As promised, we’d like to share details of how we plan to celebrate 2025 – our hugely significant Bicentenary Year. It’s a massive moment for our club and one we want to enjoy with all members, players, supporters and neighbours. We hope there is something that everyone can get involved with and to celebrate.

There is a mix of formality, fun, charity and lots of partying in store. Importantly, if you have any ideas to add to this calendar – or would like to get involved in organising in anyway, please do get in touch HERE

At this point I’d like to thank Philip Albery, Gordon Maclennan, Graham Pristo and Paul Runacres who made up the 2025 planning committee over the last couple of years. As a group we compiled the following schedule which we think will do justice to our year. Lots and lots of work has been going on in contacting people and players we’d like to invite to Combe Park, setting up potential matches, conversations with local media and (hopefully) some very special VIPs … oh and also sending letters, attaches, friends and plenty of messages around the Caribbean to track down a very special former player ....

One thing to note especially regarding the cricketing fixtures for our proposed cricket festival. Some of these have to remain as ‘unconfirmed’ at present given that the 2025 cricketing schedule is still quite early for many people’s diaries. Work continues to ‘nail’ these though …

To start we have commissioned a special anniversary Crest. We hope you like it! This crest will be used at the Club, on all marketing, playing and training kit and Bicentenary merchandise.

There will be plenty of events throughout the year. We want to make member access to as much of it ‘free’. However, some will come with associated costs so we will have to add a fee to some events. We’ll be seeking sponsors to cover some of this (let us know if you’re interested!) and we can assure you that any event fees will be kept to a minimum amount to cover external costs.

Commemorative events through 2025

Clearly, we will have a mass of cricket as per usual at Combe Park through the summer. As we have not had our 2025 fixture schedule through as yet, the obvious caveat of moving things around is there. Below is an overview of what is planned …

January 2025

Launch of The Lansdown Cricket Club Bicentenary Celebrations, Saturday 18th January from 1pm
We will be inviting all Members, Players (past and present) and Supporters to Combe Park to our official launch of Our Bicentenary Year.

Lunch will be available and we will present the year ahead with speakers from within and outside of the club to kick start our year of celebration. We will also hold a display of much of the unseen and special memorabilia from our archives.

Please pencil in the date and we will be confirming more details in the coming weeks.

April 2025

On the eve of our first cricket of the year – pre-season friendlies on 12th April, we are holding the first formal event of the year – The Lansdown Cricket Club Bicentenary Reception, Thursday 10th April from 6pm

Invitations will be extended to all members, captains past and present, local Press, local dignitaries and cricketing VIPs far and wide.

It will be a ‘dress-up’ fizz and canapé event where we can all get together with some important friends to showcase our club to those that matter locally and in the game of cricket.

As we are hoping to provide some complimentary drinks and food to all members and guests we will be seeking sponsorship of this event and may need to request a small ticket fee for this event to cover costs.

We will use this event as an opportunity to showcase our new Bicentenary stone which will have been laid.

May 2025

The start of the league cricket season …

Through May and June and alongside The Lansdown Cricket Club Former Players Association, we will be organising a series of Saturday afternoon events where we welcome former players by ‘era’. Starting with Cricketers that played Pre 1985, Reunion lunches will follow for the era of 1985 – 2000 and then 2000 to present day. Of course, many will have played across these ‘eras’ and will of course be invited to join on more than one event if they so choose

These reunions will be an opportunity for players and their partners to meetup with old friends and rekindle great memories of Combe Park.

Exact dates will be released once we have our season’s fixtures early in 2025.

Bicentenary Music Festival Day - Sunday 25th May

On the Sunday afternoon of the late May bank Holiday weekend, we’ll be holding another of our brilliant family music festivals at Combe Park – this time a special Bicentenary Party.

It is a fantastic opportunity to extend a welcome to all of the families and music lovers in and around Combe Park (and a bit beyond) to come and join us for the afternoon and celebrate in our terrific surroundings.

