A History of Beverley Cricket Club by Peter Henderson

Contents:

 Introduction 
 1. 1835: the Maiden Match
 2. 1835 - 1843: 'Nulli Secundus'
 3. 1843 - 1870: Gentlemen, and a Few Players
 4. 1870 - 1914: Not Just Poking the Ball About
 5. 1919 - 1946: Playing the Game in the Right Spirit
 6. 1946 - 1977: Getting into a Frightful Mess
 7. Since 1977: Beyond the Apple Pudding Gates
 Bibliography

Introduction

The Beverley Cricket Club, whose history is recorded in this volume, is best known for its association with Canterbury Cricket Week.

"The Canterbury Cricket Week may be fairly said to have originated with the Beverley Cricket Club, which had its meetings for practice and played its home matches in St. Stephen's Field, near Canterbury, on the estate of the Baker family. The Beverley Club was founded in 1835, Mr. John G. A. Baker being the Hon. Sec. The Club held its meetings weekly, and all comers were hospitably entertained by the amicable Lady of Beverley at every meeting and home match. The Club had amongst its early members several who afterwards became known to fame in more than one 'tented field'."

Thus reads the opening paragraph of Canterbury Cricket Week, published by William Davey in 1865. The Beverley was closely connected with the development of cricket in Kent in the mid-nineteenth century and with the emergence of the Kent County Cricket Club, and since then it has been mentioned in most of the important histories of the game.

The Club is not particularly old. Goulstone's Early Club and Village Cricket mentions over 160 teams recorded in Kent before 1800, including several in Canterbury - although "the first reference to an actual Canterbury club was in 1798". The Colman collection at Lord's includes a picture of 'A Cricket Match at Canterbury' by Henry Hodgins, dated c. 1760, and St. Stephen's Field was referred to as a cricket ground as early as the 1760s. Nonetheless, the Beverley's more or less continuous existence since 1835 - albeit with several changes of name and of ground - is itself noteworthy. At different times, it was one of the greatest clubs in England and a modest village side. Its members have included the aristocracy and gentry, famous players such as Fuller Pilch, Nicholas Felix and Arthur Fagg, many shopkeepers and schoolboys, and even a village blacksmith. Matches have been played against 'Manchester, with Wisden', and against local parish sides. The fluctuating fortunes of the Club thus provide an illustration of the changing nature of the game of cricket and of evolving patterns of leisure in Canterbury.

Unfortunately, the absence of any detailed studies of the city of Canterbury in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and also, more seriously, the patchy nature of many of the available sources, severely limit the range of this study. The Beverley Cricket Club itself has few surviving records earlier than 1947, apart from a nearly complete set of fixture cards, originally belonging to J.W. Banks and W.J. Parker, dating back to 1895, and a collection of press cuttings, photographs and other memorabilia kept by Laurie Kemp from the 1890s to the 1930s. In the inter-war years, the Club Secretary, Alfred Divers, was able to acquire several older items, largely from the de Chair Baker family. Unfortunately, these were lost in the 1940s. Little remains, therefore, from the nineteenth century, although the Kent County C.C. has some posters for the early Cricket Weeks, as well as several portraits of players from that period. And the Beverley Board can still be seen at the 'Old Beverlie' in St. Stephen's.

This account is heavily dependent on the local newspapers, the Kentish Gazette, the Kent Herald and the Kentish Observer. Coverage is uneven, reflecting editorial policy as well as the efficiency of Club secretaries: it is good in the 1840s, for example, but poor in the 1880s - and the twentieth century seems to follow a similar pattern. In the early days of the Club, important matches were also reported in magazines such as Bell's Life in London, and hence over twenty games appear in Haygarth's Cricket Scores and Biographies, where the careers of William de Chair Baker, Frederick Fagge, Nicholas Felix, William Goodhew, William Martingell, Fuller Pilch and William Pilch are described. Some information has been obtained from local directories, Canterbury and East Kent poll books, electoral registers, and other material in the Canterbury Library. Mention must also be made of H.W. Warner's earlier History of Beverley Cricket Club (1959), which was an essential starting point for the present work.

'Plum' Warner was one of several people, including Ralph Kemp, Ernie Baldock and Charlie Stace, who provided Sam Rogers with photographs, press cuttings and reminiscences to assist in the production of a new history. I am particularly grateful, therefore, to Doris Rogers for allowing me to use this material. In addition, several other former players, particularly Pat Shirley and Dick Skelton, provided information on the post-war period. Assistance of various kinds has also been given by Bob Bee, Alan Dewell, Steve Uglow, the Lord's Library, Christopher Taylor of the Kent County Cricket Club, the Canterbury Library, Philip Fox and Canon Peter Pilkington. Lucy Ross typed the original manuscript with care and efficiency. Finally, I must thank Stephen Rogers, then the Club Chairman, who originally invited me to write this, and Ken Amos, who has bullied me into coming close to finishing it.

Peter Henderson

 printer version

The present-day Beverley Cricket Club can trace its history directly back to the St. Stephen's Cricket Club of the 1870s, but a connection with the original Beverley is not so easy to establish. The amalgamation of the latter with the Kent County Club meant that the Beverley as such ceased to play matches, and it seems clear that in so far as it still existed as an active cricket club it did so as St. Lawrence. Lord Harris states that "in 1870 an attempt was made to amalgamate the Beverley and St. Lawrence, but without success".^[1] In practice, however, it would appear that this is just what did happen. The continuity of ground, still often referred to as the Beverley Ground, and also, more significantly, of players points to this. Delasaux, Gillow and others who had appeared for both Clubs in the 1860s were now just St. Lawrence players. The nature of this development was not immediately and universally appreciated. Thus the Chilham Castle fixture list for 1871 still included matches against 'Beverley' on the same days and at the same venues as the St. Lawrence fixture list referred to its own matches against Chilham. Remarkably, the error was repeated in successive issues of the Kentish Gazette, and to confuse the situation further the paper even referred to a match played by the 'Beverley-St. Lawrence Club' against Faversham United in July, although the scorecard listed the team only as 'St. Lawrence'.^[2]

It is therefore misleading to suggest that the Beverley moved back to St. Stephen's after 1870, although it must be said that this whole episode in the Club's history is somewhat obscure. There had in fact been a 'St. Stephen's C.C.' for some years, but little is known about it and it does not appear to have been a club of any distinction.^[3] Indeed, in 1854 the players had attracted some unfavourable publicity over their behaviour during a match against Whitstable:

"we cannot make any remark in praise (we are sorry to say) of our St. Stephen's friends, they being all abroad, both in fielding, bowling, &c., and many showing strange tempers, we are happy to say not usual amongst cricketers, by lying down on their backs, leaving the field in the midst of play, &c."^[4]

This was hardly what was expected on the St. Lawrence ground where, for some reason, the match took place. Otherwise, the Club was largely anonymous. It was probably just another local village side.

In so far as there was a connection between the St. Stephen's Club of the post-1870 period and the Beverley, it was provided by William de Chair Baker. He certainly loaned the Club its ground, and this may well have been, more or less, the one originally used in 1835. He also became the Club's President and is said to have umpired some of the matches. However, there does not seem to have been any continuity in playing membership between the Beverley of the 1860s and St. Stephen's of the 1870s. The Kentish Gazette's first reference to a match in these years was in 1874, when the Precincts were played "on the Beverley Ground". None of the players, then or subsequently, had Beverley connections.^[5] It was probably only later, therefore, – perhaps not even until the 1890s – that a retrospective connection with the original Beverley Club was established. (The 1898 fixture card, unlike those of 1895 and 1896, has the date 1835 on the cover, implying continuity with the Bakers' foundation.)

ST. STEPHEN'S v PRECINCTS, 1874

ST. STEPHEN'S

T.Ireland, b Andrews1c and b Morgan13

T.West, b Andrews0l.b.w., b Morgan2

G.Court, b Andrews0b Andrews3

T.G.Court, b James7b Morgan0

W.Banks, run out, b Andrews 10c and b Andrews1

A.Paine, run out, b Andrews3b Andrews0

S.Smith, not out5b Andrews1

W.Wills, b Andrews0b Morgan11

J.Johnson, b Andrews0not out1

J.Ratcliff, b James1c Russell, b Andrews0

H.Attwood, b James0b Andrews0

Byes 5, leg byes 49byes 10, leg bye 111

3643

PRECINCTS

M.Baker, b Ireland1b Ireland0

A.Clark, c and b Ireland0b West7

W.James, b Ireland2

H.Andrews, b Ireland19

J.Russell, c Smith, b Ireland7

S.Ford, b West10

G.Filmer, b Ireland0

A.Davies, s Banks, b West0

– Hopkins, c Banks, b West2

J.Mills, not out0b G.Court4

– Morgan, Esq. b Ireland4not out20

Byes4byes0

5131

The standard of cricket played in the 1870s and 1880s was not very high. This was hardly surprising for what was essentially village cricket on poor wickets, although St. Stephen's still managed to play the occasional match on the St. Lawrence Ground. From time to time, however, individual performances rose above this level. F.Harris, for example, made 97 not out, in a total of 154, against Sturry in 1876.^[6] Equally impressive, though less surprising, were the scores of Henry Bass, the groundsman at St. Lawrence – "a very good bat in his younger days" – who had played a few games for Kent.^[7] He made 72 out of 190 against Harbledown in 1877 (with Harris also contributing 49) as well as taking 9 wickets, and four years later, against the same opponents, he scored 96 out of 244. This last was probably the highest total in this period, matched only by the 239 against Holborn in 1883 – unusually a team effort, with Twyman making 45, Drury 44, Harris 43 and Allen 39.^[8] Bowlers found success more readily. Tom Ireland, for instance, took 7 wickets against the Precincts in 1874 and 8 wickets against Herne in the following year, while in 1883 George Twyman took 7 wickets against Elham and Thomas Easton did the same the next week against the R.H.A.^[9]

A few players appeared regularly for the Club. Most prominent were William Banks, a competent batsman, who became landlord of the Beverley Arms and Parish Clerk in 1882, Tom Ireland, a prolific wicket-taker in the 1870s, and Tom West, "a sort of batman" to William de Chair Baker, who was still captaining the side in the early 1890s when he was over sixty. Others who seem to have played frequently were Thomas Easton, who became the first captain of the Canterbury Waverley C.C. in 1879, but who nevertheless retained his connections with St. Stephen's; and F.G.Court. It would seem that the membership was far from stable, although the Club did occasionally include able cricketers such as George Twyman, a St. Lawrence player and later captain of Canterbury C.C., Bruce Blaxland, who taught at the King's School and captained St. Lawrence, and George Thorn Drury. Producing a team was often a struggle, and inevitably, therefore, the Club's existence was precarious.

By 1884, the "list of matches to be played during the present season", forwarded to the Kentish Gazette by the Club Secretary, Harry Houlden, contained just six fixtures – against Harbledown and Whitstable, home and away, and against the R.H.A. and Holborn. Five of these matches were then lost, victory being achieved only against Harbledown on the St. Lawrence Ground, thanks to 58 from E. Allen.^[10] In 1885, the St. Stephen's Club folded up altogether, with several of its players now appearing for the Canterbury C.C. (Vice-President the inevitable de Chair Baker and Captain George Twyman). Indeed, half the Canterbury side that played against Harbledown in June 1885 had appeared for St. Stephen's against the same opponents in the previous year.^[11] It would not have been surprising therefore if the demise of St. Stephen's had proved permanent.

In 1886, however, the Club obtained a new lease of life. As the Kentish Gazette reported: "at a meeting at St. Stephen's Vicarage, Canterbury, it was resolved to resuscitate the parish Cricket Club. Mr. W. de Chair Baker was elected President; the Rev. F.H.Hichens, Vice-President and Treasurer; Mr. Patrick (of S. Mary's College), Captain; Mr. W.Banks, Secretary".^[12] The Club was very firmly based in the local community, as these names make clear. Baker, of course, had long been connected with cricket in the area and still lived at Beverley House; Frederick Hichens was the Vicar of St. Stephen's; St. Mary's, a Jesuit College, had recently been established at Hales Place; and Banks was the Parish Clerk as well as the licensee of the Beverley Arms. In the longer term, however, the Club survived because it was more than just a village side. It was able to attract players from further afield and retain their loyalty. As a result, despite the occasional financial crisis, the continued existence of the Club was rarely in serious doubt.

In the period up to the First World War, several capable players formed the backbone of the Club. William Banks, Tom Ireland and Tom West continued to play until the mid-1890s, and Banks went on as Treasurer and as an umpire until 1913. Percy Miles, who had first appeared in 1884, was still playing occasionally in 1914 and was one of the leading batsman in his day. John William Banks, a son of the Treasurer, captained the team from 1895 to 1899 and opened the batting for several years, but was most successful as a bowler – leading the averages as late as 1909 and 1910. Harold Wood, who succeeded Banks as captain in 1900 and 1901, also played for some twenty years, although his batting never featured prominently in the averages. Finally, Tom Underhill played regularly for many years and made his last appearance on the field at the age of 70 in 1911.

Two of the best players to join in the 1880s were William Fricker and Lewis Roalfe, who had been contemporaries at the Cathedral Choir School. Fricker only played for a few seasons, but he was the leading batsman in 1891 with an impressive average of 49.8. Roalfe was a remarkable bowler. In 1887, he took 67 wickets, in 1888, he took 69 and in 1889, he took a further 46. By 1891, he was even advertising his services in the press as "Ground Bowler (Claremont and Osborne House Schools, Margate) for cricket matches Fridays and Saturdays".^[13] He left the district in 1897 to become coach at King's College School, Wimbledon. When he returned to live at Tankerton in 1906 – as "the well-known cricketer, hockey-player, and writer" – he became captain of the re-formed Herne Bay C.C., and took over 200 wickets in a season for them on more than one occasion.^[14] A third player of real ability who began playing at about the same time was Lt. C.A.Colley of the Buffs. He had a particularly good season in 1896, scoring an undefeated century, as well as a 76 not out and a 73, and two years later, against the Conservative Club on the St. Lawrence Ground, he made the highest score for the Club in the nineteenth century: "the bowling was treated in the most contemptuous manner by Colley, who played brilliantly all round the wicket, and at the call of time to such good effect that he had obtained 130 not out in about an hour". Service in the Boer War then brought his cricketing career in Canterbury to a close.^[15]

CANTERBURY CONSERVATIVE CLUB v ST.STEPHEN'S, 1898

CANTERBURY CONSERVATIVE CLUB

W.Goodban, b Colley29

S.W.Slatter, b Lowe16

A.F.Featherstone, b Lowe12

H.Clarke, b Colley1

F.W.Holness, b Lowe19

A.Sugden, c Miles, b Colley0

A.Cattle, c Underhill, b Colley7

P.Webb, b Lowe4

C.Alder, not out12

– Lloyd, run out1

– Reynolds, b Lowe0

Byes 14, wides 418

119

ST.STEPHEN'S

H.M.Wood, b Featherstone0

D.Higgins, b Webb1

– Lowe, b Featherstone38

C.Colley, not out130

T.Underhill, b Featherstone0

– Divers, b Goodban0

O.Baldock, not out6

Extras6

Total for 5 wickets181

Colley's departure coincided with the arrival of another notable player, Charles Belbin. His "magnificent bowling at lightning pace" was seen to particularly devastating effect at Littlebourne in 1901.

