Mill Hill Village Cricket Club is marking its 80th anniversary at our picturesque Burtonhole Lane ground with a special one-off match against our very first opponents there.

The club is proud to announce a home friendly against Sutton CC on Sunday, May 17. The club’s inaugural fixture at Burtonhole Lane was against the same opposition 80 years ago, on Saturday, May 4, 1946. These days Sutton have three Saturday league XIs that play in the Surrey Cricket Championship and another three in the Surrey Downs League, among many other sides. Their men’s 1st XI play in the Championship Premier Division.

On May 4, 1946, a Village side captained by George Shankland secured an 11-run victory in a low-scoring game. Pictured above is a 1946 Mill Hill Village XI, with Shankland standing fourth from left. It's the only known photo of a Village XI from this year in reasonable condition, to the best of our knowledge.

A Mill Hill Village spokesman said: “We’re honoured to be hosting prestigious Sutton CC for a friendly 80 years after our inaugural fixture against the same opponents. Over the last eight decades, Burtonhole Lane has established itself as a thriving hub not just for cricket and football but also friendship and community, so it’s only right that we mark this milestone with a fixture the occasion demands. We also happen to think that we're one of the prettiest village grounds in London. Although this is a friendly fixture, we’re going to put together as strong a side as possible to take on a formidable Sutton.”

Club appeals for memories and photos
To kick off our milestone year, Mill Hill Village is also appealing for members and supporters past and present, as well as anyone who might have been familiar with the club in the immediate post-war period - perhaps an older relative who used to take them along to the club - to get in touch with their memories. The aim is to collect an oral record from those with memories of club, especially those from the post-war years, which will then be collated into a special report for the Mill Hill Village Cricket Club website. The project is especially important because a fire that destroyed our pavilion in 1949 meant that much of our memorabilia, including photos, was lost.

Anyone who would like to share memories or photos can comment on our Facebook page here or contact the club via info@millhillvillagecricketclub.co.uk