South Loughton Cricket Club: 1938-2013

SOUTH LOUGHTON CRICKET CLUB 75 YEARS AT RODING ROAD 1938 TO 2013

BY ANDREW SHIELDS

SOUTH LOUGHTON CRICKET CLUB 75 YEARS AT RODING ROAD 1938 TO 2013

The oldest surviving fixture card, from 1947

South Loughton CC mission statement ‘To provide high-quality coaching and matchplay for members of South Loughton Cricket Club, to build strong links with schools, disability groups, other sports clubs and the local community, and to create an environment in which everyone is encouraged to develop their skills and interests.’

Vivid spring, May 2006

Autumn shadows, September 2012

Introduction

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wenty-five years ago, the South Loughton ‘1988 Committee’ considered producing a history and souvenir brochure to mark the club’s 50th anniversary. Members gathered a selection of similar publications to gain an idea of the amount of work involved. It was less the labour of researching and writing that was the most daunting aspect of the task, but the actual content of the other books on the table: they all seemed to have two centuries of village lore to recount, or their pages were crammed with first-class cricketers who had begun their careers at that club.

How could a history of South Loughton CC possibly compete?

Was there even a story to tell? After all, the club had achieved comparatively little in terms of trophies, while its most famous member, Barry Hearn, had made his name in a sport where a red ball was the only thing in common with cricket.

The 1988 Committee’s fears were allayed when the story of South Loughton began to unfold. The resulting brochure was mentioned in Wisden, requested by the MCC Library and favourably reviewed in several magazines and newspapers. It became clear that every club has a story to tell, even if the scale is local rather than national.

In the 25 years since, the club has enjoyed periods of considerable success, and also seasons when fielding teams was a matter of choosing from a wish list rather than a player list. Most important of all, however, is the fact that the club is still in existence. It is a sobering observation that of the Saturday 1st XI’s 13 league opponents during that 50th anniversary season, only four have survived in their own right while two others have merged. Seven of those 13 clubs have been completely lost to their communities since 1988.

South Loughton has survived because it has always had good people at its heart – people who cared, people who worked hard, people who refused to give up, people who simply didn’t want to play anywhere else.

The challenge for the club is to continue attracting good people, and to be true to its mission statement.

Do so, and the club can bat on confidently towards that first century.

Andrew Shields, April 2013

Acknowledgements In 1980, Peter and Sue Jones, and Cliff and Jo Greenhill, compiled the career records of all members of the club since 1947. Such statistical detail was a feature of the 1988 souvenir brochure and has been continued in this one. Peter also made many valuable comments on the 2013 text and Sue provided expert proof-reading.

Another connection between the two editions is Michael Dunning, whose company, Radford Press, printed both.

Thanks to the other members of the club’s ‘75th anniversary committee’: Andy Battle, James Blackburn, Robert Glendinning, Peter Gullis and John Chipperfield. Let us all hope for a sunny and memorable summer.

1. Getting started: 1938-1945

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o doubt every player in every cricket club in the land has, at some time, wondered: ‘Just how did this club ever get started?’ Often it is the hardest question of all to answer. Records may give a detailed breakdown of performances and results even in the very early seasons of a club’s existence, but putting a finger on the exact reasons why and how a club began is far more difficult. ln the case of South Loughton, or Stannox, as the club was known until 1954, there have been various suggestions and stories offered in answer to this question. The definitive answer, as far as that was possible, came from the club chairman from 1959 to 1989, Norman Crowhurst – for it was Norman, together with his friend Ron Jenkins, who was responsible for starting off a cricket club that has now, through good times and extremely bad times, survived and ultimately prospered for 75 seasons.

Norman and Ron both played cricket at Loughton School and would pitch stumps on a flat piece of ground and set up games among themselves in the evenings and at weekends. The spot they chose to use was next to the footpath that ran from Avondale Drive, in Loughton, to Buckhurst Hill. The year was 1937, the boys were aged around 17, and they soon found that there were plenty of others interested in having a bat or bowl for fun. Ron Elliott went along; so did John Forbes and Frank Clark. Soon there was a regular group playing informal matches, with whatever bats and balls were available; with coats for stumps if need be.

Fathers, too, heard about these games. Mr Clark, Mr Final and Mr Emmerton were particularly interested, and started turning up to watch and help the boys. As the interest showed no signs

of waning, gradually an idea sprang up: why not start a proper cricket team?

The role played by these parents cannot be underestimated. lt was Mr Clark who allowed the players to hold their first ever meeting in his house; and, when the team came to start playing matches and then to have their own ground, cut the wicket and made all the arrangements.

When the boys were not playing games of their own, they would gather at Bearman’s ground, at the rear of what is now Roding Valley High School on Roding Road, to watch matches there. One of the regular visiting teams was called Lennox, from Leyton. So when it came to choosing a name for the team that had gathered around Norman, Ron and Mr Clark, they simply juggled with the name of the side they most often watched – and came up with Stannox. Nothing at all to do with having a friend named Stan, who owned an ox... The name sounded good enough for them anyway.

Considering the youthfulness of the players, their organisational skills were excellent. They appointed a committee, and decided that in 1938 they would arrange to play proper matches – away from home, of course, because the strip of field next to the footpath clearly was not suitable for ‘serious’ cricket. Their first opponents were Loughton Post Office, though no details of that season exist.

Norman Crowhurst’s father, Leonard – later to become the club’s first honorary member – bought some kit for the side, and during the winter of 1938 they decided that they would keep going as a team, and perhaps try to gain a ground on which they could play and practise. They submitted an application to Chigwell Council, and received permission to use a field called Upper Cow Leys which is still home to the club today – then open countryside with not a house in sight. Not

only did Stannox gain a ground, they also gained a pavilion – from a local tennis club that had folded – and which was brought down to Roding Road in sections on the back of a lorry. Comprising two rooms with a space in the middle, and made of wood, it was erected at the river end of the ground by the gap in the hedge.

Club founder John Forbes at the crease The 1939 season began with an away game at Fairlop Playing Fields. All John Forbes, another founder member, could recall is that Stannox were about 25-0 when it snowed…

Only two scorecards exist from this year, both of games played at home. On 1 July, Stannox beat Theydon Bois, having bowled out the visitors for 83. A week later, Leyton G E were 14-2 when rain stopped play after Stannox had scored 118-9 declared. ‘The only feature of the game,’ said the Loughton Advertiser, ‘was a fine innings of 54 not out by Forbes.’ This is the first recorded 50 by a Stannox player.

Though war was looming, the club managed to complete the season. However, there was to be no more cricket played at Roding Road until 1947. Members were gradually called up into the Forces, and smaller clubs like Stannox closed down completely. Games could be had for St Mary’s Youth Club for those still in Loughton during 1940, but as the war went on it was only the larger clubs that kept going throughout hostilities.

Loughton and Buckhurst Hill were among them, and Norman Crowhurst played a season with each after returning from the Services in 1942.

As for the ground at Roding Road, it was barely given a second thought. And so bits of the pavilion started to disappear for firewood. By the time the war was over, there was not a single splinter left.

Stannox CC circa 1939 (Back row) Jack Clark, Mr Emmerton, Norman Crowhurst, ?, Frank Downes, Ron Jenkins, ? (Middle row) Ron Elliott, Dick Ralph, Ken Reeves, Mr Clark (Front row) Bob Flint, Alf Dodkins

2. Post-war recovery: 1946-1950

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s peace and normality slowly returned to British life, so sport once more became a topic of conversation. At local level, clubs began to pick up the pieces, discover the whereabouts of their former members, and start to think about re-establishing contacts with opponents of earlier years.

Stannox were no different, as Norman Crowhurst, John Forbes, Dick Ralph, Roy Skelding and Frank Clark started seeing each other about town. And so in October 1946, at the Tea Room in the Gardener’s Arms, 11 pre-war members gathered for the first general meeting. Enthusiasm for cricket was high – 16 players had been contacted and all were keen to reform the club – but, as the Minute Book records, ‘lt was pointed out that there was no cash balance, very little kit, no laid-out pitch or pavilion’.

Nevertheless, optimism won the day. lt was proposed that the club would seek to rent the ground at Roding Road once more, at a cost of £2/2- per season, and that all members would pay a subscription of £1/1- for the 1947 season. Under the captaincy of Norman Crowhurst, fixtures for the team would be arranged ‘so that away games would be played at the start, giving more time for the ground to be prepared, the committee to do all in their power to have the ground ready as early in the season as possible’.

Three weeks later, three more old members had been contacted, an arrangement had been made for £7/9/1d to be transferred to Stannox from the defunct Loughton Football Club – for whom Bill Ware, Norman Crowhurst and Len Stubbings had played before the war – and a bank account had been opened. By December, a Mr Baines had agreed to scythe the pitch for 30/-, and a reply had been obtained from the

Board of Trade giving an address from which kit could be obtained.

The committee of Bill Ware (general secretary), Jack Bloye (match secretary), Norman Crowhurst (captain), Dick Ralph (vice-captain) and Frank Clark (treasurer) met every fortnight through the winter of 1946. Jack Bloye organised regular fundraising dances at Lopping Hall, which attracted upwards of 200 people, and Carter’s the seedsmen produced a plan for wicket preparation, at a cost of £10. A heavy roller, of which members were proud, had vanished during the war, but eventually it was traced to RAF Chigwell, and rescued. By March, Jack Bloye was able to report 38 fixtures confirmed, Norman Crowhurst had written to the council regarding a long-term lease on the ground, and the purchase of a wicket-keeping box was approved. Cricket could commence once again.

John Forbes’ scrapbook records that, in 1947, ‘All games were played on a rough pitch despite constant watering by hand.

Club very handicapped by lack of funds’. For changing accommodation, a tent had been benevolently given, and the first team to use it were Ongar. Unfortunately, it rained – and, as Norman Crowhurst recalled, Ongar couldn’t get away quick enough!

The first scorecard existing for the season records that on 10 May, Hillside were dismissed for 60 (Ralph 5-7), the Stannox reply being 122-2, with the game against Manor Park Avenue the following day producing a 41-run win. Until the early 1950s, if the side batting second won with plenty of time remaining, they would simply bat on – but continue to play the game seriously, a much more acceptable version of the later ‘beer match’.

ln spite of the rough wicket, the season was undoubtedly a success. Out of 37 games played, 24 were won, 12 lost, and some remarkable bowling performances took place. Defending 44 against Baldwyns, Ron Elliott took 7-0 to dismiss the opposition for 31. Hillside were bowled out for 14 chasing 93, Harold Wood for 30 chasing 45. Stannox were also the

recipients of similar punishment: having dismissed Baldwyns for 19, Stannox could muster only 16, while Loughton won by 17 runs defending 51.

The most remarkable achievement, however, came in a home game in August against Coopersale. A 12-a-side match, Bill Nuttall returned the bowling analysis of 9 overs, 1 maiden, 10 wickets for 30, to dismiss Coopersale for 51. ‘So far this season,’ reported the West Essex Gazette, ‘Nuttall has taken 79 wickets at the cost of 3.5 runs apiece.’

Nuttall and Elliott were a formidable opening combination. Off a short run with terrific wind-up and fast arm, Ron Elliott would always attack the stumps. Bill Nuttall was more scientific, and his fast-medium deliveries were always bowled to his field. lf one took wickets, the other badly wanted them; and though pitches were often poor, that alone doesn’t account for their remarkable records. Ron ended his career with 942 wickets at an average of just 5.79, a figure that will never be approached.

Bill Nuttall ended that season with a bowling average of 4.6, but was pipped by Elliott’s 4.4. Best batting came from Roy Skelding, who averaged 16.6, followed by Len Stubbings. ln the end-of-season report in the Gazette, it was announced that the club ‘had finished with more victories than expected, bowling and fielding excellent’.

The following winter saw much activity at Roding Road. ln January 1948, Bill Nuttall obtained an estimate for the cost of concrete to lay a base for a pavilion, and discussion then followed over what kind of pavilion was wanted. Norman Crowhurst reported that he had seen a Nissen hut offered for sale, but general favour was for a brick structure. That met with the approval of Chigwell Council, too, and they granted permission. Ken Reeves and Bert Final were both bricklayers by

trade, and they pressed on apace with the work, getting it almost complete by the following March.

For 1948, match fees were fixed at 1/- for home games and 6d for away fixtures. lt has to be remembered that cars were then a luxury – indeed, not until 1950 did a club member have one.

Hubert Underwood was the first, and as he could take the kit he played every game! This meant that travel was entirely by public transport – buses, trams and trains – with the kitbag deposited at Loughton Station Left Luggage and collected the next day. Players thought nothing of getting up early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to start on their often difficult journeys, and return was usually late at night. Hence the reduced match fee; for comparison, a pint of beer cost 9d.

The square at Roding Road had also been returfed, and this, together with the hire of a pump and hose for watering, led to an improvement in conditions for batting. Len Stubbings made what the Gazette called a ‘fine knock of 59’ out of 98 against Woodstone, and the first three-figure total of the season came on 26 June: 128 v Old Comrades’ Association (another halfcentury for Stubbings). lndeed, by September, the previously unknown heights of 200 were reached, when Stannox made 211 against the Loughton Home Guard Association.

What was even more remarkable was the bowling exploit of regular wicketkeeper John Forbes. He took 7-3 in 3.4 overs – including the wicket of Norman – as the HGA were dismissed for 113. lt’s a performance that helped John to a career bowling average even lower than those of Messrs Nuttall and Elliott (8 overs, 3 maidens, 8 wickets for 19 runs, average 2.71)!

Twenty wins and 14 defeats was the 1948 record, and the season was celebrated with a dinner and social evening at Slater’s restaurant in the Strand, central London. Members

paid 10/- each, and the extra cost was subsidised by the club.

Regular dances continued at the Lopping Hall, and the preChristmas event raised £30.

At the first committee meeting of the new year, Norman Crowhurst reported that Chigwell Council had renewed the lease on the ground for a further five years – news that spurred members to more work at Roding Road. A pump and hose were bought, a veranda and players’ enclosure were added to the pavilion, together with a toolshed, and the installation of a washbasin and gas supply helped with the catering. As many games were 11.30am starts, lunch had often to be provided as well as tea.

Nevertheless, £103 was in the bank, and there was enough money to lay two concrete practice wickets, so the earlier precarious footing of the club was starting to disappear. A Green Line coach was booked for Bank Holiday Monday to take the team to Buntingford for the regular game against Aspenden, and even the possibility of employing a part-time groundsman was under consideration. All these improvements were reflected in the performances on the pitch, too. The Gazette report for the first weekend in May stated that: ‘Stannox, the Loughton club, have started the season with their usual zip and enthusiasm, and last weekend they brought off a useful double win. On Saturday, in a low-scoring game, they beat Fives, thanks to excellent bowling by Roy Munt, who took 8-14. On Sunday, Stannox played Buckhurst Hill, and seemed set for defeat when they were dismissed for 71. But again their bowlers came to the rescue, and Hill were put out for 44. Three bowlers shared the honours between them – Elliott, Nuttall and Ashwell. Well done, Stannox!’

According to the newspaper, ‘Steady batting and a tail that wagged merrily’ were enough to beat Langite (all out for 28),

while a May game against Buckhurst Hill saw Stannox ‘blitz’ their way to victory – with a word that had come into common parlance used in a more positive sense. Against Buckhurst Hill, Nuttall (7-20) and Elliott (3-15) were described by the rather florid reporter as ‘devastating and almost unplayable’, while Len Stubbings, who batted left-handed without gloves, ‘in true Jessopian style, flogged the bowling to all corners’.

The following day, at Theydon Bois, Roy Skelding played his final game for the club before emigrating to South Africa. Roy’s house on River Way was used as base for tea-making. Two players had to carry the urn down to the ground: a task which, John Forbes recalled, ‘left many a bod with burned fingers for the match!’.

‘High hopes were entertained for a good score,’ ran the match report. ‘Alas, it was not to be, for off the last ball of the first over he was bowled by a ball that kept low. His first duck for three seasons. That fickle jade Dame Fortune had turned her gaze the other way.’

By this time, many fixtures on the card were regular ‘home and aways’. Theydon Bois, Buckhurst Hill, Woodford Green and Potter Street have all featured strongly over the years; however, many of the military organisations who provided opposition straight after the war were starting to disappear. As for Rabbits, who were beaten by two wickets in July, well, they can only have vanished down the nearest warren.

Twenty wins from 42 games was the 1949 record, Ron Elliott took 113 wickets, and more than 50 members from the Stannox, Baldwyns and Buckhurst Hill clubs attended the annual dinner at the Bald Faced Stag in Buckhurst Hill.

The club entered its third decade with playing membership right up to the maximum of 30, and no shortage of new

applicants, either. Work was also progressing on the recruitment of honorary members, chiefly through Hubert Underwood, who enrolled many of the customers at his newspaper shop. The club now had the services of a scorer, Derek Knights, later to become a player, and a Mr Spain, from Chigwell Row, had been engaged to work on the ground for £1 a week. All boded well for the season – except the weather.

The first two Saturday games were washed out, and a damp opening Sunday saw the side lose at Buckhurst Hill.

Things quickly improved, and an impressive double was achieved over Woodford Green. At home, Stannox made 113-8 declared, thanks to a late-order 20 from Ron Pasola, then 5-14

by Ron Elliott reduced Green to 47 all out. As for the return fixture, ‘Green on toast!’ went the almost incredulous Gazette headline. ‘A remarkable batting failure by Woodford Green on their own easy-paced wicket resulted in them receiving one of their heaviest reverses of the season, when a superior Stannox handed out a 100-run caning.’ Chasing 132, bolstered by 40 from Crowhurst and 29 from Forbes, Green were shot out for 32, with Ron Pasola taking 5-19 and Tommy Ball 4-9.

As the season closed, thoughts turned to the improvement of facilities once again. Chigwell Council were approached regarding the laying on of water to the ground, though any lack was obviously not a deterrent to other potential users of the pavilion: Buckhurst Hill Ladies Lacrosse Club hired it on Saturday afternoons from October to March, at a charge of 5/per match!

The fourth AGM was attended by 21 members, at which the chairman reported a season of consolidation. Better wickets, better standards of play, and a thriving social and fund-raising operation were the highlights, backed up by 21 wins from 44 games. A typical enough year, perhaps, but one that showed Stannox to be a gradually developing and improving club.

3. A change of identity: 1951-1955

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hough interest in the club had never been higher, with constant applications for membership and swelling ranks of paid-up honorary members, some local people were clearly interested for the wrong reasons. The pavilion was broken into twice during 1951, with the locks on the door smashed and equipment strewn about. Eddy Pestell told the Gazette: ‘We are a struggling club, and these continual setbacks do us a lot of harm. l can only put the trouble down to youths of 16 or so who could not find anything better to do.’

Times have clearly changed little.

The main improvement at the ground was the laying on of water, with Eddy Pestell organising the 46 feet of piping and the Metropolitan Water Board carrying out the work. Glasses were bought so that lemonade could be sold during games.

Performances on the pitch, sadly, were not up to the standard of previous years. Only 12 games were won out of 45, and the side were bowled out for 22 by Royal Small Arms, Enfield. Only in the final game of the season did Stannox inflict anything like a comprehensive defeat: having made 72 in a 12-a-side game against Baldwyns, 5-6 from Ron Elliott and 4-11 from Bert Sidders reduced the opposition to 17 all out. The match report in the paper recorded, rather glumly, that the top scorer for the losers was ‘S Springham, with 6’.

However, the year was a huge success in fund-raising terms.

The dances made £36, the various football raffle tickets £82, and the Christmas Draw £80. Very tidy sums of money, in today’s terms.

Plans for the winter included a further re-turfing of the square and, most important, its ‘enclosure’. A Mr Heasman was paid £12 to carry this out. However, the pavilion was still

vulnerable, and was broken into again in late November. The only items stolen were, strangely, the umpires’ coats.

On the subject of umpires, the club was well served. John Gibbs and Frank Cousens were both invited to stand in 1952, having despatched their duties admirably during the preceding season. Frank’s wife was closely involved with the club, too: a longstanding honorary member, she was invited to take over the catering operation, and agreed – providing a £3 float and four tea towels could be found for her!

In terms of playing strength, the club was now able to think about running two sides on Sundays. lt was a move that generated mixed feelings among members, but many were simply failing to get a game. The ‘B’ Xl played 22 matches, with seven wins and nine defeats. Their first ever game, against Butterworth, resulted in a nine-wicket victory, Tommy Ball taking 8-24 as the opposition were dismissed for 53.

