Box Cricket Club Part 2: Aged 100 to 150 Years Text and photos Mike Warren April 2020
Box Cricket Club about 1980. Back Row: Graham Guy, ? , ?. Graham Fletcher, Mike Warren, Richard Gray, Anthony Smith, Terry Jefford, Jim Shannon. Seated, Trevor Cross, Pat Bollen, Nigel Bence, Steve Wheeler
In Mike Warren's first article he recounted the story of the first 100 years of the Box Cricket Club. Now he brings the club's story up-to-date from 1970 to 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of Box's historic organisations.
All Change in 1970s
On Wednesday 18 February 1970 Cecil Lambert, chairman of Box Cricket Club, welcomed 26 members to the 100th Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Selwyn Hall. His report was very different compared to the club and the members today. Alan Peacock had resigned as First team captain and fixture secretary as he was moving away to Andover (within two years he became captain of their club). Brian Sherriff was elected First XI captain; Alec Cogswell Second XI captain and Pat Bollen ran the Sunday team. Mike Warren took over the post of fixtures secretary.
Jim Shannon and Graham Guy were the scorers and the club was blessed with having a pool of umpires including George Greenman, Ted Simpkins, Alec Smith and Sydney Rolls. The annual membership subscription was 10 shillings and by the following year that had changed to 50 new pence. Players' kits were still provided by the club and, later that year, six bat handles owned by the club, were sent away to be re-bladed. A very successful centenary dance was held in the Selwyn Hall and matches were held every day during the club's Centenary Week, when the Queen's Head was used for much socialising.
On Wednesday 18 February 1970 Cecil Lambert, chairman of Box Cricket Club, welcomed 26 members to the 100th Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Selwyn Hall. His report was very different compared to the club and the members today. Alan Peacock had resigned as First team captain and fixture secretary as he was moving away to Andover (within two years he became captain of their club). Brian Sherriff was elected First XI captain; Alec Cogswell Second XI captain and Pat Bollen ran the Sunday team. Mike Warren took over the post of fixtures secretary.
Jim Shannon and Graham Guy were the scorers and the club was blessed with having a pool of umpires including George Greenman, Ted Simpkins, Alec Smith and Sydney Rolls. The annual membership subscription was 10 shillings and by the following year that had changed to 50 new pence. Players' kits were still provided by the club and, later that year, six bat handles owned by the club, were sent away to be re-bladed. A very successful centenary dance was held in the Selwyn Hall and matches were held every day during the club's Centenary Week, when the Queen's Head was used for much socialising.
The Club in the 1970s
There was a strict order for organising sessions based on the ability of the players. Top players such as the brothers Nigel and Geoff Bence, John Harris and Ken Boulton would practice batting first with the best bowlers bowling at them. Lesser players had to first pull the huge, 8-foot wide heavy roller from the side of the pavilion to the square and roll the wicket that was to be used for the next match. This wicket had been mowed earlier in the day. Only then were these players allowed to have their turn at batting and bowling. I used to position myself just before the slope from the Upper to the Lower Fields on the Rec directly behind the bowlers and batsman. Some batsmen, especially Pete Milsom, used to enjoy whacking the ball straight past the bowler and I would retrieve the balls and hurl them back to the waiting bowlers. In time, I was allowed to have my turn at bowling.
At the end of each season, great care was taken by players to repair the square which had been damaged by the bowlers’ run-ups. Around mid-September many bags of marl soil would be delivered from the other side of the country and, once the ends of the wickets had been spiked and seeded, the marl would be spread across the whole square where it would be levelled by pulling a metal mat over the area. Marl acted very much like a mud cement and when rolled made a very good surface for batting. By springtime the grass seed would have taken root, and the square cut, rolled and prepared for the start of the season. Nigel and Geoff Bence tended to be in charge of maintaining the square and as they were both excellent batsmen and liked to prepare a wicket suited to good batting.
