On 12th June 1856, a Folkestone XI played an opening fixture against the local Deal Garrison XI. Folkestone won this inaugural match by an innings and eleven runs, and whilst this was an ideal success for the short term, it also set the tone for the long term future for the Folkestone Cricket Club. Ever since Folkestone Cricket Club has enjoyed a long and successful history. Folkestone Cricket Club also managed to win the return match against the Deal Garrison in 1857. In 1859 we located to our first recognised ground located at The Leas in Folkestone and began to build a reputation for not only being successful, but also the development of talented local sportsmen. Folkestone Cricket Club remained at The Leas for a further 42 years until when in 1901, the club moved, with mixed feelings, to the more familiar cricket ground at Cheriton Road, Folkestone. The 20th century saw the club continue to develop, both on and off the field, Folkestone Cricket Club became one of the original clubs within the Kent Cricket League. Throughout all of the growth over the next 100 years, there remained one constant – the Cheriton Road County ground. This became not only the home of Folkestone Cricket Club, but up until the late 1990s also one of registered Kent County Cricket Club grounds regularly hosting 1st class county matches. By the 1970s and 80s, Folkestone Cricket Club was one of the leading clubs in Kent. The 1980s saw the introduction of the Colts cricket within the club structure under the stewardship of John Tredwell and Chris Bray. In the early 1990s, a 3rd XI was introduced to cater for the increasing number of players. Ever since, Folkestone Cricket Club has continued to grow organically and seen a year on year increase of playing members (seniors and juniors), whilst also developing young female cricketers. After 106 years and many cricket matches, the original pavilion at Cheriton Road had reached the end of its life. Along with our local sporting partners (Folkestone Optimists Hockey Club, Folkestone Running Club and Folkestone Netball Club) and the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, the new 3 Hills Sports Park facilities was created within the focus upon continuing the promotion of grass roots sport for Folkestone and the surrounding area.
