Salisbury District Wednesday Cricket League

Yesterday's results.

This week's round of fixtures adding to the heat! ☀️☀️☀️

Sunday Spotlight - Berwick St James CC

Berwick St James Cricket Club is a small village cricket club based near Salisbury on the edge of the River Till valley and the Stonehenge landscape. Although detailed archival records are limited online, there are several reliable sources that help piece together the club’s background and role in the community. The club has long been part of village life in Berwick St James, a small rural parish in Wiltshire. Village publications describe it as one of the focal community organisations alongside St James Church, the Reading Room, and the Boot Inn.

The cricket ground is particularly notable because it is described as the highest cricket pitch in Wiltshire, with panoramic views across the surrounding downs and countryside.

The cricket club is repeatedly mentioned in parish literature as an important social centre for Berwick St James. Wiltshire Council planning documents connected with the A303/Stonehenge road discussions identified the ground as a recognised community recreation asset.

Recent parish newsletters show the club enjoying one of its strongest recent seasons in 2024. A village archive noted the side was “top of the league” midway through the season after wins against Salisbury Civil Service and Dinton.

Like many Wiltshire village clubs, Berwick St James CC seems to represent the classic English rural cricket model: volunteer-run, community-supported, heavily social as well as sporting and tied closely to parish identity.

Its isolated hilltop ground and small-village setting make it fairly distinctive among Wiltshire clubs.

Yesterday evenings cup results.

A look ahead to tomorrow's Cup fixtures...

For our second Sunday Spotlight feature of the season, we welcome one of the newest additions to the Salisbury District Wednesday League setup — Amport Cricket Club

Based at the stunning “Peacocks Ground” on Roman Road overlooking Amport House and gardens, Amport are a club with more than 100 years of history and a growing reputation both on and off the field. Their picturesque home was recognised as Hampshire Cricket League Ground of the Year in 2023, reflecting the enormous volunteer effort that goes into maintaining one of the area’s finest village grounds.

Amport joined the Salisbury District Wednesday League in 2024 and immediately made an impression, finishing 3rd in Division 2 in their debut season. They followed that up last year with another strong campaign, again securing a 3rd place finish in Division 2 as they continued to establish themselves within the league setup.

The club currently fields two Saturday senior sides in the Hampshire Cricket League, alongside their Wednesday evening T20 side and a thriving Under-15s section. While competitive cricket remains important at Amport, the club prides itself on maintaining a welcoming and sociable atmosphere both on and off the pitch.

We are delighted to have Amport CC as part of the Salisbury District Wednesday League and look forward to following their continued progress in the seasons ahead.

4 Matches were played last night, despite the localised weather and ever changing light conditions.

* A stunning view from square leg at Winterbourne Cricket Club v Breamore *

Apologies, Admin illness meant the fixtures have released later than usual.

Please see tonight's 2nd Round of league fixtures. With 3 Teams not in action this evening the others will look to gain ground/pull away from them.

Amesbury Cricket Club start their campaign with a short trip to Shrewton as Winterbourne Cricket Club host this weekend's most talked about club, Breamore.

Sunday Spotlight: Amesbury Cricket Club

The history of our 1st league club Amesbury can be traced back to the late Victorian period, when organised cricket was becoming an important part of community life across Wiltshire villages and market towns.

At a meeting held at the National Schoolroom, Amesbury Cricket Club was formed on 27 March 1890. Mr A. Luttock chaired the meeting and was accompanied by Mr Huxham, Mr Maidment, Mr W. J. Sandell and Mr R. Simms, who together formed a provisional committee. An annual subscription of 5 shillings was agreed, payable in advance, and notice was given for the club’s first General Meeting.

On 3 April 1890, the first formal General Meeting of the club took place. Sir E. Antrobus was elected President and Colonel Antrobus became Vice-President. Colonel Antrobus made a generous donation of £25 together with a £1 subscription to support the newly formed club. A committee was formally elected and the club rules were agreed, officially establishing Amesbury Cricket Club.

Amesbury CC played its first recorded match on Monday 7 April 1890 against Winterbourne. The match resulted in victory for the visitors, being decided on the first innings before Amesbury were dismissed again in the second innings. Despite the defeat, the fixture marked the beginning of organised cricket for the club and the start of many more matches to follow.

Over the following decades, the club became an established part of the strong village cricket culture of south Wiltshire. Like many clubs in the Salisbury area, Amesbury regularly played friendly fixtures and later participated in structured local league cricket as formal county and regional competitions developed.

Owing to Amesbury’s location close to the Hampshire border, the club has historically maintained cricketing links with both Wiltshire and Hampshire-based competitions.

Today, Amesbury Cricket Club continues to play an important role within local cricket, supporting grassroots participation, and maintaining a tradition that began in 1890.

The first round of fixtures have concluded.

Looking forward to the opening round of league fixtures! Champions Rockbourne head to Cup Winners Breamore on Match day 1, with the ever strong Shrewton & South Wilts sides looking at starting well to make sure they obtain the crown this season.