A representative of the club commented: “We’re honoured to be hosting prestigious Sutton CC for a friendly fixture some 80 years after our inaugural fixture against the same opponents.”

Burtonhole Lane has developed itself as a dynamic hub for friendship and community, in addition to cricket and football, during the last 80 years.

“So it’s only fitting that we commemorate this event with an appropriate fixture. It’s also one of the most beautiful village grounds in London.”

In the 1946 encounter, the home team, led by then-chairman George Shankland, won by 11 runs in a low-scoring game. The statement continued:

“Although this is a friendly fixture, we’re going to put together as strong a side as possible to take on a formidable Sutton.”

Mill Hill Village Cricket Club now fields five adult Saturday league teams, adult midweek matches, a Sunday league 1st XI, a development XI that plays friendlies on Sundays, mixed junior teams at the Under 11, Under 13, Under 15, and Under 17 levels, and four girls teams.

This year marks the club’s inaugural participation in the National Village Cup. To commemorate the anniversary, the club invites former and current members and supporters to submit their recollections.

They are especially interested in hearing from anyone who was involved with the club in the immediate postwar period, after a fire in 1949 destroyed the pavilion and much of the group’s early mementos.

Contributions will be used to construct an oral history and a commemorative anniversary report for the club’s website. Memories or images can be shared via the club’s Facebook page at bit.ly/mhvcc80 or by email.

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