A History of Preston
in Hertfordshire
Reproduction of a sketch map of Preston (1884) showing the position of the cricket ground
AN ATTEMPT AT THE HISTORY OF PRESTON CRICKET CLUB -
Foreword (Finished in the old Pavilion – June 1967)
To wander down through the corridors of cricket memories is a pleasant task, but to place it on record is a somewhat risky procedure. One is either apt to view youthful days in rainbow coloured hues, or to indulge in the now fashionable habit of ‘debunking’ everything that was pre 1939 War. Herein, I have tried to tread along the thin dividing line.
In conversations during the preparation of this booklet, it has been known as ‘The
History’ -
I gratefully acknowledge my debt to all those Prestonians whose recollections have helped me so much in building up the pattern of the Club throughout its existence.
Early days
The in-
Preston C.C. 1923 -
G.I.E. Pryor took over as Captain when Lord Scott left the district and his enthusiasm
for the game and coaching of youngsters soon resulted in more and better players.
Shortly after the Pavilion was built in 1921 it was necessary to run two sides. The
reserve side which was captained by Laurie Peters and Jack Wray only ran for a couple
of seasons, but it enabled many of the up-
Most of us who remember these halcyon days recall the strength of the 1925-
Unfortunately, as so often happens, this team only lasted for a short time; Geoffrey Pryor retired, Flint, Stainsbury and Chapman left the district (the latter named to worry us for many years when we played Weston), and as the twenties merged into the thirties the Club underwent for a few years a rather depressing period. Dick Jenkins was scoring a lot of runs for us, but because of his employment it became necessary for him to play for Kings Walden, and Sam Wray and Charlie Darton also left us for a season to play there; fortunately they soon returned and were welcomed back to the fold.
1947 -
John Hadfield 'press-
After seven years there was again much hard work to be done on the ground, there was difficulty in obtaining equipment, and problems (because of rationing) connected with teas. This latter problem was overcome by going to The Red Lion where Mrs. Massey, as always, served us well, but it resulted in very long tea intervals.
The membership was high and it became necessary to run a roster so that all players
had a game. By this time, of course, Sunday cricket was played quite regularly. A
number of pre-
It was at this time that the annual Whit Monday fixture with 'The Danes' was instituted; and to this day the game is looked upon as the highlight of the season.
Phillip Smith was Treasurer, Dick Middleditch was groundsman, umpire and general factotum, and Willie (Jockey) Peters still the Club Secretary, known and respected by all the Clubs we played.
This happy state was to last only a few years and then a crisis developed which might well have resulted in the Club closing down. Most of the older players were retiring, others were moving away, Dick Middleditch and Jockey Peters resigned after magnificient years of service (in company with Charlie Darton they are now Life Members of the Club) and all that remained was a bunch of very young teenagers, who fortunately not only loved cricket but were determined that it should continue at Preston.
Preston cricket ground
The Recreation Ground as we now know it was part of the farmland of Brown's Farm, the ruins of which for many years remained where the Corporation yard is now situated. On the death of the farmer in 1912/13 the property and attached lands passed into the ownership of the Estate. A sparse hedge ran from roughly where the old pavilion now stands in a direct line to the Hitchin Road and a number of elm and oak trees stood at various points of these two meadows.
I came to Preston from my native London in 1916 and at that time the meadows were occupied by the Army; camouflaged tents denoted a Signals Platoon and there was much coming and going of motor dispatch riders. Some derelict farm buildings stood on the land now occupied by the houses of Mr. Freeman and Mr. Woodhams, and these rude sheds were to be the first ‘pavilion’ when cricket started in 1919.
Douglas Vickers, who had recently come to live at Temple Dinsley, gave permission for the meadows to be used as a cricket ground, and by far the major part of the work was done by G.I.E. Pryor. For days and hours on end he worked on the ground, and when the necessity for water arose he carried it from the rail pond. The outfield of course was only cut for haymaking; for many years this was so on nearly all other village grounds. (Kings Walden and Sexton wore exceptions).
Altham RJL -
Ashworth C -
Bennion Browne D -
Bennett A -
Bizzey RJL -
Baines JM -
Boyd W -
Brooker T -
Camm RJL -
Chalkley W -
Chapman BAJ -
Chapman S -
Cox JM -
Curry JR -
Currell Mrs A -
Daltry T -
Darton C -
over twenty years. First Life Member.
Darton R -
Darton W -
his two brothers. Footballer.
