Netherton Cricket Club is a sports club situated in the Netherton area of the West Midlands region of England. Founded in 1866 at Lodge Farm, Netherton, it moved to its present position on the side of Netherton Hill in 1879. The club currently runs 3 Saturday teams, 2 Sunday teams and 2 midweek teams for adults.
History
Netherton Cricket Club was founded in 1866 and had its first sporting fixture in 1867. The club's ground was situated in Lodge Farm at the foot of Netherton Hill and was rented from Thomas Gower at an annual cost of £15. The surnames of the team members from an 1869 report of a game against Brierley Hill reveal that many of the founder members of the Netherton club came from families prominent in local industry and business. From 1875 the club's ground became associated with the annual Netherton Rural Fêtes and Athletic Sports meeting. The club's ground moved to its present position further up Netherton Hill in 1879. The use of the land was granted to them by the Earl of Dudley on condition that the Netherton Church Committee could use the ground for three days per year to hold their money-raising fêtes. An iron pavilion was constructed at this time. In June 1890, Joseph Darby, the locally born champion jumper appeared at the annual sports meeting. The players adopted an 'Oxford Blue' club cap in 1894. At the turn of the century around £2000 was spent on ground improvements. In the early decades of the 20th century, the club sometimes fielded a professional although none were employed after the 1921 season. In 1928, the Club purchased the ground from the Earl of Dudley. However, because of financial difficulties occurring during the Second World War, the ownership of the grounds were passed to Dudley Council in 1946. A new Club House was built in 1963 using an old school building.
The club runs 3 Saturday teams, 2 Sunday teams and 2 midweek teams for adults as well as youth teams. The club's "Saturday" teams play in the Worcestershire County League on Saturdays and some weekdays. For the 2016 season, the First XI plays in the Division Three 1st; the Second XI plays in the Division One 2nd and the Third XI competes in the Division 7 North. Netherton Cricket Club's Sunday teams compete in the Worcester Sunday Border League and its Midweek XI plays in the Wilden Industrial Estates League Division A.
