. The promotion to Division 1 means that some local derbies against Macclesfield and Poynton will be amongst the fixtures—guaranteed to pull in a good crowd!