Dartford Cricket Club

Dartford Cricket Club in Kent is one of the oldest in England with origins dating from the early 18th century, perhaps earlier. It is probably the oldest club with a continuous existence. Dartford players were reckoned by Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, writing in his diary in 1723, to "lay claim to the greatest excellence" among English cricketers. The club played a number of big matches against the London Cricket Club and, in 1756, was involved in a tri-series against the sport's rising power, Hambledon. Dartford produced several famous players in the 18th century including cricket's earliest known great player William Bedle. Later Dartford players included William Hodsoll, John Bell, John Frame and Ned Wenman.

The club had a famous venue on Dartford Brent which was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of the town. Historically, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators assembled there to witness the execution of Christopher Ward, a Dartford linen weaver, who was burned to death at the stake for his Protestant faith. Dartford Brent has a better association as a famous cricket venue. It was in use through the 18th century having almost certainly been used during the 17th century. It was noted for the quality of its turf, which was said to be "as smooth as a bowling green" (see Dartford CC website).

Numerous match references have survived from 1709 to 1795. The earliest definitely known inter-county match took place there on 29 June 1709 when Kent played Surrey. The All-England v Hampshire match played on 27, 28 and 29 August 1795 was the last time Dartford Brent is known to have been used for a major match (Hampshire won by 4 wickets). Games in Dartford after 1795 were played at Bowman’s Lodge on nearby Dartford Heath.

According to the club's website, an unsuccessful campaign was waged against the Brent's enclosure during the 1870s and the townspeople presented a petition to the Court of Common Council. Among other things, the petition held that a portion of the Brent had been used as the town cricket ground throughout the whole period of living memory; while the whole area had been "constantly resorted to for all sorts of past times and has been looked upon as the recreation ground of Dartford". The cricket ground at that time lay near the top of Brent Lane, somewhere across the road which passes alongside Hesketh Park.

Today, Dartford Cricket Club still plays in the Kent League and its present ground at Hesketh Park is almost all that is left of the old Brent.

Sources include:

• H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962
• F S Ashley-Cooper, At the Sign of the Wicket: Cricket 1742–1751, ''Cricket'' Magazine, 1900
• G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Eighteenth Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
• Dartford Cricket Club
• From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300–1787
• Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
• H T Waghorn, Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730–1773), Blackwood, 1899
• H T Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906