Specific details of Orpington Cricket Club have long since been lost in the mists of time. In common with many other clubs at the time, it is probably fair to say that it was formed by a few hardy enthusiasts at the time cricket became popular and fashionable in the mid 1800s.
The club was formed in 1848 and in 1998 it celebrated its 150th year. The club survived for 116 years until the end of the 1964 season, at which time it was forced to vacate its private ground at the lower end of Goddington Lane to make way for the construction of St. Olave’s School on the site.
The club carried on for a further year as a nomad side playing all away fixtures. This inevitably led to players leaving and the club ceased to exist between 1966 and 1971. In 1971 under the auspices of the newly formed Orpington Sports Club and another small band of hardy enthusiasts, Orpington Cricket Club was reborn, initially with one Sunday XI playing in Goddington Park until the brand new ground at Goddington Dene became available in May 1972. For a personal account from David Heron of the rebirth of the club at Goddington Dene, including the particular efforts of Messrs Jim Owlett, Harold Target, Ernie Smith in conjunction with David Heron, please click here, it’s well worth the read!
Fortunately, several members of the old club rejoined the new and, together with new members, enabled Orpington to fill two sides on both Saturdays and Sundays during that 1972 season. The following season the club commenced playing League Cricket in the North Kent League, of which Orpington was a founder member.
After two or three seasons, owing to a thriving Colts section, the club began to make its mark on the League, with several league titles won. This success continued when the club joined the South Thames League where once again we won various league titles. Since 1996 the club has been playing in the newly formed Kent League as it is known today. Whilst fortunes have fluctuated in recent times, the club is proud to boast that we run 4 Saturday sides playing league cricket, a Sunday XI, and the Colts section continues to thrive with sides in every age group that cricket is played at in Kent.