Old Hill Cricket Club
| Personnel | |
|---|---|
| Captain | Danny Cox |
| Team information | |
| Founded | 1884 |
| Home ground | Haden Hill Ground |
| Official website: | Old Hill CC |
Old Hill Cricket Club is an cricket club in Cradley Heath, West Midlands, England.
Founded in 1884 as Haden Hill Victoria, the club has played on Haden Hill ground in Cradley Heath since founding, having purchased it in 1934, with the ground placed owned by a Trust and shared with Old Hill Tennis Club. The club was originally part of the Municipal Borough of Rowley Regis which is now the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell. Historically the club has been situated in the County of Staffordshire although boundary changes at one time placed it within the ambit of Worcestershire. It is for this reason that there is a joint affiliation with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Cricket Boards.
Old Hill joined the Birmingham League in 1920, and first won the league in its second year of membership. They also won the Division 1 title in 1940, 1960, and 1983. Their 1st XI currently plays in Division 1 and the 2nd XI play in the 2nd XI Premier Division. The 3rd XI meanwhile plays in the Worcestershire County Cricket League. They are one of the most prominent clubs in English cricket, winning the ECB National Club Cricket Championship in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1993, and being runners-up in 1989. Over the years the club has been associated with many famous cricketers including Eric Hollies who went on to play for Warwickshire and England and also Charles Palmer who played at the age of 14 batting at number 11 for Old Hill 2nd XI. He was later to rise from this lowly beginning to play for Worcestershire, Leicestershire and England and ultimately became secretary to Leicestershire and President of the MCC eventually taking the premier post in cricket as Chairman of the Cricket Council and the Test and County Cricket Board.
The Old Hill ground with its grassy tree lined slopes set next to Haden Hill Park is rated to be one of the prettiest in the country. On joining the league in 1920 the ground was basin shaped with a pronounced slope. Measures were taken in 1923 to level off the playing area and a scoreboard and press box were erected. The ground was originally held on a lease but in 1934 the club raised £3,000 in ten weeks to buy the ground and a tablet was unveiled in 1938 in the pavilion recording the names of donors and a celebration in 1935 of the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary. The ground was levelled off and enlarged to its present state in 1947 and a refreshment building was erected in 1950. This building was further extended in 1977 and in the late 1990s a successful application to the Foundation for Sport and the Arts enabled a grant to be obtained which extended the present Clubhouse.
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