Located at Stokes Field, off Betts Way in Long Ditton, Long Ditton Cricket Club boasts a rich history. Originally known as Ditton Hill, the club has seen multiple locations over the years. Tom Wedlock, who started playing for Ditton Hill at the age of 14, shared some vivid memories with us.
“I started to play for Ditton Hill in the 1920s alongside remarkable characters like Ernie Boxall, Jack Dean – the club's captain at the time, and Charlie Harris. The ground was at Woodgate Lane, opposite St. Mary’s Church. We had the Piggery End, so named due to the adjacent pig field, and the Orchard or Stubbs End, which often led to interactions with Mrs. Stubbs.
World War II saw me in the Home Guard and later the army, but Ditton Hill kept going. Post-war, under Eddie Elms’ leadership, we shared Sugden Road with Hinchley Wood, though the relationship was tense.
Playing with outstanding cricketers like Frank Boxall and Percy Stenning remains a cherished memory."
The club, renamed Long Ditton Cricket Club, stayed at Sugden Road until 1993. The hockey club's need for artificial pitches ended our stay there. We temporarily moved to the Hawker Centre in Kingston, but played as Nomads over the next 8 years renting several different grounds.
Our new site at Betts Way, granted planning permission in 1998, saw us continue in the Morrant Wey Valley League. Paul Mock, the Project Manager for Ground and the Pavilion started work on building our new home.
Thanks to sports and lottery grants, and a lot of fundraising, we were ready for the 2001 season. On June 24th 2001, David Essex, our then-president, organised a star-studded match for fundraising, featuring the likes of Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch.
In 2002 Les Bond, our current Club President (and local legend) was named Club Cricket Conference Cricketer of the Year. Joining the Fuller’s League, we gained Clubmark accreditation in 2008 and became a Surrey Cricket Focus Club in 2010, with members like Simon Sweeney and Imogen Neely making us proud representing the county.
The club celebrated 10 years at the new ground in 2011, where we continued to focus heavily on junior teams. In 2019 we did something no other team has ever done before or sense, winning our very own Treble. The Fullers Premier Division League Title, Fullers T20 Cup Competition and the Fullers League Cup Competition. What a year!
In 2022, our feature in the Sky Sports Cricket documentary ‘The Man Who Bought Cricket’ brought us national attention, where we were identified as the epitome of village cricket.
Our focus is to build a sports club which is at the heart of the community, and we are making huge strides in doing that. We maintain a focus on developing our junior sections from vibrant mixed Dynamos and Allstars all the way through to our U17 teams, and have 3 senior Teams; a First and Second team both playing competitive League Cricket and a Sunday team that plays friendlies at our ground every Sunday.
We hold local events at the pavilion, including wedding anniversaries, birthdays, and last year a fundraiser for the Village Green conservation project for One Tree Hill.
In 2024 we will be opening our brand new practice Net facilities, thanks to an Elmbridge Council Grant and a generous private donor, which are state of the art and open to the public. We welcome players of all abilities, ages, gender and background, and look forward to meeting you all over the summer. Come and join us for a pint in our idyllic surroundings at Stokes Field.
We’re tucked away next to Stokes Field Nature Reserve. Once you find us, you won’t want to leave our little paradise.
We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.