The Big Bike Ride sets off - Tuesday 27th May from The Riverside Stadium, Durham …

In aid of The LCC 200 For 200 campaign, 16 middle aged men and a gaggle of support staff are embarking on a MASSVE cycle ride from Durham to Combe Park taking in every test cricket ground in England. That’s 550 miles in just four days … and we’ll be spreading the word about Lansdown’s Bicentenary along the way…

On the evening of Friday 30th May The Big Bike Ride will roll into Combe Park for a party to celebrate the achievement. We have already been in contact with The BBC, ITV, Local radio and cricketing media, all of whom are keen to feature the ride and we hope and expect the TVs cameras and Reporters to join us on this evening, bringing even more attention to our club.

June 2025

Late June and Early July will see The Lansdown Cricket Club Bicentenary Festival of Cricket.

This will be a centrepiece period for our celebrations, with a marquee on the boundary line for the duration. Exact dates are still to be confirmed as invitees diaries are confirmed. It has been a mass of correspondence so far to pull together the following ‘in principle’, with agreements in place.

The following matches and events have been designed to celebrate cricket from all parts of our club and the wider Bath Community. The Lansdown Cricket Club Bicentenary festival will comprise the following:

• Bath Schools Cricket Festival. A full day, multi school tournament designed to celebrate Junior cricket across Bath
• The John Downey Day, 2025. A full day of cricket matches versus Bath CC – the club against who we have played more cricket over 150 years and fighting for the trophy in honour of Lansdown great, John Downey. This will include a Walking Cricket match, Junior cricket match, a women’s cricket match and a first XI T20 blast in the evening
• LCC vs Somerset CCC. An invitation has been made for a Somerset CCC XI to take on LCC, our club which predates our county club.
• A celebration of Women’s cricket and the women of Combe Park. We will host a top-class women’s match (discussion around the make-up of this in place). This will be accompanied by an invitational lunch for all of the women of Combe Park and the contribution they have made to our club over the decades. For the afternoon, the men of Combe Park will serve and attend to all of their guests needs.
• An England over 50s International (TBC)
• The Ruth Strauss Foundation invitational. We have partnered with The Ruth Strauss Foundation as one of the beneficiaries of our 200 for 200 campaign. As part of that agreement, we will host an afternoon charity match as an ‘invitational’ to attract celebrities and high-profile cricketers (current and retired) … We will have to wait until early 2025 to confirm the playing roster.

There are a few other potential fixtures – Former players, recreation 1825 match, Western League Former players fixture and we would like to recognise the Pakistan Eaglets match from 1953 – the first ever match played by a Pakistan side outside of Pakistan where five former internationals played.

July 2025

Lansdown Cricket Club vs Marylebone Cricket Club Wednesday 30 July is a fixture that dates back to 1939 and has a tremendous history - it is a key annual marquee event. This year will be an enhance bicentenary celebration. We have requested an ‘enhanced’ side to face us this year.

We will invite dignitaries from the MCC and also looking at a Lunch guest to add weight to this occasion.

September 2025

It’s the end of the league season but there are three further events we are proposing

A Lansdown Cricket Club Double Wicket Invitational.

As a remembrance of those incredible matches in the 1980s and some fabulous and fun days at Combe Park, we’d like to propose an invitational match for local WEPL clubs to enter a duo to battle it out.

Community Day with The Royal United Hospital.

We have been working with our friend (and landlords!) at the RUH through this year to put on a family day in mid-September. Unfortunately, the weather meant we had to cancel this year’s. They RUH are very keen to hold the same event in 2025.

The Lansdown Cricket Club Bicentenary Ball, Saturday 20th September, 2025

This will be our big showpiece gala dinner for members of Lansdown Cricket Club. With formal external catering, a Live Band and a chance to dress up, this will be primarily for members and partners to celebrate together rather than a formal reception for external guests.

The scale of the Bicentenary Ball is yet to be agreed – and will dictated by demand. We have options costed for a large marquee on our outfield to house up to 200 guests (which is our preference). Or hold something smaller inside our clubhouse – which limits numbers to 100 (not enough)

We will be consulting with members through January.

Further events will be held through the Autumn and Christmas to be announced.

That's it for now - There's lots going on and we hope you can all join us to celebrate!