You climb the stairs at Old Street station, hauling a cumbersome cricket bag into the east London sunshine. The hipsters and creatives barely give you a cursory glance, presumably unaware of what lies a five-minute walk away. Take the left bend on Old Street, veer down City Road, past some corner shops and the Bunhill Fields burial grounds where William Blake now rests, and there, through a black iron gate, you find an oasis.
Surrounded on three sides by towering city buildings is the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) Cricket Club. The manicured pitches and lush green outfield stand out like a velvet rug draped over cold concrete. The pavilion is no mere clubhouse. It is a museum chronicling more than 300 years of history, including the first recorded cricket match here, in 1725, sweeping across three centuries of imperialism, conflict and sport.
