ON Sunday, June 19, Tranmere Victoria Cricket Club will celebrate a very special century.

One hundred years ago, the club’s founding members repurposed a World War One Nissen Hut into a club house in Victoria Park and began playing regular Saturday matches.

The park itself was built on part of the land originally owned by John Ravenshaw, who was the last man in Tranmere to own a large farm. It originally housed Tranmere Lodge in the 1820s and remains something of an urban oasis surrounded by Victorian terraced houses which originally housed dock workers and ship builders working on the River Mersey.

Now in 2022, the club still field two senior teams every Saturday throughout the summer and a social team that play on Sundays. Remarkably, relatives of those original members in 1922 still visit the club to this day.

To celebrate the club’s centenary, the world famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) will send a men’s XI to the park on Sunday, June 19 for a special match commemorating this sporting landmark.

Club member Jonathan McGowan said: “Tranmere Vics are very much a community-focused club, each year undertaking a number of events and matches to welcome our neighbours and friends.

“We pride ourselves on our inclusivity – we host Cheshire Cobras each year as well as All Stars and Dynamos over the past five years, which links us in with over 30 primary schools within a 2.5-mile radius.

“Some of our players have represented Cheshire and England Learning Disability and Physical Disability teams, however we have never faced a team of such calibre as this MCC XI!”

The match will be an experience for the MCC players too - more accustomed to playing at Lord’s, they may find themselves dodging cyclists and retrieving the ball from dog walkers on the boundary.

Jonathan added: “Anyone wishing to watch the match will be more than welcome - the first ball will be bowled at 11am and that Sunday is Father’s Day, so why not treat your dad to a cold drink and an afternoon of cricket in Victoria Park?”