 The Long Furlong road pre 1930 (now the A280). That is Chanctonbury Ring on the horizon. |
This is Findon Village — this website was created by Valerie Martin and contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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The Long Furlong road pre 1930 (now the A280). That is Chanctonbury Ring on the horizon. |
Early Twentieth Century Cricket in Findon
Text Copyright Valerie Martin 1999
The first reference to Findon cricket in the twentieth century I can find is that of a match mentioned by the Worthing Gazette dated 16th May 1900. The newspaper reported rather unflatteringly of Findon's game a hundred years ago —
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The opening cricket match of the season took place on the green. Findon were badly represented and suffered defeat. During the match, H. Mitchell was hit in the mouth by the ball. |
Perhaps some of the cricketers on that fateful day are depicted in one or more of the photographs I show below. One of the players may even be the unfortunate H. Mitchell who suffered so for the game.
A little later in the same year, on Wednesday 11th July 1900 the village cricketers were active again and playing Broadwater and beating them. I can record for posterity that Greenyer scored 21 for Findon and Gould scored 14.
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The Findon Cricket team at the Kennel Bottom pitch off the Long Furlong road, c. 1905. |
Colonel William George Margesson, the Lord of Findon Manor, is on the far left in the bowler hat. He died in 1911.
George Winton from Winton & Son in the Square, born 1881, is in the third row from the front, and fourth from the right (wearing a tie and waistcoat).
The Reverend William Dennis Allen (Vicar of Findon since 1881) is in the centre of the picture in a dark jacket. He lived at Avery House, 56 High Street, at the time and was made Vice Captain when the Findon Cricket Club was re-formed in 1903.
Hugh Richard Penfold Wyatt from the Cissbury Estate is in the second row from the front, second from the left. (In 1913 he became Cricket Captain).
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Averys where the Reverend Allen lived. |
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The serious looking Findon Cricket Team of 1907 |
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1908 |
The above faded old photograph depicts some of the keen Findon cricketers in their "whites" posing with an old horse charabanc at the bottom of School Hill. The two horses are just about to make their departure from the Gun Inn in the Square. The cricket match destination is Roffey and they took with them musical accompaniment. These were the days when the womenfolk of Findon were left at home.
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Findon's cricket team of 1909. |
In the back row (left to right) are Garton, Brown and Ockenden.
In the middle row (left to right) are (?) Young, (?) Jimison (?) Richardson and Garton sen.
In the front row (left to right) are Bentley, Cleverton, Bentley jun. (?) and Garton jun.
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The enthusiastic Findon cricket fraternity — with one canine member. |
Those standing are, left to right, —
A. Richardson; F. Burrage; G. Carton; T. Holmes; Reverend William Dennis Allen; G. Cartman; A. Blundon; E. Tillson and J. Hamilton.
Those sitting are, left to right, William Ockenden with the dog (of Ockenden's timber business at Nepcote); A. Hards and Cecil Young wearing dark trilby. His father, Thomas, was racehorse trainer at The Vale — Cecil was a steeplechase jockey and later the trainer at the Vale Stables. Later in 1926 he also enjoyed being Captain of the cricket team. Wearing the cap is E. Hall.
Unfortunately, cricket came to a standstill in the village during the hostilities of the First World War but was revised again in 1918.
Continue if you would like to read Bowling Along in the 1920s.
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — was launched by Valerie Martin in January 1999 and will grow 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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