Brief history: the club traces its origins to the first (known) organised cricket match in SW France between a team of visitors from London and the Bordeaux British Community in August 1981; we played Bordeaux regularly for several years and in 1983 we played Eymet for the first time at the St Aulaye
stade.
In April 1997 the club was formally established as St Aulaye Cricket with a ground on the outskirts of the nearby village of Chenaud. The club plays a full part with other SW clubs in the
french national league and Siddalls Cup and has a growing programme of matches with visiting clubs. Our junior section is a thriving part of the club. We also have a golf section (see below).
Playing surface and facilities: like all SW clubs we play on an artificial wicket, so spiked cricket shoes, golf shoes etc can’t be used. There is a small wooden pavilion and a toilet but no showers.
The main team 'St Aulaye Cricket' plays competitive league
and cup games. 'The Casuals' is an entirely separate team, with a fixture list
of friendlies open to members of all SW clubs and others, so visitors and
occasionals ARE eligible to play.
Refreshments, post-match dinner: we ask visiting teams for 120€ to cover refreshments and as a contribution to ground expenses. We would be pleased to organise dinner in St Aulaye after the game at
about 20€ a head including wine.
Where we are: St Aulaye is a small bastide town on the river Dronne (which marks the Dordogne-Charente border) – there’s a good swimming beach with café-restaurant, tennis courts etc. We are about an hour south of Angoulême (for the
TGV), an hour north of Bergerac (for Ryanair and Flybe), and 80 minutes east of Bordeaux. The road from Bergerac is scenic but slow, so where possible when coming from the south
(eg Damazan, Eymet) take the road from Ste Foy-la-Grande to Montpon, then the Ribérac road, turning left for St Aulaye at
Echourgnac. From Périgueux the route is via Ribérac.
In St Aulaye centre take the Chalais-Aubeterre road down the hill and turn left before crossing the bridge; this unmarked road leads to the cricket ground.
Golf: our local course (9 holes) is Le Manoir de Longeveau, near Aubeterre; and there are 18-hole courses at Périgueux, Angoulême and
Cameyrac, near Libourne. Our golf section would be pleased to organise a golf day for visiting cricketers.