A history of the Club
Leather against willow has sounded around the Fortfield since 1823, making Sidmouth one of the oldest cricket clubs in the region. The ground takes its name from a small fort that stood for over two centuries at its southern edge, above the beach. Tennis followed in 1881 and croquet in 1907, and generations of players, townspeople and spectators have enjoyed this unique environment ever since.
Sidmouth Cricket Club is founded, playing on the Fort Field beside the sea — among the oldest cricket clubs in the Southwest.
Lawn tennis arrives at the club, in the first decade of the modern game.
Croquet completes the trio, and the club takes the three-sport form it still has today.
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose purpose is community participation in healthy recreation — cricket, tennis and croquet for Sidmouth and the surrounding area.
The full story — the fort, the ground and two hundred years of sport — is told in “A short history of the Club” by Neil Gamble.