It was the 1st Xl that caught the eye in 1952. On the June Bank Holiday Monday, Eddy Pestell registered the club’s first ever century – exactly 100 – against Tate & Lyle. Stannox made 1904, with 39 from Norman Crowhurst and 31 from Bill Ware. By 6 July, Ron Elliott had taken his 100 wickets at an average of 6.2, and he went on to amass a record 136 in the season. A man who made the match reports almost every week, even his absence through an attack of mumps was recorded! Ron became the first Stannox player to be selected for the Club Cricket Conference President’s XI and he took three wickets on his debut. He was less successful in the all-day match against Saffron Walden, however. Saffron rattled up a huge 282-6 declared and, in spite of 53 from Harry Weller, Stannox could only muster 139.

1953 was very much a landmark season for the club. The record number of wins – 29 from 40 games – stood until 2004, and the bowling was deadly. Elliott and Nuttall took it in turns to grab five wickets, and Buckhurst Hill were twice routed for less than 40. During one of these games, the story goes, a senior Buckhurst Hill official arrived at Roding Road at teatime and saw the scoreboard reading 30-3. ‘30-3?’ he exclaimed.

‘That isn’t very good!’ ‘No, I agree it isn’t very good,’ replied Arthur Woods. ‘But then we only need 10 to win...’

At the top end of the order, Bill Ware made what the Loughton Advertiser called ‘a perfect 85’ against Toby, and Eddy Pestell capped that with an undefeated 101 out of 156 versus

Marshall Taplow. The side went to Woodford Wells at the end of May brimful of runs, and knocked up 247-9 declared, Hubert Underwood contributing 74. Not until 13 June did the club lose a match.

Hubert Underwood went on to make 100 at Buckhurst Hill in July, while he and John de Boos put on 105 for the sixth wicket against Tate & Lyle to set a record that was not equalled until 1987; a seventh-wicket partnership of 75 by Eddy Pestell and Arthur Woods against Baldwyns also remained a record until 1987.

The most one-sided game took place on 22 August, when the Saturday 1st Xl visited Old Buckwellians. The Advertiser reported it thus: ‘Batting first, Pestell (58) and Ware (38) gave the side a good start with a first-wicket stand of 93. Stannox declared at 146 when only two wickets had fallen. Ron Elliott bowled the opening batsman of the Old Bucks with his first ball, thus obtaining a hat-trick, having taken two wickets with the last two balls of the previous match. He followed this up in the next over with another hat-trick. The home side were by this time a defeated team, and only three batsmen scored runs.

Woods also bowled well, taking 3-8, but it was Elliott’s 6-1 that saw Old Bucks all out for 9.’

Bill Nuttall, needless to say, bagged the other wicket!

The mood of the seventh AGM, held at the Men’s Club, Station Road, must have been self-congratulatory – and with good reason. Not only had playing efforts been remarkable, but the pavilion had been extended, Mrs Cousens had made a catering profit of £35, and a jumble sale had raised £26. New chairman George Dunning’s report on the year was full of thanks for good work and support from honorary members, now

numbering more than three dozen. Another first for the season was the appointment of a president, Frank Richardson, who was an acquaintance of Hubert Underwood and was later to be awarded the OBE. At the annual dinner, held at the Metropolitan Police Sports Club in Chigwell, Frank took the chair and proposed the loyal toast.

Though scorecards were usually printed in the two local papers, committee members had become concerned at the relatively poor coverage given in comparison to other clubs – especially as Stannox were now beating many of them. Players had noticed, too, and at the pre-season meeting, ‘It was considered a possibility that the name of the club might have some bearing on the matter, there being no mention of Loughton’. lt was from this small grumble that one of the most important decisions taken by the club was to stem – a change of name.

Arthur Woods wanted something with the town’s name included, and suggested South Loughton. lt was a proposal that had much support, and Reg Holcombe considered that if a deputation to the editors of the paper brought no improvement, the AGM the following year should consider abandoning Stannox.

And so Stannox embarked on their final season. Another successful one it was, too, with just three defeats for the 1st XI and 26 wins, the 2nds recording 11 of each. Bill Nuttall took his 100th wicket while registering 7-10 against Caribonum in September, a feat achieved for the second year in succession, and Ron Elliott claimed 82 victims – an impressive total, but in fact the first year since 1947 that he had failed to top the hundred! Jim Hilditch won the 1st XI batting award with a fine average of 27.6.

Press coverage was, indeed, still scanty; the most remarkable knock of the season received just six lines of small print. When Ken Ashwell went in at number nine against Parkway at 7.05pm, 54 runs were still needed in 25 minutes. Ken made the winning hit off the first ball of the last over.

By the time the AGM came round, there were no prizes for guessing what was top of the agenda for discussion. ‘Stannox are not known even locally,’ said Arthur Woods. ‘To say that clubs outside a certain area do not know us is pointless, as not so far outside the district people do not know Loughton,’ countered Gordon Fletcher, an opponent of change. Norman Crowhurst worried that the club might lose prestige by altering the name. Roy Low backed this up by adding that football clubs without a district name could still become well known. The debate raged on, with neither side giving an inch. A vote had to be taken. Seven members abstained, 11 voted for Stannox, but 16 for South Loughton. The identity crisis was over.

As if in vindication of the change, 1955 began with an openingday double. The 1st XI thrashed Abridge – 174-8 (Pestell 65 not out) to 48 (Elliott 5-11), while the 2nds took 149 off the Aldersbrook attack (72 from Bill Worton) then bowled them out for 85 (Wally Theobald 5-20). Arthur Dennis switched from Caribonum to play for the 2nds at Clayhall (though he was not formally to join until 1958) and, in another early-season game, Frank Wright’s 7-23 saw revenge for many defeats by Potter Street. Saffron Walden, too, were vanquished after Bert Nicholls made an unbeaten 84, and Ron Elliott’s 7-9 reduced Walthamstow NALGO to 29 all out. Ron clean bowled all his victims, six of them for ducks.

By now there was a substantial Saturday 2nd XI fixture list to back up the full programme on Sundays, although there were moans about the frequency with which the 2nds played at home. lndeed, the 1st Xl didn’t get home advantage until

4 June! The situation on Sundays was even stranger: after beating Tate & Lyle on 19 June, the 1st XI didn’t have a home game until 4 September!

One fixture that was definitely a ‘one-off’ took place at Roding Road on Sunday 26 June. South Loughton v The Cast of ‘The King and l’, opposition provided courtesy of umpire John Gibbs, who worked at Drury Lane Theatre. The club put out an average 2nd Xl against the thespian visitors, and indeed were it not for 40 from Bill Worton and 42 from Wally Theobald would have made far fewer than 145. However, only two of the actors reached double figures against Roy Low (5-20) and Tommy Ball (4-18), and the Cast hung on at 86-9.

Even though it was an extra cost – and income had fallen that year – a junior section was started in 1955. Freddie Brown, Clem Davenport and Gordon Fletcher took charge of it, and the next season a colts’ side played their first game against Roding Valley. Boys were admitted ‘subject to probation’ and exhorted ‘to promote in members a fellowship, team spirit and service for the club, and with these aims, in the name of cricket, to hit the target, which is – A GOOD GAME’. Admirable sentiments indeed.

The major achievement of the year came from the club’s star batsman. Eddy Pestell topped 1,000 runs, the first member to do so, and ended the season with an average of 31.7. By any club cricketing criteria in the 1950s, that was an outstanding performance. Backed up by Norman Crowhurst’s 702 runs, Ron Elliott’s 91 wickets and solid performances from the 2nd Xl, these seemed to set the seal of success on the club’s change of identity, and point towards ever-higher standards for the future.

1955, and the club was now South Loughton (Back row) Frank Cousens (umpire), Norman Crowhurst, Bill Nicholls, Bill Nuttall, Harry Weller, ?, Bill Ware, Saffron Walden umpire; (Front row) Freddy Brown, Barry Andrews, Eddy Pestell, Ian Brown, Ron Elliott

4. Fluctuating fortunes: 1956-1959

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nce more we are well into the cricket season, and even if our cricket has not been good, at least we have been very lucky with the weather so far. ls it true that: there is serious competition in the 1st Xl to see who can get the highest number of run outs (nine to date)? That there is a waiting list for the job of treasurer, as all those who have held this position so far seem able to buy new cars?’

So began Hubert Underwood’s club newsletter for June 1956, which had other good things to report: the juniors, in particular, were flourishing, and from the squad which now numbered 20 a team inflicted a heavy defeat on Roding Valley in their first game. However, kit for the smaller boys was a problem, and one solution was proposed at a committee meeting: ‘lt was agreed to ask Michael Dunning if he would pass on his cricket bat as he would be having a new one soon’!

Though the club had cause to celebrate Martin Loughland’s selection for the Club Cricket Conference President’s XI, following in the footsteps of Ron Elliott (Martin was picked for the CCC while a South Loughton player although he spent most of his career with South Essex Waterworks CC), thoughts at the AGM turned towards more serious matters. As Clem Davenport said in his introduction to three resolutions that were discussed: ‘The future of the club may well be decided’.

At the root of the problem was groundwork – or rather, the lack of it. For several years, the same small group of members had maintained the square – and they were prepared to do it no longer. Pay for a part-time groundsman or don’t play, was the blunt choice. The resolutions were all passed.

The search for a groundsman was pre-empted, however, by a meeting Messrs Pestell, Davenport and Underwood had with

the Ernest Halstead Trust. This organisation owned a ground in Buckhurst Hill, and a pitch was available for rent at £75 per season. The Trust was keen to see young people playing sport there, and South Loughton had in fact been invited to apply for use. The committee were impressed with the groundsman, and the pavilion suited needs exactly. At an Extraordinary General Meeting, a resolution to take Sunday cricket there, on a lease of at least three years, was agreed. Annual subscriptions had to be increased to 30/-, with match fees of 1/6d, but at least the problem of ground upkeep was reduced. Not completely, warned Hubert Underwood: ‘lt does not excuse members from work to be done on our own ground, it means only that we have to get one wicket out each weekend instead of two’.

The 1956 season had been badly rain-affected, and games generally poor: only Pestell and Underwood averaged more than 19 with the bat, and Ron Elliott topped the bowling table having taken only 49 wickets. The move to a new ground seemed to herald a new era, though in fact problems were just beginning.

The new square was far from the standard expected, seemingly topsoil on rubble and brick. Although there were showers in the pavilion, and a temporary bar was set up, these were little compensation for sub-standard cricket. The groundsman blamed drainage problems and claimed that pitches would improve with time, though that was little comfort for a fixture secretary faced with opponents complaining about poor conditions. The matter rumbled on well into the winter.

Playing performances did show an improvement, but many of the best batting efforts were achieved on other clubs’ grounds.

Eddy Pestell scored 627 runs to head the list again, but there was a new name on the bowling trophy, Harry Debnam, who took 55 wickets at 8.18. ln the 2nd Xl, Barry Andrews made an

unbeaten 100 against Aldersbrook, while big, fast Keith Greenaway took 7-11 to dismiss Brymay for 31 (they were only chasing 44!).

Keith also did the damage in the 2nd Xl’s most comprehensive victory: after rattling up 237-5 against Butterworth (Bill Ware 61, Wally Theobald 55, Jack Harris 46), he took 5-23 in putting the luckless opponents out for 39.

The averages were, for the first time, produced by school teacher Colin Brookes, and must have required hours of painstaking research. All partnerships of more than 40 were recorded, quick scoring had its own section and bowlers’ averages were given in four different ways (including ‘frequency of maidens shown as a ratio’!). ‘Economical spells’ was headed by Derek Knights’ 7.4 overs, 4 maidens, 5-6 against Chingford, while, in contrast, there was a cruel item called, subtly, ‘Punishment’.

There was miscellania aplenty, too: ‘A catastrophic start: against Britannic Lodge, South Loughton lost their first four wickets for two runs. Sudden endings: South Loughton against Highams Park were 71-4 at 6.41pm, and wanted 60 runs with 49 minutes to get them. They lost their remaining wickets for five runs in 26 minutes. A crowded spell: bowling against Plessey, Underwood bowled 4.5 overs for 23 runs and six wickets... after a wicket maiden as first over. Finally: only one bowler took a wicket with a ball that bounced four times.’ The bowler’s name remained anonymous…

Problems at the Buckhurst Hill ground had not been resolved.

Though plans were moving forward to apply for a bar licence, it was still the conditions for cricket that were giving concern.

Wally Theobald made a strong protest to the committee in May 1958 after the 2nd Xl had been dismissed for 22 by STC Harlow, and, indeed, match scores had returned to the low

levels of the 1940s. Rent was withheld; an inspection from a suitably qualified official demanded; angry letters sent in both directions. In the end a meeting of players was called, and the almost unanimous decision was that the ground should be given up: it was at the root of other problems that had developed within the club.

Ron Elliott had retired before the 1958 season, and several of the more established players were to leave during the course of it. Eddy Pestell had become available for one day only, and would depart next year for Buckhurst Hill. Hubert Underwood was to follow, switching to Old Brentwoods. Nor were new players joining to replace them. Having built up a strong fixture list as a result of the successes of six or seven years previous, there were no longer the players to warrant such fixtures – and there were many heavy defeats in the scorebook.

The question was even raised as to whether the club should fold completely; however, this was rejected in favour of a return to just one game on Saturdays, and two on Sundays.

From an era of strength and an excellent reputation, South Loughton were having to look more modestly to the future.

What made 1958 even worse was the weather. Not a single Saturday home game was played after 12 July, nor any Sunday home games at Roding Road after 17 August, when the river flooded the ground. lt must have been a season depressing beyond belief.

Colin Brookes managed to find some light relief in his end-ofterm report. Besides noting that Eddy Pestell had won the batting award, and Keith Greenaway the bowling trophy, he offered the following: ‘One man show: against Romford Brewery, Harry Debnam scored 96 out of a total of 148. Next highest score was 19, and

there were 13 extras. Captain courageous: against Walthamstow, captain Bill Nuttall took all the first seven wickets to fall for 31 runs, and although the total was then only 60, he took himself off instead of going for “all ten”. His gamble paid off: Walthamstow were all out for 63, and the game was won one minute before a downpour. Strange entries: i) against Highams Park, Harry Debnam failed to score, which is strange enough. The scorebook reads “no sleep” (he had been up all night); ii) against Hornchurch Athletic, one of their players is shown as being out “Kicked Greenaway, caught Pestell”. Greenaway, unable to catch a chance offered, was able to get a foot to the ball, and kicked it to the wicketkeeper.’

Such gems must have brought a welcome smile to some unhappy South Loughtonians.

Could things possibly get worse? Without a doubt. Though the fixture card was prudently amended for 1959, the Ernest Halstead Trust affair was dragging on. The Trust felt the club was still bound to pay ground rent, and was reluctant to release an agreed share of bar profits. Matters of money were once more rearing their head. At the pre-season players’ meeting, there were grumblings that some players had not sold any fund-raising football tickets, and when Arthur Woods and Sid Collins proposed that players should be made to take tickets to sell, there was, as the Minute Book records, ‘no response at all’.

The situation improved little during the year, and so once again those dreaded words appeared on a convening notice: ‘…or wind up the club’. At an Extraordinary Meeting called to discuss the financial problem, expenditure was shown to exceed income by some £90, even though annual subscriptions and match fees had been raised by 50 per cent. What made the situation worse was that only five members turned up for

the meeting. Secretary Wally Theobald summarised the options: i) Economise. The only saving which could be made was to dismiss the groundsman, but this was a false economy, even though members were not coming forward to help with groundwork. ii) Make it a condition of membership that everyone must support fund-raisers. This was decided against, as it should be a matter of loyalty and goodwill, not a condition of membership. iii) Face facts that this was the club’s last season.

No-one really knew what they wanted – except option three. lt was up to players to rally round, because no money and no support meant no cricket – and no South Loughton.

Facing up to some big issues in 1959. John Forbes is back row second from left, Norman Crowhurst back row fourth from left

5. Testing times: 1960-1970

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f the last year of the ‘50s had seen the club struggling in choppy waters, the decade that followed brought the ship upright but delivered high peril on the pitch. The 2nd Xl’s poor record of 22 defeats in 33 matches during 1959 gave a clear hint of what was to come.

Before embarking on this least successful chapter in the history of South Loughton, it’s worth fortifying ourselves with a last draught of Colin Brookes’ end-of-season summaries before he, too, left the club. ln 1959: ‘It must be noted, if only for the peace of mind of past holders, that the club record of “Punishment” in one over is now held (we hope for ever) by Barry Andrews with 32. Big hitter: against Highams Park, Keith Greenaway hit 12 fours and three sixes in his 78 in 44 minutes. His straight six against Romford Brewery cleared the railway embankment and the overhead power lines at Romford Station and was possibly the biggest hit we have ever seen in club cricket. Wake up at the back: Norman Crowhurst was run out in three consecutive innings. Finally: only one wicket-keeper apologised after a game for successfully appealing for a catch... which on reflection wasn’t.’

As the new decade dawned, gone from the successful sides of the ‘50s were Underwood, Pestell, Bill Ware, Barry Andrews, Harry and Dick Debnam and Ron Elliott. 1960 would see the departure of Brookes, Bill Worton, Derek Knights, Tony Barton, Keith Greenaway and Bill Nuttall: almost a complete team. And so, for the third time, there came a vote on whether the club should fold through lack of players. This time, 24 members turned up at Loughton Men’s Club, and were presented with three options: A: one Saturday and one Sunday Xl; B: wind up; C: keep plugging on with two Xls on both days.

Never did the club come closer to calling it a day than on that September night. Seven voted for A, eight for B, and six for C. Although eight were for winding up, 13 wished to continue (three, presumably, abstained). The vote was declared null and void. Team secretary John Forbes reported at the following committee meeting that the West Essex Gazette had contacted him, eager to announce the demise of the club; he was pleased, he said, to deny it.

1960 was inevitably a moderate season on the pitch – there was too much worry about actually finding players for many doughty deeds with bat and ball, though Keith Greenaway did manage 9-12 for the 2nd Xl v Compton.

From moderate to poor was not a difficult step, however, and results during the rest of the decade were far from impressive. ln the worst year, 1961, the club overall won just 10 matches and lost 40, and the 2nds never managed to win more games than they lost.

There were brighter moments, though, as many of the club’s current senior figures started to appear on the average sheets.

Michael Dunning had followed his father into the club and was starting to play regularly, while in 1961 the name of Robin Heafford first entered the averages (3-34 from 15 overs for the 1st Xl, and a batting average of 6.0). ln many ways, however, the decade belonged to two players: Doug Mann and Barry Hearn. Mann, who worked with Sid Collins, joined South Loughton as an 18-year-old in 1960, when he took eight wickets and scored 72 runs for the 2nd Xl. Progress was a little better the following year, with a few games for the 1sts. By 1962, however, he had bowled 237 overs with 42 wickets at a cost of 19 apiece – supporting Doug Woods, who topped the hundred wickets with 113 at 13.7 each.

1963 and ‘64 were bowlers’ years. First, Doug Mann reached his hundred wickets, with Doug Woods not far behind on 84, then the following year Mann took 122 at 10.09 with the other Doug grabbing 111 at 10.38. Coincidentally, Doug Mann’s batting average was the same as his bowling one! ln the 2nd Xl, only John Forbes was scoring runs at all regularly, and in 1962 no other player reached a total of three figures (Derek Higgins came second in the averages with 91 runs at an average of 6.5...). John won the 2nd Xl batting cup every year from 1962 to 1965, with Arthur Dennis and Dave Weller sharing the bowling honours.

But it was the overall playing strength of the club that was still causing worry, even though the prospect of folding had receded. Towards the end of 1961, three other clubs proposed merger: Dagenham Wanderers, Lambeth and Grosvenor. The first two were discounted due to the distance involved, while the third came to nothing. But the poorer playing effort was also leading to a steady slippage of better fixtures, and in 1962 Saffron Walden ended regular games between the clubs, ‘leaving the door open if and when the club was restored to its past strength’. Not until 1983 were Saffron entertained again.

There was an improvement in 1964. Both Dougs took their 100 wickets, George Eastwood was congratulated at the AGM for ‘a big improvement in his batting’ (305 runs at 16.05), and Norman Crowhurst made an undefeated 102 against Buckhurst Hill. Also singled out for praise was John Coyle, who took 49 wickets and scored 498 runs; in his eight seasons with the club, John took 222 economical wickets.

For all its other problems, the club had not suffered in two departments. The impeccable hand of Len Neate first appeared in the scorebooks in 1960. Four years later, Len was nominated

a vice-president in recognition of his service. ln 1961 he was co-opted onto the club committee, a function he carried out for several years, and continued scoring into the 1990s. Peggy Fletcher had been involved with catering as part of the regular team that provided teas from the mid-1950s, and carried out this vital task until 1972, in later years on her own.

The other playing success of the ’60s first appeared as a 17year-old in 1963, scoring 71 runs and taking five wickets.