BEVERLEY v LITTLEBOURNE, 1901

BEVERLEY

H.M.Wood, c Blake, b H.Scoot5

L.Kemp, b H.Scoot82

A.Webb, c de Trafford, b Smith28

Ruston, run out15

C.H.Belbin, c Morris, b Smith19

P.E.Miles, b H.Scoot2

A.Wood, c Holman, b Morris9

F.P.Gilmore, not out1

J.Idiens, L.Callow, W.Gard did not bat

Extras10

171 - 7

LITTLEBOURNE

J.W.Clark, b Belbin1

H.Holman, b Webb2

H.Scoot, b Webb3

W.Scoot, c Wood b Webb1

A.Smith, b Belbin1

R.Blake, c Callow, b Belbin20

Dr. Morris, b Belbin3

F.Smith, b Belbin0

G.Tomlin, not out2

H.E. de Trafford, b Belbin2

J.P.Duthoit, b Belbin0

35

"So deadly was he that hardly anyone was found to stand against him. He did the hat-trick, breaking one of the stumps and knocking the top half 32 yards from the stumps. At one portion of the game he took six wickets for one run in 11 balls."^[16]

At the end of the season, he had taken 89 wickets at just under 6 apiece, with a best performance of 9 for 6 in 7 overs against the unfortunate Sandwich School. He was also a successful batsman, scoring a century in 1911 and topping the averages on several occasions. He captained the side from 1904 to 1907 and again in 1913, and he was a mainstay of the Beverley until his job as an Inland Revenue officer took him away from the district.^[17]

Belbin's major rival as the Club's leading cricketer was Lawrence Kemp, an Old Langtonian who made his debut in the mid-1890s. In his first few seasons he was fairly successful with the ball – he even topped the averages in 1899 – but his main achievements were as an opening batsman. In 1904, he made 142 not out in a total of 213 against Chartham Asylum – a particularly remarkable innings in that three of the first five batsmen (including Belbin) made ducks and the next highest score was 18. He went on to captain the side in 1911, and appeared in the centenary match of 1935 as the oldest playing member.^[18]

Perhaps the most important recruit for the revived Club, however, was a very modest cricketer in every sense – Alfred 'Uncle' Divers. Another ex-chorister (with his 'capital bass' he often performed at concerts in aid of the Club and was later choirmaster at St. Dunstan's Church), he worked for a wholesale grocery firm and first played for St. Stephen's in 1887. His personal achievements on the field were not particularly distinguished, although on one remarkable occasion in 1910 he took 9 wickets for 20 runs and caught the tenth as Mount's were dismissed for 38.^[19] He captained the Saturday side for ten years before the War, and his self-effacing approach perhaps accounts for the fact that he only bowled in that one match in 1910. His main contribution to the Club came off the field. After being Assistant Secretary for several years, he became Secretary in 1900 and held the post until 1940. As he continued to be Treasurer (a post that had for a long time been combined with that of Secretary) until 1946, he was associated with the Club in an official capacity for some fifty years. When he died in that year, he had been a member for very nearly sixty years.

In the later 1890s, these players saw several significant developments in the Club's history. In 1896, after years of campaigning, "the extension of the early closing movement was inaugurated in Canterbury on Thursday, when almost the whole of the tradespeople closed their establishments at one o'clock".^[20] The pattern of cricket fixtures changed immediately, and this was particularly important for St. Stephen's, whose members included several shopkeepers. Whereas in 1895 most of the matches (ten out of sixteen) were played on Saturday afternoons (generally starting at 4 o'clock), in 1896, the majority (ten out of fifteen) were now played on Thursdays (starting at 2 o'clock). This left just three matches on Saturdays (now starting at 5 o'clock) and two all-day games on Bank Holiday Mondays. The pattern of regular match days that was to prevail for many years was thus established, with the Thursday team as the senior side.

At about the same time, the Club moved to yet another new ground – probably that in front of St. Stephen's Church.^[21] After the death of William de Chair Baker in 1888, the Club had continued to play on the Bakers' land, and at the annual dinners his widow was regularly thanked for "placing a field at the disposal of the Club".^[22] However, with her departure, a new site had to be found, and it was provided by the President and local vicar, Frederick Hichens. Inevitably this involved considerable work to make it playable, but the Secretary was soon able to report that "improvements on a large scale had already been commenced, so that for next season he could safely promise them they would have a very good pitch". This optimistic assertion was accompanied, unsurprisingly, by an appeal for funds.^[23]

Finally, in 1899, it was announced that

"the St. Stephen's starts this season under the well-known title of the Beverley Club. The old Beverley Club, known in all cricket circles, was founded by the late Mr. W. de Chair Baker and his brother in 1835, the latter [former?] being president of the St. Stephen's Club for some years. The members of the latter deemed it expedient to revert to the old title, so as to perpetuate the name of the Club and its founder which holds so historical a position in the annals of Kent cricket".^[24]

The piety of this change is perhaps more impressive than its sense of history, though the St. Stephen's Club could claim to be a step-child of the 'old Beverley'. At all events the revival of the name did achieve its aim, not least through the interest that Alfred Divers and others later took in the history of the original Club.

All these changes obviously added to the attraction of the new Beverley, and a period of expansion ensued. In 1901, the fixture list was extended and matches were arranged for an 'A' team.^[25] The following year, it was decided to organize fixtures for a Saturday team on a regular basis – "to suit members unable to get away from business on Thursdays".^[26] (The 1900 fixture card had simply announced that "Saturday afternoon or Evening matches will be arranged as the Season goes on".) For a while, therefore, the Club was clearly popular and successful. "The ground at St. Stephen's is in good order, the 'pitch' having been enlarged during the winter; and should the Club's friends in the City honour them with their presence at their matches, they doubtless will be repaid by the cricket seen, and also by the beautiful position and surroundings of the ground" enthused the Kentish Gazette's cricket correspondent in 1902.^[27] By 1905, the Club had over fifty members and seemed to be flourishing.^[28]

The decline and revival of the St. Stephen's/Beverley Club is easier to understand in the context of the changing pattern of leisure in general and cricket in particular in this period. Later Victorian and Edwardian Canterbury saw a rapid growth in opportunities to participate in sport. The Canterbury Swimming Bath in Whitehall Road opened in 1876, while the County Pavilion at that time offered "Lawn Tennis Courts, Skating Rink, Bowling Green, Promenade, etc."^[29] By the 1890s, rifle shooting, golf, football, rugby, goal running, tennis, hockey and bicycling were all popular and quite well organized.^[30] Facilities were then improved still further by, amongst others, the Victoria Recreation Ground (1907), the Canterbury Bowling Green (1907) and even the Canterbury Roller Skating Rink (1909). Cricket, of course, retained its preeminence, as the amount of space devoted to it in the local press makes clear, but it is also worth pointing out that in St. Stephen's itself the Bat-Trap Club which met at the Beverley Arms had more members than the Cricket Club!^[31]

The growing interest in cricket is particularly apparent in the proliferation of clubs in Canterbury. Whereas the Beverley and St. Lawrence Clubs of the mid-century had catered primarily for the leisured classes, the new clubs reflected the increased opportunities for recreation among other sections of the community. Many members of the Canterbury C.C., for example, were "connected with the bankers' and solicitors' establishments in the city", while the Working Men's Club included cricket among its various activities and met on the St. Lawrence ground with de Chair Baker's permission.^[32] Other clubs to emerge included the Canterbury Waverly (1879, captained by Thomas Easton), district clubs such as St. Gregory's (c.1879), and sides organized by the Foresters, the Oddfellows or the Conservative Club, by firms such as Messrs. Bligh's, and by the City Police and the Postmen. Thus by 1888, 'Dover Road', engaging in a correspondence on the standard of cricket in the city, could claim that there were "over twenty cricket clubs in Canterbury".^[33]

Unlike the old Beverley, the Club at St. Stephen's had little connection with the local gentry, despite the active patronage of de Chair Baker and Col. Trueman, and the occasional appearance by members of the Trueman family. There was still some 'country house' cricket in the area. In 1889, for example, 'Oakwell' (C.Trueman's XI) played 'Street End' (W.White's XI) on the St. Stephen's ground, with John Baker White of Street End, a relative of the Beverley's founders, as an interested spectator.^[34] That a social gulf existed between these players and those from the local club was even referred to explicitly in a curious report on a match between the St. Stephen's Juniors and C.F.H.Trueman's XI, also in 1899. "The fact of class and class being brought together in such a manner occasionally cannot fail to be productive of much good, and many is the lesson read in this way, which in no other would be so eloquent." The victory of Trueman's team was attributed to the fact that they "played well together and illustrated to their opponents the great value of combination, smartness, and order in the field".^[35] Thus despite the frequent contemporary assertions that cricket brought the classes together, it could clearly also reflect – and even accentuate – social divisions.

In so far as a social label is relevant and applicable, the new Beverley would seem to have been a 'lower middle class' club. The members' subscription suggests this. It was 3s.6d. in 1901, and 5s. by 1904, according to the first fixture card to mention it, and it remained at that level until 1923. By contrast, membership of the St. Lawrence C.C. cost 1 guinea (half a guinea to members of the Kent C.C.C.), similar to the £1 for the Beverley back in 1862.^[36] Members were recruited particularly from amongst Canterbury's shopkeepers. Alfred Divers worked for a wholesale grocers, alongside Tom Underhill, and he was an active member of the Commercial Travellers' Association, as were Harry Divers and the younger William Banks. Among other club members, Arthur Lush was a grocer in St. Dunstan's, the Fetherstones had a tea and coffee shop in Palace Street, Eli Hazelden was a greengrocer, Thomas Easton was bootmaker, and Aubrey Lester became a chemist.

The growing interest in cricket among such men reflected not merely the expansion of leisure time as the working week was gradually reduced, but also developments within schools. As has already been mentioned, the King's School had been playing cricket for some time and had had close connections with the old Beverley. In this period other schoolswere established, notably the Clergy Orphan School (St. Edmund's), the Canterbury Middle School (Simon Langton) and Kent College, and with the cult of games at its height they too soon had their own cricket teams. With other educational establishments such as St. Augustine's College, they contributed both to the growth of cricket clubs and to the supply of enthusiastic young players. The Old Langtonians even formed their own team and they were to be particularly important in providing the Beverley with players, Laurie Kemp being one of the earliest and most notable.

The growth of the popular press in the late nineteenth century also helped stimulate interest in the game – most obviously through the national newspapers, but also by the publication of cricket magazines, stories and even cigarette cards. Attention focussed primarily on the county team and on the national side, but there were repercussions locally. One was the interest shown in end-of-season averages. By the early 1880s, St. Lawrence published their statistics in the Kentish Gazette and other clubs soon followed suit.^[37] In 1887, a report of the St. Stephen's dinner mentioned that "Mr. L.Roalfe had taken 67 wickets at a small cost per wicket"^[38] In 1889, it was announced that "P.E.Miles and L.Roalfe had the highest batting averages, viz. 15.6 and 15 respectively", and two weeks later the Gazette added that "L.Roalfe had taken 46 wickets and E.Hazelden 32".^[39] Finally, in 1891, the St. Stephen's averages were published in full, as they continued to be in most years thereafter. Indeed, at the annual dinner that year, Fricker was presented with a bat and Roalfe with a ball to recognize their achievements in heading the averages.^[40] By 1908, the Club rules had even been amended to regularise this interest, proclaiming "that at least eight innings shall have been played by a member to constitute the 'Highest Average', also that a member shall have bowled in at least four innings and have taken fifteen wickets to entitle him to the 'Best Average' in bowling".^[41]

This increasingly serious interest in cricket and the growing spirit of competitiveness fostered by the schools did not alter the fact that all the matches played by the Beverley were still 'friendlies'. In 1905, a Canterbury evening league was organized at the instigation of 'Spectator', the Kentish Gazette's cricket correspondent, but although many of the sides which joined were opponents of the Beverley's 'A' or Saturday teams the Club itself did not participate. (One or two individuals did join in: Laurie Kemp, for example, played for the Y.M.C.A. team.) Nor did the Club become involved in the North East Kent League, including Herne Bay and Whitstable, formed at the end of 1908. This continued friendliness in games could sometimes have curious consequences. In June 1901, for instance, the Beverley allowed T.Easton's XI to continue batting for ten minutes after the scheduled close to enable them to complete a victory.^[42] At the same time, the practice of playing two-innings matches gradually faded, although it was retained for the all-day games on Bank Holiday Mondays. As late as 1900, the fixture card still provided columns for members to record scores in both first and second innings, but fewer games were now prolonged in this way. What remained normal, however, was the custom of the side batting second continuing with its innings even after it had passed its opponents' total. It was in these circumstances that Colley made his century in 1898, as did Kemp in 1904.^[43] The game, in other words, was still being played for its own sake, rather than in order to achieve a result.

Yet although reference to 'playing the game' became a commonplace in cricket literature and in speeches at club dinners, the reality might sometimes be different. This is revealed in the somewhat acrimonious correspondence that followed the Kentish Gazette's account of the match against Sturry in July 1901. Sturry had won the toss and put the Beverley in to bat. After the visitors had been dismissed for 34 – "the wicket at this point played rather queerly" – the home team went on to win comfortably, making 106 – "the wicket had improved when Sturry went in". The implication of the report was that local knowledge on the state of the wicket had had something to do with Sturry's unusual decision and that it might even be bordering on sharp practice. The reply from Sturry was forthright: "it would have been more honourable for the Beverley to acknowledge a fair and open thrashing by taking it quietly, than by casting insinuations of unfair play".^[44] Perhaps surprisingly – or reassuringly – Sturry were still to be found in the Beverley's fixture list in 1902.

