About
A Brief History of
Tadworth Cricket Club
by Jack Ball and Richard Bennett
1903 was an epic year: many ‘firsts’ took place. The Wright Brothers
made the first powered flight: President Roosevelt sent the first cable
message across the Pacific cable: the Panama Canal was constructed and
here at home Walton Heath Golf Club and Tadworth Cricket Club were
formed.
Initially the club played on a ground 400 yard North of the present
ground somewhere between Workhouse Pond and the large roundabout on the
A217. To the North of this site was a Public House called the Red Lion
and to-day, this part of the A217 is still known by the locals as Red
Lion Hill.
When the Club moved to its present site on the Common - Banstead Newton
- opposite the Duke’s Head Public House is uncertain but it would appear
to be before the first World War. The ‘Green’ was much smaller in those
days and was just large enough for a cricket ground with a marquee being
erected every Saturday. Initially the square ran at right angles to its
present layout.
In 1919 a sum of £200 was raised to commemorate the home-coming from the
war. A large area was cleared (aided by some very hard stone picking
work by the younger players), ploughed and seeded to give the spacious
ground it is today.
Between the wars a small pavilion was erected very close to the Dorking
Road. This was dismantled during the Second World War and stored in a
local builders yard when the Common became a gun site. Later, vehicles
and ammunition were stored on the site prior to D-Day. In 1951 the small
pavilion was replaced with a much larger one on the other side of the
ground. This pavilion served the club for 40 years. Initially it had
calor gas lighting, no bar and no showers. A bar was created in the late
1960’s: electricity was installed in 1978: showers were added in the
winter of 1979/80 and the bar was extended 3 years later.
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint open the enlarge pavilion following a match between
an English Ladies XI and Tadworth Cricket Club. This was a heady period
for the club: twice the Club was invited to play at the Oval and the
Club President, Arthur Phebey (formerly of Kent CCC) brought teams to
Tadworth who included, amongst others, Derek Underwood, Brian Luckhurst,
Mike Denness, Alan Ealham, Steve Marsh, Alec Stewart, John Price and
Butch White.
Tragedy struck in November 1990 when the pavilion, along with all the
ground equipment and club records, was destroyed by fire. The freehold
of the land on which the new pavilion sits was purchased from the Church
Commissioners. Insurance from the old pavilion, together with loans from
Members, the Surrey Playing Fields Association and the brewers went a
long way towards meeting the cost of the new pavilion. Fund raising by
Members and friends and grants from the MCC, the Foundation for Sports
and the Arts and local businesses meant that building could start early
in 1992. The new pavilion was used for the first time in June 1992 and
was opened officially by Alf Gover (formerly of Surrey CCC and England)
during Tadworth Village Week 1993.
League cricket came to Tadworth in 1995 when the Sussex Clubs left the
Arun League leaving just eight Surrey Clubs. Five other clubs joined
them, including Tadworth, and a new era had begun. The League enlarged
and changed its name to the Surrey Downs League in 1997. The Clubs
position within the League strengthened annually until in 1999 Tadworth
were League Champions. In the following three seasons, the Club have
twice been runners up.
Tadworth Cricket Club is 104*.
