Club Cricket 

2024 marks 175 years of Scarborough Cricket Club

Scarborough Cricket Club was originally formed in 1849 at a meeting in The Queen Hotel (later to become The Cricketers Pub and now Retirement apartments) in North Marine Road and was then known as The Queen’s Club.

The early matches were played on rough land opposite the Queen Hotel, the first match being in September of 1849 against Filey and Visitors.

As the Club developed important matches were played at Castle Hill on a ground prepared at the direction of the Army for the local Rifle Volunteers. Often practice of the Riflemen conflicted with matches and eventually this became a contributing factor for developing the ground opposite the Queen Hotel.

A match was organised in 1862 for a Scarborough Twenty (players) against an All England XI at Castle Hill, it was very extremely successful with large crowds and it became an annual event.

As a direct result the Club was reconstituted in in 1863 to provide proper formal organisation were such large finance was involved. Lord Derwent was appointed President.

These outside matches, including by 1867 Scarborough CC v Scarborough Visitors, became the main source of income and contributed greatly to the Clubs development.

In 1871 Lord Londesborough promoted a match between his own XI and a team chosen by C.I. Thornton who visited Lord Londesborough in Scarborough. The match was a great success but resulted in Lord Londesborough, who found the facilities at Castle Hill wanting, writing to Scarborough Cricket Club advising them that if his patronage was to continue then they must either improve the ground at North Marine Road or find another Ground.

The North Marine Road Ground was enlarged and levelled during the winter of 1871-1872 and since that time has staged local, county, and international cricket.