Tacolneston Cricket Club was founded in 1925 by Captain Tim Birkin, the famous racing driver. He prepared a wicket, ground and sight screens on the field north of the back drive at Tacolneston Hall. He encouraged some good players from the village but half the team was made up of his friends.

As Tacolneston had a good team, and because of Tim Birkin’s connections, they played teams from far and wide. George Leverett remembers the ‘Pembroke Idlers’ coming to play Tacolneston who ran up a big score. During this match Tim’s team battled well, with Birkin himself on 99 not out when Bob Edwards, the village postman who was battling at the other end, shouted for him not to run depriving him of his century.

Tim kept the team and ground in good order for three years until he left in 1928. When Major Gribble came, though not interested in the game himself, he still provided the pitch. Although the best players left some good men came from nearby, a Mr Weatherington from Wymondham, Bernard Gibbons from Ashwellthorpe and two from New Buckenham. By the time Major Waltors moved to the Hall the club had begun a slow decline and any remaining enthusiasm was snuffed out by the war.

George Leverett, who served on the committee and played, can remember others from that time – Basil Gray, Andrew Fox and his brother, both good bowlers, Sid Benn from Bunwell and Fred Browne from Fundenhall. Bernard Fox was the last secretary, all the equipment went to his house and the funds were left in the bank for thirty years.

The club was restarted in 1975, with the impetus coming from the members of the Tacolneston Woodland Club. This was before we had the benefit of the recreation field at the village hall and matches took place in various parks in Norwich, particularly the council ground at Eaton where matches against Norwich Post Office can be remembered. Tacolneston also shared the ground at Browick Road with Wymondham and Great Melton clubs until moving to our present location at the Tacolneston Recreation Ground in the 1980s.

For a few years in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s Tacolneston also had a Sunday team, initially playing friendly fixtures but later progressing to competition in the Mid Norfolk Sunday League. Tacolneston fielded a strong team and won the prestigious Challenge Cup in both 1995 and 1996. Tacolneston have historically also competed in the Wicklewood Shield. Tacolneston's highest Saturday league position came when they were promoted to Division 4 of the Norfolk League as champions of Division 5 in 2000.