It is not easy to assess the standard of cricket played at this time, but surviving fixture cards make it possible to comment on the opposition faced. There were surprisingly few regular fixtures. Chartham Asylum, indeed, were the only side to be played consistently from the late 1880s until the First World War, although Harbledown were played in most years and St. Lawrence 'A' – the Thursday side – were played regularly from the late 1890s. The general pattern of the Thursday fixture list is clear, however. Opposition came principally from other Canterbury sides, such as Foresters or the various regimental teams, from the schools, especially Kent College and Simon Langton (whose Old Boys were also played), and from local villages, such as Tyler Hill and Hardres. In the 1900s, the Club began to venture further afield, especially to Ramsgate, where opponents included St. George's, Shamrock, 'Thistle' and the South East and Chatham Railway, but also to Folkestone, to play Walton Star, the Harveian Club or Holy Trinity, and to Deal and District, regular opponents from 1907. The Saturday side and the 'A' team remained very local, however, playing mainly other city teams such as St. Gregory's, St. Mildred's or St. Dunstan's, and not venturing further than Chartham, Blean or Charlton Park.

The evidence of scorecards and of the published averages seems to confirm this impression of a club playing at a fairly moderate level. Batsmen certainly found things difficult. Very few totals of over 200 were made in these years, and most of them were at Chartham Asylum, as indeed were three of the five centuries – those by Sgt.-Mjr. Richer in 1894, Laurie Kemp in 1904 and Charles Belbin in 1911. Only C.A.Colley, the other century-maker, seems to achieved the feat on the St. Stephen's ground. An average of over 20 was not common either – even Colley only just managed it in 1897 – and in several seasons the leading batsman failed to reach this standard. The bowlers, on the other hand, were more successful, and averages of 5 or 6 runs per wicket were not uncommon. There seems little doubt that Lewis Roalfe and Charles Belbin were very good bowlers, while J.W.Banks, who took over fifty wickets in a season more than once, was a consistently steady performer. Alfred Webb, James Partridge and the Hazeldens also did well. As for the fielding, 'Spectator' in 1901 described it as consistently good and an important factor in the Club's success – but no sooner had he done so than the side suffered a defeat attributed to "slovenly fielding and dropped catches".^[45] In any event, the cricket certainly pleased some observers. At the 1908 annual dinner, Ernest Kennett remarked that "he did enjoy seeing the Beverley perform because there was always something interesting happening in their game; they did not block or just poke the ball about, but played a free and attractive game, win or lose".^[46] In the early years of the century, therefore, the Club was, by its own standards, reasonably successful.

This success was not easy to sustain. After 1907, the 'A' team was disbanded. The end of season summary for the local press referred to a "fairly good record"; the truth was that of the ten matches arranged, at least five were lost and a further three scratched – perhaps because the Club could no longer raise enough players.^[47] Two years later, the Secretary, Alfred Divers, reported that "the club was numerically weaker than last year" and that there was a deficit "of about £6... partly owing to the ground requiring more mowing than usual, and also to the fact that they had bought more tackle".^[48] The following April, therefore, a concert organized by Miss Ethel Onslow was held at the Foresters' Hall to reduce this deficit (now described as "of £8 or £9").^[49] The relief was only temporary, however, and in 1912 an even more ambitious evening's entertainment, again arranged by the energetic Miss Onslow, was held in the Canterbury Theatre – "to raise funds towards liquidating the debt of £20 which the Club has, mainly through having decided to rent the whole of the ground, of which it previously had a part, rather than see the old club disappear". A profit of £10. 13s was made on the evening, helping the Club to continue for a while at least.^[50] Yet despite a reasonably successful season on the field (seven of the thirteen matches were won), the problems remained. In April 1913, next to an ominous announcement of the disbandment of Harbledown C.C., the Kentish Gazette reported:

"the ancient Beverley team is not, I understand, in the most flourishing condition. It is sincerely to be hoped that during the coming season the Club will entirely re-habilitate itself, and that financial and playing support will be forthcoming so that not the slightest element of danger should threaten what is essentially 'an old and honoured institution'..."^[51]

A disappointing season in fact ensued, brightened only by the batting of E.L.Goulden – a former Harbledown player.

In 1914, these problems faded into insignificance. At the end of June, it was reported that "the match arranged for 2nd. July, Beverley v Buffs is scratched, owing to the Buffs going into camp".^[52] Six weeks later, war broke out, and although for a while some games continued – including Canterbury Cricket Week – it soon became apparent that 'business as usual' could not apply to club cricket. In the spring of 1915, in an announcement reporting that five of its members had been killed and another four wounded – and the war had been going a mere nine months – the St. Lawrence C.C. stated that their committee "do not consider it desirable to arrange any fixtures until the end of the war is in sight".^[53] The Beverley took the same view, and for the next four seasons the Club was in abeyance.

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With peace came the revival of the Beverley in 1919. "At a meeting of the members of the Beverley Cricket Club, held last month, it was decided that the Club – which has suspended its activities during the war – should be re-started." Even more significantly, "owing to the ground at St. Stephen's not being available, it was decided to accept the terms of the County Authorities for playing matches at St. Lawrence. Evening practice will also be held there."^[1] The connection with Hackington, where the Club had originated in 1835 and where it had 'returned' after 1870, was thus ended, although a few Beverley members continued to play for a St. Stephen's side – described in 1925 as "this old established club" – and Aubrey Lester was their vice-captain in the mid-twenties.^[2] By a roundabout route, therefore, the Beverley Cricket Club was once again associated with the County Ground.

Undoubtedly the Club's reputation and the standard of cricket played were enhanced by the move, but the change did bring some problems. In the first place, the St. Lawrence Ground was only available on Thursdays. When, therefore, 3rd. XI, evening or Saturday matches were arranged they almost invariably had to be played 'away'. Occasionally the City Council's Recreation Ground was used, but this was not particularly satisfactory. As Alfred Divers pointed out at the 1926 dinner:

"they had had trouble to get a ground and hoped that the City fathers who were present would see that the Recreation Ground was put into better condition for cricket. On the last occasion he was up there the pitch was in a very bad state, very bumpy and apt to be dangerous..."^[3]

An alternative, tried in 1939, was to use Kent College during the school holidays as a home ground, but this could only be a partial solution to the problem. Many members must have agreed with Laurie Kemp at the Centenary Dinner in 1935 when he said: "I hope that by the time the second centenary comes round, we shall have a ground of our own".^[4]

The other major problem the Club faced was financial. "Cricket at St. Lawrence was an expensive item," explained Charles Baker, the 'A' team captain and a bank clerk, in 1923.^[5] Surprisingly, it was only in that year, when there was a deficit of £22, that a serious effort was made to put the Club's finances right. The annual subscription was raised from 5s. to 10s.6d.; there was sudden expansion in the list of Vice Presidents, recognized as a valuable source of income; and the annual dinner was revived. Above all, however, the Club was rescued by the fund-raising efforts of "that versatile humorist" Leslie Goring, and especially by his concerts, such as one at the Foresters' Hall in February, 1924, which made a profit of £10. By 1925, Alfred Divers was able to report that the finances were on a sound footing thanks to Goring's achievements, and it was in recognition of this that Goring, alongside Divers, was made a Life Member of the Club in 1926.

With its new ground and stable finances, the Beverley was able to play its part in the growing popularity of all kinds of sporting activity in Canterbury. Bowls (the Canterbury Club grew from 67 members in 1919 to over 90 by 1936), athletics (the Canterbury A.C. was formed in 1926), golf (the course at Old Park was opened in 1927), tennis and cycling all prospered, and there were "signs of a decided boom in village cricket" in 1921.^[6] In 1919 and 1920, the Beverley ran only one team. Then in 1921 a second side, playing on Tuesday evenings, had seven fixtures. In 1922, a Thursday 2nd. XI was organized for a few matches and the evening team now moved to Saturday. By 1923, both the 1st. and 2nd. XIs had full fixture lists, and although only four Saturday evening games appeared on the fixture card, it was "hoped to arrange more Matches later on".^[7] Then in June of that year, the Kentish Gazette commented:

"the idea that tennis is attracting players from the joys of cricket is refuted by the experience of the Old Beverley Club on Thursday last. On that day the popularity of the national summer game was emphasized by that Club turning out no less than three teams – a happy state of affairs which is unique in the long history of the club... The membership of the Beverley Club this season is the largest since the war, and is rapidly reaching pre-war figures. Cricket lovers will be glad to hear of the success of one of the oldest – if not the oldest – Club in the country. Floreat Beverley!"^[8]

For a while the Beverley certainly did flourish. In 1924, there was a full programme of matches for three Thursday teams, as well as a few evening games, and in each of the next three years Alfred Divers was able to report a record membership of the Club. To accommodate these players, the Saturday side – now playing in the afternoon – had a full fixture list in 1925, and in the following year there were at least seven mid-week evening matches. For two or three seasons, therefore, five teams were organized. In the event, it proved difficult to sustain this level of activity, and by 1929 there was a return to just two Thursday teams, a Saturday XI and four evening matches. This remained the basic pattern throughout the 1930s, although there was a revival of the evening team in 1938 and 1939, probably through the efforts of the captain, Ernie Baldock.

It is clear from the balance of fixtures that mid-week cricket continued to predominate in the Club throughout the inter-war period. The Thursday XI was certainly regarded as the senior team and was probably stronger than the Saturday XI. This remained the case despite the fact that weekend opportunities for cricket – as for other activities – expanded rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s. In particular, "the introduction of the Saturday afternoon closing in many businesses" in Canterbury in 1934 was expected to weaken Thursday sides generally, as several players would no longer be available.^[9] As it turned out, the Beverley was not seriously affected, and despite fears expressed at the time the 'balance of power' continued to favour the Thursday men.

The pattern of the Thursday fixture list changed little. St. Lawrence, Kent College and Chartham Mental Hospital were regular opponents throughout the period, with Herne Bay and Ramsgate Wesleyans joining them in the mid-twenties. There was little travelling involved, as Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Dover and, for a Whit Monday fixture, Kennington, were the most distant venues. The one unusual feature was the number of military opponents in the early 1930s: as well as the Buffs, the Sherwood Foresters, the Lincolnshire Regiment and several others were played. On Saturdays, the picture was very similar. Chartham Mental Hospital were again played regularly, while Charlton Park, Littlebourne, Sheldwich, Kennington, Whitstable and several sides from Herne Bay were the most frequent of the other opponents. If anything, there was even less travel than on Thursdays – at least as far as distance was concerned, for almost all these matches had to be played away.

It is not easy to judge the standard of cricket played, for wickets varied as much as the opposition. In 1923, for example, Beverley made 188 against Chislet on the County Ground (Beverley 188 (O'Shea 80); Chislet 94); but in the return match they were bowled out for 24 and yet only lost narrowly (Beverley 24; Chislet 28).^[10] Totals of over 200 became more frequent, as did individual centuries, with Laurie Kemp and Leslie 'Dick' Divers the most prolific batsmen. Even so, batting averages of over 30 were unusual: for the Thursday XI, Read Gillett headed the averages in 1930 and 1931 with 21.5 and 18, and Bert Hills in 1935 with 18.8. Only Divers for the Saturday side achieved this standard with any consistency. The leading bowlers, on the other hand, not infrequently turned in remarkable figures, such as Jesse Leman's 7 for 14 against Simon Langton in 1922, Bill Parker's 6 for 8 against Broadstairs in 1930 and L.Read's 9 for 18 against the same opposition in 1931, and Parker's 6 for 2 against Whitstable in 1925.^[11]

BEVERLEY v WHITSTABLE, 1925

BEVERLEYWHITSTABLE

R.Gillett, b Bishop19L.Kemp, c Cane, b Sandy..... 2

S.Cripps, lbw Callingham... 14Wood, b Sandy2

A.W.Hills, c Wood, b L.Kemp12Lambert, b Parker0

T.Cane, b L.Kemp26. Major Wall, b Parker...... 2

C.Howlland, b Wall12Bishop, b Parker1

W.Sandy, c L.Kemp, b Wood2Callingham, st Cripps, b Sandy0

W.Parker, b Callingham....... 29L.Kemp, not out2

D.Bateman, c L.Kemp, b Wall2Scales, b Parker0

L.Read, b Callingham......... 13R.Kemp, b Parker0

L.Goring, c & b Callingham13Allen, b Parker0

A.Palmer, not out4S.Brown, retired hurt........... 0

Extras15Extras.. 2

Total151Total.. 11

Parker 6 for 2, including hat-trick

Averages of less than 10 were not uncommon, therefore, as with Bill Sandy's 102 wickets at 9.6 in 1931, and Ernie Baldock for the Saturday team managed this feat more often than not throughout the thirties.

In the immediate post-war period the Club was not particularly successful. 1923 however proved a turning-point as much on the field as off. "The past season had been the best they had experienced since the war", reported Bill Parker, with eleven of the sixteen matches being won.^[12] From then on, the Thursday team generally managed to win more matches than they lost, and the 1923 record was surpassed in 1934 when fifteen matches were won, two drawn and only four lost. In the latter season the Saturday XI also did well to win ten of its nineteen matches, and it did even better in 1936 with twelve victories out of eighteen. A feature of the matches in this period was the absence of draws – indeed, from 1920 to 1925 the Thursday side drew only eight of its 95 games, and managed a result in every game in 1923.

