THE STAFF CRICKET TEAM 1946-59

It was in the summer of 1946 that, with a typical initiative, J. C. Burch encouraged the Staff to form their own Cricket X1. In so doing he caught the mood of the immediate post-war days: young men, fresh from the Forces, had joined the Staff, others had returned, or were about to return to the School and in the district at large there was a sport-hunger. To Mr. Burch it was all an extension of war-time camaraderie in a less demanding field.

It would need the pen of Cardus or Roberson-Glasgow to do justice to the setting: the sheer greenness of the field, the red-tiled pavilion, the inviting-a-six wall at the far end, the fringe of attractive and mature trees, the Church spire in the near distance, the Tin Works chimneys afar reminding us that the game is played in harsher places like Bramall Lane. On the brilliant June evenings which seemed so frequent in these early years the whole atmosphere had an almost elegiac quality. Certainly Ted Parfitt found little difficulty in arranging fixtures and for years two games a week were played. Local teams such as Aylburton, Primrose Hill, Bream, Whitecroft Pin Co. the Forestry School and Forest Police were only too keen to play in such a context and on what to many of them was a first-class wicket. Very soon sides like West Monmouth School Staff, St Paul’s and Oakley Training Colleges, Gloucester Civil Service and Lydney C. C. were regular visitors.

The nucleus of the first side was a group of useful club and ex-club cricketers from various parts of the country; to them were added enthusiasts who admirably backed up their skills. Throughout the period one or two boys were included and promising young cricketers like Trevor Wintle, Gwyn Johnson, Tom Jones, Derek Hyde, Bev. Dovey, John Hampton, John Morris and David Imm gained invaluable experience amongst adults. The outstanding performer throughout was Douglas Thomas, perhaps the most accomplished player of the post-war era. He was such an intelligent cricketer: he would use an immaculate technique to build a first 50, and then unleash a delightful range of strokes to run to many a century: his bowling was full of guile against opponents whose weakness he would quickly detect and his out fielding was comparable to that of professionals like Colin Scott. With Ted Parfitt he formed the most reliable and prolific opening partnership in local cricket. With the departure of fine players like J. C, Morgans and L. F. Barnett came adequate compensation in the arrival of Mr. Beeley, an accomplished all-rounder since Oxford days, and Reg Northam an ex-Minor Counties cricketer. Mr. Beeley captained the side from 1949 onwards and under his gentlemanly and highly knowledgeable leadership the team reached a peak. It was indeed successful - for instance in one season 23 games were played, 21 won and 2 drawn. This was not untypical. Joe Ellicon and later George Elliott (an Old Boy and distinguished local cricketer) were our enthusiastic umpires, Ken and Mrs. Winspear, faithful scorers.

Apart from Dit Thomas’ excellence there is much that is distinctive to remember: Ted Parfitt’s range of off-side strokes, Arthur Laycock’s compensatory pupils and hooks fashioned on Yorkshire fields, the fierce off-driving of Lew Barnett and Mr. Beeley, not unworthy of a Hutton or C. F. Wlaters, the immaculacy of length and direction of Reg Northam, the near-golf shots of Jack Chamberlain and Joe Hotchkiss hitting us out of trouble, the sheer enthusiasm of Phil Edmonds and Geoff Davies, the zeal and accuracy of Gordon Jones’ fielding, and not least the ‘donkey droppers’ of Bill Barlow which became the terrors of any local batsmen at all lacking in technique. Small wonder that we had a strong following - who would not come again on a summer evening to see such feats as 400 runs scored by us and St. Paul’s or 150 bludgeoned in 70 minutes against the City of Bath Staff when the hitting was so fierce that our own players lined the boundary quickly to retrieve balls constantly despatched for 6 or 4 by out two operating batsmen?

And then last summer all was desecration as, in the sacred name of progress, bulldozers moved in like a squadron of armoured cars and despoiled the beautiful playing area. Now all is House Blocks and Creative Design Centre. However, those of us privileged to play there for those halcyon years cab readily, if a little sadly, echo Cardus -
‘Oh my Thomas and my Parfitt,
My Beeley and my Northam,
- and my Barlow, long ago!

A. L.