There was a strict order for organising sessions based on the ability of the players. Top players such as the brothers Nigel and Geoff Bence, John Harris and Ken Boulton would practice batting first with the best bowlers bowling at them. Lesser players had to first pull the huge, 8-foot wide heavy roller from the side of the pavilion to the square and roll the wicket that was to be used for the next match. This wicket had been mowed earlier in the day. Only then were these players allowed to have their turn at batting and bowling. I used to position myself just before the slope from the Upper to the Lower Fields on the Rec directly behind the bowlers and batsman. Some batsmen, especially Pete Milsom, used to enjoy whacking the ball straight past the bowler and I would retrieve the balls and hurl them back to the waiting bowlers. In time, I was allowed to have my turn at bowling.
At the end of each season, great care was taken by players to repair the square which had been damaged by the bowlers’ run-ups. Around mid-September many bags of marl soil would be delivered from the other side of the country and, once the ends of the wickets had been spiked and seeded, the marl would be spread across the whole square where it would be levelled by pulling a metal mat over the area. Marl acted very much like a mud cement and when rolled made a very good surface for batting. By springtime the grass seed would have taken root, and the square cut, rolled and prepared for the start of the season. Nigel and Geoff Bence tended to be in charge of maintaining the square and as they were both excellent batsmen and liked to prepare a wicket suited to good batting.
Long-standing player, member, official and president Phil Lambert
Practice obviously paid off and during the 1971 season, John Harris scored over 1,000 runs, an outstanding performance. President Don Bradfield resigned having been involved for many years including writing the club history and his role was taken over by Phil Lambert. The following year the club received the sad news that George Kidston had died. He had been a great supporter of Box Cricket Club, doing all he could to ensure its future and to make sure that present and future residents of Box were able to use the superb facility of the recreation ground which he gave to the parish. The club supported the parish council’s appeal for a memorial to Mr Kidston. 1973 saw the arrival of some players who dominated the club's success in the late twentieth century, including Eric Martell and Trevor Cross. Eric opened the First XI batting for 25 years while Trevor, a wily old Welshman, bowled his in-duckers. Mike Warren used his skills with his left-arm, round–the-wicket in-swingers and Richard Gray bowled his slow left-arm spinners. Scoop, the Bath Evening Chronicle reporter, was often writing about the twin spin attack of Warren and Gray. Sadly, Jim Shannon, our meticulous and very popular First Team scorer passed away in 1973. He was so reliable and dedicated and he was sadly missed.
In 1974 a Sunday fixture was played against Gowerton, South Wales. They were a marvellous side, who had previously played at Lord's, winning the Haig Trophy (a national knock-out competition for village sides). Gowerton’s two opening batsmen had scored heavily at Lord's but were both bowled out in our game by Tony Butts, a stocky Second XI bowler from Rudloe and he also took another couple of wickets. Although a long way to travel to South Wales, we had a great game against them and won. On returning to the Queen’s much later in the evening, Tony bought two bottles of champagne to celebrate his performance. The following day the club were off on a 5-day cricket tour to Hastings and Tony turned up in the Queen’s car park still dressed in his white cricket kit and black socks, with his boots hanging around his neck and his bat under his arm. He had no other clothes and not a penny on him. He spent the week's tour sleeping on the floors of other players’ rooms, and challenging locals to games of darts to pay for drinks. Somehow he survived the week. There was another story of him winning money at the races, buying himself a race horse which he kept in the back garden of his council house at Rudloe until the RSPCA were involved. Tony was certainly a unique local character.
In 1974 a Sunday fixture was played against Gowerton, South Wales. They were a marvellous side, who had previously played at Lord's, winning the Haig Trophy (a national knock-out competition for village sides). Gowerton’s two opening batsmen had scored heavily at Lord's but were both bowled out in our game by Tony Butts, a stocky Second XI bowler from Rudloe and he also took another couple of wickets. Although a long way to travel to South Wales, we had a great game against them and won. On returning to the Queen’s much later in the evening, Tony bought two bottles of champagne to celebrate his performance. The following day the club were off on a 5-day cricket tour to Hastings and Tony turned up in the Queen’s car park still dressed in his white cricket kit and black socks, with his boots hanging around his neck and his bat under his arm. He had no other clothes and not a penny on him. He spent the week's tour sleeping on the floors of other players’ rooms, and challenging locals to games of darts to pay for drinks. Somehow he survived the week. There was another story of him winning money at the races, buying himself a race horse which he kept in the back garden of his council house at Rudloe until the RSPCA were involved. Tony was certainly a unique local character.
