Off the Beaten Track

During the 20+years I have been following this sport, I have, of course, followed all the major tournaments in the UK. This includes the County Championships, Club cricket, Age Group cricket, and the more exotic series of matches known as the Super 4s, the KSL and the like.

However, from time to time occasional matches occur outside the usual run of tournaments. Here's a couple that I've witnessed and enjoyed in the past, and one that's a tad before I started watching this sport..

The accepted date for the first women's cricket match is 8th June 1745. While this is almost certainly not the first, it is the first for which some sort of accurate report is available.

 

 

Here's the cover of a programme for a match in 1986, 241 years later celebrating that match and played at the same ground.

 

There had been an earlier celebration match 1947 but that referred to a 1747 match played at the Artillery Ground in London. The commemoration match was held at Singleton Cricket Club, near Chichester in Sussex in 1997. The original 1747 match has a match report stating the game was between "Maids of Singleton & Charlton and those of West Dean & Chilgrove", all local villages to Singleton so that was a particularly appropriate venue.  I know little about that match except that one of the players that day was the guest of honour 50 years later when the 250th anniversary was celebrated. It was on her birthday in 1997.

 

The bat and ball cake and the anniversary cake were said to be provided by the local pub which sits almost on the ground, one of which was prepared at very much the last moment.  Were they the effort of Ellis Catering I wonder who were one of the sponsors of the event?

 

 

Though I recall a pleasant day in the sun enjoying a picnic with friends I didn't take a note of the scores but one spectator obviously did, even if he or she managed to get confused over which team was which (image below left).

 

 

On the right is the cover of a 12 page programme. The picture below, taken from that programme, presumably shows the 1947 winners.

 

 

A report on the 1947 match, which took place at Priory Park in Chichester shows that no less a person than Sussex and England opening bowler Maurice Tate umpired.

 

 

At the 1997 Singleton match 50 years later, England international Barbara Daniels presented medals to the teams.

 

 

2003 was the occasion of a match at the Nursery Ground at Lord's. This was for a charity in which one of the members of the 1993 World Cup winning side was intimately involved.  My company decided to donate some flyers to advertise the event and if I recall no one seemed to know what to call the two teams. They were the England side of 1993 and the then current England squad.  As time was getting perilously close I took the responsibility on myself. As you'll see below I wasn't terribly imaginative but it basically did what it said on the tin.