Abingdon Vale CC will mark their 150th anniversary with a match against the MCC at Hales Meadow on August 4.

It was on May 17, 1861 at a meeting held on board ‘The Neptune’ that a proposal was put forward to establish a cricket club in Abingdon. Subscriptions were to be a half-guinea and matches would be played at Waste Court (now part of Abingdon School).

Now 150 years later, although not on the exact date, the match is being billed as ‘150 years of cricket in Abingdon’, because in 1993 the original Abingdon CC merged with North Abingdon CC to form Abingdon Vale, who now play in the MP Sports Cherwell League.