Club History

Although cricket was played in the village prior to 1895, Walton-le-Dale Cricket Club was formally recognised by the village following a meeting held 17th February 1896. The Cricket Club can trace its origins back to 1875 however, making it the oldest of the local sporting Clubs. Prior to 1896 it is unclear as to where the Club played their matches, although the early Recreation Society minutes show that a Public Meeting was held on Thursday, 16th October 1895, chaired by the Vicar of St Leonard's Rev. Seymour F Harris. The reason for the meeting was that football and cricket had of late been played under great disadvantage in Walton-le-Dale, owing to the want of a suitable field. Subsequent to this the Cricket Club moved to their present home and along with the Bowling Club hold tenancy rights in perpetuity.

The Club was a founder member of the Chorley and District Amateur Cricket League that was formulated in 1903, with the first matches being played the following year. Possibly the proudest achievements came in 1970, 1974 and 2004 the Club lifting the Division 1 championship on 3 occasions

There have been a number of outstanding players over the years. Two of the most prominent are Alan Rigby and Gavin Turner. Alan, formerly a Recreation Society Trustee, Treasurer and Club President, held the position of League President for many years. He was the League's highest aggregate runs scorer 14 times in 16 seasons between 1960 and 1975. Gavin, currently Life President, was the League's outstanding bowler from 1970 through to the mid-1980's and still holds the League record for the most wickets in a season (95 in 1977). In 2015, Alex Hinds broke the Palace Shield Div 3 batting record with 925 runs at an ave of 66.07.

Today the Club runs 1st, 2nd & 3rd teams on Saturdays in the Palace Shield, along with a Sunday League Team and a T20 Midweek team.

Our junior section will have 2 teams for 2024, one U12 hardball, and an U10 softball team.

New members are always welcome, with organised practice held every Tuesday evening during the season, commencing at 6pm for adults.

We also run both ECB Allstars (Ages 5-8) and Dynamos (Ages 8-11) sessions. These are done on Friday evenings from 6.30 onwards.

Achievements:

F Ley Cup 2002

1st Div Championship 2004

2nd Div Championship 2002, 2003

Brinscall Cup - 2001, 2003, 2004

Centenary Shield - 2004

Qualified for the Lancashire Cricket Board Shield - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Palace Shield Level 4 Gold Cup Winners 2020

Palace Shield Div 3 Champions 2015, 2022

Palace Shield Div 4 Runners Up 2023

Overseas Players:

2023 - Harry Cousins - University of Western Australia CC, Perth Aus

2024 - Xavier Broers - Western Districts CC, Canberra Aus

Facilities are continually enhanced. We have in recent years acquired a new electronic scorebox, new covers and 2 new rollers. We are now keen to focus attention on progressing with other projects to enhance the clubs offering.