Itchin Stoke Down is a rural location near the town of Alresford in Hampshire. Between 1778 and 1806, it was a cricket venue for several historically important matches, and as the home of the Alresford Cricket Club.
Cricket venue In the contemporary records, the venue's name is often shortened to "Stoke Down", which is incorrect, as is a popular notion that it is near Hambledon like the other two famous Hampshire venues of the time: Broadhalfpenny Down and Windmill Down.
Itchin Stoke Down is first referenced as the venue for the Hambledon Club v Hambledon Parish match on Saturday, 30 May 1778. The result is unknown. The game was pre-announced in the Hampshire Chronicle on Monday, 18 May as "Hambledon Club v Hambledon Parish with Noah Mann". This was more in the way of a local match, possibly a practice match by the Hambledon Club, or perhaps even to give the venue a trial.
The first important match known to have taken place on the Down is Hampshire v England on 6 & 7 July 1778. England won by 45 runs, thanks largely to the bowling of Lumpy Stevens.
The Down was used as an occasional venue by Hampshire teams from then until the early years of the 19th century. It was still in use for a Hampshire v England match as late as 1806, which was several years after the demise of the Hambledon Club.
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