Coach Travel Near and Far
There were two coach companies in the village at that time: Browning’s at the top of Chapel Lane and Miller’s next to the Queen’s Head. These two firms took it in turns to transport the teams to away games. Depending on which coach was being used, at lunchtime players congregated early either in the Queen’s Head or in The Lamb which was situated on the Devizes Road opposite Browning’s. Some members would down a couple of pints of rough cider while waiting. It was traditional to stay with the opposition team after the match to have a drink or two before returning home. As in the old days, songs would be sung on the return journey. During my early days in the Second XI, I was well looked after by the club's opening bowlers, John Townsend and Eddie Morris.
It was also at this time that the club started a tour week which became the norm for several years. Organised by Nigel Bence, the first one was to Hastings with the team staying at the Alexandra Hotel, playing on the County Ground against Hastings, then Bexhill and other strong fixtures. The club continued to tour the area for the following two years playing against Burwash, Selstead, Cowsley Wood, Newick and again at the County Ground. While playing a game in 1975 there was an unexpected interruption. Play continued until lunch when there was a heavy downpour, coinciding with a high tide, which resulted in the ground being flooded. Some of the Box boys rowed a small boat around the ground for a bit of fun.
There were two coach companies in the village at that time: Browning’s at the top of Chapel Lane and Miller’s next to the Queen’s Head. These two firms took it in turns to transport the teams to away games. Depending on which coach was being used, at lunchtime players congregated early either in the Queen’s Head or in The Lamb which was situated on the Devizes Road opposite Browning’s. Some members would down a couple of pints of rough cider while waiting. It was traditional to stay with the opposition team after the match to have a drink or two before returning home. As in the old days, songs would be sung on the return journey. During my early days in the Second XI, I was well looked after by the club's opening bowlers, John Townsend and Eddie Morris.
It was also at this time that the club started a tour week which became the norm for several years. Organised by Nigel Bence, the first one was to Hastings with the team staying at the Alexandra Hotel, playing on the County Ground against Hastings, then Bexhill and other strong fixtures. The club continued to tour the area for the following two years playing against Burwash, Selstead, Cowsley Wood, Newick and again at the County Ground. While playing a game in 1975 there was an unexpected interruption. Play continued until lunch when there was a heavy downpour, coinciding with a high tide, which resulted in the ground being flooded. Some of the Box boys rowed a small boat around the ground for a bit of fun.
Relaxing on tour in August 1980. Left to right: Mick Perrin, Neil Pettit, Chris Boulton and Richard Bryant
In 1975 Courage Brewery offered to sell the freehold of the land but it was several years until the contracts were signed. Throughout its life, the club always struggled for funds despite starting a 100-Club which ran for many years and the usual dances and other fundraising events. Finding ladies to organise teas was a never-ending problem but Dora Smith, Val Harris, Wendy Martell, Joan Warren, Barbara Cross, Sue Low and others all held the reigns over those years. Several alterations were made to the cricket pavilion but it was not until 1976 that a water tank was installed into the roof space and showers fitted thanks to Pat Bollen and John Harris. This prompted the Box Rovers Football Club to enquire whether the pavilion could be used as their changing rooms but the request had to be turned down as the club now ran two Saturday and Sunday teams with a strong membership and fixture list, playing friendly games as had always been the case.
Junior under 13s and 15s 6-a-side teams were coached and taken to matches by Mike Warren. They were very successful winning the County League several years running. The mainstays of the teams were Gerald Hayward, Neil Pettit, Brian Morris and Neil Gooden. The junior sides had two outstandingly successful seasons, going unbeaten in the Wiltshire Leagues and reaching the South West finals. Many of those boys carried on to play for Box for the next 30 years. It is great to see that, over the years, other players like Dave Hill, Kris Boulton, Graham Cogswell and others have continued to help local youngsters enjoy the game.
