The Hampshire Hogs Cricket Club was founded in 1887 and was originally known as The Northland Rovers C.C. until the name was changed with the view to making it a more representative amateur club in the county. In the early years only eight to ten matches were played per season, which was partly due to the fact that most of the members were frequently playing for the county, which didn’t achieve first-class status until 1894.
In 1903, the fixtures trebled and tours were organised to the West Country and, from 1912, to the Channel Islands. The names of two members stood out in these early years, the more notable being that of F.E. Lacey, the first cricketer to be knighted for his services to the game, who was club president in 1892 and 1927, captained the county in 1894 and was MCC secretary in 1898. The second was that of Russell Bencraft, club president in 1895 and 1924 and captain of the county from 1894–96. In a 60-year period, Bencraft was the holder of every office for Hampshire C.C.C., including president, before retiring in 1936. During the Club’s history, three members have had the distinction of being President of the MCC: R. Aird, H.S. Altham and C.G.A Paris, the last in 1976.  More Information