You’re nearly there! Ahead of you, the Tor Leisure Ground opens up as a great sweep of bright green grass, almost like a lush emerald carpet. If you look straight across the field, you’ll spot a cluster of white buildings-those are the pavilion and clubhouses, home to local sports and plenty of lively conversation. Off to your far left, just above the treetops, you can see the unmistakable silhouette of Glastonbury Tor rising on the hill, keeping a silent watch over everything.
Now, imagine stepping back in time when this place was called the Morlands Athletic Ground. The cheers of cricket fans echo across Somerset, and on a sunny day, you might almost hear the crack of willow on leather as a nervous batsman faces a thundering bowler.
For decades, this field was Somerset County Cricket Club’s battlefield, hosting some top-class cricket matches between 1952 and 1973. Did you know the highest score ever made here was a whopping 187 not out? That’s like hitting a cricket ball so far, it practically needs its passport. Alan Jones, swinging his bat for Glamorgan in 1963, must have been feeling invincible.
Long before football boots ever dug up this turf, and well before festival crowds wandered through, the Glastonbury Cricket Club set up shop here in 1893. And the ground was owned by the Morlands company, right next door, where dozens of townsfolk spent their days crafting sturdy sheepskin coats and slippers. If you squint just right, you can almost see the factory whistle blowing, calling workers back from their lunch break, cricket in full swing on a warm afternoon-work and play side by side.
Today, the Tor Leisure Ground is a patchwork of sports matches, dog walks, and families picnicking, but you’re standing on a piece of Glastonbury’s living history. If you listen carefully, maybe the wind will carry a ghostly “howzat!” to your ears or the laughter of cricket fans from long ago, still lingering in the Somerset air. I recommend you take a moment, feel the soft grass under your feet, and picture all the days of drama and delight this ground has seen-especially if you fancy yourself a bit of a cricketer!
