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Poole Town Cricket Club

The club currently runs four adult sides in the Dorset Cricket Leagues every Saturday, ranging from the Premier League to Division Six. There is also a midweek team that competes in the Wimborne Evening League Division One.

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There is a large youth section with sides at every age group from U8s to U16s and the club also has its own privately funded cricket academy, founded in memory of Toby Bennett.

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With so many opportunities to play and enjoy cricket, new players of all ages and standards are always welcome and we encourage you to get in touch via contact tab above to see how you can get involved.

A message from our President

While still at Poole Grammar School I played cricket for both Poole Old Grammarians CC and Poole CC. After an 'Old boys' match and leaving school I joined Poole Old Grammarians CC under the influence of Tony Harvey and John Wellman. Tony for his public school image and cricket etiquette, John for his recognition of pub signs. Whether they were Hall and Woodhouse or Eldridge Pope, education is very important in some fields. I considered it a privilege to be able to play cricket in Poole Park , close to where I was born and where, in my early days, I watched heroes such as Norman Hills , Roland Johnson, Eric Wells and Brian Stubbs.  


The merger of Poole and Poole Old Grammarians in 1992 was important for cricket in the town and I am proud to be chairman of the amalgamation, now known as Poole Town Cricket Club. Success should not be measured just by trophies in the cabinet, but also by achievements on and off the field. The recent triumphs of the first eleven must not overshadow the efforts of the other teams, the vibrant youth section and Mark Bennett 's academy. 


In these modern days of numerous alternative activities it is very important for an amateur sporting organisation to have hard working officers and committee members. Poole Town CC is very fortunate in this area with Nick Williams and Dave Miller to name just two. The two work tirelessly in all directions both on and off the field to ensure that the club has all the opportunities and advantages to ensure Poole is a major cricket club in Dorset. Together, we are all constantly looking to improve our facilities and playing standards to maintain our position as one of the senior and largest clubs in the county. 

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Thank you for viewing our website. 

Peter Dooker
PTCC Chairman

Club History

Poole Town Cricket Club was formed in 1992 following a merger of the then Poole Old Grammarians CC and Poole CC, playing under the name of Poole Old Grammarians and Poole CC.  In 2003 the name was changed to the present Poole Town CC with four Saturday and one Sunday senior elevens and a midweek evening league side, together with junior sides at numerous age groups. There are also winter indoor league sides at both adult and junior levels.

The earliest mention of Poole cricket was in the year 1776 at Bistern, when a team of gentlemen from that neighbourhood defeated a team of gentlemen from Poole.  The next reference was in 1835 when Blandford defeated Poole by 168 runs.  From then on cricket prospered in the county, especially in the Poole area, where many clubs were being formed. Among them were Poole Amateurs, Poole Juniors, Poole Albion, Poole Herald, Newtown, Poole Pottery and Constitution Hill.  A Poole Town Eleven was formed in the 1870's, with an AGM recorded in 1888, but no record has been found of any matches played from 1889 to 1891 by this club.

The Council in their wisdom had built a cricket pavilion before laying the wicket, In consequence no cricket could be played in the new Peoples Park (Poole Park) until 1892. 

 

Two meetings were held in November 1891 and Poole Park Cricket Club was formed with the first games played in 1892 and with most being two innings a side. A second eleven also competed.

 

With the advent of the First World War looming on the horizon, little cricket was played for the next four years.  If there was, no reports of it have been found.  Following the cessation of hostilities, an AGM and a full fixture list arranged for 1919.

Poole Old Grammarians CC was formed in 1927 with the first game being played in May 1928.  The first full season was in 1929 when 22 matches were played.  The club continued until the Second World War when play was suspended.    

 

Poole Park also played until war broke out, however it continued through the war sustained by an amalgamation with Bournemouth Gasworks which lasted until 1946 when Poole Park returned to it's pre-war status with two elevens playing Saturday and Sunday.

The Old Grammarians CC was revived in 1946 and by 1947 most of the club members dispersed by the war had returned.  Sunday games were played for the first time in 1951.  A second eleven was formed in 1967.

 

Poole Park changed it's name to Poole Cricket Club in 1952.

In the early 1970's league cricket began to evolve in Dorset.  Participation in the competition was by invitation only, there being a Dorset Club Championship for those clubs considered to be senior clubs and junior one for senior club 2Xl's, smaller and village clubs.  Clubs were not required to play each other but annual matches between participating clubs became league fixtures.  Each match consisted of 90 overs with one new ball. The side batting first was entitled to receive a maximum of 48 overs, (compensation for facing a new ball).  Declarations were permitted and all three results were possible. The Old Grammarians entered a side in the senior competition and Poole a side in both. 

Whereas the majority of the Old Grammarian fixtures were Dorset based, Poole played further afield with matches against sides in the Southampton and Winchester areas.  In 1977 a Southern League was formed, the forerunner of the present ECB Southern Premier League.  Only matches from existing fixtures counted for league purposes.

Discussions in the late 1980's saw all the Dorset Cricket Leagues brought together by 1991 with a Premier League and ten other divisions featuring over 100 teams.  Matches, which could be played on Saturday or Sunday, were win/lose, of 90 overs duration, with overs restrictions for bowlers and batting/bowling bonus points.  There was also promotion and relegation between divisions.

In 1990 the Southern League joined forces with the then Hampshire Cricket League and at this time Poole withdrew one side and played in the inaugural Hampshire County Division 1.  Following the 1992 merger of the two clubs, the new club continued in the Hampshire League for two seasons before withdrawing to concentrate on Dorset Cricket.

1996 saw Dorset Cricket separate into Saturday and Sunday Leagues with players able to play for different clubs on a Saturday and Sunday.  Over the next ten years playing conditions were amended so that by 2007 both the Premier League and Division 1 mirrored those used in first class one-day cricket (except for Duckworth/Lewis and power plays) and with the addition of batting and bowling bonus points.  All other divisions both Saturday and Sunday continued to play 45 overs per side.

Since 2001 the club has made significant progress both on and off the field.  The Saturday First Eleven has been particularly successful, winning the Premier League on four occasions (including three consecutive years 2002 to 2004) and finishing second and third twice in the other years. 

Premier League 2002

Premier League 2004

Premier League 2012

Premier League 2003

Premier League 2006

Premier League 2014

Premier League 2015

© Poole Town Cricket Club 2018 All rights reserved.

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