WELCOME

Welcome to the website of Houghton Colliery Welfare Cricket Club.

Members of the Roseberry North East Durham Cricket League.

Houghton CWCC was founded in 1960. The location of the ground was behind the now Houghton Sports complex.

In the 1920's the Colliery had a welfare field for bowls and football along with a sports hall and changing rooms.

C.I.S.W.O (coal industry social welfare organisation) which took control and funded all such welfare organisations decided to revamp Houghton Welfare in 1959 with the job completed in a year.

A cricket field once lay where the tennis courts and bowling green now stand. The officials of the pit were ordered to set up a cricket team to use the new facility, 2 teams were set up and entered into the now defunct mid Durham senior league.

The club which was running its affairs in the Lambton Arms Public House in Houghton's main street, continued to prosper and joined the North East Durham League again entering a first and second XI.

In the seasons that followed the club had its fair shares of ups and downs, good times and not so good times. Nothing could have prepared us for what happened next. A decision was made by Sunderland council to inherit the welfare hall and grounds.

Houghton CWCC were requested in 1974 to leave the existing ground which had been sold to the local authority for £12,000. A 3 phase sports complex was to be built and it was rumoured the Government had allocated £750,000 for the work to be carried out. Due to government reorganisation this diminished to £350,000

Houghton CWCC were relocated to Harraton Cricket field which was leased bu Sunderland Borough Council. The cricket club was expected to stay at Harraton for 2 years until the building work was complete. In total Houghton CWCC spent 11 season at Harraton awaiting a return to the home base in Houghton.

In 1989 after 2 years back at our new ground playing in the North East Durham league a decision was made to join the Durham Coast League. Houghton CWCC had great success winning numerous different trophies and awards.

In 2007 Houghton CWCC once again changed league and rejoined the North East Durham League, with the first team winning both the second Division and Cup and the second team finishing runners up along with winning the Amos Shield.

The clubs future looks promising and hopefully has plenty of good times to come.

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