Sport
Maidstone United football team was formed in 1897, and has had mixed fortunes in recent years. The peak of the club's achievement was gaining promotion to the Football League in 1989 after many years of success in non-league football. However, the club could not bring their own London Road Ground up to Football League standards so they ground-shared at Dartford's Watling Street stadium and played their games there. The club could not keep up with the financial pressures of the Football League and folded in 1992. A new club was formed and made its way from the Kent County League Division 4 to the Isthmian (Ryman) Premier Division, and currently compete in the Ryman Division One South. The club moved into the newly built Gallagher Stadium at James Whatman Way in summer 2012.
Maidstone Hockey Club is one of the oldest field hockey clubs in the country, founded in 1878. For the 2011/12 season, the Ladies' 1st XI play in the National League East Conference, having won the East Premier League the previous season, and the Men's 1st XI play in the South Hockey League 1st XI Premier League Division 2. The Men's and Women's 1st squad were both represented in the Indoor England Hockey League Division 2 England Hockey League, with the Men having previously won the Division 2 title in 2008/09. In total, the club has 7 men's sides and 4 women's sides playing at all levels of National, regional, and County leagues.
Maidstone Rugby Football Club is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the country, founded in 1880. The club runs 6 senior men's sides and a junior section.
Kent County Cricket Club played occasional matches on pitches at Mote Park for some 150 years until 2005. Mote Park is the town's largest park and includes a number of recreational and sport facilities. The Lashings World XI exhibition cricket team is based in Maidstone and has included a number of high-profile professional cricketers.
Maidstone Sailing Club are a small club that sail on Mote Park lake. Maidstone also has a rowing club, a martial arts school, a tennis club, an athletics club, an American football team, and a basketball club.
A baseball team, the Kent Mariners, are also based in the town. They play in the BBF AA South division.
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Famous quotes containing the word sport:
““Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Æschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess. And the d’Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing. The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained thus a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently. As soon as they had strength they arose, joined hands again, and went on.
The End”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“What sport shall we devise here in this garden
To drive away the heavy thought of care?”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)