Whitchurch-on-Thames Cricket Club

By Miles Whitelock Reproduced by kind permission of the Whitelock family. Part One: Between The Wars It has been suggested to me that the residents of Whitchurch might be interested to read a short account of the history of Whitchurch Cricket Club as I remember it. I was born at Underwood in Hardwick Road in 1918. Any story to be told must also include impressions of some of its more active and colourful members. In writing this I have no wish to appear anything but affectionate and loyal to those who have created a lasting tradition. The ground was acquired by my father, A.R. Whitelock, in 1921. Originally it had been a lush meadow, seemingly much enjoyed by a pedigree herd of Mr Aldridge's ruminating cows, but at the time no longer required for their use. It will be appreciated that in 1921 the country had hardly recovered from the awful consequences of the 1st World War. The Cricket Club, though theoretically in existence, had no ground and no equipment. ...

We field two weekend teams, one on Saturday and one Sunday side drawn from one squad of about 50 players.  Some players are regular, some occasional.  We're a diverse lot, ranging in age from 14 to about 60; some players are drawn from Whitchurch itself, others from the local area and several commuting players from London, Hampshire and further afield. We play friendly matches against local clubs and touring sides and usually go on tour ourselves.  Most games are 35 or 40-over matches, though we do play some "time" games for a change.  If you'd like an enjoyable game of cricket, email us at joinus@whitchurchcricket.co.uk , come down to the club one afternoon when we have a fixture, or call Dave Mattimoe, the club secretary on  0118 984 3347. Spectating We're delighted to welcome spectators to our cricket matches. The scenery's beautiful, the atmosphere's relaxed and the cricket's usually entertaining. We often have families enjoying a picnic in fr...