Dawson RJW -
Dewar R -
Dewar W -
Feather R -
Flint J -
Franklin J -
Frost D -
Gray J -
Garner J -
Hadfield J -
the district. Vice President.
Hailes P -
Hamilton AP -
Hemmings A -
Hilder C -
Jeeves G -
Jenkins D -
his best years with Kings Walden.
Jenkins W (Dillar) -
Kerr PRN -
Linfield SJ -
Massey J; Mrs K; and Miss K -
Middleditch R -
Committee Member etc. Life Member.
Murphy J -
Maybrick FH -
McConville S -
Milner D -
Moffoot WA -
Newell C -
Nourse AW -
Orchard DF -
Patrick Brig J -
Peters W -
Pryor GIE -
Puxley HWL -
Raffell MJA -
years). His administrative and 'behind the scenes' work has also been nvaluable. Treasurer 1967.
Raffell JA -
Rivenall M -
Seebohm D -
Seebohm Mrs D -
Seebohm HE -
Smith Barry -
round performances. 10 wickets in one innings 1966.
Smith FP -
Smith Tony (Spindle) -
or medium pace bowling. Century maker.
Smith Tony (AJ) -
Stainsbury Revd. -
early and mid-
Stratford Miss CJ -
Tomlin H -
Turl EG -
Timms R -
bowling has broken many a stand by the opposition.
Walker RG -
Whitmore H -
Whitmore M -
Westrope T -
Whitby Ronald -
useful all round performances. Vice President.
Whitby Raymond -
Woodbridge P -
Woodbridge S -
Wray S -
(when we only played on Saturdays).
Wray F -
Wray R -
belt with regimental badges on it.
On a red-
Unfortunately too there is no documentary evidence to guide us as to the year of formation, and even the location of the early matches is controversial.
The earliest report we have seen of a Preston Cricket match was a faded Herts Express
cutting, circa 1911 (and it may surprise many that Reginald L. Hine, the famous historian
was then playing for the Club). Certainly by this time matches were being played
in the Park of Temple Dinsley (now Princess Helena College); the marquee and pitch
being located over by the St. Albans Highway drive and near to where those magnificent
horse-
For the memories of these pre-
Immediately the 'Cease Fire' sounded in November 1918, preparations were made to restart the Club; equipment was got out of storage, cleaned and oiled, work was commenced on the ground and cricket again started in 1919 on the present site.
The two Pryors (Geoffrey and Ralston) with Reginald Dawson (the Estate Agent) were the driving forces in the reformation, and they, of course, were playing members when the team was captained by Lord Scott. Other members of this team were Jack Flint (Estate Carpenter), Fred Longley (who looked after the domestic engines of the Estate), Hubert Peters (later to be the Club's scorer for many years) and Bob Wray (who returned from the War with a Military Medal).
Motor cars were becoming a little more evident (although when we heard one coming
we still peered through the windows to see who it was) but most teams came by wagonette,
although some of the ‘gentry’ preferred to come in their own pony and trap, and on
occasions dazzled us somewhat with their multi-
Fixtures were still only arranged within a purely local area, and the matches against Offley even in those days soon developed into a local Derby. (Later there was to be much skullduggery on the part of umpires in this fixture, and not always on one side either.)
A number of matches were played on Wednesdays against such teams as Thos. Brooker
Ltd., Hitchin Wednesday, etc., and in the early twenties Sam Wray, Dick Jenkins and/or
myself were given time off from School to play in these mid-
In our search for information about these long ago days we have heard no legends of famous batsmen being bowled by a local village yeoman, nor of a world famed bowler being carted by the village blacksmith; we can only assume nothing like this ever happened. In those days this little club no doubt won matches, lost matches, in sunshine and in rain, in much the same way as do the present players.
In August 1914 'the lights went out in Europe' and never again would Preston play in the Park, and two of the players, Ernie Ball and Percy Evered, would not return from the Somme.
We were now getting fixtures farther afield; Enfield Strollers visit was treated as a gala day (most of their players came from Windsor); and it was usually round about midnight when the last of the Strollers somewhat rather unmelodically left the village.
Teams from Luton such as Westbourne, Clarendon and Montrose were also always popular visitors, and we ourselves were transported in the Estate Albion Coal Lorry loaned to us by the Estate.
Spirella at Letchworth, and Lilley at Putteridge were favourite trips, and our annual visit to Little Wymondley usually resulted in a return long after the hostelries were closed.
