Cambridge University Cricket Club had previously played at two grounds in Cambridge, the
University Ground and
Parker's Piece. In 1846,
Francis Fenner leased a former cherry orchard from
Gonville and Caius College for the purpose of constructing a cricket ground. In 1848 he sub-let the ground to Cambridge University Cricket Club. Fenner's first hosted
first-class cricket in 1848, with Cambridge University playing against the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). A 40-foot wooden pavilion, painted blue, with a slated roof had been erected by the 1856 season. Since 1894, Fenner's has been owned by the Cambridge University Cricket and Athletic Company; a private limited company whose Members comprise the full members of
Cambridge University Cricket Club and
Cambridge University Athletics Club. In August 2024, it was announced that the university had sold land on the edge of Fenner's to
Hughes Hall. Subsequently a petition was launched against development of that land. ==Facilities==