Man About Town

Published in Go Local Sandback - March 2025

By Greg Hall

As you might know, Sandbach has an illustrious sporting history for a town of its size, with various opportunities for participants of any age.

Our football club, Sandbach United, was formed in 2004 when Sandbach Albion and Sandbach Ramblers merged. The club now boasts more than six hundred footballers across forty teams, starting as young as five all the way up to veteran (which, I’ve discovered, is reserved for people over the age of 35, and this naturally makes me feel extremely old as I turned 45 last month).

We also have a hugely successful Rugby Union club on the road out towards Bradwall (which, as luck would have it, is called Bradwall Road), and many have gone on to play Premiership and even international rugby.

Directly opposite the football complex is Sandbach Cricket Club, but we also have Elworth Cricket Club in, erm, Elworth. I’ll admit that I’ve never been a fan of, or really understood, cricket, but I’m told both clubs are well run and friendly.

There are also two golf clubs in Sandbach (by which I mean golf courses, rather than singular clubs, as that would be pathetic), the 9-hole Sandbach Golf Club on Middlewich Road, and the larger 18-hole Malkins Bank Golf Club.

For those who find even golf too energetic, we have a thriving darts league, with men and women playing at various pubs in the area. While I’ve never been very good at darts, I can fully appreciate a sport that takes place inside a pub and doesn’t require any physical prowess (indeed, from what I’ve seen, physical prowess is frowned upon).

As far as notable sportspersons are concerned, Sandbach has a long history of producing competitors at the very highest levels.

Thomas Hilditch (1885–1957) and Philip Dunkley, both born in Sandbach, went on to have successful careers as cricketers, while Sandbach rugby has seen several players turning professional, including Matt Beesley and Ewan Ashman.

In football, Charles Kelly and Frank Roberts, both born in the 19th century, played for Sandbach Ramblers before careers with Stoke and Manchester City respectively, the latter clocking up more than 200 appearances throughout the 1920s. Meanwhile, Bert Sproston, who was born in Elworth during WWI, later played for England in an infamous match against Germany in 1938 (which, if you know your history, was a rather hostile time). Indeed, Bert reportedly told Stanley Matthews after the match that a certain Mr Hitler was an “evil little…” (actually, I can’t repeat what he called him).

Finally, British Snowboarder Mia Brookes is from Sandbach and was voted the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2023. She is also the youngest ever snowboard world champion, although she’s apparently quite ‘chilled’ about it! All information correct as of March 2025