During the 1977 season, Mark Thompson, a young fast bowler and Jim Drury, a batsman and competent fielder joined the club further strengthening the First XI. I remember the day Jim Drury arrived at the club. He was sitting on the wall of the Queen’s Head garden as the players arrived for our game. He called out to say he had his cricket kit in his car and, if we were short, he would like to play. We told him that we were never short but, when it was almost time to start, Terry Jefford, one of our opening bowlers, had not turned up. Jim was called to make up the numbers. He had just been appointed as a director at Harbutt’s Plasticine Factory and had come from the Manchester area, looking to buy a house in Box. After the game he joined us all in the lounge of the Queen’s for our usual socialising. Len had closed the shutters on the windows at 11pm at closing time in those days but we carried on until about 11.30. Trevor Cross then invited us all back to his house at Grosvenor in Bath so we all drove there, Jim driving his new director's car, a Morris Minor Traveller. We all knew the trouble of parking in Bath but Jim did not and when we all came to leave at about 2am, Jim’s car was blocked in. He drove onto the grass passing some huge trees until he could get no further, turned towards the A4 road where he was at least a metre higher than the road. A car was coming up the road but stopped, seeing Jim’s car about to drive off the wall and drop down onto the road. We knew Jim would fit into our team well!
That year, Graham Fletcher was mentioned for his bowing, John Harris for his wicket keeping and Ron Low for his batting. Ron, a Yorkshire man, had joined the club in 1967, having moved into the area to work at the Bathford paper mills. He strengthened the side with his hard hitting batting and quick reflexes while fielding in the slips. There was an end-of-season dinner dance held at the Northey Arms with a 3-piece band providing the music. The event was so successful that such occasions were held annually for at least the next ten years with the venue moving to the Methuen Arms, Corsham. Fund-raising was a constant necessity but a new spin was needed to attract interest. Darts leagues and competitions were very popular in pubs at the time, so it was decided to hold a darts competition in the Selwyn Hall. Anthony Smith and Jim Drury organised the event which proved to be such a financial success that one was held for the following eight years. A heavy diesel roller had been acquired for use on the square with Brian Boulton giving it an annual service, and Herbie Hancock overseeing wicket repairs. The parish council agreed that a metered, high-pressure mains could be laid from the bowling green to the pavilion with an extension to the cricket square.
1979 saw Phil Lambert standing down as president with long-standing member Nigel Bence taking over. Former player Pete Ody passed away. That year the residents of the Manor House became unhappy with the number of balls being struck into their garden, declining to return them or allow the players to retrieve them. In one game three almost-new balls were lost in that way. This dispute continued for several years without any resolution. It was suggested that some 18-foot netting be erected but that idea was squashed when the County Council refused planning permission. Soon afterwards the owners of the Manor House changed and the problem seemed to disappear. A one-day inter-pub competition was established with the Comrades Legion Club winning the first of many tournaments. At the AGM Eric Martell suggested a change of venue for the tour week from the Sussex area to his home county of Cheshire. This was agreed with Nigel Bence being thanked for arranging three highly successful trips to the Sussex and Kent area. During that winter, a team from Box won the first year of the Chippenham Indoor Cricket League, a fast and fairly dangerous game.
Junior under 13s and 15s 6-a-side teams were coached and taken to matches by Mike Warren. They were very successful winning the County League several years running. The mainstays of the teams were Gerald Hayward, Neil Pettit, Brian Morris and Neil Gooden. The junior sides had two outstandingly successful seasons, going unbeaten in the Wiltshire Leagues and reaching the South West finals. Many of those boys carried on to play for Box for the next 30 years. It is great to see that, over the years, other players like Dave Hill, Kris Boulton, Graham Cogswell and others have continued to help local youngsters enjoy the game.
