Sports and Recreation
The town's football team, Christchurch F.C., play at Hurn Bridge Sports Club situated at the junction of the Avon Causeway and Matchams Lane. Established in 1885 the club was a founding member of the Hampshire Football Association in 1887. Christchurch F.C. were promoted as champions to Hampshire League One in 1938, 1948 and 1986, and in 1970, became the first team to win the Bournemouth Senior Cup three times in succession. The club joined the Wessex League (the ninth tier of the English football league system) in 1988 and are one of the few clubs in the league that maintain amateur status.
Hurn Bridge is also the home of Christchurch Cricket Club who have teams in the Saturday and Sunday Dorset Leagues. In 2009 the first XI won Division 3 having been newly promoted from Division 4. In those two seasons the team lost only four games. Hurn Bridge houses the Dorset Cricket Centre, an indoor training facility run by the Dorset Cricket Board.
Christchurch has a council run leisure centre situated at the end of Stony Lane South. The complex contains a swimming pool, golf course and indoor bowling facility which is home to the East Dorset Indoor Bowls Club. Christchurch has a lawn bowling club, Christchurch Bowling Club, that play on the green adjacent to the castle ruins. The town has two other lawn bowling clubs and golf courses; at Iford and Highcliffe.
Sailing is a popular leisure pursuit in Christchurch and the harbour is home to three sailing clubs: Highcliffe Sailing Club, Mudeford Sailing Club and Christchurch Sailing Club which are situated at Mudeford Quay, Fisherman's Bank and the Town Quay respectively. The other end of the Town Quay is home to the local rowing club.
Read more about this topic: Christchurch, Dorset
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