Cricket on Barnes Green
Cricket has been played in Barnes for nearly three centuries, making it one of the oldest sporting traditions in the village. The earliest recorded match took place on Barnes Common on 11 August 1736, when a Surrey side played London. Today two clubs keep the tradition alive on pitches within sight of Barnes Green.
Early Cricket on Barnes Common
The 1736 match between Surrey and London is the earliest documented cricket fixture in Barnes. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Barnes Common served as an informal ground for local matches, as was typical of commons across southern England. The open grassland and acid turf made it a natural playing field long before purpose-built grounds existed in the area.
Cricket on the Common predated organised football by well over a century — the first unofficial match under FA rules between Barnes and Richmond took place at nearby Limes Field, Mortlake in 1863.
Barnes Cricket Club (founded 1919)
Barnes Cricket Club was established in 1919 at the Coach and Horses pub on Barnes High Street. The club plays its home matches at the Lonsdale Road ground and also uses Barn Elms Playing Fields near the WWT London Wetland Centre. It fields four Saturday league sides in the Middlesex County Cricket League and Thames Valley League and runs a popular Sunday friendly XI.
The club achieved ECB Clubmark accreditation, recognising its commitment to coaching, safeguarding, and community engagement. A junior section offers coaching for children from Under-7 to Under-15 age groups.
Barnes Common Cricket Club (founded 1976)
Barnes Common Cricket Club, founded in 1976, plays on Barnes Common itself and is known for its relaxed, sociable ethos. The club’s nickname, “The Dwileflonkers,” references the old East Anglian pub game of dwile flonking — a nod to its informal origins. It plays mostly on Sundays, competing in friendly cricket across south-west London.
The Lonsdale Road Ground
The Lonsdale Road ground, home to Barnes Cricket Club, is a well-maintained ground with a pavilion, clubhouse, and practice nets. Its position between the Wetland Centre and Lonsdale Road gives it an unusually green, semi-rural setting for a London cricket ground. The ground has also hosted representative and benefit matches over the years.
Cricket and Community
Both clubs contribute to the social fabric of Barnes. Barnes Cricket Club’s end-of-season dinner and awards evening, together with Barnes Common Cricket Club’s relaxed post-match gatherings, reflect the village atmosphere that distinguishes Barnes from more urban parts of London. Cricket on Barnes Green and the Common remains one of the defining summer sights of the neighbourhood.
Image sources
- cricket.webp — Barnes Sports Club. Author: Lewis Clarke. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source
Sources
- Barnes Common — Wikipedia
- Barnes Cricket Club — official site
- Barnes Common Cricket Club — official site
- Cricket Archive — Lonsdale Road ground record