Off the field the success of the Club was reflected in the annual dinners, revived in 1922. These were held generally in November at the County Hotel, and quickly proved very popular. As well as Club members and their friends, the guests regularly included the Mayor and other local notables – aldermen, councillors, the Sheriff and even the Chief Constable. The evening's entertainment comprised a series of speeches by Club officials and guests, musical interludes (often featuring Leslie Goring), and occasional special items such as a conjuror, marionettes or the bagpipes. Small wonder that the Kentish Gazette should describe the dinner as "always an outstanding event in the sporting calendar of Canterbury".^[13]

The dinner was particularly effective in consolidating the Club's reputation in the local community. This was helped – indeed deliberately fostered – by the policy of extending the list of the Club's Vice Presidents. In 1895, there had been just two Vice Presidents – Col. Cantis and John Evens, both distinguished residents in St. Stephen's – and these were only gradually added to in the 1900s, in particular by the inclusion of the Mayor, ex officio, in 1910. In the 1920s, however, the Member of Parliament and then the Archdeacon of Canterbury appeared in the list, as did local councillors such as Frank Hooker, businessmen such as Charles Williamson, and even institutions such as the Langton Garage, alongside former players such as Tom Underhill. By 1928, Cllr. Charles Phillips, presiding at the dinner, mentioned that the Club was remarkable in having 30 Vice Presidents. By 1936, there were 40.

The speeches that these many notables made and heard provide an unusual insight into the nature of the Club and the role of cricket in this period. Above all, there were exhortations on the values of sportmanship – "playing the game" and "team spirit". In a remarkable address in 1930, the Mayor, Cllr. Rev. S. Gordon Wilson, stressed that "cricket was a great moral asset... Everybody knew... that the greatest sportsmen in the world were Englishmen, and that the greatest of all English sports was cricket". Ironically, he went on to observe that "cricket and other English games were being taken up in Germany in order develop the spirit of sportsmanship in that country".^[14] Similar themes were developed over the next few years. In 1933, for example, Don Andrews praised the Club Captain, Bert Hills, because he "always played the game in the right spirit".^[15] This rhetoric reached its height in Alderman Robert Arrowsmith's speech at the Centenary Dinner. "I think that the spirit is more important than the winning or the losing of matches – the reputation of the Club and the popularity of the Club...", he proclaimed, and went on, perhaps inevitably, to misquote Grantland Rice:

"If when the one great Scorer comes

To write against your name,

He writes not that you won or lost,

But that you played the game.

– that is the spirit that we want to foster. (Applause)."^[16]

To some extent this language reflected the reality of the Beverley's cricket in these years. Matches certainly remained 'friendly', in every sense. The Canterbury League was revived in 1921 – at first on Saturday afternoons and then, in 1923, on midweek evenings – but it only lasted for a few years and the Beverley was not involved. Later, in 1937, there were discussions about a possible East Kent cricket league, but nothing came of them, and Beverley's leaders would not have approved.^[17] Their 'sporting' approach was emphasized in the match against old rivals St. Lawrence in 1936 – "a few extra minutes being played, as the issue was so open", even though it meant defeat. (St. Lawrence 175-7 dec.; Beverley 171.)^[18] It was partly this, no doubt, that led 'White Horse' – the Kentish Gazette's cricket correspondent – to describe the Beverley team in his pre-season review for 1937 as "a very popular combination – modest in victory, good losers, and always playing the game in the right spirit".^[19] A week later, the Club was doing its best to live up to this reputation. "With their usual sportsmanship, I understand, the Beverleyites wanted to play the game out, although the position was rather an uncomfortable one for them, but they had thoroughly earned a draw, and I think the [St. Lawrence] Thursday captain was right in declining their request". (St. Lawrence 195-8 dec.; Beverley 132-8.)^[20]

This attitude was greatly helped by the fact that a number of players supported the Club regularly – on and off the field – over many years. The Divers family epitomized this esprit de corps. 'Uncle' Alfred, briefly Saturday Captain in 1922 and then an umpire, remained Secretary and Treasurer throughout this period and became the guardian of the Beverley's traditions. At the annual dinners he regaled those present with reminiscences, such as of William de Chair Baker's umpiring, or with the results of his researches into the Club's past.^[21] He was made a Life Member in 1926, and in 1937 he was presented with a pipe smoking cabinet and an illuminated address:

"The members of the Beverley C.C. desire to place on record their appreciation of the invaluable services you have rendered to the Club during the past 50 years as a playing member and, later, as its Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. During these years you have devoted a considerable amount of time to the furtherance of the cause of cricket in this locality, and the energy you have displayed in the execution of the many duties of your office clearly illustrates how thoroughly your heart has been in your work.

The success which has attended the Club, has to a great extent, undoubtedly been due to your painstaking efforts, and it is sincerely hoped that, in company with good health and strength, these efforts may be continued for many more years."^[22]

His nephew Harry had started playing in the 1890s and was Assistant Secretary from 1900 to 1924. He took over the role of Saturday Captain in 1923 and continued in that post until illness forced him to hand over to Ernie Baldock in 1938. His active playing career had thus lasted for forty years. The third generation of the family was represented by Harry's son Leslie ('Dick'). An Old Langtonian, he started playing in 1926 and soon became a key figure in the Saturday side, topping their batting averages more often than not in the 1930s and scoring several centuries. "Divers as usual played some very strong shots in front of the wicket" is a typical comment from the local newspaper.^[23] He also maintained the office-holding tradition, being the Evening Captain in 1931, a committee member in 1932, and the Saturday Match Secretary from 1933 to 1937.

The contribution of Laurie Kemp was, in its way, equally remarkable. He had joined the Club in the 1890s and had captained the side in 1911, but he saved his greatest achievements for the post-war years. In 1920, the Kentish Gazette's cricket correspondent commented on "the remarkably fine batting of Mr. Laurence Kemp" after "a brilliant 133 not out against Chartham Asylum".^[24] In 1921, again at Chartham, he made 126 not out in partnership with Bert Hills, enabling the Beverley to declare at 245 for 1.^[25] And in 1922, he did even better:

"the sensational performance of last week was the mammoth score of Mr. L.Kemp, who rubbed it in to the tune of 181 not out against his old school (Simon Langton). For years the genial 'Laurie' has been a wonderfully fine batsman. Reckoning by years, he ought in the natural order of things to be now in the veteran stage. He declines, however, to allow Anno Domini to get the best of him, and has apparently determined, like old wine, to improve with age. Once upon a time Mr. Kemp was the champion stonewaller in the Canterbury district. One day, however, he discovered that he could get fours with comparative ease and found the process so pleasurable that he has been at it ever since. More power to his elbow!"^[26]

A fortnight later, it was Kent College's turn to be given a lesson in the benefits of experience as he scored another unbeaten century.^[27] A loyal Club member, Laurie Kemp continued to play for many more years and appeared in the 1935 Centenary Match alongside his son Ralph. The latter was also a Beverley player, topping the averages and scoring a century against St. Lawrence in 1933. He then joined St. Lawrence, where he was successful as both player and umpire.

The combination of cricketing skill and loyalty to the Club was exemplified by the four players who shared the captaincy of the 1st. XI from 1922 to 1948 – William Parker, Albert Hills, Wilfred Sandy and Stanley Cripps. Of these the most important was Bill Parker. A former pupil of St. Stephen's School, he had first joined the Club in 1911 and was on the committee by 1914. He was a fairly successful bowler – "trundling his leg-breaks and off-breaks", according to Leslie Goring – and good enough to head the averages in 1925.^[28] More significantly, he captained the side from 1922 to 1928 and from 1934 to 1936, became Thursday Match Secretary in 1929 and was the organizer of the Sussex Tours from their inception in 1931. What was referred to at the time of his death in 1974 as "his old world courtesy" and his "unfailing amiability and gentlemanly manner" contributed significantly to the spirit within the Club. On the death of Alfred Divers in 1946, he was the obvious choice as Secretary and Treasurer, and finally in 1953 he was elected President of the Beverley. His services to the Club were recognized at the 1961 dinner, commemorating his 50 years association, and by his election as a Life Member in 1974.^[29]

Bert Hills was primarily a batsman, although his occasional bowling was good enough for him to head the averages in 1923. He scored 111 not out at Chartham Asylum in 1921, partnering Laurie Kemp in a double century stand, and his 102 not out against Birchington was one of the highlights of the 1931 season.^[30] One of his best performances enabled the Club to defeat St. Lawrence in 1930: "the wicket was distinctly in favour of the bowlers, but Hills overcame the difficulties in great style, his driving being powerful and well-timed" (St. Lawrence 54 (Parker 5-24, Sandy 5-24); Beverley 117 (Hills 62).)^[31] There was "no finer fielder at cover-point", according to L.W.Read, while as a captain, in 1932-33 and again in 1937-38, he was "a quiet, unassuming man who knew how to conduct a team on the cricket field. He never got flustered and always played the game in the right spirit".^[32]

Bill Sandy, an ex-Chorister like several notable Beverley players, was the foremost bowler of the inter-war years and "rendered yeoman service with his invidious slow deliveries".^[33] These leg-breaks – "Sandy's tempters" – usually made him the Club's leading wicket-taker.^[34] In 1931, for example, he took 102 wickets for the Thursday and Saturday sides at an average of less than 10, and in 1933 he took 84 wickets for the Thursday XI alone at 12.5 apiece. He captained the team in 1939 and in the difficult circumstances of 1940. His success was helped by the presence behind the stumps of Stan Cripps, Captain from 1929 to 1931 and again in 1947-8. He was a very useful batsman, but it was his wicket-keeping – he was "very quiet, but his work was full of quality" – that established his reputation.^[35] It is a reflection on the nature of the game in this period – and on Sandy's bowling – that Cripps often stumped more batsmen than he caught. In 1934, for example, he stumped 14 and caught 9, while in 1938 he stumped 15 and caught 11.^[36] "Stumped Cripps, bowled Sandy" was probably the most frequent mode of dismissal for Beverley's opponents in these years.

In addition to these stalwarts, several notable young players appeared for the Club in the inter-war years. The most distinguished was Arthur Fagg. According to Bob Arrowsmith, "Fagg was spotted by Joe Murrin [the groundsman at St. Lawrence] batting in the nets of the Beverley Club at Canterbury; when Joe asked if he made any runs for them, he was told they did not think him worth a place".^[37] In fact, he did play several matches, and in 1931 he made 55 against R.Gillett's XI. His association with Beverley was unsurprisingly brief, however. By the end of 1931, he was already heading the Kent Club and Ground averages and well on the way to his illustrious career, but he did return for the Centenary Dinner in 1935.^[38] During that season, the 1st. XI bowling averages were headed by young Alec Mackenzie (16 wickets at 10.62 apiece). Three years later, he was playing for Hampshire as a leg-break bowler and middle order batsman. After war-time service in the R.A.F., he was a leading St. Lawrence player for some years.^[39] Other prominent young players were Claude O'Shea, who scored several fifties for the Club in 1923, including 96 not out at Chartham, and was given a county trial in 1924; and Norman Else, a former Captain of Kent College and the leading run-scorer in 1933 and 1934, who had a trial for Worcestershire and later played for both St. Lawrence and Brett's.

BEVERLEY v KENNINGTON, 1933

BEVERLEYKENNINGTON

L.Divers, c Willis, b Head... 23J.Willis, b Baldock19

V.Land, c Raven, b Head....... 6W.Raven, b Else10

N.Else, lbw Stickels......... 98J.Gilham, b Parker1

S.Cripps, c Willis, b Stickels24R.Wheatley, b Parker........ 26

D.Andrews, c Gilham, b Ruff35E.Ruff, c H.Divers, b Else. 0

W.Parker, c Raven, b Head.. 48J.Stanford, b Else13

H.Divers, not out56E.Stickels, c E.Baldock, b K.Baldock............. 5

Extras24G.Head, c Else, b Parker..... 21

Total(6 wkts. dec.)........ 313H.Martin, b Else0

E.Baldock, L.Jacks, K.Baldock,T.Saffery, c Parker, b Else1

H.Greenfield did not batA.Hobday, not out26

Extras11

Total133

Else 5 for 38

The Club was equally dependent for its success on more modest players who nonetheless contributed a great deal to its well-being. Vic Vaughan, for instance, joined the Beverley in 1922. He was on the committee by 1924 and captained the 2nd. 'B' team in 1925. When his playing days were over, he continued to serve the Club, most notably as a scorer, for many more years. His achievements and his fifty years association with the Beverley were recognized when he became a Life Member in 1973, and he only gave up scoring in 1976. Alf Foster umpired for over thirty years, and was presented with a clock for his services in 1954.^[40] Leslie Goring's fund-raising activities have already been mentioned; even after he left the district, he continued to take an active interest in the Club, watching matches during the Sussex Tour and regularly attending the annual dinners. On these occasions, Don Andrews often played the piano to accompany the singing. He had joined in 1923, became a regular Sussex tourist, and was still playing occasionally in the 1960s.

Perhaps the most important member of all who started playing in the 1920s was Cyril ('Sam') Rogers. He was a remarkable all-round sportsman and sports administrator. As well as playing cricket for the Beverley, he formed a successful soccer club, was Captain and Secretary of the Canterbury Rifle Club, captained the Canterbury Hockey Club 2nd. XI and later umpired for them, and even played tennis for several years. He was associated with the Beverley for nearly 60 years. Never an outstanding bowler, he was nevertheless a very loyal club member. He took a hat-trick in 1947, nearly topped the averages in 1964, and still took a few wickets when he was over sixty. Even more significantly, he was Secretary-Treasurer from 1958 to 1970 and President from 1975 to 1985, as well as being Secretary of the Canterbury District of the Association of Kent Cricket Clubs. He became a Life Member in 1971, and a special tribute was paid to him in 1976.^[41]

In his speech at the annual dinner in 1936, Alfred Divers remarked, in what was by now the traditional way, on the role of cricket in breaking down class barriers.

"It was a social game, because the lord played with the labourer in the villages, and the same kind of thing took place, on a different scale, in their own Club. Those who were well off joined in the same game as those who had to work 'by the sweat of their brows'."^[42]

It is not easy to check on the accuracy of such an assertion, but it would appear that the commercial and professional classes continued to predominate in the Club. Bill Parker, for instance, started out as an apprentice at Hollamby's the tailors, and ended up owning the shop. Stan Cripps ran the St. Dunstan's Nursery, Vic Vaughan was a butcher, Charles Baker was a bank cashier and Cecil Ward taught at the Simon Langton Grammar School. Both Parker and Don Andrews, a chartered accountant, went on to become J.P.s. In many ways, therefore, the Club's membership seemed to reflect the 'shopocracy' that was so important in Canterbury life.