Joining the same year as his school colleague John Botting, Barry Hearn soon started to make his presence felt on the pitch. By 1965 he had caught the President’s eye, Norman Crowhurst reporting that ‘there had been some good performances from younger members, notably Barry Hearn (56 wickets) and John Botting (26 wickets). Cliff Greenhill recorded a batting average of 16’. Cliff, too, had joined in 1965, along with his brother Peter. Cliff’s application for membership described himself as: ‘age 16, previous clubs East London School, playing ability left-hand bat, medium-pace bowler’.

Peter, five years younger and perhaps a trifle unsure, simply stated: ‘All-rounder’... ln 1965, Barry took 54 wickets for 715 runs, finishing fourth in the averages behind Doug Mann – whose 119 wickets brought him three figures for the third year running, Robin Heafford and Harry Moody. The year after, he shot to the top of the pile, as all the club’s leading bowlers had good seasons. Dave Weller took 41 wickets at 9.9, Harry Weller 20 at 10.65, Doug Mann 118 at 10.75 and Tony Hutchings 34 at 16.05. But Barry’s 36 cost just 9.69. He played one game for the 2nd Xl that year, too, opening the bowling against Robbialac and taking 6-8 in nine overs, with Harry Moody grabbing the other wickets, 4-6, as the opponents were bowled out for 28. South Loughton went on to win by one wicket... John Forbes being top scorer with six!

1966 saw the re-emergence of a colts section, under the control of John de Boos, Harry Moody and Harry Weller.

Though the section played just one game, a draw against the 2nd Xl in October, it brought boys into the club and many future long-serving members came along that way. Peter Jones and Bill Burke – who was originally a slow left-arm bowler – were both officially accepted as junior members on New Year’s Day 1967, though Bill had in fact played games the previous season (scoring 18 not out for the 2nd Xl, 5 and 0 for the 1sts, and conceding nine runs off 0.5 of an over!). The following season, 17-year-old Chris de Boos – opening batsman, slowmedium bowler, according to his application – was accepted, and the next year Chris topped the 2nd Xl averages with 127 runs in 11 innings.

‘Overs v Unders’, 1967 (From left) George Eastwood, Ian Gerraty, Norman Crowhurst, Peter Greenhill, Harry Moody, Wally Theobald, Ron Cordes, Arthur Dennis, Doug Mann, Bill Burke, Barry Hearn, Tony Hutchins, Brian Overy, John Forbes

Frank Richardson had retired from the presidency in 1957, when George Dunning took over the mantle with constant care, kindness and great benevolence. His sudden death in 1967 came as an immense shock to members, and it was unanimously decided at that year’s AGM that a bronze commemorative plaque should be inscribed and placed in the pavilion. Though only a moderate player, George was always prepared to drive others to matches, or turn out if a side was short. ln his final game, against East Ham Town, eight runs were needed to win with two wickets left. After being gifted four byes, George snicked the next ball to the boundary to see the team home.

Not until the following February was a new president chosen: Jack Jones, who had been connected with the club for several years, though chiefly as a player for the Old Victorians (Thursday) Cricket Club. It was Jack who made the scoreboard that still functions so well at the ground.

Sid Collins’ 121 not out against Romford Brewery was the batting highlight of 1967, though John Botting and Ron Cordes both missed centuries by five runs. Doug Mann became the second player in club history to complete the 500 runs and 100 wickets double (after Doug Woods in 1962), and he repeated the feat two years later (550 and 103), the same year that it was achieved by Barry Hearn (690 and 103).

The following season brought the start of a new competition.

Epping Foresters CC wrote inviting entry to a knockout cup, ‘as this kind of cricket is becoming popular in Essex and Herts. lf the competition becomes a reality, one of our club members, Vernon “Buster” Cocking, has kindly offered to provide a cup’.

So was born the Cocking Cup, originally contested between eight clubs. Waltham Abbey provided the club’s first opponents, and they beat South Loughton by ten wickets. The tournament later expanded, with the club reaching the semi-

finals in 1985 and 1987 and the final in 1993, but never winning it.

On 28 July, the 2nd XI travelled to Cossors, having been heavily beaten by them a month previous. This time, however, Cossors only had six players... The innings lasted 11.4 overs, eight of which were maidens, and Cossors were bowled out for 9. Peter Jones took 1-7 from six overs, Arthur Dennis 4-0. This was the third and last time that opponents had been dismissed for 9.

The decade ended with a further clutch of records, as 1969 saw the 1st Xl win almost half its games. As well as the hundred-wicket exploits of Messrs Hearn and Mann, Wally Theobald finally made a century, aged 50 and after 15 years with the club – 102 not out v Hainault. Against Rayleigh Fairview, 277-5 was notched – a club record total until 1989 – with 128 of those coming in a fifth-wicket partnership between Chris de Boos and Peter Roach. And against Romford Prims, Hearn and Mann added 168 for the second wicket, a record not beaten until 1993, with Barry making a career-best 86. Bill Burke topped the 2nd XI averages with 374 runs, while Norman Crowhurst bowled 17 overs that year, taking 3-120...

Though the ‘70s arrived with promise, and new players Phil Coe, Doug Turner and Don Gladden, an era had come to an end with the departure of Doug Mann to Hampshire. His performance in taking 100 wickets for seven consecutive seasons has not been challenged.

That year, 1970, saw the 1sts winning 19, losing 19 – par for the course. Chris de Boos made five fifties in his 750 runs, and Robin Heafford a maiden century against Rontays, his hundred coming in just 58 minutes, with eight sixes. Robin reached three figures with 44666 off consecutive balls. ln that game, the club fielded a side with an average age of 22.4, with six players under 20. Don Gladden managed a hat-trick against

Leyton Nomads, clean bowling his first two victims then having occasional keeper John Botting stump the third.

It had been a troubled decade, but the club had pulled through. There was a nucleus of young players; Jack Harris, on retirement from playing, had taken over the presidency – albeit briefly – from Jack Jones; and the club was regularly making a small annual profit. The bleak days of the early 1960s seemed to be well and truly gone.

6. Steady state: 1971-1976

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hough the ‘70s opened with the club in a far healthier state than it had been in the early 1960s, in many ways the first years of each decade were similar. lt seemed that South Loughton had found a level of cricket at which members were content to play, there were sufficient players to keep one Saturday and two Sunday sides going, and younger newcomers were joining. But there was a lack of real ambition for change. lt could be called stagnation, or simply being happy with one’s lot.

The captaincy passed about: Peter Roach in 1969 and 1971/72, John de Boos in 1970, Doug Turner from 1973 to 1978; on Sundays, Norman Crowhurst was still in charge in 1971, then relinquished the job to Cliff Greenhill for two seasons, after which it was taken on by Peter Jones until 1978. This degree of change was reflected in playing results, with no pattern of either success or failure emerging, and many more draws than in the past.

Bill Burke was the man in form in 1971, amassing 842 runs despite making eight ducks. Peter Jones had the dubious honour of conceding more than 1,000 runs, although he took 90 wickets from his 432 overs, including a spell of 20 overs at Potter Street which resulted in the far from fair return of 1-70. For the 2nd XI, Sid Collins made 304 redoubtable runs, while Steve Newman took 8-29 against Theydon Bois. A reasonably encouraging season, reported Norman Crowhurst, ‘but we were too often not capable of bowling the other side out – which was reflected in the 14 draws.’

That draw figure rose to 20 for the 1st XI the next year, as a number of stronger opponents appeared on the fixture card.

Despite careful pruning for the 2nd XI, there were still many more losses than wins. The cheeriest event for them was the

appearance of a junior, Glen Belcher, in the team: his 11 games brought only 26 runs, but he bagged nine catches and two stumpings, perhaps a portent of his catching record to come eight years later.

Arthur Dennis played just one first team game that year, at Standard Harlow in May, but it brought his first-ever hat-trick.

The brunt of the bowling was again borne by Peter Jones – 438 overs for 72 wickets – though it was Trevor Hylton and Robin Heafford who proved most economical. Bill Burke totalled 700 runs.

The winter of 1972-73 saw two major changes: a new roof on the pavilion (still in corrugated iron after fears that a hoped-for asphalt covering would collapse the building) and a new president, Councillor Tony Swallow. Though Jack Jones was keen to continue his support for the club, he felt that his poor health precluded him from doing so as president, so he stood down. Tony slipped easily into the vacant seat and remained in it until 1988, steering the club with generosity and commitment.

The parallels between 1963-4 and 1973-4 are great, in that all four were bowlers’ years. This time it was Peter Jones who reached the magic three-figure total: 113 wickets from a colossal 517 overs in 1973, and 107 from 462 overs to head the averages the following year. lt has to be remembered that on many occasions Peter was batting up the order, too – against Old Parmiterians he batted at number three then bowled unchanged for 15.3 overs to take 7-34 – so it was a feat of stamina as much as one of skill.

Clearly Peter’s all-round exploits were intended to redeem himself after he had looked into the possibility of buying club caps: as the Minute Book bluntly records, the Australian-style

headgear he produced for inspection was ‘not viewed with much favour’.

It was a patchy season, with Peter Jones also the only batsman to top 500 runs, giving him the all-rounder’s double. Middleorder Jimmy Young was the freest scorer, but his fine averages of 32.3 for the 1sts and 36.3 for the 2nds were made in too few innings to qualify for either batting cup.

Len Stubbings, who had played for the club after the war, had switched to Roding Valley and turned out against his old side in July. He made 76 out of 129, enough to see Valley home to victory. There was also the indignity of being dismissed for 11,

by Southend Municipal College – a total that remains the club’s lowest ever...

1973 saw the club enter the Kemp Cup for the first time, a tournament now known as the Bertie Joel Cup and contested by many of the most senior clubs in the south-east. Though some notable wins were achieved, and in 1983 South Loughton progressed beyond the area competition to gain a crack tie with Finchley, on the whole it allowed members to play at major grounds and compete against strong opposition.

New names both senior and junior were appearing on the team sheets. Chris Le Good and Chris Couldrey both joined in 1979, while Peter Collins had followed his father to the club and was starting to play regularly. ln 1974 came Malcolm Sweeting, also following his father, Gordon, and the Chumley brothers, Bob and Jim. All were soon drafted into the teams.

Bob lasted four minutes against St Thomas’s in his 1st Xl debut – he batted at number four and scored one – while Chris Couldrey appeared at number 11 when the 1st Xl were bowled out for 55 by Roding Valley. Bob, however, was to score 259

runs for the 2nds that year, while Chris was clearly played as a bowler: 2-11 for the 1st Xl, and 4-47 for the 2nds. ln 1974 it was Peter Greenhill who captured the batting honours, with 442 runs at 24.5, though Dick Davey, continuing his steady improvement since joining in 1968, reached the 500 mark. Bill Burke had moved on to Highams Park, and his solidity with the bat was clearly missed – in his only game for South Loughton that year he made 65, although he was dismissed for a duck when playing for Highams Park against the club!

Perhaps the most notable win of the season was against Woodford Green in September. South Loughton reached 114 thanks to 50 from Doug Turner, batting at number three, then bowled Green out for 41, Doug and Peter Jones bowling unchanged for 18 overs, Peter taking 7-11.

In among the occasional high-scoring encounter – a 380-run game for the 2nd Xl at Woodford Wells – were many poor matches during 1975. Not that South Loughton were always responsible: Harold Park were dismissed for 17 (Taylor 5-8, Turner 5-8); Snaresbrook for 58 in which Doug Turner took 711 from 14.3 overs; and the United Dominion Trust for 26 by the 2nd Xl. But Epping Foresters did the same to South Loughton (all out for 19) while a Havering-atte-Bower bowler named Vivian took 13-28 during his side’s two games with the 2nds.

One remarkable game – a draw – was played against United Glass in May: Arthur Dennis, then in his mid-50s, bowled unchanged for 22.5 overs to take 6-55. His opening partner was Peter Greenhill, more usually to be found behind the stumps, whose 19 overs brought 4-78. Peter then went in to bat at number four, and stayed at the crease for an hour and a half for an unbeaten 33.

1976 was, for many people, the hottest summer in memory.

Certainty it was the only year that the country has had a Minister for Drought. Water restrictions made pitch preparation difficult, but the rock-hard tracks did at least bring plenty of runs for batsmen. Phil Coe notched 113 of his 689 tally against Rosedale, while games were some of the highestscoring, on average, until the mid-‘80s. Lower-scoring, but satisfying nevertheless, was revenge over Roding Valley, Peter Jones taking 7-53 as Valley were dismissed for 99 chasing 131.

Bowlers had a long, sweaty summer, and Peter Jones (86 wickets) and Doug Turner (65) both got through more than 300 overs. Peter, incidentally, collected his batting best performance of the year just one week before getting married – making 62 not out against Loxford. Going in at number six with the side in trouble chasing 142, he, Phil Coe and Doug Turner saw South Loughton home in little more than an hour.

It was reliable Arthur Dennis who turned in the season’s outstanding individual performance. For the 2nds against Harold Wood, he took 9-12 as the visitors were dismissed for 35. Among his 10.4 overs was a triple-wicket maiden.

A tour to another part of the country is a regular feature in the summer life of many clubs. Although South Loughton had often talked about arranging a tour, it was not until 1976 that it became a reality. Though only three games were organised – against Kent clubs Cinque Port Pilots, Herne Bay and Ramsgate Corinthians – all were won, and the runs flowed as easily as the beer. Against Herne Bay, Phil Coe and Cliff Greenhill put on 180 for the first wicket (a record which lasted until 1989), Phil making 98 and Cliff 78 not out. Peter Jones took 7-36 against Ramsgate Corinthians, and Len Rawlings, guesting from Upminster, scored a classy 93 against the Pilots.

Apart from a persistent water leak, the only real damp note of the season was doubt over the lease on the ground. This was renewed, but only for three years, with the Council holding the right to terminate. lt started some members looking around at other, underused, grounds nearby. The point was made that, despite almost 40 years of existence, the club still did not have a ground which it could completely call its own.

At the end of 1976, John Forbes announced his retirement. He had played just once that season, and decided to hang up his bat after 29 years, more than 7,500 runs, and 325 victims behind the stumps – a figure bettered only by Bill Burke and Jim Chumley.

7. Growing stronger: 1977-1981

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977 was a busy year. lt was, of course, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, but much was going on at South Loughton, too. A special ‘task force’ had been set up at the start of the year to get the water leak mended, and the earth-moving efforts of members were rewarded, as the Minute Book records, ‘with a pint, paid for by the club’. Alterations within the pavilion were also moving ahead, under the indefatigable Doug Turner, and these were paid for from the good profit made that season. Jumble sales, social evenings and a sponsored run had all been well supported, while Don Gladden was formulating the idea of a ’100 Club’ – a scheme recently revived and which provides regular income to the club.

Though the season started damply, in contrast to 1976, its highlight was, once again, the Kentish tour. Though none of the games were won this time, good cricket and good socialising produced a winning formula. Len Rawlings was again the leading runmaker, with 97 not out and 93, though all who toured played at least one game, including those of more modest ability.

It seemed to be a year of long bowling stints. Against South Woodford in May, Don Gladden and Peter Jones bowled together unchanged for more than 40 overs, while against Loxford at Barking Park, Doug Turner and Peter Jones managed 23 each before Doug earned a rest (having taken 6-40). That game saw South Loughton struggling to win, with a mere 48-8 on the board at 7.20pm, chasing 75: going in at number ten, Robin Heafford hit 25 not out in less than 20 minutes to see the side home.

There were good wins and high scores as well, though: 235-5 at High Beach in July, when Peter Jones brought the declaration with two successive sixes; a third-wicket

partnership of 121 by Peter Greenhill and Chris de Boos at Maylands Green, out of 179-6; and a fine win on a July Saturday at Woodford Green, chasing 164, when Peter Jones smashed a boundary four in the final over. The season went on late, too, as if to make up for its wet start: the now customary South Loughton v Old Victorians match took place on 6 October.

The 1st Xl won 20 games and lost just nine, while the 2nds, under the astute captaincy of Norman Crowhurst, won more games than they lost – thanks to Don Gladden’s 51 wickets and 266 runs, and the steady bowling of Bill Wyatt. For the 1sts, Cliff Greenhill topped the averages with 791 runs, eight not outs helping him to a fine average of 52.7, while Phil Coe bettered the runs total with 799. Dick Davey amassed 720, including a knock of 122 not out at Spartan’s Larkswood Park ground in July. Peter Greenhill recorded his career-best 90 against Standard Harlow.

Ten-wicket victories are relatively rare, so the one achieved by the club against Old Cooperians at Goodmayes in June must have been satisfying. For Peter Jones, particularly so: he recorded career-best figures of 8-17 from 15.1 overs, as the home side were put out for 33 – in an innings that lasted 30 overs. At the other end, Doug Turner was consistency personified: 2-12 in 14 overs. Neither won the bowling cup, however – that went to Ray Perkins, whose 5-66 in a special match played on 7 October typified his good season. The game was South Loughton v Woodford Burke’s Xl, and many names variously associated with the club turned out for the visitors.

Peter Grummitt scored 108; Brian Harding and Bill Burke both made ducks; Eric Penn took four wickets; and Dave Karchargis, batting at number ten, scored 10 not out and took 2-22 as South Loughton were comfortably beaten.

Another substantial profit had been made over the year, and treasurer Chris Couldrey reported at the 1978 AGM that members could be proud of their efforts. ln return, the accounts were ‘enthusiastically adopted’ – not too frequent an occurrence in any sports club.

The club had now been in existence for 40 years. To mark the service given by John Forbes over this time, he was presented with a carriage clock; while Norman Crowhurst, now starting to play less, was made a vice-president.

The good playing performances of 1978 continued the next year, as the 1sts won 23 out of 44 games and the 2nds 10 out of 21. lndeed, so confident were members that this general improvement was going to last that a plea was made for the strength of opponents to be increased in future! Perhaps it was the thought of winning one of two new trophies that was spurring players on: Dick Davey’s mother presented a cup that was to be awarded to the best individual performance in the 1st Xl. To match this, the old George Dunning Trophy, which had been given to the winner of a single wicket competition, was re-allocated to the best display in the 2nds. lnaugural winners were Bob Chumley, for a not out 50 which rescued the 1st Xl from 30-7 against United Glass to scrape a draw, and Dave Monk, whose 64 not out against Dagenite was backed up by ‘general improvement during the year’.

The average runs per wicket of 18.6 shows that batsmen in the 1st XI again had a good year. Ten players scored fifties, and Phil Coe made 857 runs, while Jim Chumley and Chris de Boos both scored 56 as the team chased, and reached, 208 against Belhus. Colin Mead, in the first of only two full seasons with the club, opened the bowling and topped the averages, followed by Peter Jones, who took 83 wickets. The emergence of Don Gladden in the 1sts was typified by his performance against United Glass: after South Loughton had been dismissed

for a modest 131, he bowled 16.2 overs and took 5-34 as, with Colin Mead, they cleaned up the visitors unchanged.

It was nice that, as the ‘70s came to an end, a man who played such a major part in the club the decade before should be in action at Roding Road once more. Barry Hearn, by now starting to make a name for himself in business, helped the Old Victorians defeat the club side. He didn’t take a wicket – Eric Penn’s 8-45 was devastating enough – but a middle-order 21 showed that Barry hadn’t lost his touch.

As the year turned, so the reformed social committee burst into action. A night at the dogs at Walthamstow Stadium, darts evenings at the Wheatsheaf and a car rally all brought members together during the winter, and helped club funds.

The December newsletter reported that star darts thrower Don Gladden was having his action investigated by the MCC, while, a few months later, ‘Penelope Pit-stop Jones and Many Advisers’ triumphed in the car rally – closely followed by Tino Chumberkeley.

Spurred on as if by the approach of the new decade, much was happening in local cricket circles. The llford and District Cricket Association was formed, the club affiliated, and entered its evening knock-out competition, the J S Poulson Cup (later the D J Kesby Cup). Plans for an indoor cricket league were also put forward, and a team entered that too. Weekend league cricket was spreading, and at the AGM that year, Bill Burke opened a debate about whether the club should take part in the newlyformed Lillywhite Frowd Essex County League. Peter Jones, soon to become the club’s league representative, explained that two Saturday Xls would have to be run – something that had not happened since the early 1960s – but this seemed little deterrent to the general enthusiasm for competitive cricket. Bob Chumley proposed, and Peter Jones seconded, the motion that the club apply for league membership in 1982.

It was clear that members were ambitious for the future – which meant a letter from Loughton CC suggesting amalgamation could have only one answer. Proud South Loughton were interested only in items ‘of mutual benefit’. ln the meantime, friendly fixtures continued – but only a moderate season. Though Phil Coe (867 runs), Cliff Greenhill (617 runs) and Peter Jones (86 wickets) had a good year, exactly half the 40 1st XI games were drawn. The 2nds fared badly, winning just twice, with Jim Chumley the only batsman to top 200 runs. Bad weather hit the tour, with all games washed out, while the May newsletter recalled the first game of the year. ‘Saturday 26 April v Rosedale: Rosedale 149-5, South Loughton froze’. lt made the highlights all the more attractive: two eighties in succession from Phil Coe, to win the Mrs Davey Cup; and reaching the semi-final of the J S Poulson Cup in its first year.

