Merstham Cricket Club is to celebrate its milestone 150th anniversary year in the company of a former England cricketer and OBE.

Geoff Miller, who recently stepped down as chairman of selectors for England, will be the guest speaker at the club’s anniversary dinner and dance at Reigate Hill Golf Club on Friday, August 15.

The right-handed all-rounder played 254 first-class games for Derbyshire from 1973 to 1986 and in 1990, when he returned there after a spell with Essex.

He also played 34 Tests for England between 1987 and 1989, twice making his top score of 98. He was appointed an OBE for services to cricket in the New Year’s Honours list and last month was appointed president of Derbyshire.

The three-course dinner, with music from local band The Reservoir Frogs, will be one highlight in a busy year for the club. A week later, on August 24, Merstham will host a Surrey Masters XI, made up of former county players, at its Quality Street home, after Surrey’s disability squad play Merstham’s in the morning. Then, on September 7, Merstham will host the Cup Final of the Fuller’s League, the competition in which the first team plays.

Merstham Cricket Club began with one men’s team in 1864, and has grown to accommodate four senior teams on Saturdays, two on Sundays, a youth development XI, a disability side, and age-group sides from under eights upwards.

In recent years, the club has had to hire a second ground to accommodate all the teams. Last season, the men’s Saturday third and fourth teams switched from playing on the village green at Godstone to The Ring in Earlswood, the former home of Redhill and Old Coulsdon Cricket Club.

To start this season, the club will hold two NatWest Cricket Force weekends – the first at its Quality Street headquarters on April 5 and 6, and the second at the Ring on April 12 and 13. The idea behind the cricket force weekends is for clubs to encourage their members and the local community to help prepare their grounds for the season.

Merstham's junior section has more than 200 members. Anyone, particularly adults, who would like to know more about joining the club should call chairman Graeme Attridge on 01737 241707, or email: gattridge@hotmail.co.uk Tickets for the dinner dance, costing £40, can also be booked through him.