About Us at Carlisle Cricket Club

Cricket is first mentioned as having been played at Carlisle in 1828, when the Carlisle Patriot reported that Carlisle had beaten Cockermouth.

The first cricket painting of a match is one by the local artist Sam Bough titled Cricket at Edenbridge, Carlisle, c1848. Bough was a landscape painter and water colourist who was born in Carlisle in 1822. A print of the painting hangs in the pavilion at Edenside.

The Famous All England XI, founded in 1846 by William Clarke of Nottingham, played twenty two of Carlisle in 1850. In spite of their numerial advantage the home team lost by an innings. Carlisle also lost to the All England XI in 1865, but they were victorious in the 1871 fixture.

Perhaps the most significant date in the club's history is 14th May 1892, when the ground was purchased from the Duke of Devonshire and Lord Lonsdale. A new pavilion, still in use today, was built the same year and the ground improved.

His Majesty King George VI and Queen Mary visited Edenside on 17th May 1917. His Majesty inspected the 1st Battalion of the Cumberland Volunteer Regiment, 1,200 strong. During the march past the band played "D'ye Ken John Peel", the Border Regiment regimental march. A photograph of the visit hangs in the pavilion.

Carlisle Cricket Club organisied a knock-out competition from 1919 to 1961 (suspended during the war years) which proved very popular. In the 1940s and 50s hundreds of spectators paid to watch the matches. The knock-out trophy was the former Carlisle and District Association Shield presented by Mr. Mounsey-Heysham in 1888. The Shiels competition was in operation from that date until the outbreak of the First World War, but did not restart in 1919. The Association trustees generously allowed the Shield to be used for the Knock-out. It was presented to the winners until 1961 when the knock-out ended. It is now displayed in the club's trophy cabinet.

Carlisle Cricket Club played leagur cricket in the Border League from 1930 to 1948, and have been members of the North Lancashire and District Cricket League from 1949 to date. The League was restructured in 2000 and renamed the North Lancashire and Cumbria Cricket League. Carlisle were winners of the Border League in 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1947 and 1948. The club's successes in the North Lancashire League are as follows:-

League Champions: 1970, 1973 & 1982
Higson Cup Winners: 1955, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1974, 1981 &1988
Meageen Cup Winners: 1970, 1973 & 1980

One of the stars of the Carlisle team and the knock-out during the 1920s and 30s was Roland Saint. He was also a member of an invitation XI assembled by a former mayor of Whitehaven, Mr. George Palmer, to play the 1926 Australians. The match was played at Edenside on 16th September, in front of about 5,000 spectators. Mr. Palmer's XI included Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe and Patsy Hendren. The Australian team included Bill Ponsford, Bill Woodfull and Arthur Richardson. This match remains the biggest gathering of first-class cricketers ever seen at Edenside. The last survivor of the match was Bill Ponsford, who died in 1991, aged 90. Photographs of both teams, and a memento to Roaland Saint, have pride of place on the lounge wall in the pavilion.

Three touring teams played at Edenside in the 1950s. The West Indies in 1950 and 1957 and the South Africans in 1955. On each occasion Cumberland and Westmorland were the opposition. The 1950 West Indies team included Clive Walcott and Alf Valentine, whilst their 1957 side had Rohan Kanhai, Garfield Sobers and Wes Hall in their ranks. This was the last decade in which touring teams played lesser fixtures.

The City of Carlisle suffered catastrophic flooding in January 2005, the worst for 200 years. The playing area and the pavilion at Edenside were flooded to a depth of several feet. while the playing area was brought back into use for the start of the 2005 season in April, the pavilion reinstatement was not substantialy completed until September 2006. Now, however, players and members have much improved facilities.

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