The winter of 1980-81 saw the club’s first venture into indoor cricket – at Wanstead Leisure Centre, in Division 3A of the Ilford & District League. All five games were won, but the playoff against Division 3B winners Fives & Heronians was lost. Bill Burke received an award as the outstanding player of the tournament.

As had been stressed when the original debate about league cricket was held, South Loughton would need to field two sides on Saturdays to be eligible. 1981 provided a dry run – and, what’s more, there were now enough players for the club to field an ‘Extra 2nd Xl’ for the first time ever, and this team played four games. Bill Burke had rejoined the club after eight years at Highams Park, and he and Cliff Greenhill renewed efforts to develop a colts’ section, with an encouraging response. An under-13 side played their first game against Loughton, winning handsomely. After scoring 82-4 in 22 overs,

Loughton were dismissed for 41 with Paul Green taking 3-10 and Leslie Pratt 2-0. By the middle of the season, more than 20 youngsters were turning up to play and practise, and most of them had at least one proper match during the year. Many of that squad stayed with the club and went on to play at senior level.

Several found a game with the Saturday 2nds, captained by Bob Chumley, who agreed to drop down a side to help develop the younger players, or with the Sunday 2nds and Extra 2nds, taken over by Bill Burke and Norman Crowhurst respectively.

Jim Fleming, Neil Blundy, Paul Green, Vijay Krishnarayan, Steve Bryant, Dave Blow and John Oakley all appeared, and were helped by the experience of playing alongside Malcolm Sweeting, Steve Gladden, Glen Belcher and Sid Collins.

Newcomers Clive Stops and Greg Pope also proved invaluable, so the playing strength of the club was gradually improving – as shown by the 1st Xl’s record of 19 wins and seven losses, and 12 wins for the 2nds. lt had, said chairman Norman Crowhurst, ‘been a busy season’. lt was also a year of landmarks for the club. Cliff Greenhill finally topped the thousand run mark, totalling 1,059, while Peter Jones also topped the thousand – but this was wickets in his career. For the 2nd XI against Spartan, Clive Stops and Bob Chumley added 139 for the third wicket as the side reached 202-7, Bob’s 85 a career best, then Robin Heafford took 8-26 as the visitors were dismissed for 65. The Extra 2nds also recorded their first win, 85 from Steve Gladden paving the way for a four-wicket defeat of West Essex.

1981 was the year that Norman Crowhurst, scorer of more than 10,000 runs and stalwart of the club, decided to retire. As the last of the original playing members finally to return to the

pavilion, it was most definitely the end of an era, but it was also the start of an exciting new one: league cricket, a thriving colts’ section, success in indoor cricket, and a club that was, according to auditor Chris Le Good, ‘basically solvent and in good shape’. The future looked bright.

8. League ambitions: 1982-1987

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lubs receiving the South Loughton fixture card for 1982 will have noticed its greater thickness than before. This year, there were pages allocated to a Sunday 3rd Xl (captain Robin Heafford) and to a colts’ section (coached by Bill Burke and Cliff Greenhill). There was also a capital ‘L’ alongside many of the Saturday 1st and 2nd Xl games – denoting that the club was, for the first time, competing in league cricket: division three of the Lillywhite Frowd Essex County League.

To a large extent, league cricket was an unknown quantity.

Although teams had taken part in the Cocking and Poulson/Kesby Cups, and in the 45-overs Bertie Joel Cup, playing matches with all the seriousness of a cup-tie over the duration of an entire season would present a new challenge.

For a club which had traditionally been strongest in availability on Sundays there was the challenge of fielding satisfactory sides on Saturdays from the first week in May to the end of August. Furthermore, there was the question of attitude: would league cricket alter players’ perceptions of what had previously been a sporting day out with relatively little at stake? Would other clubs – many of whom were new opponents – be of like mind? ln short, was it exactly what was wanted, or was the decision to enter the league forced on the club by worry about maintaining fixtures?

Cliff Greenhill, Bill Burke and Don Gladden were all recommended for possible selection in a Lillywhite Frowd League representative team, so there seemed a certain degree of confidence in the playing ability within the club. And this was backed up when, on the first Saturday of the league season, Peter Jones took 6-15 for the 1sts as they dismissed Hainault and Chigwell for 61, and went on to collect a maximum 20 points.

Both captains led from the front. For the 1st XI, Phil Coe had a marvellous season, notching a total of 1,232 runs, and backing this up with 23 wickets at an average of 12.3. Don Gladden, leading the 2nds, took 37 wickets at 10.3. ln all cricket that year, Phil made ten half-centuries, and 120 against Southchurch in July; while Don bagged 65 wickets for the 1st XI to take his aggregate to 102.

It’s worth recording the names of the 22 players who represented the club on that first league Saturday: 1st XI: P. Coe, W. Burke, T. Bonnett, G. Pope, J. Oakley, C. Greenhill, C. De Boos, P. Jones, D. Turner, S. Gladden, G. Belcher 2nd Xl: D. Gladden, R. Heafford, F. Taylor, C. Venes, J. Fleming, D. Blow, M. Charlesworth, C. Stops, R. Clare, S. Potts, N. Blundy And the honour of taking the first wickets – both teams fielded first – went to Tony Bonnett for the 1sts, and Fred Taylor for the 2nds, Fred dismissing Hainault and Chigwell’s Ken Goult in the first over of the match.

The fine start didn’t last right through the league programme, but the overall standard was still sufficiently high to give hope for the future. lt had to be remembered, though, that all the other clubs were in exactly the same position – and the standard would only improve.

As well as the entry into league cricket, much else happened in 1982. Cliff Greenhill was the other century maker with an unbeaten 100 against Hutton Travellers, while Len Gold had the misfortune to be run out for 99 for the 2nd Xl against South Woodford. Cliff Greenhill turned in the best bowling analysis – and in the same match as his century, too. His 7-21 must have left Hutton mighty sick of the sight of him!

Most notable was the greater consistency achieved. There were 21 fifties scored for the 1st XI, and 21 five-wicket hauls.

Doug Turner took seven wickets in an innings twice for the 2nds and was superbly backed up by Clive Stops, who made 644 runs for the side, and Jim Fleming, whose 420 overs brought 76 wickets.

Also good for the future health of the club were the fielding of a 3rd XI – which meant that no fewer than 56 players got a game for one of the lower teams – and the regular staging of colts’ matches. Though the colts’ team was only moderately successful, many juniors also turned out in adult cricket: Dave Blow, that year’s most promising young player and awarded the new President’s Trophy, claimed ten catches and eight stumpings for the 2nd and and 3rd Xls. Perhaps the only unenviable record to be set that year was a new highest total against the club. ln the second round of the Bertie Joel Cup (following a bye), Gidea Park and Romford rattled up the small matter of 344-3.

The club committee was keen to increase the number of vicepresidents of the club, and in early 1983 it was decided that two respected former members should be added to the list.

Derek Higgins and George Eastwood, stalwarts in the 1960s, had continued to follow the fortunes of the club while developing their business interests, and so it was with pleasure that John Forbes proposed their names. They joined John himself, Colin Brookes, Norman Crowhurst, Peggy Fletcher, Jack Harris, Len Neate and Reg Holcombe – figures representing almost every era of the club’s existence.

Any vice-president – or any former player, for that matter – who had not visited the ground for a couple of seasons would have noticed many changes. Not only was the quality of pitches steadily improving, under the supervision of Bill Burke,

but Doug Turner had carried out major internal work to the pavilion, including the installation of showers, ably assisted by Jim Chumley. It made the prospect of cricket on a hot, sunny day less of a sweaty one.

Hot, sunny days were few and far between early in 1983, however. The season got off to a sodden start as the 1st XI entertained Saffron Walden – for the first time in two decades – and the 2nds lost three of their first four games to rain. lt was slightly better when league matches got underway, the 1st XI recording a damp win at Becontree defending 78 then bowling out South Ockendon for 77 the following week for 20 more points, but that wasn’t to last: only Carreras and Britannic Lodge were beaten later in the year, and the Saturday 1sts failed to win any sort of game from 2 July to 10 September.

The 2nd team fared only marginally better, but it was a 2nds game at Shoeburyness that provided the season’s best performance. Chasing 148 to win, Shoebury were cruising home at 133-3. Although Greg Pope captured a couple of quick wickets, the score moved on to 143-5. Greg, however, kept tossing the ball up and panic started to set in among the batsmen. Wild hits led to skied catches, and the stumping of Shoebury’s last man by Bill Burke – fit again after two months out following a serious blow to the head on FA Cup final day – with two runs needed epitomised the collapse. For Greg, it was a career best 8-28, and the 2nd XI’s fourth win of the year.

Considering the thoroughly average league seasons enjoyed, the magnificent run in the Bertie Joel Cup was something of a surprise. First, City Police were despatched, then Upminster in a low-scoring encounter at Roding Road. The third round took the side to Noak Hill, where 135 proved to be enough to beat opponents who cracked under the pressure of some brilliant South Loughton outfielding. Famous Finchley – previous

winners of the cup – were the opponents in the ‘last 16’, the draw for which was broadcast on local radio. Although there was to be no repetition of the giant-killing, the side played well to lose by 100 runs chasing 240 against a team containing Middlesex bowler Bill Merry.

A year of more downs than ups – after all, league cricket was proving to be tougher than many had, perhaps, expected – but the cup run had provided plenty of excitement. And the relatively healthy financial position – treasurer Doug Turner reported a profit of £354 on the year – had been helped by a sponsored slim by Chris Le Good. Leaner and fitter Le Good was singled out for ‘strength of will’ when chairman Norman Crowhurst reviewed the year.

The winter of 1983-84, however, brought excellent indoor cricket performances. The ‘A’ team had won promotion to Division 1 of the Ilford & District League and won five out of 11 matches at Eastway Sports Centre – an outstanding effort given the strength of a league which included Wanstead – national champions in 1981 and runners-up the year after. The ‘B’ team finished fourth in Division 2 and only missed promotion due to a last-day defeat by Loughton. Cliff Greenhill and Andrew Shields made the batting ‘leading scorers’ list, and Cliff and Glenn Belcher did likewise for bowling. The club also entered a new Sunday evening competition at Waltham Abbey, finishing runners-up in the league and semi-finalists in the cup.

Though the competition has now moved to St Aubyn’s School in Woodford Green, the club still competes during each closeseason.

The colts’ page in the fixture card was a blank in 1984.

‘Matches will be played on an ad hoc basis this year’, it read.

Those who had joined two years before had passed the upper age limit, and the club’s tenuous grip on young players had once more manifested itself – a situation that would take

another decade to rectify. However, some of the juniors of ‘82 were now establishing themselves in the senior XIs, and for two it was a splendid year.

For the first time in club history, a bowler took ‘all ten’ in an 11-a-side match. Bill Nuttall had achieved the feat 37 years earlier, but that was in a 12-a-side game. On this occasion, Neil Blundy ran through the Elsenham batting order for the Sunday 2nd Xl, taking his ten wickets for 40 runs. lt was another success for the side that was without doubt the most consistent that year: under the captaincy of John Oakley, the Sunday 2nds won 11 games and lost only three.

Vice-captain Paul Green recorded 1,021 runs in a golden year, with 104 against Dagenite, and his consistency at the top of the order helped defeat strong opposition. This was helped by high team morale, and support from ‘Sundays only’ players like Dave Monk and Peter Finson. Despite these Sunday spectaculars, 1984 was generally another disappointing year.

After a first-day win at Saffron Walden, a 214-apiece draw at Corringham, and a Chris de Boos-inspired victory against South Woodford when the ‘old boy’ made a masterly 86 not out, confidence was high. Becontree were comfortably beaten by five wickets but, following a win at Thorpe Bay on 2 June, the 1sts failed to taste victory again until 11 August, when they beat Old Westcliffians. Though the home game with Stanfordle-Hope produced an exciting 153-each tie, lack of application to press home winning positions led to a string of defeats. The team had got into the habit of throwing games away, and other sides had learned that such chances were not to be sniffed at.

There were signs of improvement in the 2nds, though. With Greg Pope’s bowling often too good for opposing batsmen, seven league games were won, and six defeats generally close-

fought. Thorpe Bay were bowled out for 22 after South Loughton had amassed 169-8, and there was to be no repeat of the antics at Shoeburyness as a calm, seven-wicket win ensued. When the 2nd Xl results for both days were added together, the total of 20 wins was a decent return.

Though the Sunday 1st team suffered many reverses, several were to newer and stronger opponents. The 9-34 haul by Lee Patient at Old lgnatians did, however, lead to a win. lronically enough, the other wicket that day was taken by occasional bowler Alan Savage, to deprive Lee of the chance of ‘all ten’.

President’s Day was by common assent one of the most successful yet staged. A women’s match was held in the morning, assisted by various club members in drag, while the main game produced a close finish: former player Chris Venes hammered a superb 50 in a partnership with Tim Tollworthy, to set up a last-over finale in which Robin Heafford won the game for the President’s side with two wickets left. lf 1984 had been a year of dented pride, then the next season was very much a turning point in the club’s ambitions.

Promotion to division two of the Lillywhite Frowd League was achieved on the final Saturday, when just two bonus points were needed at Canvey lsland – the champions – to ensure second place. The home side batted first and made 196-6, a total that gave South Loughton only one point – a litany of nervous missed catches being partly to blame. Then needing to score 120 to gain the vital extra batting point, the side collapsed in tense misery: 113 all out. Only when the result of Thorpe Bay v Cranham was known to have worked in favour of South Loughton could the champagne start to flow.

The Saturday 1st XI had, in fact, remained unbeaten until that day at Canvey. Their pattern of wins was interrupted by three abandoned games – the rain at Stanford-le-Hope interceding at

a most opportune time – and the crucial success was against close rivals Cranham. Having dismissed them for 98, South Loughton lost only four wickets to deprive Cranham of any bonus points – but had to wait until the penultimate over for victory. Despite a partnership of 86 for the first wicket by Paul Green and Marc Gunby, progress was snail-like - but sure.

Paul’s 58 was of such importance that it won him the best performance award for the year.

Led by Clive Stops, the 2nds were certainly finding league play to their liking. Six wins and three defeats left the side in fourth place in the table. Andrew Shields had begun to find his feet, making four fifties and 75 at South Ockendon, which won him the best performance award for the 2nds, and he and the captain were a solid opening pair. A young side, for whom success seemed imminent, there were several players who could step in without weakening the team: Tim Tollworthy and Ross Gunby both made valuable contributions, with Ross a more than capable wicketkeeping replacement should Jim Chumley be unavailable.

Sunday cricket was again against stronger opponents, and the combined 1st Xl record of 23 wins and nine defeats represented a fine all-round season. For the first time ever, the side averaged more than 20 runs per wicket, and there were no fewer than 30 half-centuries scored. Paul Green’s 94 at Corringham and Cliff Greenhill’s not out 92 at Saffron Walden topped the list while, among the bowlers, Neil Blundy’s 79 wickets at 11.96 and Jim Fleming’s 42 at 12.02 made the bowling cup a close-run affair. Clive Stops ended the year with 510 runs in the 2nds, and the fine average of 30, while Glen Belcher reached three figures against Broxbourne. Behind the stumps, Bill Burke made 52 dismissals.

Sadly, 1985 saw a particularly unpleasant outbreak of vandalism and crime. Having been plagued during the season

by motorcyclists illegally riding around the fields, bikes were then ridden across the square – and, to add an evil climax to 11 days of incident, a stolen car was set on fire in front of the pavilion. The damage was estimated in the substantial local newspaper coverage at around £1,000. Bill Burke’s words to the press captured the anger of club members: ‘It has wiped out our future plans for the club. It is not going to be easy to get the money together.’ Hampshire and Middlesex player Kevan James, writing in The Club Cricketer, picked up on the story, too: reporting the incidents, James concluded: ‘l wouldn’t mind helping out myself, although there’s no guarantee that if I came across these hooligans my shovel wouldn’t end up wrapped around something else.’

Fortunately, the ignorance of ‘The Wreckers’ – as the West Essex Gazette titled their story – led them to vandalise the middle of the square rather than the ends, so patching up was not the massive task at first anticipated. lndeed, by the end of what was a damp 1986, the damage was barely visible.

That wasn’t all, though: as the season commenced, the pavilion was broken into and a new mower was stolen, along with other items. Not a good way to begin the year.

On the brighter side, however, Kevin Pickston and Bill Burke had been largely responsible for installing a practice net at the ground with John Davies, Clive Stops and Jim Chumley forming the labouring team that laid a concrete base and posts. New players, including Eddie Dean and Matt Baldwin, were attracted by the facility offered.

Someone always keen to practise was Dave Karchargis, for whom 1986 was his first full summer after joining from Highams Park. ln his first three seasons, Dave scored more than 2,600 runs and took 150 wickets, with his all-round ability considerably strengthening the 1st Xl. ln 1986, it was his 105

not out at Old Westcliffians that brought the team their first win in ten games, to end a string of defeats that had lasted from 31 May. As captain Bob Chumley wrote in the end-ofseason issue of club newsletter The Mole: ‘The final two months of the season were a delight, with eight wins out of nine games, five of these in the league. We started to produce totals capable of defence, and this reactivated thoughts of promotion. Alas, this late burst could not make up for June and July’s failings, and promotion was missed by 19 points.’ lt must be noted here that league reorganisation meant six teams were lifted into division one. Phil Coe and John Davies were the other leading run makers, while those two and Greg Pope joined Dave Karchargis at the head of the bowling averages. ln the combined records, however, the batting cup went to Cliff Greenhill once more.

1986 was the 2nd XI’s season. Even though it was a side with ‘no real stars’, to quote skipper Peter Jones, the team finished second in the reserve division of the league, winning 11 out of 15 games and ending the campaign with six wins out of seven.

Batting was consistent, with totals averaging 180-200, and the bowling of Bill Wyatt, Neil Blundy and Lee Patient kept opponents tied up. Eddie Dean began to realise his huge allround potential, while newcomers such as Matt Baldwin often played vital parts: at Hornchurch Athletic, in only Matt’s second innings in serious cricket, he made 35 to rescue the side from 47-7, and eke out a total that was enough to defend.

What crowned the season was the selection of Leslie Pratt as the league’s ‘Young Player of the Year’. Les, and his brother Gary, had both been with the club since they were 13.

It was the second damp summer in succession, but there was enough in the cricket played to suggest that the club had made progress over the year. Though the final league position of ninth was disappointing, the standard of opponents on both Saturdays and Sundays was higher than ever, and the likes of

2nd XI, 1986 (Back row) Jim Chumley, Glen Belcher, Mike Rodrigues, Alan Savage, John Oakley, Clive Stops; (Front row) Les Pratt, Marc Gunby, Peter Jones, Andrew Shields, Steve Radford Old Camdenians (for the 1sts) and Winchmore Hill (for the 2nds) helped give an impressive fixture card.

There was, however, a tragic interlude to the year. Keith Minton was in his first season with the club, and had shown himself to be useful player. After helping the 3rd XI beat West Essex, Keith was killed in a car crash. A minute’s silence was observed at games the following weekend.

If 1986 was wet, 1987 was even wetter. The ground flooded twice after heavy mid-season rain, and a frustrating number of games were abandoned or postponed. Winning positions in league matches were thwarted, and on the final Saturday of the season, when wins for either team could have brought promotion or runner-up honours, all play was washed out.

The reorganisation of the league following the defection of several clubs to form the Essex lnvitation League had undoubtedly lowered the overall standard, but it presented the club with a perfect opportunity to progress to the top division. Unfortunately, mid-season defeats by Cranham and Old Clarkonians scotched such hopes, and the 1st Xl finished third, three points behind champions Stanford-le-Hope.

Dave Karchargis had another excellent year. In 1985 he had entered the record books with partnership bests: 130 with John Davies for the fourth wicket against Octopus; 132 with Bob Chumley for the fifth wicket against Tye Green. ln 1987, he hoisted himself into the rarefied heights of the thousand run makers, notching 1,138 from 45 innings, with six fifties, to wrest the batting cup from Cliff Greenhill.

Dave – nicknamed ‘Honey Monster’ – also bagged 65 wickets, exceeded only by John Davies’ 66, although it was lan Palfreman, in his first full season after leaving Queen Mary College, and Greg Pope who were most economical. Paul Green made 110 on President’s Day, Marc Gunby 108 not out against Fives & Heronians, and there were 27 other scores of 50 or more. Brian Florey took a hat-trick against Eastwood in the league to win the best performance award, but no bowler took more than six wickets in an innings. ln his end-of-season report, Peter Jones concluded that the 2nd XI, in spite of finishing third in the league table, had been ‘rather disappointing’. Not only because seven out of 13 games were rain-affected, but because defeats in the first two matches had effectively put the side out of the running for honours. The easy wins of the year before had become struggles, and it was not until after a dreadful defeat by Cranham that the corner was turned: the 2nds went through July and August unbeaten.

