THE CLUBS
The Digswell Park Sports Association incorporates three clubs: Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club, Welwyn Garden City Bowls Club and the Digswell Park Sports and Social Club.
Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club
In the spring of 1921 the Company had levelled and turfed a cricket table where the Parkway section of John Lewis now stands. There was practically no rain between March & October and the ground was practicably unplayable but it was used during the next 3 seasons.
During the winter of 1924 a new and quite good ground was constructed, south of Howardsgate and laying between Parkway and Longcroft Lane. The Club moved here in 1925. For the next few years the club played fairly full fixture lists against teams from surrounding villages with increasing levels of success.
In 1928 the present ground at Digswell Park became available and the Club has played there ever since.
Performance
Over the years the club has, of course, enjoyed mixed fortunes, winning trophies (in 1995 four of the five available to Herts League Premier Division clubs) and in recent times having gained promotion to the Home Counties League and acquitting themselves well the club returned to the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League when they established their Premier Division in 2014.
Since then the club has fielded 5 sides on a Saturday with varying fortunes for the 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s. The 1st XI have done well, never finishing out of the top 4 and coming top in 2017. In consecutive seasons the 1st XI also won the play-off games – 2016 (v Radlett by 131 runs); 2017 (v Totteridge Millhillians by 1 wicket (DLS)) and 2018 (again v Totteridge Millhillians by 7 wickets).
The club has also fielded Sunday XI’s who have competed in the Chess Valley League and who won the Herts on Sunday League in 2001 and the North Herts Cricket League in 2015.
Today
The club fields 5 adult Saturday teams and runs an active junior section for all age groups and many of these progress through to become integral to the senior teams. The credit for this goes to all those who give freely of their time to coach, run the admin and get young players to fixtures each year, and those who run the popular Sunday morning café.
With a long lease on Digswell Park secured, the club hopes to continue to thrive and grow both on and off the field.
Visit the WGCCC website for more information about the club and how to join - wgccc.co.uk
Welwyn Garden City Bowls Club
History
Welwyn Garden City Bowls Club was founded in 1942 and was based at the Cherry Tree Public House in the centre of Welwyn Garden City.
In 1986 the original ground was sold for redevelopment. For two years the club had to play all its fixtures away. Then in 1988 the club moved to its present ground located in Digswell Park. A new partnership was formed with the Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club called the Digswell Park Sports Association and in that year the men’s and ladies’ sections were combined into one club. The club still retains the Cherry Tree emblem as part of the club badge.
In 2012 the club completed a new extension to the pavilion consisting of a new clubroom, a new men’s changing room and complete refurbishment of the kitchen area (Welwyn Times article). The new clubroom was opened by the Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in May 2012.
Performance
Today
More information about the club and how to join can be found on our website - wgcbc.co.uk