Lady Carnarvon and Lt. Col. Denistoun came to Temple Dinsley in the early thirties
and several members of their staff joined the Club. Work was carried out more frequently
on the ground and gradually the old interest re-
Willie (Dillar) Jenkins was beginning to emerge as an outstanding batsman, and Reg Darton too was a very useful all rounder. The Club suffered a loss in the death of Frank Wray in 1935, and as a foil to the slow bowling of his brother Sam he was greatly missed.
As the war clouds again loomed we were joined by a number of useful players in Ron
Whitby, Cyril Milder, Percy Phillips, but although the team enjoyed much good cricket
in these eventful years it never had the power nor skill to compare with the mid-
Finally, captained by Willie Chalkley, n September 1939 we journeyed to Weston, beat them, and the Club bats, pads and Umpire's coats were to remain undisturbed until 1947.
'Dillar’ Jenkins, potentially the Club's finest batsman did not return from services with the Armed Forces.
Martin Raffell and Tony (A.J) Smith, aided and abetted by Chris Newell, Michael Whitmore,
Reg Camm and some of their ex-
It was during this period that Hunting Aircraft (old opponents of ours) came to Preston and on winning the toss put the home side in. At tea when the declaration was made the score was 198 for one wicket (Alan Maylin with a not out century and Barry Smith, 83). In the return fixture at Luton on Martin's 21st birthday (he was the oldest member of the team) Chris and Martin scored fifties, and Tony Smith was in an inspired mood with the ball so that victory was achieved by over a hundred runs.
There have been many thrilling matches against The Danes but probably the most famous was on a very wet day when rain constantly interrupted play and a fresh wicket had to be cut. It became necessary for the Preston batsmen to throw their bats at every ball, and they did this to such good purpose that victory was achieved in the last over.
Other Clubs were closing down for lack of players and consequently we lost some of our old established fixtures, although we still see our old friends each year from Hexton, Ashwell, Holwell and Graveley.
In 1964 Preston Cricket Club was elected to the Cricket Club Conference, as a result
of which we are now able to obtain fixtures with rather better clubs. Transport too
is much less of a problem, and consequently we are able to travel farther afield.
An innovation in 1966 was a weekend in Norfolk and two fixtures had been made against
Sandringham and Wells-
Preston Cricket Club has now enjoyed a number of years without any untoward occurrences, and with enthusiasm as high as it has ever been. So far as can at present be seen 'flannelled fools' will continue to play here for a very long time to come.
There have been many thrilling matches against The Danes but probably the most famous was on a very wet day when rain constantly interrupted play and a fresh wicket had to be cut. It became necessary for the Preston batsmen to throw their bats at every ball, and they did this to such good purpose that victory was achieved in the last over.
In 1921 the Pavilion was built, the bricks and tiles for it (and also for the Bungalows
and Institute) being made in a shed on Brown's Farm, and the woodwork prepared by
Jack Flint at Kiln Wood. An enclosure was erected in front of the Pavilion for the
exclusive use of members and their ladies, and one would immediately be ordered out
if the half-
Permission was sought from Douglas Vickers to use the Ground for football but he was very reluctant to permit this. Some compromise was eventually arrived at whereby the game could be played there, but after a season or so the Football Club were allowed the use of the meadow behind the Pavilion and it was here that the footballers had their most successful days. Cups, Shields and League honours were won, and on one historic occasion they held mighty Letchworth Town to a draw in a cup tie at Letchworth.
Jimmy Garner played in goal for the County and Willie Chalkley and Harry Jenkins were also strongly fancied for County honours.
Matches (especially cup-
After a number of very successful seasons the Club closed down, and the pattern right up until 1939 was for football to flourish for two or three years, and then to fold up and the players to move to other local clubs.
Since the war years, however, the Club has been much more efficiently run with the result that there has been more continuity. In the last few years, under the chairmanship of Mr. Harry Boxall, the team has ridden on the crest of a wave and now bears comparison with the Charlie Cumper, Harry Maltby, George Jeeves team of yesteryear.
The Tennis Club too was formed in the early Twenties, and was such an immediate success that a second court had to be opened. Apart from evening and Saturday games there were tournaments played against Breachwood Green, Wymondley, Shillington, and Clubs from St. Albans and Hitchin. In the thirties, which were probably the peak years of the Club, the membership and the standard of play was high and it was during this period that Miss Rose Ashton played Miss M. Wray (now Mrs. R. Whitby) in a great ladies singles final for the Club championship. A large number of North Herts tennis fans watched this match, and also a few sixpences were won and lost on the result.