Without doubt the best performance came from Robert Glendinning against Eastwood: chasing 164, South Loughton had slumped to 58-6, but Rob and Andrew Shields added 106, of which the former’s contribution was a career-best 73 not out. The partnership created a seventh-wicket record which stood until 2009.

There were enough players for a 3rd XI to be fielded, too, under the captaincy of Chris Couldrey. Their 13 games produced five wins, and a first-wicket partnership of 155 by Glen Belcher and Dick Bignell at Rayleigh. ln the same game, Cliff Greenhill’s 12-year-old son Colin took a remarkable 7-23, and he ended the season with 18 wickets at a mere 8.28 runs apiece. Colin and his younger brother Stuart were both chosen to represent Essex during the summer.

The club also made an appearance in The Sun, in November.

Barry Hearn recalled in an interview that 1969 was a year he’d always remember: ‘How could I forget it? I scored my highest ever innings at cricket, an 89 while playing for South Loughton, and finished the season with more than 800 runs and 103 wickets.’ Although the figures were slightly wrong, it was almost certainly South Loughton’s first mention in a national newspaper.

The winter of 1987-88 saw continued efforts to improve the status of the club. At the 1987 AGM, Bob Chumley unveiled architect’s plans for a new pavilion. This was the first time that the subject had moved from mere talk to action, though the cost – estimated at around £40,000 – was daunting.

Allied to this discussion was the possibility of creating a second square at the ground. For several years the club had paid a nominal rent for a patch of ground where the football pitch is sited today, but this also raised the question of whether a new pavilion would need to be located between the two pitches in

order to serve both, and the consultation this would involve.

As the club moved into its 50th anniversary season, there was much for members and officers to ponder.

‘The Mole’ Andrew Shields, a journalist by profession, re-established the club’s newsletter in 1982. The Mole included ‘Quotes of the season’, continuing what Colin Brookes had started in the late ’50s. Now captured forever was Lee Patient’s unwise offer when watching Arthur Dennis, not the most renowned batsman in the club, at the crease: ‘If Arthur hits a six, I’ll buy a jug.’ Two sixes later…

In 1986, Matt Baldwin was out first ball four times in succession. ‘They call Jack Nicklaus the Golden Bear of golf,’ quipped Dave Monk. ‘We call Matt Baldwin the Golden Duck of cricket.’ At Woodford Wells, Matt was dismissed by a very quick bowler. Back in the pavilion, he breathed a sigh of relief and declared: ‘I’m glad that hit the stumps and not me…’ A few years later, Dick Bignell admitted: ‘I might be deaf and going blind, but I can still see enough to give Matt Baldwin out LBW.’ Peter Jones was doing a pitch inspection in 1987: ‘Wicket looks green…’ Bill Burke: ‘It’s not green, it’s the colour…’

Peter again, the following year: ‘I don’t think the river will flood.’ Bill: ‘But a lot of water comes down from the forest at night…’

If an excuse for poor fielding was ever needed, John Leader had the answer: ‘I saw the ball coming so I withdrew my foot’. And: ‘I couldn’t stop it because when I bent down I knelt on a stone…’

President’s Days during the 1980s sometimes included a mixed match with girlfriends, partners and family members involved

9. A year of celebration: 1988

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he club’s golden jubilee year opened with indoor cricket success. The ‘A’ team, captained by Bill Burke, won the Ilford & District League division two title; a club team won the cup competition; and Bill, John Davies, Dave Karchargis, Cliff Greenhill, Barry Green and Phil Coe were the mainstays of the side that won all ten games in the Waltham Abbey Indoor League, again gaining promotion from division two.

After a quiz night and fish supper which attracted 150 people and raised more than £400, the next major event was March’s 50th anniversary dinner at which the club history would be launched. Held at the Roebuck Hotel in Buckhurst Hill with Barry Hearn as guest speaker, the event was a 130-seat sell-out weeks before. Barry capped a memorable evening with a humorous and touching speech in which he remembered joining the club as an 18-year-old, his 100 wickets in 1969, and a succession of ‘dodgy umpires and ineffective captains’. He concluded: ‘When the 2nd XI were a man short going to a game last season, Peter Jones drove past my house, leaned out of the car window and asked if I wanted a game. My kitbag was already packed…’ A few weeks later, Barry wrote a diary for The Sun which just happened to be of the day he spoke at the dinner. ‘Old friends and good times’ were his diary themes.

Neil Blundy had cause to enjoy the first game of the season, taking 7-24 including a hat-trick with his medium-pace outswingers in a friendly at Chingford. However, the 1st XI’s league campaign began in low-key style, with only one win from four games. Thankfully, Bob Chumley’s side recovered to win seven matches in succession and secure fourth place in division two – enough to ensure promotion due to another reorganisation of the divisions.

Dave Karchargis topped 1,000 runs for the second year in succession, Neil Blundy took more than 100 wickets and Phil Coe reached the major milestone of 10,000 runs for the club.

2nd XI, 1988 (Back row) Robert Glendinning, Bill Wyatt, Tim Tollworthy, Glen Belcher, Chris de Boos, Jim Chumley; (Front row) Andrew Shields, John Oakley, Peter Jones, Cliff Greenhill, Lee Patient The 2nds were the team of the year, taking their divisional title with skipper Peter Jones richly deserving his success after finishing second and third in the preceding years. Seven players averaged more than 20 as ten games were won and only one lost.

The club’s first ever Cricket Week began in sodden style with Monday’s game against Hainault & Chigwell rained off.

Thankfully the weather improved for the visit of Barry Hearn’s XI, who were beaten by 51 runs chasing South Loughton’s

172-6 declared. Phil Coe made a bright 73, but it was Steve Davis’s medium-pace that grabbed the attention of the local media as the snooker superstar took 4-26. Wednesday’s draw with Buckhurst Hill was also rain affected as South Loughton scraped to 124-8 chasing 167-7 declared, but the sun certainly shone for the traditional encounter with Old Victorians, for whom numerous South Loughton players have turned out over the years. Games between the sides have produced some numbingly dull cricket but, as if in honour of the occasion, this one was a cracker. Old Vics declared on 195-6, after which a match-winning stand of 96 between Rob Glendinning and Les Pratt left captain Peter Jones to seal victory from the penultimate ball.

Barry Hearn and Steve Davis, Cricket Week 1988 All was now set for the main event, the visit of the Club Cricket Conference President’s XI: an 11.30am start, lunch and tea for 40 people, and a top-class opposition assembled by Eddie Poulter, one of the CCC’s Essex representatives. Invited to bat first by captain Bob Chumley, Chingford’s Richard Alston opened the innings – and with a combination of careful defence and astonishing power against bowlers who were performing well above themselves, reached his century just before lunch. After perhaps enjoying slightly too much port

with his meal, Alston was stumped by Bill Burke for 104, setting up the CCC for a mid-afternoon declaration at 252-9.

The club reply, sadly, was not up to the determination of its bowling. Only Phil Coe, with 23, looked comfortable against an attack drawn from Ilford, Chingford and Fives & Heronians, and the innings ended on 97, just after 6pm. Nevertheless, all the hard work was worth it as the week concluded with the club’s reputation greatly enhanced.

Two weeks later, a tour to the Bristol area brought three wins and an abandonment, with John Davies – condemned to wear the tour bow tie and oversize glasses for ‘lazy fielding’ at Portishead – making light of his affliction by capturing nine Winscombe wickets for 72 from 18 overs. John ended the tour with 15 victims in three games.

A year to remember, then – and all captured in Cricket World.

The club had been chosen to record its exploits in the monthly magazine, which offered some opponents a little inside information. Our hosts at Winscombe were avid readers: Bob Chumley was recognised from his pen-picture in the July issue, while the reputation of Dave Karchargis had reached deepest Somerset. On arrival, the first question to the touring party was: ‘Is the Honey Monster playing?’

Keith Taylor (standing), Clive Stops, John Davies and Spencer Goss at Winscombe on tour, 1988. Despite the bow tie and glasses, John took 9-72

10. Challenges and change: 1989-1998

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s the ’80s drew towards a close, the club was enjoying one of its most vibrant periods on the pitch, with consistent performances by both Saturday XIs in a stillstrong league, challenging Sunday fixture lists for both teams, and a Saturday 3rd XI turning out regularly. However, there was a real awareness that the club needed to develop off the pitch if this growth was to continue.

The impetus provided by the 50th anniversary season was maintained with the development of a planning application for a new pavilion. While the likelihood of raising sufficient funds was relatively remote, this was at least a statement of intent.

All the more frustrating, then, to read a letter in the Loughton Guardian from a local resident depicting a scene of ‘noisy spectators and balls flying everywhere’. Club public relations officer Andrew Shields set the matters straight in the following edition: ‘It sounds as if South Loughton will be staging Test matches. Anyone who has ever watched a local club cricket match will know this to be an unrealistic picture’. However, this was to be the first of several battles between the club and residents who, despite the nearest house being more than 60 metres from the ground, were firmly of the ’NIMBY’ persuasion.

The 1st XI ended the 1989 campaign in seventh place, a credible effort following promotion and reorganisation of the league from three divisions into two. The 2nds won their first five league games, including a victory over Noak Hill that included the rare dismissal of an opposing batsman ‘handled the ball’, while Bob Chumley and Paul Green set a new firstwicket record partnership of 191 against Tilbury as Bob struck a career-best 134 not out in a total of 286-4. The only black mark for Bob was running out brother Jim, who missed the

chance to join the run feast! Sadly, a mid-term slump saw the 2nd XI finish fifth with ten wins and four defeats.

The most noteworthy events took place in friendly games: in a Sunday 3rd XI match at Winchmore Hill, there was a 56-year age difference between the opening bowlers as 68-year-old Arthur Dennis and 12-year-old Stuart Greenhill took the new ball – with Stuart snatching a wicket on his debut as dad Cliff bagged 5-55 and scored 54 not out to secure a seven-wicket success. Another youngster in form was 17-year-old Spencer Goss, who hit an unbeaten 102 as the Sunday 2nds beat Brentwood by ten wickets, with 65-year-old Dick Bignell 25 not out at the other end. Remarkably, the same pair achieved an identical feat the following Sunday as Spencer’s 81 not out and Dick’s undefeated 43 saw North Harrow also vanquished by the maximum margin.

John Oakley receives a framed scorecard from chairman Norman Crowhurst before emigrating to the USA, 1989 Barry Hearn’s Matchroom team turned out once again during Cricket Week, with Stuart Greenhill this time bagging Steve Davis for a duck as the cueman and guests reached 160. Paul

Starkins smashed 58 as South Loughton won by five wickets.

Barry himself played on President’s Day, taking 3-11 but unfortunately being bowled for a duck.

It was the turn of the club’s bowlers to come in for a pasting on the Somerset tour, as Winscombe’s Aussie Rick Toohey hammered 147 not out – remarkably, his 13th century already that summer! John Davies, who took 9-72 in the fixture the previous summer, returned figures of 0-95 this time… John atoned with a half-century but Winscombe’s 265-2 proved way out of reach as the game ended in a draw.

The most extraordinary incident of the tour came at Nailsea, after Andrew Shields had top scored with 64 against his former club. Chasing the tourists’ 173-7 declared, Nailsea had slumped to 55-5 when skipper Bob Lilley strode to the crease and blasted a ferocious 87. Poor Matt Baldwin was the victim of much of the punishment, notably a huge six which crashed through the conservatory roof of one of the houses overlooking the ground. Five minutes later, the owner marched onto the pitch and shrieked: ‘I’ve lived here for 13 years and this has never happened before!’ At which almost the entire fielding side chorused: ‘Matt Baldwin’s never played here in 13 years!’ It turned out that the woman was sick as a parrot because six people were sitting in the conservatory at the time while her pet polly flew around out of its cage… The delay lasted 15 minutes, during which Bob Lilley not only owned up to the crime but managed to procure some business doing the repairs! When the game ended with South Loughton winners by 12 runs, Matt Baldwin’s analysis was four overs, no maidens, 40 runs, one window!

By the end of a very entertaining season, Dave Karchargis had amassed a formidable 1,657 runs, including a club record 149 not out against Pegasus, with Frank Jackson (1,183) and Cliff Greenhill (1,064) also topping the thousand. Bill Burke made a

record 67 dismissals behind the stumps, while Jim Chumley won the league’s 2nd XI award for most wicket-keeping victims. At the AGM, Norman Crowhurst decided it was time to retire as chairman. Apart from one seven-year break, he had held the position ever since the club was re-formed after the Second World War. Norman wished his successor Chris Couldrey good fortune, and received a standing ovation.

1990 brought mixed league results as both teams jostled for advantage pending another reshuffle – this time designed to allow clubs fielding more than one XI to ‘find their own level’.

Dave Karchargis topped 1,000 runs for the fourth consecutive season (1,607 runs at an average of 34.9, including a magnificent 150 not out at Pegasus – one more run than he had scored in the corresponding game the previous year!), while Bob Chumley reached four figures with 1,057. On the same day as Dave’s big innings at Pegasus, the 2nd XI played their last game of the season at Hutton. Peter Jones promoted himself to open the batting and made a career-best 73.

Poor mid-term runs left the 1st XI with six wins and nine defeats and the 2nds with seven of each – both ‘missing the cut’ and being placed in divisions two and five for the following season. Stronger clubs were leaving, and a general decline in playing standards and facilities was exemplified by a dreadful 2nd XI game at Old Clarkonians. On an unprepared wicket in Seven Kings Park, 16-year-old Stuart Clarke retired after being struck in the face (this was, of course, an era when helmets were unknown in amateur cricket) and Dick Bignell, making his league debut at the age of 65, took countless blows while accumulating a score of 40 not out. Dick and his bruises helped South Loughton grind out a total of 87-8 from 45 overs, which proved to be 15 runs too many for Old Clarkonians as Bill Wyatt proved almost unplayable in taking 5-13.

Dick also made headlines in happier circumstances when he scored his maiden century in a 3rd XI game against Chelmsford. With 17 boundaries featuring in an uncharacteristically aggressive knock, Dick was awarded a bat when he was nominated in a monthly club cricket competition run by the Sunday Express.

There was nothing wrong with the pitch for the Sunday 1st XI friendly against Epping, but it brought a scoreline reminiscent of the 1940s. South Loughton were shot out for just 46, then Neil Blundy and Dave Karchargis reduced Epping to 10-6. The visitors rallied but a stunning slip catch by Phil Coe dismissed the last man with the totals level and gave Blundy figures of 14-4-28-8. Neil ended the season with 93 wickets at an average of less than 20.

In contrast, there were runs aplenty on tour. Hampshire staffer Mike Newton hit 115 not out for Clifton Flax Bourton as they overhauled South Loughton’s 165-9 by eight wickets, while Winscombe’s latest overseas player was a certain Zimbabwe international called Grant Flower. Thankfully captain John Davies won the toss, and 104 not out from John Debnam and 59 from Karchargis set up the declaration at 236-4. Karchargis then removed Flower for 47 before Winscombe batted out time.

The league’s new eight-division structure theoretically meant more evenly-matched teams, but smaller divisions also meant competitive cricket in 1991 didn’t start until the last Saturday in May. The 1st XI finished fourth in division two without ever threatening to challenge the leaders, while the 2nds finished third from bottom of division five without looking likely to suffer relegation. However, the admission of ‘one-team’ clubs had begun to change the character of the league, a feature which was set to become more apparent over the next few years. John Davies (1,231 at an average of 45.5) and Dave

Karchargis (1,035 at an average of 35.7, including a club record 159 not out against Chingford on 6 October!) both reached four figures in terms of runs, while Neil Blundy sent down a heroic total of 660 overs, capturing 107 wickets at 17.68 apiece. For the 2nds, Matthew Baldwin’s 467 runs and 31 wickets was a worthy return. With attempts to fund a new pavilion continuing and £1,000 spent on planning fees alone, though, a yearly loss of almost £1,300 represented a worrying downturn in the club’s financial health.

The 1992 league season was restructured to start earlier, but with four free Saturdays which did little to build momentum.

The 1sts were bolstered by former Highams Park player Brian Harding’s batting and the arrival of Jawad Sayeed, whose six innings brought 333 runs at an average of 55.5, and secured four wins which was enough to stave off relegation. Captain John Davies led from the front with 753 runs and 57 wickets, while Neil Blundy again undertook a huge workload across all cricket, bowling 641 overs and once more being rewarded with 107 wickets at an average of 17.88. A slump was underway in the 2nd XI, however: plagued by a lack of regular players, a solitary mid-season league win at Barking was the only success as relegation loomed. Bill Wyatt’s 37 wickets was the sole statistic of note.

The 2nd XI went one better in 1993 but the meagre tally of two wins – both against Old Clarkonians – was not enough to prevent a second successive demotion. Robert Glendinning once again toiled manfully as captain, but without any batsman totalling more than 375 runs and a lack of bowling support for Bill Wyatt and Ghulam Quraishi – who was a friend of Jawad Sayeed and whose 21 league wickets was a notable achievement in a struggling team – the decline was impossible to arrest.

More contentious was the 1st XI’s relegation from division two.

A reasonable record of seven wins and nine defeats in a closefought division left the team third from bottom, with league rules stating that only two teams would be demoted. However, after Hornchurch Athletic, who finished below South Loughton, announced their intention to withdraw and move to the Morrant League amid efforts to create a genuine pyramid structure in the county, the decision was taken to relegate the third-bottom team instead. An appeal proved unsuccessful, as did an application to join the Morrant League as well. The club reached the necessary rating from the league assessor, but failed to secure a two-thirds majority for election.

Cocking Cup finalists, 1993 (Back row) John Forbes (President), Alan Savage, Bill Burke, Les Pratt, Aftab Rajput, Bill Wyatt, Robert Glendinning; (Front row) Neil Blundy, Jawad Sayeed, John Davies, Andrew Shields, Phil Coe The club’s first appearance in the final of the Cocking Cup proved a frustrating affair, following wins over Nazeing

Common (by 10 wickets chasing just 48) and Claybury Park (by seven wickets chasing 80). Roding Valley were the opponents in a game played at the Britannia Sports Ground – and having been in control almost throughout, South Loughton contrived to throw away their chances with a bowling performance that fell apart in the last two overs. The competition eventually folded in 2001 without the name of South Loughton ever being engraved on the trophy.

The team could have done with the kind of sensational hitting displayed by Tony Bamber in a Sunday 2nd XI match at South Woodford: chasing 151 to win, South Loughton had slipped to 127-8. The game lasted just five more balls as Tony hit 46664!

The club had continued to punch above its weight in indoor cricket, maintaining a place in the very strong division one of the Ilford & District League. However, March 1994 brought an unwanted record when a full-strength Wanstead ‘A’ team posted an all-out 199 in their 12 overs, despite Phil Coe offering some resistance with three wickets. A total of 112-5 was a creditable response.

During the 1993 season, John Davies had scored 843 runs and taken 55 wickets, while Jawad Sayeed amassed an impressive 935 runs. Both continued their fine form in ’94, with John completing ‘the double’ of 1,078 runs and exactly 50 wickets.

Jawad’s 126 not out in a third-wicket partnership of 150 with John helped the 1st XI post a formidable 247-2 against Shoeburyness – but on a shirtfront track at Shoebury Park, the hosts won by eight wickets with three overs to spare. For the 2nds on the same day, Jim Chumley and 69-year-old Dick Bignell shared a 156-run first-wicket stand against Britannic Lodge with Jim notching a career-best 91. The return at Britannic Lodge also brought a win, with Andrew Shields amassing 87 not out and Peter Finson’s seven-wicket spell earning him the season’s best performance award. The 2nd XI

had two victories expunged from their record following the mid-term withdrawal of Tye Green, and ended up secondbottom rather than fourth. The 1st XI finished third in division three and thus booked their place in the top division for 1995 following yet another reorganisation of the divisions.

Tour proved to be an uproarious week once more, with John Davies hitting a century in victory at Fry’s; Paul Charles hammering 72 to set up a win at Clifton Flax Bourton, who fielded former England and Surrey wicket-keeper Roy Swetman; and the game at Nailsea proving to be yet another thriller as the home side blasted Bill Wyatt’s last ball of the match for six to clinch a two-wicket triumph.

However, the year was overshadowed by the death of Norman Crowhurst at the age of 74. The headline on one obituary simply stated: ‘Norman Crowhurst – Mr South Loughton’. It was hard to disagree, and a reminder that links with the foundation of the club were starting to fade.

