The First Cricket Club
It is believed, if only by a discerning, eccentric few, that the Queen Street Cricket Club holds a very important place in the history of New Zealand cricket, namely, that it was the first team to have played the game of cricket in this country.

This transpired in the summer of 1840 when the Officers of the Queens Navy came ashore at Auckland and played the local inhabitants, a ragtag eleven shanghaied into playing, whom they beat convincingly.

This was achieved largely to the fine efforts of the Officers X1 fast bowler who took all ten wickets. A colourful character, his blonde hair flowed long, as did his sporty pink neckerchief.

Of particular interest was his run-up. It was so long that it stretched all the way back to the to the boats at the water's edge. There was some suggestion he was in actuality desperately trying to make for the boats - a scandalous suspicion, which is still strongly totally confuted today.

More importantly, the deep track he carved through the bulrushes was held in such wonderment by the onlookers they named it, "Queen Street". This name is still with us today.

 

The Establishment
Later that evening after much merriment and jolliness celebrating their victory, the Officers deemed the Local X1 to be a scruffy, unruly bunch completely without good manners, hygiene standards, dress appreciation or respect for their betters.

Consequently, the Officers decided that a department needed to be established in the colony to teach the locals the finer points of civilisation.

They decided to call it the Queen Street Cricket Club.

The First Pavilion

This recently unearthed photograph was initially thought by excited Q.S.C.C. researchers to be the original Queen Street Cricket Club Pavilion but was later discovered to be no more the the Wellington Railway Station.

The original Q.S.C.C. Pavilion, which they constructed has long since disappeared, is believed to have stood on the site currently occupied by the Auckland Stock Exchange.

 

The recently discovered photograph above demonstrates the stoic and courageous, if not asinine, comportment of Q.S.C.C. Members in continuing to play on the club's home ground while the hustle and bustle of a young, modern metropolis of Auckland grew and prospered around it.

However, sadly, this all ended when the Auckland City Council unceremoniously tar-sealed over the wicket and the Queen Street Cricket Club, refusing to play on anything other than a grass wicket, has not been able to play a home game since.

For many years after that the Q.S.C.C. wandered the world looking for games only to find, coincidentally, that each ground they visited had been double booked by the New Zealand cricket team.

The Recent History
In 1989, with only a few members left to carry the bat, the club decided to accept its fate and throw its support behind the New Zealand team and devote its energies to assisting disadvantaged children in New Zealand and also encouraging school children in New Zealand to play cricket, and to develop the attributes of sportsmanship and fair play, through providing facilities, equipment, tuition and coaching.

Remarkably, since then, the club has continued to grow and prosper.