Tennis was again started after the War, but the lack of young players taking up the game resulted in the Club closing down, and now children happily swing and cars park where once many a sterling battle woe fought.
Both an Evangelical Tented Mission and a Fair were permitted to use the ground, although not at the same time, and during the war years the ground was again used by the Army.
There too are pleasant memories of Jubilee and Coronation celebrations, and the Annual Fete and Flower Show which, in spite of a changing world, still continues to bring pleasure to many of our friends.
On July the first 1967, Mr. Richard Whitmore officially opened the Tenth Annual Post-
It is doubtful if Farmer Brown would now recognize his two buttercup festooned meadows.
On July the first 1967, Mr. Richard Whitmore officially opened the Tenth Annual Post-
It is doubtful if Farmer Brown would now recognize his two buttercup festooned meadows
PRESTON Cricket Club versus the Moon
This is to be pure fun, and it is doubtful if anyone will agree with all the selected players.
Certain it is that my contemporaries will say that Joe Bloggs (1927) was a far better player than Jim Nobbs (1964) forgetting that statistics would prove a very different story, and of course our young gazelles of the present day will query why Harry Jinks (1965) isn't included in preference to George Tite (1925) forgetting that the latter named gentleman batted on plantains with an outfield so high that courting couples were able to hide in it (and frequently did). Each player has been selected at his peak; some there were who were consistently good, whereas others had brilliant seasons followed by less successful ones.
It will be noticed that the team is put in alphabetical order, hence there has been no attempt by my humble self to attempt any batting order.
Finally, there is one interesting feature (which was not noticed until the team had been selected); the two Wrays and the two Jenkins all had the same maternal grandparents, although it is not thought that Grandfather Currell ever played cricket.
They say, ‘It’s a dull game’
Since the time that Cricket was called Bat and Ball and there was no middle stump, many amusing stories (possibly some of them apocryphal) have grown around the game. Preston Cricket Club has had their fair share of these enlivening interludes and a few are hereunder related:
At one time the Club had a player who had an intense dislike of Umpires, and hated
being given 'Out' by then even more so. I was batting with this gent one day when
he played at a ball and immediately there was a united appeal for a catch at the
wicket. The umpire raised his hand whereupon the batsman said ‘It came off my pad’.
‘Alright’ said the official, ‘you're out LBW’, but again the batsman disagreed. ‘How
can it be, it was a rising ball which hit the top of my pads?’ The Umpire retorted
somewhat sententiously ‘You're out for obstruction, and if you don't go at once I
shall report you to the MCC’. The red-
Preston was playing Hitchin West Indians a few years ago and when Tony (A.J) Smith
came in at No. 11 about 130 runs were needed to win. Our cricketing Horatio decided
to storm the bridge and the faster the bowling the harder Tony hit back. This defiant
hitting gave our Caribbean opponents as much pleasure as it did us, and every time
the ball was hit out of the ground it was sheer ecstasy to them. Tony's partner carelessly
allowed himself to be bowled when we were only 20 runs short of the target, and a
sweat-
At Chesfield Park over the long on boundary was an evil looking green slimey duck-
At Kimpton in a match when we were batting, it appeared to us in the Pavilion that all the Kimpton side, our batsmen, and the Umpires, had gone berserk until it was realized that a swarm of bees was passing over the ground. When this stingray armada had departed, without any apparent casualties, Tony (Spindle) Smith hit the next five balls to the boundary. The bowler was then rested, no doubt blaming the bee bees for his inaccurate trundling.
The late Bob Wray was once fielding on the long on boundary at Preston when he let out a shriek and collapsed to the ground in a cloud of smoke. It transpired that a box of wax vestas in his hip pocket had become ignited by the sun. If memory serves me correctly he had his tea standing up on that particular Saturday.
An away fixture had hardly started when a wife arrived in high dudgeon and proceeded to verbally lambast her beloved spouse who was fielding. This gentleman had apparently been asked to fill a last minute vacancy when in his local, and had proceeded at closing time straight to the cricket ground, forgetful of the fact that not only was his dinner awaiting him, but that also he had promised to take his wife out shopping. The lady eventually left after making rather rude remarks about cricket and husbands in general.
