Singapore Cricket Club

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

As we walked nearer to the entrance of the Singapore Cricket Club (SCC), we were greeted with the security guards’ scrutinising eyes. We had thought of trying to go into the club to explore but realised that it was only opened to members. It was not hard to tell that we were not members since none of us looked as if we were ready for any sports activities. Feeling the awkwardness, we quickly took a photo and left before the security guards saw us as suspicious characters.

Established in 1852, the SCC is the second oldest club in Singapore. The club has since gone through tremendous amount of changes and today the club consists not only the cricket game but of 13 sports sections such as squash, tennis and golf. The birth of the SCC began with the game of cricket which was very popular among the early European community. The first game was played in 1837 (18 years after Raffles arrived in Singapore) at the Padang, which is located near the SCC. The club had evolved from a 28 men strong elites Colonial Sports club into a multi-racial club catering to the sporting and social needs of the Singaporean community. But sadly as mentioned above, it is for members only.

In an archaeological dig of the SCC, high concentrations of coins were found which suggest that trading activity took place further inland from the river. Other findings include evidences of Singapore’s ancient quarters.  

During Second World War, the Japanese used the clubhouse for Military Administration Department and a Japanese officers’ tea room. It served as an important meeting place, with the Japanese calling it Syonan-ko Tonan Club.

We were amazed at how much this building had been through over the past years. Although changes were made to it, it stands unwaveringly firm in the heart of the city. After a few snaps at the building, we hurriedly left in search of the next destination.