Wins were hard to come by in 1995, though the 1st XI achieved their aim of staying in the first division – a victory at relegated Shoeburyness on 26 August was the first since 10 June and only the third in the league all season. In his end-of-year report, captain John Davies remarked that ‘our problems revolved around three important areas: batting, bowling and fielding’. Marc Gunby, Jawad Sayeed and Aftab Rajput all chipped in around 300 runs while Phil Coe took 25 wickets supported by Greg Pope’s miserly spells. The 2nds also finished closer to the foot of the table than the top, though Matt Baldwin’s endless enthusiasm helped secure five important wins in the extended 16-game campaign.

It fell, almost inevitably, to tour to provide the season’s highlight. Nishanta Bordoloi, who would go on to play for Assam, was Nailsea’s overseas pro and smote 203 not out in a

total of 268-7. South Loughton had ‘borrowed’ Andrew Heath from the home club due to a temporary shortfall in numbers, and he notched 122 in a 179-run third-wicket partnership with John Davies. The tourists somehow needed just two runs from the last ball to pull off a remarkable victory but Matthew Baldwin – he of the ‘parrot incident’ at the same ground – could only scuff a single to secure a memorable tie.

1995 marked the final playing appearances for the club of Cliff Greenhill, Chris de Boos, Les Pratt, Robin Heafford and Neil Blundy. That year’s AGM brought a change at the top with Andrew Shields taking over as chairman, and in the captaincy of the Saturday 2nd XI with Peter Jones assuming command once more. The close-season also saw the death of Len Neate, whose impeccable handwriting was on the scorebooks from 1960 until ill-health forced him to retire in 1993. It was clear that 1996 would be another transitional year in the club’s history, but few foresaw so many challenges just ahead.

Bob Godfrey had been retained as groundsman for a second season but, after carrying out a small amount of pre-season work, failed to reappear and could not be contacted. A replacement was appointed but his work proved to be disappointing, leaving club members to deal with vital remedial work as well as produce pitches. Essex groundsman Stuart Kerrison was summoned to offer guidance, and his recommendations about the need for committed post-season work hastened the decision to cancel all end-of-season home friendly games. Few players, however, were sad to see the back of a summer which brought just one win in the league – now sponsored by the Barking & Dagenham Post in an indication of its changing geographical nexus – for the 1st XI and 14 defeats, with relegation almost sealed before July was out. Following the unannounced departure of Jawad Sayeed and others to South Woodford, the single highlight was teenage seamer Neil Lovegrove’s haul of 7-32 against

champions Asian. Chasing just 142, South Loughton were well placed at 81-3 – but a collapse to 120 all out typified the campaign. The 2nds, meanwhile, scraped three wins to finish second-bottom of division three, while many Sunday games were postponed due to lack of availability – a clear sign that trying to field two teams on Sundays was no longer realistic.

Informal correspondence with Fairlop Oak CC regarding a possible merger or takeover proved fruitless while, in spite of conversations suggesting an application to the Lottery Sports Board for pavilion funding would be well received, the bid was in fact rejected. Given other funders’ reluctance to commit until Lottery money was secured, this setback effectively ended plans to construct a new building and began to focus attention on improving the existing one. Despite continued efforts until 1998, when Epping Forest District Council granted planning permission in the face of concerted opposition from local residents, the reality was that a major windfall was the only feasible way to secure sufficient funding. This was exacerbated when investigations into piling the foundations to prevent the building sinking into the flood plain revealed an additional cost of more than £18,000, taking the total well into six figures.

At the final committee meeting of the year, chairman Andrew Shields thanked members for all their efforts ‘during some of the hardest times the club has faced’. There were bright moments, however. Attempts to rebuild a junior section were starting to bear fruit. From having three boys at indoor practice in February, Alan Medley had now built a group of 18.

Seven under-11 ‘Terrier’ games were played against other clubs, mostly in conjunction with North Weald CC who had embarked on a similar venture. Over the next decade, Alan’s commitment would have a massive impact on the club’s future well-being.

1997 was to be equally unfulfilling for the 1st XI, captained by Phil Coe. Finishing third from bottom of division two – despite Stuart Bye winning the league’s young player of the year award for his 37 wickets, including a magnificent 8-44 against Britannic Lodge, and 131 not out by John Davies against Downshall – meant another relegation.

The 2nds, in contrast, ended fourth in division three – missing promotion by one place. Skipper Ian Jones recorded 338 league runs at an average of 30.7, while Brian Boxall topped the divisional bowling list with 24 wickets at an average of just 11. In a campaign of real extremes, the 2nds were dismissed for just 27 by Cranham – then later bowled out Paslow Common for a mere 34.

It would have been very unfortunate had the two league teams swapped divisions, but it served to highlight the fact that the club had plenty of players capable of competing at 2nd XI level but few of genuine 1st XI standard. There was at least a double celebration on July 5, when John Davies’s 6-23 secured a 1st XI win at Barkingside while Ian Jones took a hat-trick as the 2nds beat Old Easthameians, a game in which Bill Wyatt returned the remarkable analysis of 4-5 from 8.4 overs.

Two days earlier, footballers Ray Houghton and John Moncur – who scored 65 not out – had appeared for the Royal Oak pub team in Cricket Week, while 1997 also saw the club forge its first link with disability cricket.

Andrew Shields had attended a coaching course alongside Geoff Smith, a member of Metro Sports Club for people with visual impairment who were the national blind cricket champions. Metro were keen to play more games against sighted opponents, so the club obliged with a team consisting of adults, juniors and county development officer John Childs.

The size 3 football containing rattling ball bearings proved to

be a challenge too far for the club players against their expert opponents, but a relationship had been created that would grow in strength in years to come.

South Loughton v Metro Sports Club, using a size 3 football and large stumps The 60th anniversary season arrived with playing resources at a very low ebb – but a determination to make the year a success and establish a springboard to a stronger future. It certainly began in entertaining fashion, when the indoor team – having now slipped down to division three of the Ilford & District League – began the last two overs of their game against Newham College needing 46 to win. The target was reduced to 28 from the final six balls – the first of which yielded an unprecedented 10 runs as overthrows abounded.

With six runs required from one delivery, Kevin Newell smote the ball to the back wall to secure a sensational tie.

An early-season reverse came in the Bertie Joel Cup, when Ardleigh Green hammered 367 all out in their 45 overs – still a record total scored against the club. And there was no disguising the challenges of having both XIs in the same

division of a league that had suffered more club departures, nor of a fixture list comprising just ten competitive games for each side. Nevertheless, Phil Coe guided the 1st XI to second place behind Dagenham, with a superb return of 8-47 against the eventual champions leading the way. John Davies made a fine 106 not out against Goodmayes & Blythswood while Terry Henman averaged more than 30. The 2nd XI wound up third from bottom with two wins and six losses, a mirror image of the senior team’s record.

Cricket Week was supported by local off-licence Bottoms Up with wine and champagne at each game, and brought another visit from Metro, led by Dave Samuels, who would captain England at the inaugural Blind Cricket World Cup later in the year. The game also brought another win for the visitors as Metro posted 133-4 from 20 overs and South Loughton replied with 74-6.

The main event was an all-day match against Essex Club & Ground, with South Woodford stalwart Mike Boyers leading an opposition side that included county coach Terry Charrington and young prospect Andrew McGarry. The guests posted a fluent 259-6 from 54 overs against an attack that included ‘guests’ Neil Blundy and Barry Hearn, who both took a wicket each, while Greg Pope was the pick of the bowlers with 2-84 from 18 overs.

In response, Stuart Bye and Aftab Rajput took South Loughton to 52-1 at tea after McGarry had snared Marc Gunby. But once the pair had been dismissed for 59 and 33 respectively, it needed Bill Burke’s 35 not out to lift the South Loughton total to a creditable 215-9 at the close of a very entertaining encounter in which the club had, once again, emerged with great credit.

South Loughton v Essex Club & Ground, 1998 (Back row) Barry Hearn, Neil Blundy, Mark Humphreys, Robin Heafford (scorer), Aftab Rajput, Maynard Cochrane, Peter Jones; (Front row): Stuart Bye, Greg Pope, Bill Burke, Michael Dunning, Marc Gunby At the younger end of the age spectrum, the club was now benefiting from the expertise of former Essex player and coach Harold Faragher and for the first time had full fixture lists for both under-11 and under-13 teams – the latter competing in various age-group competitions.

And at the older end, John Forbes and Dick Bignell both won Help the Aged ‘Golden Awards’ in the ‘Contribution to Sport’ category, while John was invited to Chelmsford to receive an inaugural long service award from Essex County Cricket Board.

Most recipients had completed 25 years with their club; John’s record of 60 years’ continuous service, from foundation to celebrating the golden anniversary, was considered extraordinary by all present.

John Forbes’ 60 years of service to the club is recognised by Essex County Cricket Club

As the year drew to a close, the club’s continued membership of a league that was deteriorating both on and off the pitch was an issue of major concern. In 1996, Andrew Shields had developed outline plans for an invitation league comprising the most stable and constructive members of the Barking & Dagenham Post League but little interest was shown elsewhere. However, at the February 1998 committee meeting, members learned about a possible expansion of the

Herts & Essex League. An application was immediately submitted, and in October both XIs were admitted despite the prospect of having to play each other once again in the newly created division three. The minutes of that month’s committee meeting described the move as ‘a new exciting venture’ – and certainly worth the £30 fine imposed by the Barking & Dagenham Post League for late notification of resignation.

Harold Faragher with the under-11s: a fine coach, and a fine man

The juniors now had their own badge, based on the club logo designed by Mark Humphreys

11. Farewell A13, hello M11: 1999-2003

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one from the 1999 fixture card were long-standing opponents such as Canvey Island, Rainham, Tilbury and Laindon. Instead of long hauls along the A13 and A127, the prospect now was of forays up the M11 to Takeley, Stansted, Aythorpe Roding and Langley. However, any expectation that cricket of a more rural character would in any way be easier were soon dashed. After the opening game in which the 1st XI beat the 2nd XI by seven wickets chasing just 90, Phil Coe’s senior side gained just five more victories to finish fifth in an eight-team division, while the 2nds failed to register a single win. The 1sts contrived to lose by seven wickets at Stansted despite scoring 269-9, while Peter Jones’s 2nds rarely scored enough runs to be genuinely competitive.

Nevertheless, the August committee meeting heard that ‘the move has generally been good for the club and morale remains high’.

The club’s relationship with Metro continued with the regular fixture now moving to the May Bank Holiday. South Loughton gained a first ever victory, scoring 113-9 in 35 overs and restricting a side containing three members of the England team to 91. The year’s other main success story was a grant of £2,400 to fund growth of the junior section through the Age Concern Millennium Awards. Harold Faragher was elected as a Millennium Fellow, with the money helping to pay for hall hire and equipment. After a slow start, the club ended up with 26 under-11s, who played 10 games, and enough under-13s to raise a regular team.

However, 1999 was overshadowed by two sad deaths. Dave Karchargis had moved on to play for Old Parkonians and collapsed and died following a heart attack while leaving the field after hitting a magnificent 139 at Southend-on-Sea. He left a wife and daughter. Then in October came the loss of John

Forbes at the age of 87. Chairman Andrew Shields spoke at John’s funeral and recalled the event the previous year when he was inducted into Essex’s new club cricket ‘hall of fame’: ‘It was an occasion when John’s praises were sung very loudly indeed – as they will be for as long as South Loughton Cricket Club continues in existence’.

At the AGM, Robin Heafford was announced as the club’s seventh president since the position was created in 1954, and Jim Chumley was thanked for serving as secretary for ten years.

Optimistic thoughts swept the nation as the new millennium dawned, but the headline on the front page of the Loughton Guardian on 25 May told a sadly more unpleasant story.

‘Vandals target cricket pavilion,’ it read, reporting on a particularly vicious break-in during which the roof had been damaged, all the photographs on the pavilion walls smashed and the hired heavy roller jump-started and dumped in the river. ‘Apart from the cost, we’ve been left feeling extremely vulnerable,’ said Andrew Shields. ‘What is upsetting is the sheer mindlessness of it. But we won’t be defeated.’

Metal shutters for the windows and doors were ordered from Stratford Wireworks at a cost of more than £1,400 – but were not installed until after a second, less serious, attack.

Thankfully, a grant of £2,500 from the Grange Farm Trust helped also to pay for a more secure roof and interior floor tiling to make cleaning up easier whenever the river flooded.

Resilient as ever, the club dusted itself down and carried on.

The increasing success of the junior teams was heartening, with the under-11s counting notable wins over Gidea Park & Romford and Loughton on their record. As a by-product of the Millennium Awards project with Harold Faragher, there were even enough children to play two under-9 games against

Wanstead. In contrast, efforts in adult cricket were disappointing. The Saturday 1st XI gained seven wins to finish in mid-table and were competitive at full strength, while the 2nd XI won just twice under Martin Pye – although one of those wins was against promoted Great Chesterford in which a woefully under-strength side performed heroically. Brian Boxall’s 6-65 against Langley was the best bowling return, and Mark Humphreys’ analysis against Epping Foresters was economy exemplified – almost. Having figures of 9-7-2-2, his final over also consisted of six dot balls. However, the umpire miscounted… and the seventh ball was hit for six.

The under-11s at Ilford, 2000, with coach Alan Medley and umpire Robin Stokes A sub-committee set up to examine the club’s future in league cricket recommended withdrawing the 2nd XI until playing strength returned – a proposal that was only rejected when the league announced the formation of a fourth division into which the team could drop. Neverthless, with a tour to Sussex organised by Mark Humphreys and Peter Finson, and three games played by a Saturday 3rd XI, there were hints that

recovery was underway. As Andrew Shields put it in his chairman’s end-of-year report: ‘The league tables would suggest that the season was another poor one for the club. I actually think the year was one of considerable achievement for the club as a whole.’

There was to be one more season of real struggle before the cycle of success and failure that afflicts every club began finally to turn in South Loughton’s favour. The Saturday 1st XI, now led by Martin Pye, gained only one league victory in 2001 and were relegated from division three; the 2nds under John Leader also won only once – even though Amjad Mahmood scored 508 league runs and turned in the division’s best bowling performance when he took 7-26 against Woodford Wells. The departure of Bill Burke and Phil Coe, in statistical terms the club’s finest ever wicketkeeper-batsman and allrounder respectively, was regrettable, and further depleted playing resources – although both were elected as vicepresidents at the AGM, along with Cliff Greenhill and Bill Wyatt. Between them, the quartet had clocked up 116 seasons with the club, scored 40,000-plus runs, taken more than 1,400 wickets and held more than 700 catches.

The green shoots were still there: enough players for occasional Saturday 3rd XI and Sunday 2nd XI fixtures, a tour to the Bournemouth area, junior matches in under-11, 13 and 15 age groups, and a special guest at the annual game against Metro – triple Paralympic judo gold medallist Simon Jackson, who had travelled down from Manchester to play and compile a report for BBC Radio 5 Live’s ‘Jamie Theakston Cricket Show’.

Simon was presented with a South Loughton cap by president Robin Heafford at the end of a day that brought excellent publicity.

2002 saw the start of a major social phenomenon that was to have a seismic impact on the club. Thousands of young men

from southern Africa had begun to arrive in London in search of work, and many were settling in the area around Leyton and Leytonstone. Indeed, Zulus bar in Leytonstone High Road had become the focal point for the community.

Chairman Andrew Shields, a Leytonstone resident, was organising a team to represent the local residents’ association in an annual match against the North Star pub. He met a young South African carrying a cricket bat in the street, and asked him to play. It took only one over to become clear that Heinrich Nothnagel was much too good a cricketer for an informal community match on a bumpy pitch. It transpired that he had been turned away by a nearby senior club, who could not accommodate another non-British player.

Heinrich joined South Loughton and, together with Namibian Martin Nel, kick-started a dramatic upturn in the club’s fortunes. After losing the first four games of the campaign, the 1st XI won eight out of the next nine, including the first fivegame winning streak since 1989. Nel, a punishing batsman, struck a match-winning 126 against Henham and followed up with 150 in a friendly at Eastwood the next day. His tally of 648 league runs was enough to win the divisional batting award, and he topped the thousand overall. All-rounder Nothnagel would come into his own over the next two years, but both managed to lift the 1st XI into third place. In contrast, the 2nd XI persevered, winning just twice and dropping into division five which had been created to accommodate clubs from the defunct Hertfordshire Mercury League. Robin Stokes won the club’s 2nd XI batting award for a valiant 243 runs.

For the first time, the club entered teams into the junior indoor leagues held at the Peter May Centre in Walthamstow. What is now an established feature of cricket in the Metropolitan Essex area was then in its infancy, and the under-11s finished fifth out of 11 and the under-15s seventh in a nine-team league.

The junior section would also benefit from regular funding provided by the Jack Petchey Foundation’s Achievement Award scheme, with the club able to nominate young members to receive a monthly £200 award to be spent on club projects. Among the first recipients were 15-year-olds Matthew Wixey and Aaron Farthing, who had qualified as ECB Level 1 coaches; Dominic Newlyn, who took 5-7 in two overs, including a hat-trick, in an under-11 match against Fives & Heronians; and Alex Thomas, voted ‘players’ player’ by his under-11 team-mates.

Another highlight from the junior section was heavy scoring by Mark Stokes, who accumulated 281 runs at an average of 140.5 – credit to the excellent coaching of Harold Faragher and Alan Medley, the latter winning a Jack Petchey Foundation Leader Award and £1,000 for club activities.

The year also brought a major new initiative from Sport England, aimed primarily at clubs with junior sections.

‘Clubmark’ was designed to ensure a safe and child-friendly environment, with a number of criteria to be met across management, development and child protection. The club became one of the first 15 in Essex to apply, and Andrew Shields reported at the November committee meeting that two-thirds of the criteria had been met with the remainder achievable by the start of the 2003 season. Indeed, the club’s revised constitution was being used as a model of excellence at county level.

Sports club development in general was becoming a focus for major investment, and the club registered with the London Active Partnership in early 2003 with Alan Medley and Andrew Shields completing the necessary workshops to become accredited coaches. A ten-week project with Downshall Primary School in Ilford was the first outcome, with Andrew and Matthew Wixey running after-school sessions. This work

helped Andrew earn the club another Jack Petchey Foundation Leader Award, while Matthew was selected as Epping Forest Young Volunteer of the Year.

In March, Sport England granted Clubmark status, with South Loughton becoming the fifth club in Essex and only the 12th nationally to gain the accreditation. While early promises that this would bring direct access to funding has proved somewhat wide of the mark, there is no doubt that securing Clubmark and completing the reaccreditation process in 2007 and 2010 (with a further reaccreditation due in 2013) has enhanced the club’s status within Essex cricket and brought real credibility.

At last, the off-the-pitch efforts were starting to be matched by those on it. Greg Pope managed to keep morale going in the Saturday 2nd XI despite winning only twice, but the 1sts achieved 11 victories from 18 games and finished third for a second year in a row, missing out on promotion due to a narrow defeat by Aspenden, Standon & Puckeridge in the penultimate match. Heinrich Nothnagel’s pace was proving too hot for many sides, and his 6-7 haul against Stansted Hall won the divisional bowling award.

The club had benefited from the disbanding of Downshall CC, with Terry Henman switching to South Loughton permanently and joined by Dave Smith and Andy Battle. All three would play important roles within the club over the years to follow. Terry hit 139 not out in a 188-run demolition of Ashdon, while Dave’s nagging accuracy brought a match-winning 4-32 against second-placed Cloghams and 5-8 against Stansted – who were dismissed for just 21. As the rain clouds started to build, Terry and Trevor Nunes wrapped up victory inside four overs and the match was completed by 3.15pm. In the return game, Stansted were hit for 328-6…

With membership rising, a Sunday ‘B’ XI took the field regularly – while the ‘A’ team also benefited from the club’s expanding Southern Hemisphere connection as Martin Nel smashed 177 not out against Chigwell in an unbroken third-wicket record partnership of 196 with Nothnagel. Heinrich also featured in a new second-wicket mark of 210 set with Amjad Mahmood.

Together with the selection of three juniors for district representative cricket, such performances lifted the whole mood of the club – and this continued when South Loughton finished runners-up from 19 entries in the ‘Community Involvement’ category of the East London & Essex Business Awards, and gained ‘gold’ status in Essex Active Sport’s ‘Club SX’ accreditation scheme. In the words of Essex County Cricket Board, South Loughton was now ‘a strategically important local club’ and encouraged to apply for the new ‘Focus Club’ status.

What a remarkable transformation.

Chairman Andrew Shields receives Club SX ‘gold’ accreditation from Paralympian Danny Crates

12. The glory years: 2004-2009

T

he next period in South Loughton’s history was one of continual success. Given the depths being plumbed just three years earlier, it is proof that determination and perseverance will eventually win reward – and that reward may come unexpectedly. In South Loughton’s case, with help from the other side of the world.