One who certainly did work "by the sweat of his brow" was Ernie Baldock. A remarkable man in many ways, he first played for the Beverley in 1930, when a gardener at Broad Oak Lodge to Charles Phillips, a former Club member, and in 1936 he became a gardener at the King's School, where he stayed until his retirement in 1971. He was the Saturday side's leading wicket-taker in the 1930s – a slow swing bowler, operating off just three or four paces – and also a useful batsman. He captained the Evening XI from 1936 to 1939, and took over from Harry Divers as Captain of the Saturday XI in 1939. In addition, he was an active Methodist preacher and, as he remarked in his characteristically modest memoirs, published on his retirement, "I have done some work in the Church with Youth Clubs, and other youth organizations". He was always keen to encourage youngsters to play cricket – and to play it in the right spirit. "We played for the love of the game and not so much for the result", he remarked of the Haymakers C.C., a team of King's School masters and boys that he helped establish and that is still going strong.^[43]

For many Beverley players, "playing the game in the right spirit" came to be associated above all with the Sussex Tour. This was started by Bill Parker in 1931, and rapidly established itself as both a cricketing and a social success. An East Kent bus was hired for the week, and although the pattern of fixtures varied from year to year, the team usually spent a few days at Hastings and a few days at Brighton. On the first Tour, the opponents were Hastings Nondescripts, Pevensey and Westham, Maresfield, Worthing and Ashburnham. Soon Rye, Robertsbridge and Ditchling were established as regular fixtures, with six matches normally being played. The whole excursion was fully reported in the local press and events off the field provided an endless supply of reminiscences.^[44] "On the Sussex Tour they had a splendid time socially – (laughter, and hear, hear) – and they had a successful time", reported Don Andrews at the annual dinner in 1933.^[45] And even fifty years later, Ralph Kemp recalled

"the sea sickness of Bert Hills who thought that a steamer trip from Hastings to the Isle of Wight and back would be finished in 2 hours. He returned so green about the gills well after midnight and was unfit for duty the next morning!"^[46]

It was an enthusiastic Club, therefore, that celebrated its centenary in 1935. Disappointingly, the season itself turned out to be one of the worst in this period – none of the teams winning more games than they lost.^[47] Otherwise the anniversary went well. A special match was played on Whit Monday, June 10th., on the Simon Langton School Ground at Nackington, between the Thursday and Saturday sides. Laurie Kemp, the oldest playing member, appeared for the Saturday team alongside his son Ralph, Harry Divers and Ernie Baldock, while Bill Parker, Bert Hills, Stan Cripps and Bill Sandy all turned out for the Thursday team. The latter confirmed their superiority on the field, as Alfred Divers and various other friends of the Club watched.^[48]

SATURDAY XI

T.Evans, b Sandy1

S.Knight, not out27

R.Kemp, st Cripps, b Sandy1417

L.Kemp, b Sandy4

E.Tomalin, b Parker1230

E.L.Baldock, lbw Hodgeman1313

H.J.Divers, b Mackenzie0

A.Lewis, c Parker, b Mackenzie0not out12

C.Dobson, lbw Mackenzie0

J.Millen, st Cripps, b Sandy6

E.Webb, st Cripps, b Sandy0

Extras8

85(for 8 wkts.) 94

THURSDAY XI

A.W.Hills, c Kemp, b Tomalin12

W.W.Sandy, b Baldock3

S.D.Cripps, c Baldock, b Kemp21

A.R.Nash, c Knight, b Baldock22

W.J.Parker, b Baldock5

P.A.Mackenzie, c Kemp, b Baldock11

V.Land, b Tomalin21

J.Hughes, b Tomalin23

G.Hodgeman, b Baldock12

L.Welch, not out3

C.Ward, did not bat

Extras8

(9 wkts. dec.) 141

Later that summer, the Kentish Gazette recalled the foundation of the Club by publishing an article from K.H.Jones – 'Interesting Cricket Relic' – on the Beverley Board, which had recently been cleaned by Frank Wilson, the landlord of the 'Old Beverlie'.^[49] Finally, on November 28th. a Centenary Dinner was held at the County Hotel. 'The Match Book of the East Kent Beverley Cricket Club from the year 1835', which had been acquired by Alfred Divers from the de Chair Baker family, was prominently displayed. Speakers included Alderman R.H.Arrowsmith, soon to become President of the Club, and the Sheriff, J.B.Thompson, as well as the Beverley's two senior members, Alfred Divers and Laurie Kemp, who reminisced about former players such as Tom West and Tom Ireland. The whole occasion, rounded off by songs and other entertainments, proved a great success.^[50]

The progress of the Club in its second century was soon interrupted by war. In contrast to 1914, however, the Second World War did not see the end of club cricket in Canterbury. There was considerable debate on the subject, but "keeping the game alive" was justified in terms of maintaining fitness and providing recreation for those in reserved occupations and for servicemen at home and on leave.^[51] In the first summer of the war, therefore, an attempt was made to continue playing as usual – and the decision seemed to be justified by events: "although having constantly to change the team and occasionally hunt for players, the Beverley Thursday had a very enjoyable season, under the able captaincy of Bill Sandy".^[52] The Kentish Gazette cricket correspondent later reflected on the year with admiration and some amazement. "Local enthusiasm for cricket is such that in spite of the obvious difficulties a full season was played on the St. Lawrence Ground in 1940. Both Beverley and St. Lawrence ran sides, most of the opponents being from the services, whilst the clubs included several players from the Royal Navy, Army and R.A.F. in their teams. When other opposition was not available, the two clubs played each other so that by the end of the season they became very close friends. Play continued whilst the Battle of Britain raged overhead, and Goering's Luftwaffe must have been somewhat disconcerted at the serene scene below."^[53] On Thursday July 25th., Beverley and St. Lawrence indeed played each other on the County Ground during an air-raid warning. The result was a tie.^[54]

BEVERLEY v ST. LAWRENCE, 1940

BEVERLEYST. LAWRENCE

A.W.Hills, c Simpson, b Heyer16G.B.Heyer, b Sandy12

W.J.Parker, c Reed, b Brett... 3O.Goldsmith, c Walshaw, b Sandy0

A.Barwick, c Lovelace, b Brett8R.Mayes, c Parker, b Anderson8

A.G.Walshaw, b Brett........ 20E.L.Baldock, c Parker, b Sandy17

D.F.Andrews, b Brett............ 4G.A.Simpson, c and b Anderson23

J.King, st Rose, b Heyer..... 12P.Lovelace, c Barwick, b Sandy1

R.Moon, c and b Brett......... 0J.H.Hirst, c Andrews, b Sandy0

R.Foster, b Heyer4B.Rafferty, run out7

W.W.Sandy, b Brett............ 1W.Rose, st Moon, b Sandy.. 2

F.Anderson, not out3J.S.Brett, not out0

E.Matson, run out0H.F.Reed, c Moon, b Anderson1

Extras. 4Extras. 4

7575

Unsurprisingly, therefore, it was agreed that "the game must go on in Canterbury" in 1941. To facilitate this, and to overcome some of the problems experienced in raising teams, the two clubs decided to join forces as the 'St. Lawrence - Beverley Cricket Club'. Initially the intention was to run just one side, but it quickly became apparent that it would be possible to run two Saturday sides as well as a Thursday XI, and also – a new departure for the Beverley – a Sunday XI with a limited fixture list. The County Ground had an unfamiliar look.

"For a considerable time the Army occupied most of the buildings, and there were guns, ambulances and lorries in the surround. The Ladies' lavatory at the Nackington Gate was an explosives store, and under the concrete stand there was a control room and air raid shelter. The adjoining hospital had a coal dump and emergency kitchens in the surround, the iron stand was a petrol store and the ground was also used for Home Guard training."^[55]

Yet under the captaincy of Eric Pettit, a former Beverley player, on Thursdays, and Bill Dutnall of St. Lawrence on Saturdays, the new Club proved a great success and continued as a joint venture until the end of the 1946 season. Forces teams, especially from the R.A.F., initially provided the bulk of the opposition, although a few local clubs such as Dover and Barham, as well as Chislet Colliery, were also played. In all, 272 matches were played by the combined club: 159 were won, 57 lost, 1 tied and 55 drawn.^[56]

 printer version

The joint St. Lawrence-Beverley Club continued to operate in 1946, still with one Thursday and two Saturday sides. Several players liked the experiment, and felt that there were advantages in having just one senior club in Canterbury. However, traditional loyalties now reasserted themselves, and there was little opposition at a Beverley meeting to Bill Parker's proposal that there should once again be separate clubs in 1947. With Parker himself elected Secretary to replace Alfred Divers, who had died in 1946, Stan Cripps elected Captain of the Thursday XI, and a Sussex Tour again planned, continuity with the pre-war Beverley was firmly guaranteed.^[1]

The decision seemed to be vindicated as the Club expanded rapidly over the next few years. At the annual dinner in 1947, Parker compared the 1939 membership – 30 players – with the current strength of 54, and concluded that "cricket was much more popular than it had been in pre-war days".^[2] Would-be members had even been turned down because there was no guarantee that they could be given games. It was quickly decided, therefore, that there should be two Thursday and two Saturday teams in 1948 – a move that was announced on the front page of the local newspaper under the headline: 'Beverley C.C.'s Future – Next Season's Expansion'.^[3] Within a year, membership had reached 70 – a level more or less sustained for several seasons.^[4] By 1954, a "large influx of new players which includes a high percentage of juniors", encouraged the Club to organize a third Saturday team, and a full fixture list was arranged for the following season.^[5] In the event, however, it proved impossible to maintain this level of activity. Although there were still 74 members in 1956, this represented a peak that was not to be reached again, and after a reduced 3rd. XI fixture list in that year, the Club reverted to just two Saturday sides in 1957.^[6]

The pattern of Thursday fixtures was broadly similar to that of the inter-war years. St. Lawrence and Kent College had been played since the 1890s, and Faversham Alliance and Simon Langton were old opponents, while Ramsgate Corinthians and St. Edmund's were played regularly after the war. The emphasis was still very much on local matches, with little travelling involved. On Saturdays, on the other hand, with home and away games now possible, the pattern was very different. There was less consistency in the fixture list, although Simon Langton, Nonington, Selsted, Whitstable and Sandwich were played regularly; and while most opponents still came from East Kent, some were from further afield, such as Marden, Tenterden and Rye. When the East Kent League was formed in 1976, dominating Saturday cricket, it consisted largely of clubs already played, and stretched as far as Lordswood, Marden and Hythe.

It was soon apparent in the post-war period that cricket, like other leisure activities, was increasingly focusing on the weekend. "There would likely be less mid-week matches in the future and more at weekends", suggested Bill Parker as early as 1948, and by 1954 Roland Blower's assertion that Thursday cricket was "not dying on its feet" already sounded unconvincing, even if the mid-week eleven was still arguably the strongest in the Club.^[7] From 1957, therefore, there was just one Thursday team: "it seemed that Thursday cricket was becoming increasingly difficult because players were not available", explained Parker.^[8] In the 1960s, largely under the captaincy of Alan Vaughan, the side survived and was reasonably successful, but by the 1970s the maintenance of even one team was in doubt. After a "mediocre season" in 1972, mainly because of "a serious lack of regular players", the Club was forced to consider "whether it was worthwhile running a mid-week side, certainly in the earlier part of the season".^[9] Indeed, the team was kept going largely through the importation of various 'guest' players, particularly from the University of Kent. Hence, in 1977 it was decided to continue running a mid-week XI "less the first five games of the season".^[10]

Oddly enough, it took some time for the seniority of the Saturday side to be recognized, despite the obvious decline in the importance of Thursday cricket. It was not until 1955, for example, that the Saturday XI's results were given first in summaries of the season's achievements, and it was not until the advent of League cricket in 1976 that the Saturday 1st. XI Captain – then officially designated 'Club Captain' – replaced the Thursday Captain at the head of the list of Club officials. In this respect, as in many others, the weight of tradition proved difficult to shift.

The growing emphasis on weekend cricket did not, however, lead to the fromation of a Beverley Sunday side as such. Many members would have liked Sunday cricket – it was rapidly becoming popular in the post-war period and was particularly attractive to those who were unavailable on Saturday afternoons – but the Club itself was unwilling to take the initiative. In 1948, therefore, the Canterbury Pilgrims Cricket Club was formed at a meeting in Monty Kingsford's house, with Kingsford himself, Colin Auld, Cecil Swain and Dick Skelton – all players who had had some connection with the Beverley – as the original office-holders. From its first season in 1949, the Club proved a great success. With no ground, almost all matches were played 'away', and a coach was hired to transport players and their families, thus contributing to the social success of the enterprise. Players were drawn especially from Beverley and Brett's – indeed several notable Brett's players such as Doug Toze and Ron Gawler, and later David Smith and Peter Burt, joined the Beverley as a result of this connection – but eventually the Beverley contingent predominated. When the Beverley finally acquired its own ground, an amalgamation with the Pilgrims was the logical step to take.

