The Daily Advertiser reported that a cricket match was played on Streatham Common between Clapham and Streatham for a payment of 11 guineas a side on 26 July 1731. The is the earliest mention of cricket in Streatham. The Streatham Cricket Club is the oldest cricket club in Streatham and was founded for the “Gentry” of the Village in 1805. Such was the popularity of the game that as Streatham grew in the mid-19th century the game became popular with all the classes in the area and, by the end of the Victorian era, Streatham boasted a total of 72 clubs.
There were tradesmen’s teams such as the Streatham Early Closing Cricket Club and the Streatham Wednesday Cricket Club. Both played their games on Wednesday afternoons when it was traditional to close shops. Other clubs were either represented by a church, school, police, a family or the gardeners and coachmen who worked in the grand houses of the area.
Streatham Cricket Club initially played on Streatham Common and later moved to the area which is today in Angles and Pendennis Roads. The road name Gracefield Gardens, which is in the area was named to celebrate one of Englands most famous cricketers, W G Grace, who on 10th July 1901, played on the ground on the first of a number of times for London County. The ground also saw Jack Hobbs, at the age of 22 play in 1904 when he was was run out for 73 and take a single wicket of Cyril M Thomas the headmaster of Cheltonia College, 45 Tooting Bec Road. During WW1 a bomb from a Zeppelin fell on the ground in September 1916, killing a donkey.
Streatham Cricket Club merged with a number of clubs over the years and in 2003, the last merger saw it merge with Marlborough. Streatham and Marlborough Cricket Club today play in Dulwich.
A number of Streatham cricketers and members of Streatham clubs played County cricket including Sir Kingsmill James Key, C.B Fry, Neville Miller, K S Ranjitsinhji, Arthur Stoner and Andy Sandham. Sandham was born in Streatham and played 14 Test matches between 1921 and 1930 and made the first triple century in Test cricket, 325 against the West Indies in 1930, and scored over 40,000 first-class runs.
John Major the former PM played a few games for Streatham Cricket Club’s Colts in the 1960s when living in Thornton Road SW2.
Raman-Subba-Row who was not a member of a Streatham club was born in Pendennis Road in Streatham in 1936. He played for Surrey and Northants and between 1958-61 played 13 tests for England. He became Chairman of Surrey CC and Chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board and the Cricket Council.
Other local connection to cricket include:
*Three editors of Wisden, the Cricketers Almanack; Charles Caine (66 Braxted Road), Hubert Preston (29 Wyatt Park Road) and Norman Preston MBE (29 Wyatt Park Road).
*Antony Dufort, whilst living in Streatham Hill had a studio in a room in the Streatham Hill Theatre and sculptured the bronze statue “The bowler”, commissioned by the MCC for the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
*Charles Alcock who was known as the “Father of Modern Sport”. He was the Secretary of the Surrey County Cricket Club and the Football Association. He lived briefly at 16 Stanthorpe Road in 1887/8
*David Rayvern Allen was born in Streatham. A TV and radio presenter he wrote over 20 books on cricket
*Clifford Bax (Pendennis Road) brother of the composer Arnold Bax wrote W.G Grace in the cricketing Lives series.
*Andy Zaltzman is a huge cricket fan and radio presenter on cricket-related shows. Lives in Streatham.
(Compiled by Mark Bery- source Colin Hutton- Streatham and the Summer Game. Streatham Society)