In statistical terms alone, 2004 is the most successful season in the club’s history. Martin Pye’s 1st XI won the Herts & Essex League division four title by the huge margin of 102 points, recording 14 wins, two postponements and no defeats. The most unexpected turnaround came in the 2nd XI where, as the league handbook put it: ‘They went from bottom to top in

1st XI, 2004 (Back row) Terry Henman, Andrew Cowburn, Shane Pienaar, Greg Pope’s side also Dave won 14 games, suffered three Heafford Heinrich Nothnagel, Smith, Greg Jones, Robin postponements only once, taking theNunes, division five Pye, (scorer); (Front and row)lost Andrew Shields, Trevor Martin crown by van 63 points.

Jacques Rensburg, Aaron Farthing

style. Having won just four matches in the two previous seasons they had topped this by mid-June’.

Heinrich Nothnagel’s 179 not out against Ardeley Walkern – a new club record individual tally – won the fourth division highest score award, with Jacques Pieters’ 151 not out against Stansted Hall taking the division five trophy. Jacques totalled 786 league runs from 11 innings at an average of 131.

Heinrich shared in a record 220-run second-wicket partnership with Terry Henman while 15-year-old Mark Stokes took the division four young player trophy for 326 league runs and 11 catches. Jacques’ brother Frans grabbed the fifth division bowling award for 7-35 against Birchanger. A total of 351-3 against Woodford Wells was another record, even if achieved on one of the smallest grounds in the league. The only disappointment was defeat by Aythorpe Roding in the semifinal of the Batchelors League Cup. The records kept tumbling in Sunday cricket, too. Mark Stokes and Trevor Nunes compiled an undefeated first wicket partnership of 263 against Chelmsford, while Terry Henman and Andrew Cowburn added an unbroken 136 against Chigwell.

The unluckiest player of all was Heinrich Nothnagel: stumped for 73 in the last friendly match of the season, leaving his total for the season on… 1,999. Terry Henman (1,443) and Mark Stokes (1,205) also reached four figures.

Overall in 2004, the club played 88 adult matches and won 60 of them, losing just 11. The Saturday 1st XI won 24 out of 25, the only draw being a September friendly at High Beach when Dave Smith, promoted up the order, top scored with 70.

Sixteen centuries were scored. The juniors also performed strongly, with the under-11s winning nine out of 16 games and

Honours all round, 2004: Mark Stokes, Martin Pye, Heinrich Nothnagel, Greg Pope, Frans Pieters, Jacques Pieters Elliott Ramsden following the Greenhill brothers of a decade earlier into a full Essex age-group side. A gift of £100 towards the costs involved was approved by the committee. The year ended with another runner-up slot in the East London & Essex Business Awards, and the same finish in the London Active Partnership’s Club of the Year Awards. The latter recognised a coaching project set up with Joseph Clarke School in Highams Park for children with visual impairment, and the fact that, as the citation stated, South Loughton had gained Clubmark and become ‘a great example of good practice’.

Could the surge through the divisions continue? Undoubtedly.

Heinrich Nothnagel had sadly left to take up a teaching post in Asia, having won the 2004 Clubman of the Year award to great acclaim, but Terry Henman’s 1st XI topped division three in 2005 with 16 wins and two losses. Jacques van Rensburg’s 36 wickets earned him the divisional bowling award and Mark Stokes’ 25 dismissals captured the wicketkeeping trophy.

Simon Jameson had taken over leadership of the 2nd XI with Greg Pope stepping down to vice-captain but the outcome was the same: top of the table, 13 victories and five defeats, with Greg’s 35 wickets taking the honours, 15-year-old Jordan Ramsden claiming the young player award for 23 wickets, and five separate centurions: Jacques Pieters, John Davies, Amir Pervaiz, Frans Pieters and Johan de Wet. The last pair also set a new record fifth-wicket partnership with 231 against Ashdon, rescuing the side from 75-4 to an unassailable 308-5.

More trophies, 2005: Simon Jameson, Greg Pope, Mark Stokes, Graeme Fowler (guest speaker), Simon Stokes, Greg Jones, Terry Henman There were achievements throughout every XI: Dave Smith’s maiden century in a midweek friendly at Eastwood; Simon Stokes hammering 188 not out in an end-of-season game at Roding Valley and adding 211 for the first wicket with Mark Stokes (who topped 1,000 runs for the season); and 123 from Shane Pienaar in a 308 runs apiece tie at Old Parkonians. The club also entered the Shepherd Neame Twenty20 competition and claimed a notable first-round scalp with a 95-run win over

Buckhurst Hill before losing by 51 runs to a strong Hutton lineup. In total, the club played a record number of 99 adult games, winning 61 and losing only 26.

But all these efforts were eclipsed by Tiaan Theron’s innings at Aspenden, Standon & Puckeridge on 20 August.

Both Tiaan and Martin Pye had played mainly for the 2nd XI that season, and were promoted to cover for holiday absentees. Asked to open the innings at Aspenden’s notespecially small ground, they posted an undefeated 394 – with Theron blasting a quite incredible 307 not out and Pye mainly watching in awe at the other end en route to 69 not out.

‘It was the most spectacular sustained hitting I’ve ever seen,’ skipper Terry Henman told the Loughton Guardian. ‘I’ve seen people bat like that for ten or 15 overs but never keep it up for the full 45.’

Jacques van Rensburg (standing in for Tiann Theron) and Martin Pye after posting the club’s record total

Tiann was dropped by the Aspenden wicketkeeper on 180 and on the boundary when he had scored 251. He crashed 28 sixes and 18 fours on his way to an individual score that will surely never be beaten.

2005 also brought the club’s first overseas visitors: the Cricket Players’ Circle from Ahmedebad. A midweek friendly saw victory for the talented Indian tourists whose opener Ashutosh scored a peerless 130 out of 244-5, being dismissed in the final over of the innings after a superb display of elegant strokeplay.

Martin Pye made an attractive 63 but South Loughton fell 42 runs short.

Post-match presentations from the Cricket Players’ Circle of Ahmedebad Meanwhile, Alan Medley received an ECB OSCA (Outstanding Service to Cricket Award) and the club was among 51 nationally chosen by the ECB to run a FUNdamentals programme for children aged six to nine, bringing youngsters into cricket through structured games and activities. The project was showcased on a glorious July evening to guests

from Loughton Town Council and Sportsmatch, who provided funding for equipment and training, and has gone on to become an integral part of the club’s programme.

At the other end of the age range, August Bank Holiday saw an enjoyable 80th birthday tribute match for Dick Bignell against an Old Victorians/Debden XI, with Dick receiving a carriage clock and framed cartoon. Dick was elected as a vice-president at the AGM along with Peter Jones, who had called time on a 38-year playing career that brought more than 5,000 runs and the remarkably haul of 1,726 wickets – a figure unlikely ever to be neared, let alone beaten.

Dick Bignell (pictured below with Andy Battle) at his 80th birthday match

The transformation in the club’s fortunes had not gone unnoticed, and long and often heated discussions took place on the league website’s messageboard about the excessive influence of players from southern Africa at a number of clubs.

Some argued they should be barred from playing, or should be allowed only to play at a higher level, but South Loughton’s contributors took a more rational view: this was amateur cricket, they were not paid, and how would you feel if you went to work abroad and were prevented from enjoying a game of cricket at the weekend?

The impact provoked debate within the club, too. The Pieters brothers transferred to Theydon Bois, who also counted several South Africans among their membership, immediately after the early-season 2nd XI game between the clubs, and Simon Jameson noted perceptively in his end-of-year report: ‘If we follow their example, the 1st XI will be so full of South Africans that the younger players will have little chance to shine.’ There was no doubting the ability of our newcomers from the south, but it would be foolish to make long-term plans around their continued availability and level of commitment.

Nevertheless, success kept on coming. The 2nd XI had now found their level in division three and 2006 brought a midtable finish with six wins and eight losses – though Tiann Theron’s 199 out of a new club record total of 396-5 against Ashdon in May showed just what a destructive batsman he could be. The 1sts, however, took the division two crown with plenty to spare, captain Terry Henman clinching the divisional bowing award with 33 victims and Mark Stokes topping the wicketkeeping list with 15 dismissals. Simon Stokes hammered 118 and Johan de Wet 96 against Stansted, adding 177 for the fourth wicket in a total of 361-6, while Lee Baker made a vital 108 on debut against High Beach as South Loughton recovered from 12-4 to post 241 and win by 11 runs.

Three partnership records were broken, and all still stand: Ihtisham Baig and Amjad Mahmood’s 184 for the fourth wicket in a thrilling Saturday 2nd XI game at home to Epping Foresters 1st XI (the visitors chased the 272 target to win by one wicket); an eighth-wicket 91 from Simon Stokes and Greg Jones to lift the Saturday 1st XI from 77-7 to a match-winning total of 2009; and Mark Stokes and Elliott Ramsden’s sixth-wicket unbeaten 159 in a late-September Sunday 1st XI friendly win over South Woodford.

The club was now a registered Community Amateur Sports Club, bringing important tax benefits, while Andrew Shields was awarded almost £2,000 as a ’Community Champion’ to fund the FUNdamentals programme. Indeed, the FUNdamentals Festival attracted more than 100 young players from four clubs and two local schools, while the under-13 Peter Coe Cup ‘derby’ between Loughton and South Loughton made the local paper (Loughton won by 29 runs). However, the man who had played a key role in the rebirth of the club’s junior section sadly passed away. Harold Faragher was 88, had coached young cricketers almost to the end of his life, and was recognised with an obituary by Alan Medley in the national Guardian newspaper’s ‘Other Lives’ column.

The next generation: FUNdamentals League 2006 The November 2006 committee meeting heard that Debden CC was struggling to field a team since becoming a ‘wandering’ club. Given many of its players were known to South Loughton, it was agreed that a proposal would be placed before the AGM to ‘incorporate’ Debden, with the Sunday 2nd XI effectively being a Debden team supplemented by South Loughton players. Duly approved, the Debden Sunday XI took to the field

on 29 April and beat Grays & Chadwell, Waqas Mahmood scoring 76 and Ahmed Chughtai taking 6-35 in a 16-run victory.

With three Saturday sides (the 3rds continuing for a third year to play home games at High Beach CC), two Sunday sides, and a junior section fielding teams in four age groups, all was set for another season of progress on the pitch. And the 1st XI did not disappoint, winning 13 games and losing just three as they took the 2007 division one trophy by the handsome margin of 81 points over Newport and Buntingford. Lee Baker proved himself to be a formidable all-rounder, winning the divisional highest score award for 107 against Stansted Hall and also the bowling award for 6-33 against Rickling Ramblers, while Nick Tredgold was voted young player of the year. It was a magnificent triumph for Terry Henman, at the helm of ‘a side that bats down to number 11 with seven or eight bowling options’, he told the Ilford Recorder. Terry received the championship trophy from Essex and England legend Graham Gooch at the league annual dinner.

The battle facing the 2nd XI was at the wrong end of the table.

Despite Morne Modler grabbing a divisional award-winning 6-12 against Roding Valley, precipitating a collapse from 64-1 to 98 all out and securing a memorable 60-run victory, the division three relegation picture was severely muddied on the last day of the season.

Already relegated Much Hadham, literally at the eleventh hour, informed Elsenham that they would not be able to fulfil their fixture – and under league rules were expelled for a third default with all results becoming null and void. The 2nds were away to Essendon, who had themselves been dragged into the dogfight as a result of the recalibration of points. In a very tense finale, Essendon fell short of South Loughton’s 182-9 by

1st XI league champions, 2007 (Back row) Robert Glendinning (umpire), Craig Scherer, Terry Henman, Nick Tredgold, Dave Smith, Lee Baker, Jack Sahota, Mark Stokes; (Front row) Shane Pienaar, Andrew Cowburn, Morne Modler, Trevor Nunes

Lee Baker, Terry Henman and Nick Tredgold with the league championship trophy

just three runs, captain Ihtisham Baig’s 31 runs and 2-26 from 10 overs proving decisive. South Loughton finished eighth, and Stansted were relegated having begun the day believing they were safe. A rule change has since prevented such a situation occurring again.

Pre-season preparations as part of NatWest Cricket Force, 2007 Occasional low-level vandalism was still taking place at the ground, but planning permission to purchase a heavy-duty metal shipping container was supported by the local police and council, freeing up space previously occupied by ground equipment for a reconfiguration of the pavilion. The work was scheduled for the winter. To round off 2007, there was further recognition for Alan Medley, whose service with the club and the Essex Coaches’ Association brought an award under the Sky Sports Coach Recognition Scheme, and a spectacular batting achievement by Neal Morse in an under-15 indoor league game against Loughton. Chasing 107 to win, South Loughton had plunged to 30-5 before Neal struck a matchwinning 86 not out in a last man stand. A year later, the under-

15s would become the first club junior side to win indoor league honours as they took the division two title by just one point from Hawks, a tribute to the inspiration of Alan Medley as he stood down as junior manager with Andrew Shields taking over the role.

Throughout the history of the Herts & Essex League, retaining the championship has proved far more difficult than winning it in the first place. And so it proved, as 2008 saw two defeats in the first four matches for the 1st XI, while a run of five straight losses at the end of the season led to a sixth-place finish with nine wins and nine defeats. Lee Baker’s 98 against Farnham on the opening day wasn’t bettered, while Stuart Bye’s 5-45 against Newport was the best analysis.

Craig Scherer, however, shared the wicketkeeping award with 13 dismissals, including an unusual hat-trick of stumpings off Aaron Farthing’s bowling in June’s game against Epping Foresters. Chasing 205 to win, Foresters were 176-5 before the duo struck. Second top-scorer Halls, then Capewell and Wilkes were the victims as South Loughton went on to win by 11 runs.

The August fixture at Theydon Bois provided the club’s highest ever aggregate league game total: after being hit for 315-4, 84 from Terry Henman, 90 from Shane Pienaar and 57 from Andrew Cowburn saw South Loughton well set at 225-1 but eventually fall six runs short.

An honour bestowed on the captain of the champion club is to lead the league’s representative XI in the Club Cricket Conference’s inter-league competition. Terry Henman was sadly let down by late withdrawals for the tie with the Lords International Essex League, though he, Lee Baker, Craig Scherer, Dave Smith, Aaron Farthing and Nick Tredgold performed creditably in a five-wicket defeat.

Perfectly playable! Under water in 2008 The 2nds won four of their first five games then, after a run of losses, rallied towards the end to preserve their division three status by finishing third-bottom. Raqibul Hassan’s 136 not out against Potter Street was the divisional batting award-winner, while Ihtisham Baig’s analysis of 8.4-4-8-5 secured a 152-run victory in the same game.

John Davies and Asif Rehman rescued the side from the verge of severe embarrassment with a ninth-wicket record partnership of 76 after Willingale had reduced a strong batting line-up to 34-8. John then took 5-35 though it wasn’t enough to prevent a four-wicket defeat. Remarkably, the 2nd XI beat Harlow Town’s 1st XI twice, even though the Harlow club were strolling through the divisions and in 2012 went on to join the Shepherd Neame League.

The 3rd XI, led by Steve Phillips, played a full fixture list and also benefited from the South Africans’ presence: Willie Odendaal smashed eight sixes and nine fours in his 110 not out

as Cassowaries’ total of 140 was overhauled in just 23 overs, while Johan van der Merwe blasted 125 in a 198-run victory at Hockerill.

The club even managed to field a Saturday 4th XI for the first time ever, with Gary Oliver generously dropping down a couple of levels to lead the side against Alexandra Palace at Barkingside Recreation Ground.

That game brought defeat, but two more matches were played including a seven-wicket victory over Old Parkonians on 5 July – a weekend when the club, again for the first time, fielded a total of eight adult and junior teams. No-one, however, had a day to match that of Asad ‘Sidy’ Chughtai for the Debden Sunday XI against Tower Ravens: 7-38 from eight overs and a then career-best 60 runs.

The final season in this section of the club’s history also marked another turning point. There was a desire for the numerical presence of players from southern Africa to be reflected in the management of the club – and with Terry Henman standing down as 1st XI skipper after four tremendous years of success, Shane Pienaar and Jacques van Rensburg were keen to take on the captaincy and vice-captaincy respectively.

In terms of results, it was a relatively impressive campaign: the 1st XI finished as runners-up, though some way behind champions Buntingford, while the 2nds under Arfan Rajput once again avoided relegation from division three. Tiaan Theron (139) and Pienaar (81) added 161 for the second wicket in a big 1st XI win against Newport, while Lee Baker notched two centuries – the first in a total of 344-9 against Bishop’s Stortford, the second out of 339-5 against Stansted Hall – and fell eight short of a third.

However, these facts masked administrative confusion at 1st XI level. Routine but essential tasks such as checking players’ availability and managing money were done poorly, and there was an increasing feeling as the summer progressed that Shane and Jacques had underestimated the work involved.

Later in the year, both made overtures to Theydon Bois and joined a club where the South African influence was even stronger, while others simply lost their connection with the club or returned home. It had been good while it lasted, but few of South Loughton’s longer-serving members were particularly unhappy at the outcome.

Sunday league cricket made its introduction in the form of the Middlesex & Essex Invitation League, a competition initially between five clubs who already played friendly games against each other.

The aim was to add a slight ‘edge’ to matches, without losing the essential features of Sunday cricket, including keeping the draw as a result. The inaugural season brought big wins over Chigwell, Hadley Wood Green and Chaseville while draws and a defeat by Mayfield saw Aaron Farthing’s side finish as runnersup.

There were plenty of other highlights during 2009. The Essex disability side made South Loughton their home and played hugely enjoyable ECB County Championship matches against Warwickshire, Isle of Wight and Hampshire. ‘Sidy’ Chughtai made one of his rare appearances but still hit a remarkable 171 not out against Spartan from a total of 238-1 in a rain-affected game reduced to just 30 overs. Lee Baker and Shane Pienaar were selected for the league’s representative XI. And Nick Tredgold smashed a career-best 148 at Coopersale, adding 150 for the first wicket with Terry Henman.

President Robin Heafford with recipients of Jack Petchey Foundation Achievement Awards In the only 4th XI game played, Gary Oliver scored 86 out of 157 against Wenlock Arms then took 2-4 to secure a fine victory for a very youthful side. And Arfan Rajput and Jack Sahota broke a long-standing tenth-wicket partnership record with a vital 63 in the 2nd XI’s league win over Willingale.

In contrast, the year saw the sad death of Sid Collins, who scored more than 8,000 runs in a career that lasted from 1956 to 1983, while the end-of-year accounts showed a deficit of more than £2,500 – evidence that running the club was becoming an increasing challenge.

In an era when bat was becoming increasingly dominant over ball, there were three standout bowling performances. Dylan Julian took 5-5 from four overs in an under-13 Len Stentiford Trophy game against Three Caps; and Alistair Doye bowled just

Essex and Warwickshire line up before the ECB Disability Hard Ball County Championship fixture in May 2009 13 deliveries but grabbed five wickets without conceding a run in a Saturday 3rd XI friendly against Harold Park. Alistair bagged a caught and bowled and caught behind with his first two deliveries, just missed a hat-trick, clean bowled the batsman with his fourth ball then bowled two more to end up with figures of 2.1-2-0-5!

Even that analysis was improved on by Dave Smith in a Sunday friendly against High Beach. After Mark Stokes had hit 110 in a total of 293 all out, the visitors had no answer to Dave’s unerring accuracy and guile – he bowled eight overs, eight maidens, and took one wicket for no runs!

The under-11s at the Essex Mini-Matchplay tournament at the County Ground, 2009

13. Present… and future: 2010 onwards

W

ith the South African era now over, the club’s league teams began to struggle. Despite beating Stansted Hall on the opening day of the 2010 campaign, the 1st XI failed to record another win until they faced the same opponents on 3 July – and managed just three more victories as Craig Scherer’s side finished second-bottom.

Despite Lee Baker’s 528 runs and Craig’s 26 wicket-keeping victims, only league reorganisation offered a reprieve from relegation. The 2nds ended at the foot of division three under skipper Andrew Shields, with only a double over also-relegated Willingale to lift the gloom. It was clear that the club needed to find its level once again, and accept that a difficult couple of years might lie ahead. Only a heavy defeat by Chigwell cost the Sunday XI the Middlesex & Essex League title, while Dave Smith’s tireless bowling performances, commitment and willingness to support the junior section earned him the Clubman of the Year title to much acclaim – joining a list of other hard-working and often unsung heroes including Greg Jones, Dimitri Arlando and Andy Battle.

The under-11s in 2010

There were seven different centurions across the elevens, with Craig Scherer’s 138 not out against Stansted Hall leading the way for the Saturday 1st XI, and Gary Oliver’s 125 not out in an early-season friendly against Tennyson and brothers Nick and Jack Tredgold’s three-figure scores in Sunday games also noteworthy. Among the juniors, the under-11 ‘B’ team provided the biggest surprise by winning the indoor league second division title, while both the under-11s and under-13s finished second in their respective outdoor competition groups. The club had now reached the stage of development where victories against senior opposition were no longer rare; indeed, it was testament to the strength of the junior section that leading clubs in the area now felt it necessary to field their own best sides in competitive matches.