In 1947, it seemed that the Club's difficulties over grounds had been eased, as it was now possible to use the County Ground on Saturdays as well as Thursdays. Some problems still remained, however. In the first place, the Ground was shared with the St. Lawrence Club, and there were usually two matches played on each day – side by side and with overlapping boundaries. Secondly, there were some financial difficulties: apart from the cost of hiring the Ground itself, there were the inconvenience and expense involved in playing two-thirds or more of the matches away. "Last year over £70 was spent on transport", reported Bill Surrey in 1950, and it was pointed out that "it was only by making cricket as inexpensive as possible that they could be assured of young players coming along".^[11] The subject was frequently raised at committee meetings in the 1940s and 1950s, but none of the proposed solutions – such as "drivers of transport not to pay match fees and to receive an amount per member carried to be agreed between himself and the Captain" – proved satisfactory or permanent.^[12] Nonetheless, these problems seemed minor when compared to the privilege of playing on excellent wickets in such a fine setting. The lack of an adequate alternative was the constant lament of other Canterbury clubs forced to use substandard Corporation fields. "When offered return games at the Recreation Ground, clubs invariably refuse – apparently being only too well aware of the atrocious playing conditions prevailing there", complained W.J.Maple of the Payne Smith Old Boys C.C. in a letter to the Kentish Gazette in 1947.^[13] Two years later, the Beverley President, Col. Collard, reminded the members how lucky they were, but added that "they would be in a frightful mess if, for any reason, they had to give up playing there".^[14]

Meanwhile, the Beverley players took full advantage of their fortunate situation. At the 1950 dinner – reported in the Kentish Gazette under the headline 'Were the Old Days so Good? Canterbury Cricketers Say 'No'" – Bill Parker and others expressed the view that there was now "a far higher general standard and clubs did not have to rely, as in times gone by, on a few outstanding players".^[15] This impression is confirmed by the playing record of the 1940s and 1950s and by the evidence of the published averages. Notable bowlers in this period included George Chappell, the King's School groundsman, Monty Kingsford, the Saturday Captain from 1948 to 1950, George Shaxted and Ewart Bryant, while Jack Girling took all ten wickets against Sandwich in 1956.^[16]

BEVERLEY v SANDWICH, 1956

BEVERLEYSANDWICH

N.Gibson, lbw Brown........................... 12C.Thurstance, b Girling....................... 11

R.Woodcock, b Smith........................... 5J.Ash, lbw Girling.................................. 2

M.Bickerdike, b Belson....................... 22P.Kullman, b Girling............................ 33

D.Brown, hit wkt b Lapish.................. 32S.Lapish, lbw Girling.............................. 7

V.Allen, b Cheetham........................... 11L.Brown, b Girling............................... 13

S.Filby, b Lapish.................................. 26A.Fisher, b Girling................................. 4

J.Mayes, c Rolfe, b Lapish..................... 8J.Cheetham, c and b Girling................... 1

L.Tyrell, not out................................... 8M.Rolfe, not out................................. 16

J.West, b Smith..................................... 1W.Smith, b Girling................................ 0

T.Wilson, st Kullman, b Smith.............. 0G.Belson, b Girling................................ 0

J.Girling did not batA.Rowlands, b Girling............................ 0

Extras................................................... 6Extras................................................... 0

Total (for 9 dec.).............................. 131Total.................................................. 88

Girling 10 - 34

The batting was particularly strong. In 1949, for instance, five different players – Ray Greenway, Norman Else, Frank Hayes, Lincoln Packer and Tom Goatman – scored centuries for the Club, as did Ron Hughes – "in a characteristically vigorous innings" – in 1950, and Doug Brown and Roy Chapman in 1951.^[17] Brown, who captained the Saturday XI from 1951 to 1957 and again in 1961, was a notable wicket-keeper as well as a successful batsman, while Denis Reding, who succeeded him as Captain from 1958 to 1960, was another consistent run-getter. Ray Greenway was at his best in 1955, when he scored a century in 54 minutes against Gore Court – "chiefly with terrific drives and pulls, he hit nine sixes and 15 fours and scored 19 in one over". (Gore Court 193 - 6 dec.; Beverley 196 - 2 (Greenway 143).)^[18] Richard Mayes, who had played for Kent from 1947 to 1953, also turned out for the Beverley in the mid-fifties, before leaving for Suffolk. For most of this period – from 1949 to 1952 and again from 1954 to 1960 – the Thursday Captain was Bill Stace. "A fine upright batsman with a sound defence", he was a very reliable opener, who headed the averages in 1947 and 1954.^[19] "Despite the fact that on one occasion he went on the field with twelve men, he had made a good skipper", acknowledged his predecessor, Stan Cripps, in 1949, and that he remained in office for so long is a testament to the respect in which he was held by his fellow players.^[20]

There is general agreement, however, that the outstanding Beverley cricketer of the post-war period was the swing bowler Cecil Swain. He had played his first full season in 1938, when Laurie Kemp referred to him as the Club's greatest discovery since Arthur Fagg, and in that year he took 73 wickets at 8.3 apiece, including a hat-trick.^[21] In fifteen post-war seasons he was more often than not the Club's leading wicket-taker, and more often than not he headed the averages. His wickets usually cost him less than 10 runs each, and he was as successful in 1960 (43 wickets at 7.58) as he had been in 1948 (88 wickets at 7.92).^[22] Alec Mackenzie described him as "probably the finest club bowler in England", and Ralph Kemp was not alone in the opinion that "had he been blessed with good health, he would have been near the 100 wickets a season in county cricket".^[23] When forced to retire through illness in 1961, he had taken over 1,000 wickets for the Beverley, with a best analysis of 9 for 20 against Whitstable in 1957, when he also caught the tenth man. While the tributes paid to him at the annual dinner in 1962 naturally concentrated on his bowling, Stan Cripps added that he was "also a useful bat, a first class fielder and a good and very loyal sportsman".^[24]

BEVERLEY v SCAYNES HILL, 1950

BEVERLEYSCAYNES HILL

W.Stace, not out................................. 34K.Bastin, c and b Swain....................... 20

L.Packer, c Warder, b Burgess............... 1V.Hunsley, run out.............................. 62

F.Hayes, c Warder, b Burgess................. 3A.Pattenden, lbw Baldock................... 11

C.Swain, c Pattenden, b Tyrrell........... 98M.Spinks, c Swain, b Baldock.............. 11

T.Fox, c Doggert, b Tyrrell................. 33H.Warder, b C.Stace............................ 10

R.Chapman, c Spinks, b Tyrrell............. 1K.Doggert, b Swain.............................. 10

D.Cogger, b Tyrrell............................... 0J.Tyrrell, c Fox, b C.Stace..................... 0

F.Peel, c Pattenden, b Tyrrell............... 0L.Burgess, b Swain................................. 0

G.Cook, b Elliott................................... 1W.Elliott, c W.Stace, b Swain................ 1

E.Baldock, C.Stace did not batP.Pulling, not out.................................. 0

Extras................................................. 18L.Matthews, c W.Stace, b Swain............ 0

Total (for 8 dec.).............................. 209Extras................................................. 10

Total................................................ 135

Swain 5 - 10

In the 1950s the Beverley was a notably successful club, and regarded as one of the strongest in the district. This was reflected in the reporting in the Kentish Gazette, where for a while games were described under a separate headline – 'Beverley Matches'.^[25] When the newspaper instituted a cricket competition in 1953, with awards for the best individual batting and bowling, performances for St. Lawrence, Beverley, Highland Court and Pilgrims were specifically excluded.^[26] In the same year, indeed, the Beverley's defeat by Brett's was described as "one of the biggest cricketing stirs in Canterbury for many a day". ("Chiefly responsible for the collapse, I understand", continued the reporter, "were the express deliveries of the former City centre-half, Ron Gawler, who took four for 19.") (Brett's 237 - 8 dec.; Beverley 74.)^[27] The sense of pride in the Beverley's achievements was demonstrated, also in 1953, when the Club cap was re-designed and a Club tie was introduced for the first time.^[28] It was further emphasized in 1959, when Bill Stace suggested that a history of the Club should be written to mark its first 125 years. The author was Harold ('Plum') Warner, who had known Stace since their schooldays at Simon Langton in the 1920s, and who was a well-known and enthusiastic follower of all cricket in Canterbury and further afield. The History of Beverley Cricket Club 1835 - 1959 duly appeared that summer, with a foreword by Leslie Ames. It was well received, and favourably reviewed in Wisden and elsewhere.

At the same time, the Beverley had to adapt itself as the nature of club cricket gradually changed. For a while, the pre-war traditions of friendly cricket had survived more or less intact. This showed itself most obviously in the organization of the Saturday sides. Two teams of roughly equal standard were selected – although, curiously, there was only one Saturday Captain, with two, three, or even four Vice Captains to assist him. The pressure for a more competitive approach to the game was increasing, however, and in 1954 it was decided that "the arrangement of a First and Second Eleven shall be put into operation within the club for the 1954 season", but with the proviso that the teams "shall not be officially so named until the 1955 season".^[29] Yet despite the fact that this change was accepted by a large majority (21-3), the experiment was not repeated, and the traditional practice reasserted itself. In the long run, though, the pressure proved irresistible, and a special A.G.M. in September 1960 decided (by 13-1) – and this time finally – that there should be a First and Second XI on Saturday.^[30]

This development reflected wider changes in the game. In 1953, a meeting of the recently formed Association of Kent Cricket Clubs – itself a sign of changing times – discussed whether the award of trophies for individual performances was "detrimental to team spirit".^[31] Doug Wright – about to become Kent's first professional Captain – did not agree, and his view was becoming more common. When therefore Stan Cripps asserted in 1961 that "a good sportsman played hard to win, but enjoyed the game just as much whether he won, drew, or lost", he was expressing an increasingly old-fashioned view.^[32] While the rhetoric of the game survived, the reality was different. This was apparent at the 1962 A.G.M., when the fact that so many games were drawn was described as "disturbing in view of the efforts of the captains to play brighter cricket and obtain a result".^[33] In other words, merely playing the game for its own sake was no longer as entirely satisfying as it had once been.

This changing attitude may well have been a result of the growing influence of Test and County cricket on the local game. This is certainly apparent in the evolution of the Beverley annual dinners. For some years after the war, these continued to be successful Canterbury occasions, with the emphasis on the Club's own achievements, and they were reported as such in the local newspapers. In 1948, the Kentish Gazette referred to "the good fellowship and leg-pulling of the cricket field... and, as the evening wore on, members vied with each other in relating anecdotes of prowess – or generally lack of it!"^[34] The following year, the event even merited a front page story – 'Beverley Cricket Club Dinner – Celebration of a Successful Season'.^[35] As late as 1954, under a headline reminiscent of the inter-war years – 'They Enjoy Their Cricket – The Beverley Spirit' – the emphasis was still on the Club's own affairs.^[36] From this time on, however, interest was focused on the outside guests invited. Les Ames, Doug Wright and Bill Fairservice were regular visitors, joined from time to time by other notable Kent cricketers such as Frank Woolley, Tich Freeman and Godfrey Evans. Leading cricket journalists, including Peter West, E.M.Wellings Gordon Ross and particularly E.W.Swanton, were also invited, and the speeches of these distinguished guests – and hence the reports in the local press – concentrated largely on the fortunes of the county side or on the vicissitudes of the national game. One-day cricket, for instance, was discussed in 1961 (when Derek Ufton expressed his opposition) and again in 1963.^[37]

Meanwhile, several more immediately obvious changes occurred at the Club. One major breach with the past was the demise of the Sussex Tour. This had been revived in 1947, with Bill Parker again the organizer. It immediately proved a great success – not least for Sam Rogers, who took a hat-trick against Scaynes Hill – and re-established itself as a regular feature of the season. With minor variations from year to year, the fixture list usually included Pevensey, Braybons, Scaynes Hill, Mayfield, Ditchling, Hellingly Hospital and Burwash, and the matches were all-day games. One of the most successful of all the Tours came in 1951, when six of the seven matches were won – Cecil Swain taking 22 wickets, and Roy Chapman scoring an undefeated century against Pevensey – and although non-members had to be included occasionally to make up the numbers, success continued, on and off the field, throughout the 1950s. The end of the Tours came suddenly and sadly. In 1960, an especially wet summer, four of the matches were rained off. This obviously dampened the enthusiasm of the players in 1961, and at a committee meeting in June "it was regretted that as there were only four members wanting to go it would be necessary to cancel the tour; the first time since it was started in 1931".^[38] This was a particular disappointment for Bill Parker, who had been on every Tour, in the year that marked his fifty years' association with the Club.

The main problem that now concerned the Club's officials was the lack of a ground. As late as 1960, the Beverley was still able to use the County Ground for twelve matches on Thursdays and fifteen on Saturdays. In that year, however, the position began to deteriorate. In the first place, the increase in rent from 30s. to £2 2s. 0d. per match caused some difficulty as the Club's finances were not especially strong, despite the profitable annual dances held with the Pilgrims at the Abbot's Barton Hotel. Even more awkwardly, the Kent authorities allowed the St, Lawrence Club to use the whole ground for several fixtures. An extraordinary A.G.M. was then held and a special meeting with St. Lawrence and the County Club took place before a compromise was reached.^[39] By 1965, the allocation of games had slipped to seven on Thursdays and eleven on Saturdays, and Kent College was approached about the use of its ground during the summer holidays to ease the problem of an excess of away fixtures.

It had become obvious, however, that the long-term solution lay either in amalgamation with another club or in the acquisition of the Club's own ground. In 1963, the possibility of combining with St. Lawrence was considered, on their initiative. The Beverley A.G.M. decided "that we are not interested in merging with St. Lawrence C.C."^[40] Four years later, St. Lawrence solved their own ground problem (which was, of course, the same as the Beverley's) by linking up with Highland Court, thus placing themselves in a far stronger position than the Beverley when the Kent League was formed shortly afterwards. The Beverley meanwhile continued to talk about acquiring a ground, but took little action. At the 1968 A.G.M., for instance, "a discussion took place regarding the necessity to find another ground for Club use. Charlton Park was mentioned as a possible."^[41] In 1972, Pat Shirley suggested using Broome Park, but Bill Parker warned that "there were many disadvantages to having one's own ground, the principal one being that of expense". The committee was deputed "to go fully into the matter", but the outcome was unsurprising: "owing to all the imponderables and difficulties involved it was decided to shelve this matter for the present".^[42] Ironically, it was St. Lawrence who moved in and took over this ground as well, thus further strengthening their position in the Canterbury district.

