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c. 1920 Kennel Bottom — home of the Findon Cricket Club. Church Hill in the background. This was always known to cricketers as "the Hill End"..... I wonder why! |
This is Findon Village — this website was created by Valerie Martin and contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
The Grand Gala Match of 1892
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c. 1920 Kennel Bottom — home of the Findon Cricket Club. Church Hill in the background. This was always known to cricketers as "the Hill End"..... I wonder why! |
Copyright Valerie Martin 1999.
I think the future for cricket was bright in Findon in the year 1892 when a never to be forgotten Grand Gala Match was held at Kennel Bottom underneath Church Hill. It took some organising in those days when working hours were long. It was an all-day affair of twenty-two a-side. It is said that men of every profession in the village took part in the recreation and it was a great village get-together.
There were gamekeepers and gardeners; also grooms and a wheelwright. Bricklayers and painters represented the building fraternity.
Thirty-six year old Walter Langham who lived in Findon's main street was a turf correspondent (born in Newmarket) and he was one of the number who played. Maybe his wife, Fanny and young son, Walter, watched him at Kennel Bottom.
Twenty-seven year old Arthur, Findon's police constable also played, and was most likely cheered on by his wife Jane and the children, William, Elizabeth, three year old Arthur and young Albert.
George Mayhew the publican from the Gun Inn made an appearance too. Shepherds came down from the hillsides and deserted their flocks to partake in the big match. A farm bailiff, a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and a harness maker, all took part in the revelry. Never had there been such a gathering.
The Captain on the day was Dennis Thirwell. His full time job was training racehorses at the Nepcote Lodge Stables in Steep Lane.
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The halcyon days of Findon cricket. Findon Cricket Club just before the turn of the century. (This photograph was featured in the Worthing Herald in 1976 and stated..... "A visit to the spot today shows the growth of trees in the bowl and the 60 years weathering of the new wall in the distance". |
Was anyone left in the village on the day of the Gala Match? It was revealed afterwards, (perhaps at the Gun Inn), that one particular cricket player was rumoured to be also of another persuasion — that of a poacher in the locality.
Continue if you would like to read about Early Twentieth Century Cricket in Findon.
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — was launched by Valerie Martin in January 1999 and today still grows to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com |
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