In anticipation of Robin Heafford reaching the milestone of 50 years’ service to the club as player, scorer, official and president in 2011, he became the latest recipient of a NatWest Cricket ‘OSCA’ (‘Outstanding Service to Cricket Award’), following Alan Medley, Andrew Shields and Terry Henman, and preceding Robert Glendinning.

The under-13s in 2010

Efforts to establish a permanent Saturday 3rd XI had been thwarted by the challenges of building a consistently large enough playing pool to raise teams and access to a home ground.

To address the first issue, the club began discussions about working in partnership with Mathews CC, a long-established ‘one team’ club which had lost use of Buckhurst Hill’s High Road ground and was now ‘wandering’. The plan was for older South Loughton juniors and occasional players to bolster Mathews’ resources to play enjoyable friendly cricket.

As for the second issue, High Beach was an ideal venue until that ground became unavailable while the Metropolitan Police club at Chigwell, which was used for a couple of years, suffered from a lack of shelter or tea-making facilities and a decline in the quality of pitches. During 2010, work continued to reinstate the Whitbread Sports Ground in Woodford Green, and the club made positive enquiries about usage for a combined Mathews/South Loughton team. However, in a blatant example of insider dealing, a Shepherd Neame League club vacated the Old Chigwellians Club for reasons of cost and was able to move its lower XIs to the Whitbread ground without any consultation with South Loughton.

Undeterred, Mathews CC’s John Chipperfield and Andrew Shields established that the owners of the now-vacant Old Chigwellians Club would be receptive to a consortium of cricket clubs coming together to provide usage throughout the summer. And so a combination of Mathews/South Loughton, Gidea Park & Romford, Chigwell, Woodford Wells and the Gujurati Muslim Cricket League joined forces to agree a combined adult and junior fixture list that met Chigwell School’s financial objectives and gave several clubs access to an excellent facility. The arrangement continues, to the benefit of all parties.

Cricket for young people with disabilities remains a feature of the club’s activities Despite the success in gaining use of Old Chigwellians, the 2011 campaign followed a broadly similar pattern to the previous season for the club’s other teams. In a damp summer, the Saturday 1st XI did at least avoid relegation, but only by one point and the intervention of the weather. Vying with Bishop’s Stortford to avoid finishing second-bottom, Craig Scherer’s side went into the match with a seven-point advantage. The 1sts, however, were thrashed at Theydon Bois – 310-5 against 80 all out – while Stortford’s game against Epping Foresters was abandoned, leaving them still one point adrift of South Loughton. That abandonment, incidentally, saw Theydon overtake Foresters to take the title by ten points.

Undoubted highlight was May’s nine-wicket success at Newport when, chasing 245, Craig Scherer and Lee Baker (163 not out) posted an unbeaten second-wicket partnership of 234 to secure an outstanding result.

Gary Oliver, Clubman of the Year in 2011 and recipient of a Jack Petchey Foundation Leader’s Award Meanwhile, the 2nd XI plunged straight through division four with only three wins to their credit – a double over Little Hallingbury and an exciting victory at Bishop’s Stortford – despite James Blackburn capturing 26 wickets, occasional player James Chaplin bagging 6-42 against Hallingbury, and 12year-old Tom Oliver, making his debut in adult cricket, opening the batting at Thaxted and scoring 39 very composed runs in an 89-run second-wicket partnership with dad Gary. The Sunday 1sts also finished bottom of the Middlesex & Essex League, though three abandonments out of ten fixtures didn’t help matters. A brighter moment was Greg Jones and Abu Saifuddin setting a new seventh-wicket partnership record with 148 at London Marshes Select.

The highest achievers in 2011 were the under-13s. After a big win over South Woodford in the first round of the County Cup and a narrow defeat by a very strong Ilford side in the second, the Len Stentiford Trophy district competition offered a favourable draw. Victories over Buckhurst Hill, Upminster ‘B’ and Wanstead ‘B’ and a narrow loss to Loughton saw a three-

way tie with the last two clubs. Run rate won out and brought a semi-final against Upminster’s ‘A’ team – who by this time had beaten hot favourites Wanstead in the County Cup final and reached the semi-finals of the national competition.

After Matthew Shields and Lloyd Mann had reduced Upminster to 12-3, the game looked capable of taking an unexpected direction. And at 46-3 from 12 overs on a dusty pitch where runs were hard to come by, the tie was definitely in the balance. However, Upminster plundered 80 runs from the remaining eight overs, then really showed their class with an outstanding bowling and fielding performance to win by 95 runs. The game was a measure of how far the junior section had come – but also how far there was to go in order to beat the very best.

If 2011 was damp, 2012 was the wettest year on record – and the impact on all cricket clubs was severe. Indeed, the ECB commissioned a survey, in which South Loughton participated, to measure the cost to clubs. The river Roding flooded the ground on five occasions and the pavilion twice, and the early part of the season was a frustrating catalogue of postponements and mopping-up operations. Extensive preseason groundwork was literally washed away. Of the first 75 scheduled adult and junior fixtures, half were lost to the weather.

Huge efforts to get games played were made by groundsman Fred Rust, supported by Peter Jones and Robert Glendinning.

However, the 1st XI lost too many close matches and four victories were never going to be enough to keep Craig Scherer’s side in division one, although relegation was only confirmed on the final weekend. Champions Theydon Bois and runners-up Ilford Catholic should both have been beaten, while the most satisfying result was August’s win at Epping Foresters

Action from 2012 (clockwise from right): Craig Scherer, Rob Lane, Kaiser Chowdhury, Dave Smith, Aaron Farthing

Photos by Graham Clements-Turner (www.snappytogimages. co.uk)

when fine batting from Rob Lane and Mark Stokes overhauled the home side’s 260-6 with two balls remaining. Waqas Masood’s 113 not out at Stansted was the highest individual score in division one.

In contrast, James Blackburn's 2nd XI won promotion to division four. An excellent team spirit counted for much in a division where four teams were significantly stronger than the rest, and the all-round excellence of Terry Henman, with 391 league runs including a top score of 121 at Thundridge and 20 wickets, was balanced by the introduction of several young players. At Matching Green, 14-year-olds Matthew Shields made 47 and Skanda Vasanthan took 3-47, while Tom Oliver, a year younger, scored 58 at Theydon Bois.

If the partnership with Mathews CC was a slow burner in 2011, it began to catch fire in 2012. Several juniors were welcomed into adult cricket, and the win over North Two in early June proved to be a spectacular confidence booster for Matthew and Skanda in particular – the former scoring 70 not out and the latter bamboozling the opposition to end up with figures of 5-8.

The Sunday XI suffered more postponements and abandonments than any other team – ten ‘no results’ from 24 scheduled games – but managed to finish as runners-up in the Middlesex & Essex League for a third time. Kaiser Chowdhury was a popular and very hard-working captain, while Mohaimenur Rahman’s 183 not out in just 32 overs at Hadley Wood Green was an innings that won’t be quickly forgotten.

He and Aaron Farthing broke the second-wicket partnership record set the previous season, smashing an unbroken 237.

After two years of significant financial losses, it was something of a surprise to find that the club had turned in a small profit. If fewer games had been lost to the weather, that sum would

have been much more significant. However, it was proof yet again that when times are hard, the club has enough loyal and hard-working members to pull through. None more so than Greg Pope and John Davies, who stood down as secretary and treasurer respectively. Both were elected vice-presidents at the AGM and John was chosen as Clubman of the Year. ********************** In the 1988 club history, a chapter entitled ‘The future’ listed four ways in which the club could develop: join a new league, build a new pavilion, develop a second square and establish a viable junior section.

Twenty-five years is a timespan beyond the scope of even the most ambitious development plan, but two of those four aspirations have been achieved and a more than satisfactory solution has been found to the third. The club is delighted to play in the Herts & Essex League, while the juniors – despite fluctuations in strength and numbers – are an established part of the club. And the partnership with Mathews CC has brought access to excellent facilities at Old Chigwellians, an outlet for young players to learn the game, and a positive relationship with the many like-minded individuals who are members of this friendly and traditional club.

That leaves the new pavilion. It was an exceedingly ambitious project in 1988, and is even more so now. The cost would be prohibitive due to the need for piled foundations and a base raised clear of the floods of recent years. A more sustainable solution would be for the club to move to a new site away from the Roding’s flood plain – though this would require a partnership with an existing landowner, such as a school, and a significant financial investment. The reality is that unless a major benefactor emerges or a club member wins the lottery,

the future is at Roding Road – with whatever small improvements can be made to the pavilion and facilities.

Club cricket has changed considerably since 1988. Better pitches and more powerful bats have transformed the weight and speed of scoring – back then, 150 was a good total and 200 usually a match-winner. Now, teams in the Herts & Essex League routinely chase 250-plus inside 45 overs and the task facing all but the wiliest bowlers is increasingly thankless.

The badge introduced in 2012 is adapted from the original Stannox CC badge and provides a direct link to the origins of the club

Club cricket is also visually different in the 21st century, with teams taking to the field in heavily branded, sponsored and sometimes coloured kit. South Loughton is no different from anyone else in this respect. Yet, in a nod to the club’s history and values, 2012 saw a reversion from the simple ‘SL’ logo devised in the 1990s by Mark Humphreys to an adaptation of the original Stannox club badge, featuring the river Roding, a roebuck to represent Epping Forest and the three seaxes of the Essex crest. The only surviving example was a blazer badge worn by John Forbes on a photograph in the pavilion – yet, drawn by James Blackburn and translated into embroidery by

club kit manufacturers Kalibazar, it now provides a strong and direct link to the origins of the club.

As 2013 unfolds, may those origins, and the many individuals who have sustained the club over the last 75 years, never be forgotten.

Faces of the future: (from top) Skanda Vasanthan, Thomas Draper, Joshua Harris and Matthew Shields playing in the club’s indoor pre-season tournament, March 2013 (Photos by Gemma Knichel, www.gkstudios.co.uk)

Officers of the club PRESIDENT 1954-57 F Richardson; 1958-67 G Dunning; 1968-70 J Jones; 1971-72 J Harris; 1973-88 A Swallow; 1989-99 J Forbes; 2000- R Heafford CHAIRMAN 1947-51 N Crowhurst; 1952 L Heap; 1953-57 G Dunning; 1958 H Underwood; 1959-89 N Crowhurst; 1990-95 C Couldrey; 1996- A Shields SECRETARY 1947 W Ware; 1948-50 R Pasola; 1951 R White; 1952-59 J Forbes; 1960-68 W Theobald; 1969-70 R Davey; 1971-88 J Forbes; 1989-99 J Chumley; 2000-12 G Pope; 2013- R Glendinning TREASURER 1947-51 F Clark; 1952-54 H Underwood; 1955-58 N Crowhurst; 1959 J Harris; 1960 M Drake; 1961-63 A Woods; 1964-67 G Eastwood; 1968 R Cordes; 1969-70 B Hearn; 1971-75 R Davey; 1976-79 C Couldrey; 1980-81 P Finson; 1982-85 D Turner; 1986 C Stops; 1987-89 D Turner; 1990-91 C Greenhill; 1992-94 A Tack; 1995-04 C Couldrey; 2005-12 J Davies; 2013- M Chowdhury

Club captains 1947-52 N Crowhurst; 1953-54 E Pestell; 1955-57 H Underwood; 1958-60 W Nuttall; 1961 S Collins; 1962-66 N Crowhurst; 1967 S Collins; 1968 N Crowhurst; 1969 B Hearn; 1970-71 N Crowhurst; 1972-73 C Greenhill; 1974-77 P Jones; 1978 R Davey; 1979 C Greenhill; 1980 D Gladden; 1981 C Greenhill; 1982-83 P Coe; 1984 C Greenhill; 1985-88 R Chumley; 1989-95 J Davies;

1996-2000 P Coe; 2001-04 M Pye; 2005-08 T Henman; 2009 S Pienaar; 2010-12 C Scherer; 2013- K Chowdhury The Sunday 1st XI captain was considered club captain until 1982, the Saturday 1st XI captain thereafter

Clubman of the year 1985 J Chumley; 1986 W Burke; 1987 D Turner; 1988 A Shields; 1989 W Burke; 1990 N Crowhurst; 1991 N Blundy; 1992 A Tack; 1993 W Wyatt/P Jones; 1995 C Couldrey; 1996 I Jones; 1997 A Medley; 1998 P Jones; 2000 R Glendinning; 2001 R Farthing; 2002 G Pope; 2003 M Pye; 2004 H Nothnagel; 2005 G Jones; 2006 J Leader; 2007 T Henman; 2008 D Arlando; 2009 A Battle; 2010 D Smith; 2011 G Oliver; 2012 J Davies

Honours Essex County League: 1st XI: Div 3 Runners-Up (1984); Div 3 Runners-Up (1998) 2nd XI: Div 2 Runners-Up (1986); Div 2 Champions (1988) ‘Young Player of the Year’: L Pratt (1986); S Bye (1997) ‘Leading Wicket-Keeper’: J Chumley (1989) Herts & Essex League: 1st XI: Div 4 Champions (2004); Div 3 Champions (2005); Div 2 Champions (2006); Div 1 Champions (2007); Div 1 Runners-Up (2009) 2nd XI: Div 5 Champions (2004); Div 4 Champions (2005) Divisional Batting Award: M Nel (2002); H Nothnagel (2004); J Pieters (2004); T Theron (2005); L Baker (2007/2011); R Hassan (2008); W Masood (2012) Divisional Bowling Award: A Mahmood (2001); H Nothnagel (2003); F Pieters (2004); J van Rensburg (2005); G Pope (2005); T Henman (2006); L Baker (2007); M Modler (2007) Divisional Wicket-Keeping Award: M Stokes (2005/2006); C Scherer (2008) Divisional ‘Young Player of the Year’ Award: M Stokes (2004); J Ramsden (2005); N Tredgold (2007)

Middlesex & Essex Invitation League: Runners-Up (2009/2010/2012) Bowling Award: D Smith (2011) Wicket-Keeping Award: M Stokes (2009/2011) Metropolitan Essex Indoor League: ‘A’ VI: Div 2 Champions (1988); Div 2 Champions (2005) ‘B’ VI: Div 3 Champions (2007) Under-11 ‘B’ VI: Div 2 Champions (2010) Under-13 ‘A’ VI: Div 2 Champions (2011) Under-15 VI: Div 2 Champions (2008) Waltham Abbey Indoor League: Div 2 Champions (2007) Cocking Cup: Runners-Up (1993) Club Cricket Conference President’s XI: R Elliott (1952); M Loughland (1956) London Active Partnership ‘Club of the Year’ Award: RunnersUp (2003) East London & Essex Business Awards: Runners-Up (2003); Certificate of Merit (2004) London Active Partnership Special Award for Outstanding Achievement in Coaching and Volunteering: Winner: A Shields (2005) EFVB ‘Junior Volunteer of the Year’: Winner: M Wixey (2003) ECB ‘OSCA’: A Medley (2005); A Shields (2007); T Henman (2008); R Heafford (2010); R Glendinning (2011)

Record totals Highest totals: For: (1st XI) 394-0 v Aspenden, Standon & Puckeridge (2005: Herts & Essex League) (2nd XI) 396-5 v Ashdon (2006: Herts & Essex League) (3rd XI) 271 all out v Hockerill (2008: friendly) Against: (1st XI) 367 all out v Ardleigh Green (1998: Bertie Joel Cup) (2nd XI) 304-4 v Woodford Wells (2010: Herts & Essex League) (3rd XI) 335-6 v Waltham Foresters (2009: friendly)

Batting first and losing: (1st XI) 269-9 v Stansted (1999: Herts & Essex League) (2nd XI) 271-6 v Epping Foresters (2006: Herts & Essex League) Batting second: (1st XI) 309-7 v Theydon Bois (2008: Herts & Essex League; lost by 6 runs); 308-7 v Old Parkonians (2005: friendly; game tied) (2nd XI) 299-7 v Much Hadham (2006: Herts & Essex League; lost by 4 runs) Lowest totals: For: 11 v Southend Municipal College (1973) Against: 9 v Old Buckwellians (1953), Baldwyns (1958), Cossors (1968)

Record partnerships 1st: 394* T Theron/M Pye v Aspenden, S&P (2005) 2nd: 237* M Rahman/A Farthing v Hadley Wood Green (2012) 3rd: 196* M Nel/H Nothnagel v Chigwell (2003) 4th: 184 I Baig/A Mahmood v Epping Foresters (2006) 5th: 231 F Pieters/J de Wet v Ashdon (2005) 6th: 159* M Stokes/E Ramsden v South Woodford (2006) 7th: 148 A Saifuddin/G Jones v London Marshes Select (2011) 8th: 91 S Stokes/G Jones v High Roding (2006) 9th: 76 J Davies/A Rehman v Willingale (2008) 10th: 63 A Rajput/J Sahota v Willingale (2009)

Batting records More than 10,000 runs: Name/Period Inns J Davies (82- ) 636 P Coe (69-00) 814 C Greenhill (65-95) 499 W Burke (69-01) 773 N Crowhurst (47-81) 670

N/O 93 56 141 132 66

HS 132 120 101* 92 102*

Runs 15086 14578 13274 11443 10268

Ave 27.78 19.23 37.08 17.85 17.00

Most runs in a season: H Nothnagel 1,999 (2004); D Karchargis 1,657 (1989); D Karchargis 1,607 (1990); M Stokes 1,586 (2006) 1,000 runs in a season, most often: T Henman (2003/2004/2006/2007/2008/2009) D Karchargis (1987/1988/1989/1990/1991) M Stokes (2004/2005/2006) C Greenhill (1981/1989) H Nothnagel (2003/2004) A Mahmood (2003/2005) Scores of 150 or more: T Theron 309* v Aspenden, Standon & Puckeridge (2005) T Theron 199 v Ashdon (2006) S Stokes 188* v Roding Valley (2005) M Rahman 183* v Hadley Wood Greeen (2012) H Nothnagel 179* v Ardeley Walkern (2004) A Chughtai 171* v Spartan (2009) L Baker 163* v Newport (2011) D Karchargis 159* v Chingford (1991) J Pieters 151* v Stansted Hall (2004) D Karchargis 150* v Pegasus (1990)

Bowling records More than 700 wickets: Name/Period O P Jones (67-05) 8687.1 R Elliott (47-57) 2878.1 N Blundy (81-95) 5147.2 D Mann (60-69) 3888.5 A Dennis (58-89) 4264 J Davies (82- ) 3969.2 R Heafford (61-95) 3139.1

M 2062 828 1139 1047 1069 456 431

R 26371 5457 15738 9431 11427 16213 11663

W 1726 942 913 875 819 788 749

Most wickets in a season: R Elliott 136 (1952)

Ave 15.28 5.79 17.24 10.78 13.95 20.57 15.57

100 wickets in a season, most often: D Mann (1963-1969); R Elliott (1948-1953); W Nuttall (1947/1953/1954); P Jones (1973/1974/1976); N Blundy (1991-92) Nine or more wickets in an innings: N Blundy 10-40 v Elsenham (1984) W Nuttall 10-30 v Coopersale (1947)* K Greenaway 9-12 v Compton (1960) A Dennis 9-12 v Harold Wood (1976) L Patient 9-34 v Old Ignatians (1984) H Debnam 9-61 v Northmet (1957) J Davies 9-72 v Winscombe (1988) R Elliott 9-27 v Walthamstow Wanderers (1949)* * denotes a 12-a-side match

All-round records 500 runs and 100 wickets in a season: D Mann 527+123 (1967)/550+103 (1969) D Woods 548+113 (1962) B Hearn 690+103 (1969) P Jones 510+113 (1973) 1,000 runs and 50 wickets in a season: D Karchargis 1,138+65 (1987) C Greenhill 1,064+50 (1989) J Davies 1,162+51 (1994) H Nothnagel 1,999+58 (2004) T Henman 1,072+54 (2006)/1,136+51 (2007)

Fielding records More than 150 catches: P Coe 274; P Jones 252; J Davies 236; R Chumley 203; N Crowhurst 198; C Greenhill 171; G Belcher 170; A Shields 167

Most outfield catches in a season: 30: M Pye (2005) 24: M Humphreys (1999) 23: G Belcher (1980); L Pratt (1989)

Wicket-keeping records More than 200 dismissals: W Burke 746 (354c+392s) J Chumley 402 (299c+103s) J Forbes 325 (272c+53s) M Dunning 293 (228c+65s) P Greenhill 240 (175c+65s) Most victims in a season: W Burke 67 (37c+30s) (1989)