During the 1977 season, Mark Thompson, a young fast bowler and Jim Drury, a batsman and competent fielder joined the club further strengthening the First XI. I remember the day Jim Drury arrived at the club. He was sitting on the wall of the Queen’s Head garden as the players arrived for our game. He called out to say he had his cricket kit in his car and, if we were short, he would like to play. We told him that we were never short but, when it was almost time to start, Terry Jefford, one of our opening bowlers, had not turned up. Jim was called to make up the numbers. He had just been appointed as a director at Harbutt’s Plasticine Factory and had come from the Manchester area, looking to buy a house in Box. After the game he joined us all in the lounge of the Queen’s for our usual socialising. Len had closed the shutters on the windows at 11pm at closing time in those days but we carried on until about 11.30. Trevor Cross then invited us all back to his house at Grosvenor in Bath so we all drove there, Jim driving his new director's car, a Morris Minor Traveller. We all knew the trouble of parking in Bath but Jim did not and when we all came to leave at about 2am, Jim’s car was blocked in. He drove onto the grass passing some huge trees until he could get no further, turned towards the A4 road where he was at least a metre higher than the road. A car was coming up the road but stopped, seeing Jim’s car about to drive off the wall and drop down onto the road. We knew Jim would fit into our team well!
That year, Graham Fletcher was mentioned for his bowing, John Harris for his wicket keeping and Ron Low for his batting. Ron, a Yorkshire man, had joined the club in 1967, having moved into the area to work at the Bathford paper mills. He strengthened the side with his hard hitting batting and quick reflexes while fielding in the slips. There was an end-of-season dinner dance held at the Northey Arms with a 3-piece band providing the music. The event was so successful that such occasions were held annually for at least the next ten years with the venue moving to the Methuen Arms, Corsham. Fund-raising was a constant necessity but a new spin was needed to attract interest. Darts leagues and competitions were very popular in pubs at the time, so it was decided to hold a darts competition in the Selwyn Hall. Anthony Smith and Jim Drury organised the event which proved to be such a financial success that one was held for the following eight years. A heavy diesel roller had been acquired for use on the square with Brian Boulton giving it an annual service, and Herbie Hancock overseeing wicket repairs. The parish council agreed that a metered, high-pressure mains could be laid from the bowling green to the pavilion with an extension to the cricket square.
1979 saw Phil Lambert standing down as president with long-standing member Nigel Bence taking over. Former player Pete Ody passed away. That year the residents of the Manor House became unhappy with the number of balls being struck into their garden, declining to return them or allow the players to retrieve them. In one game three almost-new balls were lost in that way. This dispute continued for several years without any resolution. It was suggested that some 18-foot netting be erected but that idea was squashed when the County Council refused planning permission. Soon afterwards the owners of the Manor House changed and the problem seemed to disappear. A one-day inter-pub competition was established with the Comrades Legion Club winning the first of many tournaments. At the AGM Eric Martell suggested a change of venue for the tour week from the Sussex area to his home county of Cheshire. This was agreed with Nigel Bence being thanked for arranging three highly successful trips to the Sussex and Kent area. During that winter, a team from Box won the first year of the Chippenham Indoor Cricket League, a fast and fairly dangerous game.
Back Row: Dave Hill, Ian Cogswell, Anthony Smith, Mike Warren, P. Robson, Andy Kerr, D. Williams, Eric Martell, Matt Robson, Simon Cross, Nigel Bence. Middle Row L to R: Richard Bryant, Duncan Cogswell, John Harris, Jim Drury, Richard Gray, Pat Bollen, G.Fletcher, Trevor Cross.
Front Row: Nic Guy, Graham Cogswell, Roger Rebbeck. Kevin Boulton in background.