In a match at Little Wymondley our bowling was being thrashed, and it was noticeable that when the ball was hit into an adjoining cornfield no effort was made to retrieve it, but a replacement ball was thrown out from the Pavilion. I asked Harold Tomlin to try an over of his slow leg breaks, at the end of which another three balls had been lost, and the score advanced by some thirty runs. I suggested to Harold that perhaps it wasn't his wicket, whereupon, with a twinkle in his eye he replied ‘Keep me on for another over and they'll run out of balls and we'll get away with a draw’. I didn't and consequently we didn't.
In our dressing room at the conclusion of one of our bitter battles at Offley we were discussing our opponents and Umpires, and referring to them in a far from kindly manner. We were unaware that the partition dividing the two dressing rooms had a gap at the top and that every word we uttered was being listened to by our deadly rivals. Suddenly the door opened and in burst the offended Offleyites, and by their expressions it was apparent that they hadn't come merely to offer us their good wishes. As usual of course we all finished up at the local pub, and left the village as friends (at least until the next match). It was also at Offley that we all had a sit down strike when a batsman refused to retire after being caught from what he maintained was a bump ball. The two captains and two umpires eventually allowed him to remain much to our disgust.
Patternmakers.......
It would seem however that the team would largely consist of either sons or guests or friends from the Estate, with the addition of one or two Estate workers, and one or two independents from the village. There would be little time in those days for farm workers to play (the combine harvester was yet to come) and their hours would be fully occupied throughout the summer months with haymaking, harvesting etc. Sundays were, of course, for them a day of leisure, a day to wear their best, and probably only suit, and a day to seek out and talk to friends and acquaintances.
The internal-
Charlie Darton
Rgeinald Dawson
Dick Jenkins
Willie Jenkins
Chris Newell
Geoffrey Pryor
John Read
Barry Smith
Tony (Spindle) Smith
Frank Wray
Sam Wray
Reserves:
Stan Chapman
Tony AJ Smith
R/H Bat
R/H Bat and Slow Bowler
L/H Bat and R/H Medium Bowler
R/H Bat
R/H Bat and Fast Bowler
R/H Bat and Slow Bowler
R/H Bat and Fast Bowler
R/H Bat and Fast Bowler
R/H Bat and Wicket-
R/H Bat and Fast Medium Bowler
L/H Bat and R/H Slow Bowler
R/H Bat and Medium Bowler
R/H Bat and L/H Slow Bowler
Luton News 2 July 1936
Offley 90 Peters 6 for 15
Preston 54 Team: C Darton, D Frost, J Garner, A Fossett, R Darton, W Chalkley, W Darton, F Blanchard, W Peters, W Walker, E Sunderland
Luton News 30 July 1936
Preston vs Offley
Preston 83 Team: C Darton, D Jenkins, A Fossett, J Garner, W Darton, W Chalkley, M Blanchard, H Hammond, W Peters, W Walker, W Hammond
Offley 73 Jenkins 6 for 21
Luton News 11 May 1950
Electolux vs Preston
Electrolux 91 Stanley 6 for 29
Preston 46 Team: C Darton, W Stanley, R Whitby, W Dewar, C Hilder, D Frost, J Hadfield, C Tomlin, W Peters, W Reid, R Mardle.
Luton News 11 July 1953
Hexton vs Preston
Preston 136 for 7 dec. Team: Stevens, Hilder, R Darton, Jenkins, Tomlin, Dear, Frost, Currell, Harper.
Hexton 75 Darton 3 for 11; Currell 2 for 4
Luton News 30 July 1953
Hexton vs Preston
Hexton 129 Hilder 4 for 23, Phillips 2 for 13, Dear 2 for 18
Preston 106 for nine wkts. Team: R Darton, C Tomlin, J Sharp, B Dear, R Whitby, C Hilder, T Whiting, P Phillips, J Wood, R Marshall, B Baker.
Luton News 29 July 1954
Hexton vs Preston
Hexton 77 Williamson 5 for 25; Hilder 5 for 41.
Preston 36 Team: J Stevens, B Smith, N Cumming, R Whitby, W Frost, Franklin, D Williamson, M Steward, H Tomlin, C Cumming, C Hilder
Top Row (l to r): Dawson, Woodbridge, Joe Bond, Arthur Hemmings, Harold Tomlin.
Middle row (l to r): Ron Whitby, Sam Wray, John Hadfield, Charlie Darton, Jockey Peters.
Front row (l ro r):Ray Mardell, Keith Groves (scorer)
Preston CC teams and performances reported in newspapers