DESPITE this weekís half century celebrations, the history of Runcorn CC dates back more than 100 years.

The last 50 have seen the club go from strength-to-strength but the road leading to the formation and then re-formation of the club has proved to be a long and winding one.

The stop-start histroy of the club dates back to Victorian times and to the final quarter of the 19th century when Runcorn was just a small town with a population of about 16,000.

The first Runcorn team consisted mainly of business men and professionals which reflected the cricketing norms of the day and the strict social ladder which dominated the game.

The team would play friendly games on grounds in Canal Street and Irwell Lane but had no fixed premises or assets to speak of.

It was not until 1906 that Runcorn acquired its own ground. The team took up residence on Weston Road and established its own constitution and committee with local dignitary F Boston JP becoming president.

The club played friendlies against teams including Frodsham, Waterloo PArk, St Helens Recs, Rainhill, Widnes Ince and Prescot and travelled to away games on the train.

The club grew over the next few years and expanded its grounds and facilities. However, the start of the first world war brought cricket in Runcorn to an abrupt halt and the vast majority of teams disbanded as a generation travelled to France to fight in the mud and trenches of the Somme.

An attempt was made after the end of hostilities to revive the club but the efforts were short-lived. The club lost its Weston Road ground to Castner Kellner recreational club and although the club never officially ceased to exist, no more games were played.

War left only two independent clubs in Run corn - St Michaelís and Brunswick, which would prove to be the forerunner for the new Runcorn Cricket Club - with Castner Kellner also fielding a team. many former Runcorn players joined the remaining sides and a friendly rivalry grew up between the pair.

Brunswick Cricket Club had come about in the early 1920s, developing from the Brunswick Sunday School. The team played regular Saturday cricket on a field on Rocksavage Road before moving to Clifton Road and then eventually to Moughland Lane.

The start of world war two saw the Moughland Lane ground ploughed up to grow vegetables with the pavilion side converted into a barrage balloon site. Once more war had brough Runcorn cricket to a halt.

The post war era saw Brunswick reign as the townís only cricket club and the Moughland Lane ground was restored to its former glory. With the help of the club members the team overcame the structural carnage caused by the war and continued to play regular Saturday fixtures until the early 1950s.

On Tuesday December 4 1952 Brunswick Institute and Recreational Club held its general meeting in the clubís pavilion. A motion was put forward that the clubís name be changed to the Runcorn Cricket Club. That motion was carried and Runcorn Cricket Club was re-born. The club acquired the small number of assets left by the 1906 club, including the roller that can still be seen on the ground today.

Runcorn Cricket Club played their first game at Moughland Lane on Saturday May 25 1953 and defeated Winsford by 67 runs.

Since that day the club has undergone many changes from the introduction of league cricket in the 1960s to the completion of the new club house and pavilion in the 1980s.

However, the spirit if the club that has carried the team through thick and thin still remains and long may it countinue.