Northfield CCCome to netsNets
A mown cricket pitch with stumps at the near end, trees and a pavilion beyond
0 for 0
0.0 overs · first inningsthe scoreboard · tin numbers · hung by hand

The square, then the pavilion.

A village ground since 1887. The square first, always.Rolled and mown six times a week by a man who's done it for thirty years. Then the pavilion, the tea, the clock that stopped at ten past. Nets on Tuesdays for anyone who turns up.

Come to nets
01 · The square

Six mows and a roller.

0 mows
this week · Tuesday to Saturday · then match day
RollTuesday · the heavy one
MowSix times · 12 mm
MarkFriday · whiting, by string
StumpsSaturday · 22 yards
Toss13:30 · then play
Roll. Tuesday, the heavy one.A tonne and a half of iron, pulled up and down the square at walking pace. It's what makes the ball bounce true on Saturday, and it's why the groundsman has the shoulders he has.
A village cricket ground under a pale sky, a small pavilion at the far boundary
02 · The ground

What's past the boundary.

1887

the first match, against the next village. We lost. The fixture's still in the book.

22 yds

from stump to stump. Marked on Friday with string and whiting, checked with a chain.

4

teams. Two Saturday elevens, a Sunday side, and the under-13s who'll replace all of them.

10:10

the time on the pavilion clock. It stopped in 1994. Nobody's fixed it because nobody wants it fixed.

A red leather cricket ball lying in cut grass in low golden light

The square, then the pavilion.

The order matters. A club with a good square and a bad pavilion has cricket. A club with a good pavilion and a bad square has a bar. We've kept the square first for a hundred and thirty years, and the bar has done fine.

Join

Three ways onto the ground.

Play, watch, or bring a child. All three get you the tea, which is the main thing.

Playing · Saturdays and Sundays · April to SeptemberPlayerNets Tuesdays, a shirt, a place in one of four sides

Turn up to nets. Somebody will pick you for a Sunday. If you're any good you'll be picked for a Saturday. If you're not, you'll still be picked for a Sunday.

£90 a season · £5 match fee
Social · all yearSocialThe pavilion, the bar, the tea, the deckchairs

For people who like cricket at the pace of an afternoon. The bar opens at the toss. The tea is at four. Nobody asks if you play.

£30 a year
Juniors · under-9 to under-15 · Friday eveningsJuniorSoft ball at six, hard ball at nine, the square at thirteen

Coached by the Saturday players, who were coached by the ones before. Kit provided until they stop growing.

£45 a season
The season

How the season goes.

April to September, and the square doesn't get a week off. Here's the year from the groundsman's side.

A village cricket ground with a sightscreen at the boundary and trees behind
March
The first cutThe square comes out of winter at 30 mm and goes down a millimetre a week. The roller comes out of the shed. The shed complains.
April
First matchAlways cold, always against the same village, always someone in a jumper who didn't need to be. Tea is soup.
June
The long eveningsSunday games that finish at nine. The square is at 12 mm and the ball is doing whatever the groundsman wants it to.
August
The weekFive matches in seven days, a barbecue, and the under-13s' first game on the main square. Somebody's dad cries.
September
Last match, then the forkThe final Saturday, then the square is scarified, seeded and put to bed. The pavilion clock still says ten past.
Nets

Come to nets.

Tuesdays at six, April to August, at the nets behind the pavilion. Bring trainers. We've got bats, pads, and a bowling machine that only the captain understands. Tell us if you've played, or don't.

Come to nets