Several times during the 1980 season, four members of the Cogswell family (Alec, Graham, Duncan and Ian Cogswell) were playing on the same day for one of the two teams. It was the year when young players were beginning to come through as the backbone of the under-13s and -15s progressed into the Second XI, with Neil Pettit, Neil Gooden, Gerald Hayward and Jamie Cross producing sound results. The under-15s again won the area tournament but lost to Swindon in a close final. For the First XI Robin Gale, Richard Gray and Pat Bollen performed well and during the winter months, the club had two 6-a-side teams competing in the indoor cricket league with the First 6-team consistently winning. The tour side visited Cheshire in 1980 and stayed at Nantwich and played strong teams from Crewe, Aston, Toft, Nantwich and Stone. The latter had an international professional player in their side, the first time the club had come across this situation, which soon became common. Box Cricket Club continued to tour that area for several years with a couple of the smaller clubs returning to tour the Box area as well.
Playing against Australian One-Day International
Each year Box Cricket Club had a game against the Bristol side of Knowle, a fixture we always keenly anticipated. In the early 1980s Shaun Graf, an Australian player, came over for the summer months playing at Knowle and for Hampshire. He had played 11 one-day internationals and replaced Dennis Lilley in the Australian side when Dennis had been disciplined for going out to bat with an aluminium bat. Shaun was an all-rounder and a very quick bowler. The club played against him three years running and I vividly remember him bowling a few early balls from his long run-up at Pete Robson and Pat Bollen. He would then revert to his shorter run-up but bowled almost as quickly.
My memory is that I caught and bowled him on all three occasions. In the third game Shaun opened the batting and Knowle had scored 147 before I came on to bowl and caught him in my first over. In 1985 my family had a year’s exchange to Perth, Western Australia, swopping jobs, houses, cars and pets. Most Fridays after school the male teachers would meet for drinks, which at that time was known as, “the six-o-clock swill”. Other Australian players such as Kim Hughes and Geoff Thompson would be there as well, recounting their cricketing stories. I attended a few nets in Australia but did not get on too well. All the balls were banged in short and fast coming at me at throat height, not exactly what I liked.
Each year Box Cricket Club had a game against the Bristol side of Knowle, a fixture we always keenly anticipated. In the early 1980s Shaun Graf, an Australian player, came over for the summer months playing at Knowle and for Hampshire. He had played 11 one-day internationals and replaced Dennis Lilley in the Australian side when Dennis had been disciplined for going out to bat with an aluminium bat. Shaun was an all-rounder and a very quick bowler. The club played against him three years running and I vividly remember him bowling a few early balls from his long run-up at Pete Robson and Pat Bollen. He would then revert to his shorter run-up but bowled almost as quickly.
My memory is that I caught and bowled him on all three occasions. In the third game Shaun opened the batting and Knowle had scored 147 before I came on to bowl and caught him in my first over. In 1985 my family had a year’s exchange to Perth, Western Australia, swopping jobs, houses, cars and pets. Most Fridays after school the male teachers would meet for drinks, which at that time was known as, “the six-o-clock swill”. Other Australian players such as Kim Hughes and Geoff Thompson would be there as well, recounting their cricketing stories. I attended a few nets in Australia but did not get on too well. All the balls were banged in short and fast coming at me at throat height, not exactly what I liked.
League Cricket Controversy
There had been much discussion in the 1970s and 80s about the introduction of league cricket to the area. Throughout the life of Box Cricket Club, games had always been played on a friendly basis with a win, draw or loss possible. It was now being proposed that the Wiltshire Cricket Association introduce a league system which would be run with the promotion and relegation of one club per season. After a great deal of argument between members it was decided by a large majority that Box Cricket Club should apply for both the First and Second teams to join the Ushers' Wiltshire League that was to be introduced the following season. Soon afterwards it was found that most of the major Wiltshire clubs had decided not to join the Ushers' League as it would weaken their fixture lists.
