About

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.