Ascott-Under-Wychwood Cricket Club

We are a small village cricket club in the scenic Cotswolds in West Oxfordshire. AUWCC was first formed by 1861 and initially played on a field by the River next to the Railway Station at Manor Farm, overlooked by the remains of Ascott d'Oyley Castle - which dates back to the Domesday Book. The club has a wonderful photo from the early 1900s showing an Ascott match on the old ground, with the rail station in the background.

Nowadays we field XI in the Cherwell League Division 8B on Saturdays, and a friendly, social XI on Sundays against a variety of opposition teams from Oxfordshire, neighbouring Gloucestershire, and sometimes even further afield.

It's interesting to note the proud Phoenixes on our badge. This is a reference to the club having become dormant in 2010, only playing one game in a decade before re-energising with a passion from Christmas 2019! We've come a long way in a short time since then.

The club is open to anyone in the village, and is run not-for-profit by the players - all income is invested back on our facilities and equipment. We are able to keep costs down by maintaining the square ourselves. All new local players are made most welcome and we practice all season, weather permitting, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the ground.

We are fortunate to play on the Parish Council owned and picturesque Memorial Playing Field on the village High Street, which has been home to the club since the mid 1950s. It boasts a well established and nicely maintained square, smart modern stone pavilion and a breathtaking view of the Evenlode Valley rising opposite - which can be quite distracting if you've been posted to patrol the top boundary!

The outfield is approx 50m all-round, which can allow for rapid scoring for set batsman! However, the wicket slopes slightly both wicket to wicket, and off to leg (depending on which end you're at and if you're right handed / left handed). Bowlers send it down the hill from the Priory Lane end, and up the hill from the London Lane end; similarly, off-spinners naturally prefer the assistance at one end to the leg-spinners and left armers at the other! Two boundaries are pleasingly tree-lined with a mix of Weeping Willows, Ash, Chestnuts and Hawthorns which cap a really beautiful ground.

We are grateful to all support at home matches, where you will find a number of beautiful wooden benches distributed for the use of spectators. For the 2021 season we are hugely appreciative of both our shirt sponsors The Swan, and Tyacks Solid Fuel Merchants for our handsome traditional cloth caps.