Ilford Cricket Club
Our History
Ilford Cricket Club was founded in 1879 and first played at Valentine's Park in Ilford in 1922 and a pavilion was completed a year later after a Mrs Ingleby, who owned 136 acres of land surrounding it, donated the venue to Ilford CC. The first ever county match to be played on a Sunday was played there on 15 May 1966 between Essex and Somerset, with 6,000 spectators attending.
Ilford continued to host county matches for many years. All the world class players played at the ground including Sir Ian Botham, Sir Viv Richards, Wasim Akram and David Gower amongst those who played professional matches at the ground.
Ilford also boast numerous county and international players who have grown up and learnt their trade at the club starting with the colts division, then representing the senior teams before moving onto professional and international cricket.
Ilford CC have also produced two England captains; Graham Gooch and Nasser Hussain. No other club has produced more.
Today, Ilford have a thriving colts division with teams from U9s to U19s. Ilford CC also have 5 adult teams that play in prestigious Hamro Foundation Essex Cricket League.