In the early 1960s, several of Beverley's leading players – most notably Cecil Swain and Bill Stace – stopped playing, but a new generation was already replacing them. Foremost among these was Alan Vaughan, the son of Vic Vaughan, a Beverley stalwart and for many years the Club scorer. "Technically one of the best batsmen of the period in East Kent", according to Ralph Kemp, he made his first century for the Beverley in 1958, and in the 1960s hardly a year went by without him scoring another. At least as a century-maker, he must be accounted one of the most successful batsman in the Club's history. He also captained the Thursday XI from 1961 to 1967 and again in 1973, and although he was unable to play on Saturdays he proved an equally prolific scorer for the Pilgrims on Sundays. His best season was probably 1964, when he made 834 runs at an average of 75.8, with innings of 123 not out against St. Lawrence and 124 not out against Ramsgate Corinthians, sharing a double century opening stand with Pat Shirley in the latter match.^[43]

It would be difficult to find a greater contrast than that between the two batsmen who dominated Thursday cricket in the 1960s. Whereas Alan Vaughan was a tall, stylish and correct right-hander, Pat Shirley was a short, awkward-looking and unorthodox left-hander. Like Vaughan, Shirley scored his first century for the Club in 1958. A tremendous enthusiast for the game, he played on both Thursdays and Saturdays (as well as being a leading figure in the Pilgrims on Sundays) and captained the Saturday XI from 1962 to 1966 and the Thursday XI in 1968 and 1969. A serious accident then brought his playing career to an end, but with characteristic determination he continued to contribute enormously to both Beverley and Pilgrims as umpire, team manager, fixture secretary and in numerous other ways. He was particularly keen to encourage younger players and involve them in the Club's activities, and was largely responsible for the development of the various Colts teams and thus for introducing notable juniors such as Lindsay Wood, Roger Hodgkiss and Mark Dobson to senior cricket.^[44]

The third outstanding batsman of this decade was Ralph Carter. A dashing left-hander, he made several centuries in a dozen seasons with the Club, and his record rivals that of Alan Vaughan. His 163 not out against Sandwich in 1969 – in a remarkable match that saw over 500 runs scored in an afternoon – was one of the highest scores ever made for the Beverley.^[45]

BEVERLEY v SANDWICH, 1969

BEVERLEYSANDWICH

P.Shirley, c Martin, b Bourner............. 45G.Foat, not out................................. 120

R.Carter, not out............................... 163A.Howell, b M.Terry........................... 17

B.Terry, b Bourner................................ 0A.Smith, c Brown, b M.Terry.............. 56

D.Toze, b Bourner.............................. 34R.Ratcliffe, c B.Terry, b Rogers.......... 44

W.Webb, J.Keir, G.Brown, S.Rogers,D.Wellard, not out................................ 1

S.Tombs, E.Turner, M.Terry did not batD.Scott, D.Jones, A.Hill,

Extras............................................... 13K.Bourner, C.Martin did not bat

Total (for 3 wkts., dec.).................... 252Extras............................................... 15

Total (for 3 wkts.)............................ 253

Several other players contributed to the Beverley's success on the field in the 1960s. In 1961, for example, Frank Longley was the dominant partner in an undefeated opening stand of 225 with Alan Vaughan against Ramsgate Corinthians. Jeff Stickells, who opened the batting with Carter on Saturdays, and captained the side from 1967 to 1969, was another who helped make the team "one of the strongest batting sides in the district".^[46] It has to be said that the bowling never reached the same standard with any consistency. Nonetheless, by the end of the 1960s, Ron Gawler, Brian Terry and Steve Rogers – representing three differrent generations – were all effective wicket-takers.

The most important development in these years was the growth of competitive cricket, inspired particularly by the Gillette Cup (1963) and the John Player League (1969). The formation of the Kent League in 1969 sparked off the establishment of various local league and cup competitions – a process reinforced by national tournaments such as the Cricketer Knock Out Cup and the John Haig Village Competition. For many, this represented the abandonment of the essential traditions of the game, but nonetheless the Beverley A.G.M. in 1972 – the year that saw the start of the Benson and Hedges Cup and the first one-day internationals – discussed whether "games should be played under a form of Gillette Cup rules to give them a bit more life and ensure a result..."^[47] No conclusion was reached on this occasion, but the pressure for league cricket was already building up. By 1974, exploratory meetings on the proposed formation of an East Kent League were taking place, with the Beverley Captain Brian Terry actively involved, and in 1975 it was agreed at the A.G.M. that the Beverley should join.^[48] The League, comprising, initially, ten clubs, thus came into operation in 1976. "It is to be hoped that interest will be stimulated and standards increased as a result", wrote the Beverley Secretary, Robert Long.^[49]

The impact of the league was certainly considerable. To some extent a hierarchy of cricket clubs was being created, with the Kent League at the top, although without any promotion between the Leagues.^[50] This had all kinds of implications for the nature of the game and for the membership of clubs. It is arguable whether League cricket has improved standards – though there is general agreement that fielding has benefited. It is more obvious that the requirements of the competitions – overs limits on innings, restrictions on the number of overs permitted to each bowler, and the various points systems – have changed the way in which the game is played on Saturdays. Friendly cricket is now largely confined to Sundays and to the remaining mid-week fixtures. Initially, few players left the Beverley to join a Kent League side, but it was probably true that some able cricketers did not join the Club in the first place. More disconcertingly, several youngsters who were introduced to club cricket via the Beverley left in order to advance their cricketing reputations elsewhere. Lindsay Wood, a slow left-arm bowler from Simon Langton, who later joined the Kent Staff, was perhaps the most notable example; Mark Dobson, another Langtonian slow left-armer and a promising batsman, was, for a while, another.

In other respects the nature of the Club's membership was changing. For a long time the connection with Canterbury's shopkeepers remained very strong. Butchers were well represented in Doug Brown, Frank Longley and Vic Vaughan, while Alan Vaughan worked in Hollamby's (Bill Parker's shop), Bill Stace for Biggleston's the ironmongers, and Cecil Swain for Fetherstone's in Palace Street. By the 1970s, however, it was the academic fraternity whose presence was particularly noticeable. The occasional schoolmaster – such as James Partridge in the 1890s, Cecil Ward in the 1930s and Denis Reding in the 1950s – had always played, but the numbers now grew, with Alan Frost, a leading all-rounder and the Club Captain in 1981 and 1982, John Furminger and David Walters particularly prominent. The impact of the new University of Kent at Canterbury was equally striking. Chris Taylor was the leading batsman of the early 1970s, scoring 530 runs at an average of 75.71 in his best season, 1975; while David James (Club Captain in 1977), Michael Murphy (Club Captain in 1980), Steve Uglow and Paddy Ireland were especially influential in the mid-week side. At the same time, the combined effect of the motor car and of the changing structure of club and village cricket, altered the Beverley's 'catchment area'. In the 1950s, the Club was still almost entirely a Canterbury side. From the 1960s, however, players such as Pat Shirley, Jeff Stickells and Ralph Carter came from further afield, and by the 1980s over a third of the Club's members lived outside the city.^[51]

One fixed point in this period of change was Brian Terry, the Captain of the Saturday 1st. XI from 1970 to 1979 (except for 1977). An Old Langtonian, who had played in a Kent Schoolboys XI under the captaincy of David Constant, he first played for the Beverley in 1963 and made an immediate impact by taking over 50 wickets in the season. An accurate medium-paced bowler and a very sound batsman, he was a dominant figure for many years. He also helped establish the East Kent League, and played for its representative side for several seasons. When he ceased to be Club Captain in 1980, he took on the new post of Club Chairman from 1980 to 1984, and as such he played a major part in setting up the Polo Farm Sports Club. After a spell in the 2nd XI, where he was one of the outstanding players in the Division, he returned to 1st. XI cricket, and was again Club Captain in 1990 and 1991. In 1993, he reminded everyone of his skill by scoring 106 not out, in a total of 159 for 7, for the 3rd. XI against Alkham.

Despite the involvement in the East Kent League, the Beverley's situation deteriorated during the 1970s. In an inflationary decade, the cost of cricket rose rapidly. Subscriptions were increased to £3 in 1974, to £5 in 1975 – "from a financial viewpoint, 1975 was a very bad year indeed" – and to £7.50 in 1977, while match fees rose from 4s. [= 20p.] in 1970 to 80p. by 1977.^[52] Even more serious was the changing position of the County Club. The growth of one-day competitions, combined with the policy of reducing the number of grounds used within the county (from nine in the 1960s to five in the 1980s) and concentrating a higher proportion of matches at Canterbury, left fewer dates free for club cricket at the St. Lawrence Ground. The ending of 'double fixtures' in 1974 further aggravated the problem. By 1976, therefore, the Beverley had just five Thursday and six Saturday matches at St. Lawrence. A makeshift solution was to use the Kent College ground (from 1966 to 1976) and, increasingly in the 1970s, the University. Indeed, by 1977 the University was used for more 'home' fixtures than the County Ground, which was still officially the designated the Club's headquarters. With St. Lawrence also more expensive – £155.25 was paid for the nine matches played there in 1979 – a more permanent arrangement was clearly needed if the Club was to survive.

By the mid-1970s, therefore, the Beverley was in difficulties. On the one hand, it had joined the East Kent League – a reflection of the standard of cricket played. At the same time, however, there was no obvious stability in membership and the performance on the field was erratic – though there were individual feats of note, above all Henry Holdstock's ten wickets against St. Margaret's in 1975.^[53]

BEVERLEY 'A' v ST. MARGARET'S, 1975

ST. MARGARET'SBEVERLEY 'A'

P.Willcox, b Holdstock......................... 2D.Toze, not out.................................. 27

M.Fielding, b Holdstock........................ 0P.Porter, not out.................................. 8

C.Thurley, c Collingwood, b Holdstock. 4J.Meek, P.Polden, W.May, M.Collingwood,

M.Pickering, c Porter, b Holdstock..... 18N. O'Hara Smith, C.Johnson, K.Collard,

C.Hulks, c O'Hara Smith, b Holdstock... 4N.Bloor and H.Holdstock did not bat

D.Mitchell, b Holdstock........................ 0Extras................................................. 4

B.Fancourt, b Holdstock........................ 0(0 wkt.) 39

M.Clayton, b Holdstock........................ 2

J.Reynolds, b Holdstock........................ 5

J.Langford, c Collingwood, b Holdstock. 0

I.Hulks, not out..................................... 0

Extras................................................. 2

38

Without its own ground, the Club lacked a social centre and a focus for loyalty. In a city with several other cricket clubs, this made the Beverley's future seem very uncertain. And the 1976 A.G.M. received a familiar report: "no further progress has been made with regard to grounds".^[54]

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In 1977, the Club's fortunes changed dramatically, if somewhat fortuitously. The Canterbury Hockey Club had been keen to find a new ground to replace the Kingsmead field it leased from the local Council. Dick Laslett and his brother Bill saw the potential of the Polo Farm site on the Canterbury-Sandwich road – once an orchard, but now "a derelict mass of tangled trees, tall grass and anthills" – and so they bought the land and re-sold it to the Hockey Club.[1] In order that this new ground should be fully used throughout the year, it was then decided to approach the Beverley with a view to a joint venture – a sports club incorporating the Canterbury Hockey Club and the Beverley Cricket Club. At the latter's A.G.M. in November, the Secretary, Henry Holdstock explained the proposal, and "it was unanimously agreed that we should proceed to indicate our interest".[2]

From then on, events moved rapidly. Surveys were made and the ground was cleared and levelled. This proved rather more awkward than expected when the remains of a barrack square were found: members of both clubs spent many weekends on their knees stone-picking in order to help prepare the ground for cultivation. The field also had to be drained and seeded; a cricket square was laid with the assistance of Brian Fitch, the Kent groundsman; and a fine club house was designed by Hockey Club member Richard McCarthy. To help pay for all this, financial assistance was obtained from the Sports Council, the Canterbury District Council, the Association of Kent Cricket Clubs and the Kent Playing Fields Association. In addition, an appeal was launched in 1980 to augment the various fund-raising activities already started.[3]

At the same time, a major reorganization of the Club took place, with Sam Rogers and Brian Terry largely responsible, in cooperation with Dick Laslett. In the first place, a series of meetings with the Canterbury Pilgrims C.C. led to a joint A.G.M. in December, 1979, when it was resolved that "the Beverley Cricket Club and the Canterbury Pilgrims Cricket Club should merge to form a joint club known as the Beverley Cricket Club, with the Sunday XIs known as 'the Pilgrims'".[4] Then, on May 31, 1979, the inaugural meeting of the Polo Farm Sports Club, incorporating the Beverley and the Hockey Club, was held in the Kingsmead pavilion. Sam Rogers, President of the Beverley and a Vice-President of the Hockey Club, was elected President of the new enterprise.[5] And finally, on October 24th., 1981, Polo Farm itself was officially opened by Harry Twyman, the President of the Hockey Club, and Sam Rogers, at a ceremony attended by over 250 members and guests.[6]

Cricket was first played on the new ground on May 1, 1982. The occasion was particularly memorable, as Doug Toze, the Beverley's oldest playing member, opened the innings for the Saturday 'A' XI against Hawkinge and went on to score an unbeaten century.[7] A few weeks later, the cricket section of the new Club was officially opened by Les Ames, and Sir Richard Hayward, President of the A.K.C.C., presented Doug Toze with a tankard to mark his historic innings. The Beverley then played an East Kent League Representative XI. Sadly the Club's performance on the field did not match up to the occasion, and a nine wicket defeat followed.[8] The inaugural ceremonies were completed at the start of the following season when a splendid new flag, based on the design of the Beverley Board, was raised for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Club had to adjust itself to its new circumstances. In particular, the practical business of running a large club house and looking after a ground had to be learned. There were numerous committee meetings to attend, a bar to be manned, a groundsman to work with – and all in cooperation with the Hockey Club. This took a great deal of getting used to, and was not accomplished without difficulty. In addition, of course, the whole enterprise was very expensive. Subscriptions rose rapidly – from £7.50 in 1977 to £15 in 1979 and to £33 in 1984 – and match fees increased almost as much – from 80p. to £1.50 to £2.80.[9] Even allowing for inflation, this represented a sharp increase in the cost of playing cricket with the Beverley, and the implications of this for the nature of the Club's membership were potentially awkward.[10] At the same time, fund-raising took up a great deal of time – with sponsored walks, lotteries, fetes and other activities. Perhaps the most important of these were the cricketing events organized at the St. Lawrence Ground for Kent beneficiaries – Alan Ealham (1982), Asif Iqbal (1983) and Graham Johnson (1984).

In cricketing terms, too, there was a rapid expansion in the Club's activities. This was most noticeable in the number of teams raised and competitions entered. As has been mentioned, the East Kent League began in 1976 with the Saturday 1st. XI involved. In 1980, a Sunday 2nd. XI was started – again by the indefatigable Pat Shirley – with some ten matches, and in the following year it had a full fixture list. This side rapidly proved a great success, culminating in an unbeaten season under Michael Burt's captaincy in 1985. The new ground also made it possible for the Saturday 'A' XI to enter the Second Division of the East Kent League in 1982, and they soon established themselves as a successful side. In 1983, they were runners-up, with Maurice Collingwood topping the Division's batting averages, and in 1984, Brian Terry won the Division's 'Player of the Year' award. In 1983, the East Kent League introduced its own knockout competition for the Tom Dearman Trophy, but the Beverley has so far made little progress in this form of cricket. In 1984, a Saturday 3rd. XI was formed – for the third time in the Club's history – and since then, there has also been a Sunday 3rd. XI, and even, on occasion, a Saturday 'Extra 3rd' XI. At various times, too, teams from the Club have participated in the Whitbread South East League, the indoor six-a-side league, and the Canterbury and District Evening League.

