Why Martley Cricket Club
About us:
Martley Cricket Club
Formed in 1859 The MCC are one fo the oldest Cricket Clubs in Worcestershire, if not the world. Based in the picturesque Teme Valley our ground is nestled under the watchful gaze of the Malvern Hills and surrounded by Wheat Fields and Orchards. A colourful history with a strong network within the County has meant many an International has turned up to play 'The Villagers' in Testimonials; Graham Hick, Ian Botham and even Glenn McGrath when he was the No1 Bowler in the world to name a few. A proud club boasting an almost equal split of Men, Women, Boys and Girls playing the game with 'community' at it's beating heart.
Why Sponsor Us?
Firstly we fully understand that nothing comes for free. We work hard to support our sponsors in the way they support us through promoting services to the growing membership base on Game days, Training Sessions, Social Channels and Social events (Quiz and Race Nights being frequent events).
It's easy to say you're an inlcusive club but harder to deliver on that promise. With our Women's Team, the wonderful Martley Mandarins winning County Team of the Year in 2019 and our Allstars programme (5-8yr olds) being one of the fastest growing within the County we believe we truly are. With links to many of the Local Businesses and Organisations we truly are putting the Village into Village Cricket. Don't let that make you think we don't take it seriously, our Men's first Team play at a level that belies our small village population.
Today
We play at a ground in the centre of Martley, Worcestershire with 3xSenior Men's Teams, one Women's Team and four Junior Teams. This set to grow with our huge Allstars programme gathering pace guided by our willing Volunteers who coach on Friday evenings and Sunday morning through the Summer
Aspirations
A clear Vision, Objectives and Strategy is being delivered on by an Active Committee of 15 committeed locals. Key short-term plans are the refurbishment of the 30yr old Pavilion with the support of the Parish Council and imporved practise facilities with the support of the local Secondary School, the Chantry Academy.
History
Martley Cricket Club was formed in the middle of the 19th century, and we have evidence of a team playing in Martley in 1859. The first scorecard we could find was from 1860; taken from the Berrow’s Worcester Journal of the time. This makes our club older than Worcestershire County Cricket Club who were not officially formed until 1865!
In the early days it was pretty much the “gentry” who played, and matches were often in mid-week. Traveling was of course a major problem, Martley was not, and has never been, on the railway system, so it would have been carriages to get to away games. Do the "gentry" still play? We like to think so although we coudl of course be wrong...