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Londesborough Park Cricket Club was founded by the park
owner, the Duke of Devonshire, and the estate was inherited by Lord
Londesborough in 1860.
Lord Londesborough readily invested in a professional
cricket coach/player to ensure success for the privileged few who enjoyed
country-house style cricket - only by invitation of course!!.
The second Lord Londesborough was the second largest
landowner in the East Riding after Sir Tatton Sykes and was a close friend of
the Prince of Wales. He was a patron of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club,
sponsoring a couple of matches against Middlesex in 1874 and was one of the
prime movers behind the Scarborough Cricket Festival. He went on to become
President of the MCC, but he did not forget his roots and tried to keep in touch
with matters at the Londesborough Park Cricket Club.
Matches were held regularly on the estate at the Park Farm
ground, where the current club still plays. It is thought to have the longest
history of continuous use of a cricket ground in East Yorkshire.
In 1905 further sporting developments took place in the Park
with the creation of the testing nine-hole golf course. Laid out by the famous
Harry Vardon in the magical setting of the rolling parklands, the only remaining
evidence until 2003 was the decaying clubhouse. Now demolished around its 100th
birthday this left a neat gap in the wood seen to your left just before you
climb the last hill out of the park prior to entering back into the village of
Londesborough.
The golf club struggled to maintain its
membership after the war years due mainly to financial and transport problems
which sadly contributed to its closure in 1947.
Countless locals, visiting players and
teams (including royalty) from all parts of the country have, since the mid
1800s, enjoyed playing in the unique setting of the Park Estate for what has
always been classed as 'friendly' cricket fixtures. This all changed when the
Club became a founder member of the newly formed competitive league called the
East Riding Cricket Pennant Alliance in 1956.
Just before the move to league cricket off-spinner Bill
Featherby, who played twice for Yorkshire, was still plying his trade well into
his sixties at the Park. He was born at Goodmanham Lodge, near Market Weighton,
and made his county debut against Derbyshire at Sheffield.
Londesborough Park won the East Riding Pennant Alliance
League in 1964 and, as a founder member team, strengthened the their club
with a second XI joining into the newly-formed East Riding Federation- a league
they won in 1985.
` Success in the existing East Riding Sunday Cricket League
came in the same year which coincided with a busy period of numerous local
evening cup competitions. Again success was regular but at that time Park would
enter up to 14 competitions per season. They would always include the Club’s
own competition, the Dr. Ashwin Trophy, originally set up by the club’s
previous estate owner about 50 years ago to allow local village teams the chance
of playing cricket at the ground.In 2004 Anthony Ashwin took over the role of
Club President after the loss of his father in March 2003. Anthony's children
who live just over the fence at Park Farm already enjoy cricket action with the U11 team.
The Club’s early application, in the 1980s, to join the
York and District Senior League was, sadly rejected owing to the primitive state
of the pavilion. The set-back provided the Club with the challenge to move
forward and they proudly opened a new pavilion in 1998, thanks to Club
President, Vice-Presidents, sponsors, members and the National Lottery. The new facilities
provided a springboard to rekindle the Club’s thriving youth policy and the
Park now sees it as their greatest asset.
In 2002 the clubs 2nd
X1 joined the York & District Senior Cricket League competing in Division 5, whilst the 1st X1 continued to
challenge both relegation (rarely) and promotion in a very competitive Division 3
of this well respected and thriving league.
The opening of the new
pavilion provided the catalyst to resurrect the junior section and its
development of interested juniors aged ranged from 6 to 16. The advent of this
surge in interest coupled with obvious pride from more members astounded all
concerned with its overwhelming success.
15 players included some
retired and current players, plus parents and volunteers came forward over a
period of 3or 4 years to train to be qualified club coaches, to support well
over 100 keen youngsters. All this number and more taking part in either weekly
coaching sessions or playing in the 5 junior competitive league fixtures for
Under 9s,11s,13s,15s and 18s. Some did both!
2005 saw more progress by
being awarded by the E.C.B.s “Club Mark Accreditation” this confirming the
clubs commitment to providing a safe, effective and child friendly cricket club
for the community.
Further awards followed in
2006 – L.P.C.C. chosen by E.C.B. & Yorkshire Cricket Board as a “Focus
Club”. Recognition for the time and effort put in by the club into its
development of both senior and junior cricket. The prestigious national award
also presented the club with many challenges like, building further school
links, with the club coaches going into all local schools providing fun coaching
sessions throughout the schools summer term.
Additionally the club were
required to support local cricket development groups, share best practice,
maintain its progressive and growing club development plan, monitor and evaluate
initiatives, increase participation from volunteers, players and coaches. Plenty
of administration was called for!
Londesborough Park Cricket
Club are one of the earliest clubs out of the 750 cricket clubs in Yorkshire to
achieve the “Focus Club” award.
To support all the clubs
aspirations, it was essential the club fund raising was well planned and
ambitious, including Golf days (now in its 11th year),hog roast
evenings, Auctions at Dinner Dances, Xmas Bag Packing, 6 a side competitions
both senior and juniors and the usual draws and raffles. At the same time the
clubs vice presidents, match ball sponsors along with private donations gave
fantastic boost to the cash flow. Additionally the club proved its worth in the
community and gained valuable funding from many local companies, major sponsors,
plus local authority and national grant award schemes.
The influx of home grown
youth certainly guaranteed the team selectors a constant supply of new talent to
support the more experienced campaigners.
The club plans to install a
new score box in the autumn of 2006 whilst at the same time major ground work
will take place to extend the existing playing square to cope with the growth of
the games. Not forgetting the new replacement ride on grass cutter for the
outfield –whatever happened to that vintage Grey Fergie? asks
the volunteer ground staff (known by some as “the last of the summer wine
brigade”) led by the experienced club chairman.
Grander plans are under
discussion by the management committee which outlined a much needed extension to
the existing pavilion (the one built 10yrs ago was reduced on size, so as to
cost in!!).
All this for the game of
cricket – we are sure it’s for a great future.
Could be time for thoughts
of yet another Park Cricket Tour – the clubs first was to the Lakes in 1952
& the last one… well…
For those cricketers who
over the years have had the pleasure of a game next to Park Farm, Londesborough
(along with the challenge of finding the ground), can all count themselves
fortunate to have had the experience of cricket on a wonderful ground in a
unique and historic setting.—all that for a peppercorn rent to the landlord of
just 5p a year……………
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