HSBC Sports and Social Club is a sports ground in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, owned by HSBC bank. The ground was used for one First XI cricket match by Kent County Cricket Club and hosted one match in the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup. It was known as the Midland Bank Sports Ground until Midland Bank was purchased by HSBC in 1992.
It is located around north-west of Beckenham town centre on Lennard Road. The Mid-Kent railway line runs along the eastern edge of the ground with New Beckenham railway station adjacent to the south-east corner. The River Pool runs along the western edge the ground.Explorer Map 161 – London South (Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham), Ordnance Survey, 16 September 2015.
Cricketing history The ground was established in 1920 by the London Joint City and Midland Bank Sports Association, an organisation which dated back to 1871 and became the Midland Bank Sports association in 1923.Milton, Howard (1979). Kent cricket grounds, in The Cricket Statistician, no. 28, December 1979, pp.2–10. The first recorded cricket match on the ground was in 1930 when the Club Cricket Conference played the Universities Athletic Union.Other matches played on Midland Bank Sports Ground, CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
The ground hosted a single List-A cricket match when Kent County Cricket Club beat Lancashire in a rain affected match in the 1970 John Player League.List-A Matches played on Midland Bank Sports Ground, CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 August 2016. The ground was used as part of the centenary celebrations of the Midland Bank Sports association. The match saw Kent win by scoring more runs in the first nine overs of their innings than Lancashire had scored in their first ten overs, scoring 58 for 1 wicket. The result attracted some controversy because technically Kent had to bat for 10 overs before able to claim a win.Woodcock J (1970) Kent win sprint but Lancashire may appeal, The Times, 1970-05-11, p.6. Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
Beckenham was part of Kent until 1965 and the county has played matches at a number of grounds in what it describes as "Metropolitan Kent".Clifford J (2016) 'Welcome to the Kent County Ground, Beckenham' in Match Guide, 3 June 2016. Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club.Grounds Records in Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017, pp.210–211. Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club. It maintains a current base at the Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham from the ground.
During the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup the ground held a single Women's One Day International when Australia women were beaten by New Zealand women.Women's One-Day International Matches played on Midland Bank Sports Ground, CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 August 2016. Debbie Hockley, who top-scored with 38 not out, and Penny Kinsella passed the Australian total of 77 without losing a wicket. Julie Harris took 3 wickets for 15 runs from nine overs for New Zealand as they knocked the favourites Australia out of the tournament in the final series of round-robin matches.Grummittt D (2013) Women's World Cup History – England 1993, Cricket World, 28 January 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2016.Australia women v New Zealand women – scorecard, CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
Modern use In local cricket, the ground is the home of New Beckenham Cricket Club, formerly known as HSBC Cricket Club who play in the Kent Cricket League.New Beckenham Cricket Club. Retrieved 13 June 2022. This site includes three cricket pitches as well as a number of net areas. As well as cricket, a number of other sports are played at the ground, including hockey, football, tennis and squash.About us, New Beckenham CC. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
The astroturf pitch is used by New Beccehamian Hockey Club which has three men's and two women's teams who play in the Kent Hockey League.Location , New Beccehamian Hockey Club. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
See also List of Kent County Cricket Club grounds
References
External links Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Cricket Club at CricInfo New Beckenham Hockey Club Website