This weekend, Kenton Cricket Club are celebrating 100 years of playing cricket at their current site, the Alan Digby Ground in Harrow.
Formerly known as the Athenians Sports Club, they were originally established in 1900, and in 1921, the club moved from Willesden and rented ‘Kenton Farm’. The cricket facilities consisted of one square and an army hut and the club ran two teams. On May 16th of that year, the Athenians hosted Hurworth Sports Club in a two innings match with the home side winning in front of what was reported to be a large crowd.
In 1927, the club’s name was changed to Kenton Cricket Club, and after the war, hosted a number of high profile matches – including Denis Compton’s benefit game. The club continued to grow over the next few decades and bought the ground outright in the 1960s. In 2010, Kenton sadly lost club stalwart Alan Digby, who had served the club for over 40 years in many roles – groundsman, chairman, captain and president. As a tribute to his service and contribution, the club honoured him by re-naming the ground “The Alan Digby Ground.”
Currently, the club runs four XIs in the Middlesex County Cricket League, and its junior section is thriving once more, with All Stars, Dynamos Cricket, Under 15s in the MJCA and teams in each of Middlesex’s Transition Competitions: The MDL, Vitality U19 T20 and Middlesex Youth Cup.
With a full and safe summer of cricket ahead, Kenton are one of many clubs at the heart of their local community who are ready to help get people back together again. Club Chair, Ankit Shah said:
“I am very proud of our history and even more excited about the future of the club. We are looking forward to our weekend of celebrations to mark the centenary year, and are excited to welcome members from years gone by back to the club.”
Clubs looking to create a celebratory event later in the summer can contact their local Middlesex Cricket Area Manager for support, and the latest ECB guidance regarding covid-19 protocols can be found here.
