The first recorded cricket match played in Kenton took place on Saturday 14th May 1921 between Athenian and Hurworth, who were both sports clubs originating from the Willesden area. On that Whitsun Day in 1921, it is reported that hundreds of visitors congregated on the ground to witness an all day cricket match. The match was very much a social affair with picnics, entertainers and tennis matches taking place alongside the cricket match.

The Athenian Sports Club hosted further matches on the ground that season, and the cricket section started to flourish. Over the following years more games were arranged, the membership increased and following the end of season AGM in 1926, held in West Hampstead it was agreed that Athenian Cricket Club would be known from the start of the 1927 season as Kenton Cricket Club.

At the turn of the 20th century Kenton was a small hamlet surrounded by meadows and fields with views of St Mary’s church Harrow on the Hill in the distance. Kenton Lane Farm, Kenton Grange Farm and Black Farm were the main employers, with Kenton Lane Farm employing over 80 farmers to help with the hay crop. The plough by the Kenton Grange and The Travellers Rest near the new railway line provided the farmers with liquid refreshment.

Kenton’s tranquil existence was soon to change, with the outbreak of World War One many of the young farmers joined the army, the railway would bring development opportunities that the owners of the farms would find difficult to resist. Houses would soon fill the meadows, the Metropolitan Line would open the area to visitors and Kenton would become a London suburb in Metroland. Kenton Cricket Club continued to grow, a new pavilion was built following a fire to the old club house, more players joined the club and despite losing some land to new housing around the ground, the club was an attractive place to play cricket.

The outbreak of WW2 stopped matches temporarily, however some matches were played and the club suffered a near miss, when a German V1 bomb hit houses in nearby Kenton Gardens on 28th June 1944. The resumption of cricket following WW2 would provide more drama for the cricket club as a dispute with the ground’s committee, would mean that all home matches were cancelled and the club would not play at their home ground for 2 years, all fixtures were played as a wandering team. Bizarrely another club named
“Kenton Athletic” would play on the ground during these years instead.

With the ground dispute resolved the club entered an halcyon period of success on the pitch, with an increase in membership allowing a 3rd and 4th XI to be fielded. The club also hosted a number of high profile benefit and charity matches for the Red Cross. The most famous being the Denis Compton benefit match on 19th June 1949 with 6,000 spectators in attendance. There were other matches too for Leslie Compton, SM Brown, HM Garland Wells, R East, A Thompson, H Sharp and Tony Locke in 1960. Middlesex CCC were
regular visitors and crowds of 2,000 were common. Perhaps one of the most prestigious matches was played on 4th October 1945 when a Kenton XI took on a British Empire XI made up of county cricketers with the addition of West Indies internationals Sir Leary Constantine and CB Clarke. The match raised £350 for the Kenton Sea Cadet Corps. This was the last British Empire XI match to be played before the team was disbanded.

The ground continued to enjoy many twists and turns, in the 1971 the ground was at risk of being sold to developers to build a local Jewish Youth Club, there was the possibility of squash courts being built, the ground was the venue for the recording of Alan Ayckbourns Time and Time Again TV play, the ground also hosted regular fireworks displays and summer garden fetes. Sadly, the club suffered a tragic accident in 1978 when long serving member Ken Isherwood was hit on the head while playing for the 3rd XI, he died the next day in Northwick Park Hospital.

The club has arranged tours to Barbados in 1990, Sri Lanka in 1996, tours to Gloucestershire, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and the first post war tour in 1968 to Monmouthshire.

The club has hosted many outstanding cricketers and witnessed some impressive individual performances over the years, too many to record here. The club has won the Mayor of Harrows T20 competition and on their day could compete with the best in the area.