page_title: Thatcham
section_title: Sports and leisure
hierarchical_section_title: Thatcham / Sports and leisure
caption_attribution_description: English: Riverside Park, home of en:Thatcham Town F.C.
context_page_description: Thatcham is an historic market town in the county of Berkshire, England, centred 3 miles east of Newbury, 14 miles west of Reading and 54 miles west of London. Its population grew rapidly in the second half of the 20th century: from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961 to 22,824 in 2001. During World War II, Thatcham housed one of the biggest Prisoner of War camps in the South, known as camp 1001.
  Thatcham straddles the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon Canal, the A4 and the course of a Roman road. It is served by Thatcham railway station on the line between Reading and Newbury. Local employment is chiefly in light industrial premises, sales and distribution, retail and public sectors; see also West Berkshire, its district. Although there are many primary schools in the area, the only secondary school in Thatcham is the Kennet School.
context_section_description: Thatcham is home to non-league football club Thatcham Town, who play their matches at Waterside Park located 300 metres (330 yd) south of the town's railway station. The club reached the final of the FA Vase in the 2017–18 season, becoming the first Berkshire side to reach a national cup final. Their highest league finish is fifth in the Southern League Division One South & West, the eighth tier of English football, set in the 2010–11 season. The club won the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup in 1975.
  Thatcham Town Cricket Club are based in the town, playing their matches 500 metres (550 yd) west of the Broadway – the town centre – on Brownsfield Road, next to the Town Council offices.
  The Henwick Worthy Sports Ground is the home of the Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Club and the Thatcham Rugby Union Football Club. The ground is approximately 37 acres (15 hectares) in size, located in the west of the town. Henwick plays host to a number of amateur and youth sports, such as football and rugby.
caption: Waterside Park, the home of Thatcham Town
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