Club History

Evidence of cricket being played in Clifton found in a local man's diary which has survived in Salford Museum.

Club's earliest surviving photograph thought to be taken.

Club resigns from South Lancashire League after one season.

Clifton "snake" hoax perpetrated when a local youth claims to have killed a snake on the mossland nearby. Despite his later confession that he'd stolen it from a travelling menagerie, it becomes part of Clifton folklore and later appeared on the club's badge.

A third team was formed.

Refreshment hut erected for spectators.

Club re-enters South Lancashire League.

Clifton report twenty players enlisted to fight in the Great War to league's A G M.

Resumption of cricket.

Tennis courts built on Manchester Road side of ground.

Second team win league championship - the club's first honour.

Club resigns from Bolton Association after two seasons to re-join South Lancashire League.

Lancashire County Club, including Dick Tyldesley, play at Clifton.

Arthur Robins invited to play in an invitation game at Old Trafford by Cecil Parkin.

Cricket ground sold to local council without the knowledge of the club, a decision which still has implications to this day.

Club re-enters the Bolton & District Cricket Association.

Club registers it's and Bolton Association's lowest ever score - seven all out against Astley & Tyldesley Collieries.

Club's first Bolton Association honour as second team win the Hardcastle Shield.

Army "Jane" hut erected on the Manchester Road side of the ground, the site for future buildings to the present day.

A large annual loss almost closes the club.

Arthur Robins dies prematurely.

Junior Third team (for players under eighteen) is formed.

Second team win Hardcastle Shield.

Plans are submitted and passed for the club's first brick built pavilion.

Chairman Fred Wilkinson dies within days of confirmation of grant monies.

New pavilion in use.

First team win Cross Cup for the first time.

Club celebrates its centenary with a dinner at the Lancastrian Hall.

New lounge extension opened by Manchester United winger Gordon Hill.

Under 14s and under 18s are league champions.

Perhaps the club's finest ever amateur bowler, Geoffrey Griffiths dies tragically.

The first team win the championship of the Bolton Association for the first time and the Second team win the Halliwell Shield.

New brick built dressing room with water and electricity built.

Bolton Association celebrate their centenary year Clifton have another mediocre year.

Mansoor Rana comes as professional and averages over eighty. First team are runners up.

Third senior team accepted into North Manchester Cricket League and finish the season runners up.

1st XI are champions of the Bolton Association with a record number of points. Tony Potter wins Bolton Association 1st XI bowling prize and Gary Garner the batting and catching prize. In the second XI Richard Birch wins the B&DCA second XI bowling prize.

David Wild becomes the first ever Clifton player to win the Bolton Association first XI wicketkeeping award as well as captaining the side to a memorable Cross Cup win. Tony Potter wins Bolton Association 1st XI bowling prize again.

Competitive Women's cricket played at the club for the first time.

Tony Potter wins Bolton Association 1st XI bowling prize for a third time and also the player of the year award. Gareth Cross becomes most promising young player - the first Clifton winner for sixteen years.

Under eighteen side win Harry Johnson Knockout for the first time. Under fifteens and thirteens go one better and win cup and league. Under 11s have to settle for the knockout Standish Trophy.

Weather and other unfortunate factors lead to the ground being unfit for play for the whole season after drainage project went wrong. Incredible administrative effort by the committee gets all senior and junior games played elsewhere. Despite this the second XI are League Champions.

Clifton leads the way in customer care by inaugurating a smoke-free area in the clubhouse.

Under nines cricket league formed. Clifton amongst the founder members.

Under nine's cricketers win cup and league double. Under eleven's win their knockout trophy.

Tony Potter wins the vote for North Manchester League Captain of the Year.

A record breaking August saw Jack Edwards' highest ever individual score eclipsed by Chinthaka Jayasinghe's 173 against Astley and Tyldesley. He had already scored 165 against them in an earlier cup tie. Also, the second team twice passed the 300 mark in the month. The club record 295 achieved in 1901 is a first XI record however as records of 2nd XI games are hard to find, so although it is more than likely that the 321 achieved against Blackrod is a club record score, the original 295 as a 1st XI record still stands.

Stephen Birch emulates his brother by winning the B&DCA second XI bowling prize.

Club's 1st XI record score which had lasted over 100 years, is eclipsed as first XI score 298-2 against Unsworth.

In a damp summer in which a number of games were lost to the weather, 1940 1st XI batsmen, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Gary Garner and the club's most successful ever overseas amateur Hiranthe Wijesinghe, all passed 1000 runs for the season.

The second XI win the Burton Knockout Cup - the first senior trophy won in the Central Lancashire Cricket League.

The club appoints its first South African professional in Hendro Puchert.

Sri Lankan pace man Madura Perera becomes the club's second Sri Lankan professional.

After languishing at the bottom of the league all season, the third XI wins the last 6 competition and avoids relegation.

Steve Cheetham registers an astonishing ten wickets for eighteen runs against Rochdale for the first XI.

A third Sri Lankan after Chinthaka Jayasinghe and Madura Perera, becomes Clifton's 2014 professional as batsman Thilina Masmulla agrees to join the club.

After a successful county cricket career which included being an ever-present in Lancashire's County Championship winning team, former junior player Gareth Cross returns as club professional. He is the club's first English professional for 11 years.

Ian Morris' 2nd XI sign off from the Central Lancashire League by winning the cup and league double. The side remained unbeaten until August.

The club's T20 side, the Kingfishers, win the first GMCL T20 competition by beating Heywood Monkeys in the final at a soggy Woodbank CC.

Former Clifton player, captain and then respected umpire Ernie Johnson, passed away following a long battle with cancer.

Possibly Clifton CC greatest achievement as Gareth Cross leads Clifton Kingfishers to ECB National Club T20 Finals Day.

Another fantastic achievement from our 1st XI as they reach the final of the Lancashire Knock Out Cup for the first time.

Our 2nd XI complete a fantastic season in the GMCL 2 Division West finishing as Champions and Runners Up in the 2nd XI Cup.