The Beverley also felt 'the wind of change' as far as the role of women was concerned. For many years, wives, sisters and girlfriends had played an important part in the Club's activities, but almost entirely in a subordinate role – "as providers of tea and children", as Stefan Collini has put it.[11] In this respect, as in others, the Beverley Cricket Club had proved a very 'traditional' institution. Indeed, in 1962, the A.G.M. had considered the problem directly when "after some discussion it was decided that the club did not wish to invite ladies to become Vice-Presidents".[12] It was not until 1970, when a dinner-dance was held in the new Chiesman pavilion at the St. Lawrence Ground, that women were invited to the annual dinner. By the 1980s, however, things were changing – appropriately, perhaps, at a time when Sue Goatman, the daughter of a former Beverley player, was Captain of the England Ladies Cricket Team. Corinne Brandt had for some time been rather more than just a scorer when she joined the official hierarchy of the Club by being elected Secretary in 1982. In the same year, Janet Lees played several games for the Sunday 'A' XI, batting with style and composure. Sue Goldsmith also appeared for the Under 15 XI, and in 1985, Nadine Arrt turned out for the Under 13 XI in a match against Whitstable: appropriately perhaps, in the anniversary year, she bowled an over under-arm.

It was thus a Club in the throes of major change that celebrated its 150th. birthday in 1985. The main event of the year was the Anniversary Ball, held in the Westgate Hall on June 28th. With many past players in attendance, and Leslie Ames and Doug Wright among the guests, the evening proved a notable social success. The cricketing highlight of the year should have come in early August. On Sunday August 4th. a match was arranged between the Canterbury Pilgrims and a Past Pilgrims side gathered by Pat Shirley, while on the following day the Beverley were to play a Kent Club and Ground XI. In a wet summer, however, the Sunday proved to be the wettest day of all, and continuous rain prevented any possibility of cricket on either day. A number of former players nonetheless gathered at Dick Skelton's to reminisce and reflect on the sunnier summers of yesteryear, and enough interest was shown to organise a Past Pilgrims match for 1986, and it has now become an annual event.

On the field, several players were particularly prominent in these years. Steve Rogers, who had first played for the Beverley as a schoolboy in the early 1960s, returned to be the Club's most successful League bowler. He was also the Pilgrims Captain in 1985 and 1986, and Club Captain in 1986. Peter Burt, who began as a fiery young bowler, and developed into a very capable all-rounder, became an inspirational Captain of a young and successful side in 1983. His younger brother Michael has graduated from captaining the Pilgrims 2nd. XI to leading the 1st. XI with equal success. James Hutchinson was the outstanding bowler in the Club in the later 1980s, and captained the Pilgrims from 1987 to 1989. His teaching commitments prevented him from playing much part in League cricket. (Indeed, for several years, the Sunday 1st. XI was often stronger than the Saturday side.) David Garrett, who had captained the Pilgrims from 1974 to 1978, and has since captained the Saturday 2nd. XI and the Sunday 3rd. XI, has been a stalwart presence for many years, as well as being a key figure in the management of the Polo Farm clubhouse.

Far and away the most important and successful achievement of the Club at Polo Farm has been its development of Colts cricket. In 1976, a Colts XI had been organised, largely by Pat Shirley, and in 1982, Under 13 and Under 15 sides were formed, again with Pat Shirley as the major influence. These teams were soon winning local competitions, starting with the Under 15 XIs, captained by Martin Keay, winning the Barry Roberts Knockout Trophy in 1984.[13] The Colts very soon graduated to county and national competitions, and in 1991, the Under 13s were county and South and South-East regional champions. Most remarkable of all has been the recent record of the Under 15s. Since 1988, they have been county finalists in five years out of six, and champions in 1988, 1989 and 1992. In the first two of these years, they lost in the regional finals, but in 1992, they went on to become regional champions and finished third in the national championships. Under the chairmanship of Ken Amos, and with the assistance of other officials such as Tony Martin, Malcolm Edens, and various parents, the Colts section is now in a flourishing state.

Equally significantly, many of these youngsters, encouraged by their experience in the Colts, have gone on to play a part in the success of the Club at senior level and beyond. Roger Hodgkiss, a left-handed opening batsman, scored a century in the final of the Kent inter-district Under 19 championship in 1984, and has since played for Bedfordshire. Mark Dobson, an opening batsman and a slow left-arm spinner, captained Kent junior teams, and then played for the county in 1990 and 1991. He was briefly on the Glamorgan staff in 1992, and continued to play matches for the Beverley during and after his professional career. In 1991, he scored 891 runs for the Pilgrims at an average of 74.3 – one of the outstanding performances in the history of the Club.[14] Martin Keay, David Newton, Richard McCall, Chris Ross and Nick Edens are among the others who have graduated through the Colts, while James Cattell, Stuart Parker (who averaged over 50 for the 2nd. XI in the League in 1993) and David Matthews (who scored two successive centuries for the Sunday 2nd. XI in 1993) are making the transition at the time of writing.

CANTERBURY PILGRIMS v THE PRESIDENT'S XI, 1993

PRESIDENT'S XICANTERBURY PILGRIMS

J.Warnett, lbw Burt............................. 25C.Ross, c Warnett, b Farbrace............. 26

P.Eames, c Ross, b Cocksworth........... 34R.McCall, c M.Ealham, b N.Taylor....... 4

P.Farbrace, c Ross, b Cocksworth.......... 7S.Parrish, c Eames, b N.Taylor.............. 2

A.Ealham, c Ross, b Cocksworth......... 20M.Dobson, c and b Penn..................... 52

C.Taylor, c McCall, b Cocksworth........ 8R.Griffiths, c M.Ealham, b N.Taylor... 14

N.Taylor, c Henderson, b Stevens....... 35D.Clark, c S.Stennett, b Penn................ 4

C.Penn, c Henderson, b Stevens.......... 20T.Gammons, b A.Ealham.................... 27

M.Ealham, not out.............................. 31M.Burt, b Bridger.................................. 0

S.Stennett, c Henderson, b Stevens........ 0G.Cocksworth, not out........................ 14

P.Stennett, M.Bridger did not batP.Henderson, C.Stevens did not bat

Extras............................................... 13Extras............................................... 23

Total (for 8 dec)............................... 193Total (for 8)..................................... 166

It is not easy for a historian to assess the contribution of current players. Time will tell whether there is another William de Chair Baker, Alfred Divers, Bill Parker or Sam Rogers in today's teams. Nonetheless, mention must be made of Grahame Bennett, who was the Club Captain from 1987 to 1989, and again in 1992. For a number of seasons he has been the Club's leading batsman, as well as a highly effective slow bowler. He has been a dominant player, as well as an inspiration to the Colts, and has set the style for others to follow.

Peter Burt had led the Saturday 1st. XI to the position of runners-up in the East Kent League in 1984, but it was not until 1993 that the side were again challenging for the title. In the latter year, a young side – under probably the youngest captain, in Russell Griffiths, since John Baker himself – were at one point joint leaders, and were disappointed to finish in fifth place. The 2nd. XI, again with many youngsters in the side, also finished fifth – one of the Club's best all-round performances so far in league cricket. With a youthful President in Kent batsman Neil Taylor, and with one of the strongest Colts sections in the country, the Club's prospects at present are particularly bright.

It was decided to introduce a new integrated structure to Kent club cricket. Whereas the old Kent League and the East Kent League (as well as the Mid-Kent andLeagues) were separate structures, there would now be promotion and demotion between the various leagues joining the new system. The Club'sposition in the East Kent League earned them a place in .In 1997, the Club camein the league, and thus gained promotion to the new . In 1998, they had an unbeaten season, and won the League, thus gaining a place in the Kent League.1999 name change20002^nd XI under Ben Cooper won their division and gained promotion to

. It is perhaps appropriate, therefore, to end this history of over 150 years of Beverley cricketing achievement with the Club once again among the county's elite, and with the promise of future success very much alive.

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KL Division 1 Batting Award 2007

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Beverley C. C. 1st XI  1998
L>R Back: Ken Amos (Umpire), Russell Griffiths, Bob Bowman, Grahame Bennett,
Mark Slaughter, Mark Dobson. Front Row: James Mills, Dave Terry, Kevin Anson (Capt),
Paul Steer, Charles Stevens, Rob Marsh.

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Canterbury C. C. 2nd XI 2000
L>R Back: Dan Bennett, Tom Bilyard, Mark Jannaway, Tony Mitchell, Andy Clark
Bert Southern (Umpire). Front: Oliver Parry, Dave Terry, Ben Cooper (Capt), John Murphy, Oliver Bamford, Alan Powell.

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No you don't need to have your eyes tested again, the left of these pictures is blurred (who's camera was that?).

Well here is the team:

In their kit and......

... in the bar

Kentish Gazette European Indoor Cricket Shield Winners 2007
L>R: Neil Bristow, Ben Cooper, Justin MacVicar, Paul Steer, Damian Minter, Simon Smith (Capt)

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The Canterbury C.C. 6-a-side tournament takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th May 2009. To enter your team please contact Simon Smith at smudger7uk@yahoo.co.uk or Grahame Bennett at grazie@tesco.net

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Canterbury C.C. are pleased to announce that an agreement has been made with Canterbury Christ Church University to support a cricket scholarship from September 2008.

The scholarship will mean that both Canterbury C.C. and the University have agreed to work together to attract talented cricket players with county level experience and proven potential to study at the University to further their academic and sporting development in collaboration with our Club.

The successful candidate's key role will be to play for the senior team at the Club and for the University. It is anticipated that they will also be able play a role within the coaching set-up of the Club.

For anyone wishing to find out more details concerning the sports scholarships at Canterbury Christ Church University then please go to the University's website at www.canterbury.ac.uk/sportscholarships/

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The Club are pleased to announce that we are one of the first to be named as a 'Focus Club' by the Kent Cricket Board. In order to achieve this status much hard work has been undertaken by members and led by our Club Chairman, Grahame Bennett. Sincere thanks should be given to them all - to find out more please follow the link. See more

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Canterbury Cricket Club is celebrating after receiving a grant of over £45,000 from theCommunity Cricket Development Program which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The grant will help the club finance the construction of a new cricket ground at the Polo Farm Sports Club complex. Work on the project will begin in the next few weeks and it is envisaged that the new ground will be ready for use in 2010.

Club Chairman Mr Grahame Bennett said “We are thrilled to get this funding which is a tangible benefit of being a Clubmark accredited focus club who have been working closely with the Kent County Cricket Board.

Funding of this nature will enable us to continue with the development of our playing facilities and our junior section, which is the lifeblood of any sports club. As one of a handful of clubs in Kent delivering the Chance to Shine programme, we are working very hard to encourage more youngsters to come into the sport. Now we’ve got the money to develop our facilities its time for the real work to start!”

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Work has commenced on the development of the new ground at Polo Farm and although in it's first stages it continues to progress well. The first photo of the ground is shown below and further information and pictures will appear here as and when they become available.

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Lydia Greenway, of Kent and England, joined the PE lesson and 'After School Club' of Diocesan and Payne Smith Primary School Canterbury on 6th May and as you can see, the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Lydia's visit to the school helped Canterbury Cricket Club deliver its Chance to Shine programme.

Kim Baguley of DPS expressed the gratitude of the school for the “Chance to shine” programme. Their pupils are benefitting greatly from the outstanding coaching that’s being supplied by the programme.

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The work on the new development has been completed and some photos are shown below.

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As of today, 5th September the new cricket development is looking really good. Having viewed this myself, I was very impressed with the work that had been undertaken and sure that you would be too.

Take time to have a wander down below the Tennis Centre and have a look when next at Polo Farm.

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Canterbury's Pharon Indoor League campaign was put 'fairly and squarely' back on track with a 105 run defeat of St. Lawrence 2nd's. After a pre-Christmas hiccup against Street End 1st it appears that barring freak results they are likely to remain at the top.

With three games remaining against all teams that are currently in the relegation zone, Canterbury 1sts are now two points clear and poised to make it a hat-trick of championships.

St. Lawrence 2nds were no match for a Canterbury side who were back to full strength with the return of Ryan Minter and Ben Cooper. Canterbury went through the formality of compiling 153 for the loss of just 1 wicket and St. Lawrence were unable to find any sort of rely or the boundary and replied with just 48 for 5.

This Sunday, 11th January sees the 1st's take on Herne Bay 1st's commencing at 4.30pm.

The Indoor League tables can be found on the Kent Cricket Academy website - see more

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Canterbury 1st's defeated Herne Bay 1st's by a convincing 91 runs on Sunday to almost ensure a hat-trick of Pharon Indoor League Championships. In batting first Canterbury reached 118 in their allotted 12 overs but Herne Bay could do nothing against the Canterbury bowling attack who dismissed their opponents for just 27 in 6.1 overs.

Barring miracles, Canterbury will be officially crowned as Champions on Sunday when they meet Littlebourne 1st who seem to be destined to an immediate return to Division 2.

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Congratulations should go to all those involved in the Canterbury 1st's squad as they wrap up a hat-trick of Indoor League titles.

A level of consistency no one else can match has earned Canterbury 1st's the Pharon Indoor Cricket League title for a third successive year.

Choosing regularly from the same experienced squad, Canterbury have demonstrated all facets of the game with considerable skill and on the few occasions they have been stretched, have made the right key decisions.

Beaten just once, Canterbury's 12th win on Sunday not only typified their planning and organisation but sent their opponents Littlebourne 1st's to the foot of the table and back to the second division.

In their penultimate league fixture, Canterbury even found a place for the evergreen veteran Trevor Minter, who justified the selectors' confidence by scoring 22 not out and taking 2 for 22 in 2.3 overs.

Canterbury batted first and reached a formidable 140 for 2 with Paul Steer 46 not out, Simon Smith 25 not out, Damien Minter 25 not out and Trevor Minter 22 not out. In reply Littlebourne could only reach 65, giving Canterbury an impressive win by 75 runs.

Canterbury officially complete their league programme on Sunday when they play Wingham in the final fixture commencing at 8.15pm.

Canterbury now enter the county finals at the Kent Cricket Academy on 8th February.

For full league tables please go to the Kent Cricket Academy website at http://www.kentcricketacademy.co.uk/

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