Box Cricket Club called its first ever Extraordinary General Meeting on 4 June 1980 in the long room of the Queen's Head with just 14 members attending. The purpose was to discuss and vote on the proposal from Eric Martel that Box Cricket Club withdraw its entry to the Wiltshire League. The main case for the proposal was that the published league was much weaker than originally envisaged with the consequential effect of weakening the club’s fixtures and involving playing on poorer wickets. There were four possible options:
There had been much discussion in the 1970s and 80s about the introduction of league cricket to the area. Throughout the life of Box Cricket Club, games had always been played on a friendly basis with a win, draw or loss possible. It was now being proposed that the Wiltshire Cricket Association introduce a league system which would be run with the promotion and relegation of one club per season. After a great deal of argument between members it was decided by a large majority that Box Cricket Club should apply for both the First and Second teams to join the Ushers' Wiltshire League that was to be introduced the following season. Soon afterwards it was found that most of the major Wiltshire clubs had decided not to join the Ushers' League as it would weaken their fixture lists.
Box Cricket Club called its first ever Extraordinary General Meeting on 4 June 1980 in the long room of the Queen's Head with just 14 members attending. The purpose was to discuss and vote on the proposal from Eric Martel that Box Cricket Club withdraw its entry to the Wiltshire League. The main case for the proposal was that the published league was much weaker than originally envisaged with the consequential effect of weakening the club’s fixtures and involving playing on poorer wickets. There were four possible options:
- Try to join the Bristol and District League
- Stay out of league cricket altogether and find alternative fixtures
- Help form a breakaway league with Trowbridge
- Stay in the Wiltshire League.
The outcome of the meeting was to ask the Wiltshire Cricket Association to call a meeting of all participating clubs so that club’s concerns could be aired and the league given a chance to respond. It was a close-run thing, the motion carried by 7 votes to 6. The Bristol and District League had some onerous regulations. They needed an umpire from each club to be supplied to a pool willing to travel to any match in a 25-mile radius of Bristol. The league had five divisions and Box would start in the 5th division, which seemed to make that option unrealistic.
Twenty-four members of the club attended a meeting in June when it was reported that the standard in the Ushers' League would not be particularly strong. Westinghouse had not yet committed and, if Box pulled out, Purton and Savernake would follow.
There would then be a possibility of forming a Wessex League. After much discussion, the proposal that Box withdraw from the Wiltshire League was carried with only 1 vote against. A letter was sent to Mr J Gale at Corsham informing him of the decision, with copies sent to those clubs interested in a breakaway league. By 4 July, the following clubs had committed to join the Wessex League: Box, Westinghouse, Trowbridge and Devizes, all clubs having two teams each. The Saturday fixture list had only lost Corsham, Warminster and Avon and the following year Bath Civil Service, Purton and Hampset had joined.
After 13 years of playing at Box, Ron Low decided to leave the club to play for Bath. Ron was against the idea of league cricket but, if it was forced through, he felt he should play it to the best possible standard. It was a sad loss. He eventually returned to finish his career at Box and since then has spent years looking after the wicket with Dave Betts, producing surfaces which are a credit to the club. The heavy diesel roller was no longer reliable and was replaced with a second-hand pavement roller. At the same time a 20-inch Greens mower was purchased to be used for cutting the square. It produced some very good results. For all his work Ron was later suitably honoured with the position of president of the club for many years.
Twenty-four members of the club attended a meeting in June when it was reported that the standard in the Ushers' League would not be particularly strong. Westinghouse had not yet committed and, if Box pulled out, Purton and Savernake would follow.
There would then be a possibility of forming a Wessex League. After much discussion, the proposal that Box withdraw from the Wiltshire League was carried with only 1 vote against. A letter was sent to Mr J Gale at Corsham informing him of the decision, with copies sent to those clubs interested in a breakaway league. By 4 July, the following clubs had committed to join the Wessex League: Box, Westinghouse, Trowbridge and Devizes, all clubs having two teams each. The Saturday fixture list had only lost Corsham, Warminster and Avon and the following year Bath Civil Service, Purton and Hampset had joined.
After 13 years of playing at Box, Ron Low decided to leave the club to play for Bath. Ron was against the idea of league cricket but, if it was forced through, he felt he should play it to the best possible standard. It was a sad loss. He eventually returned to finish his career at Box and since then has spent years looking after the wicket with Dave Betts, producing surfaces which are a credit to the club. The heavy diesel roller was no longer reliable and was replaced with a second-hand pavement roller. At the same time a 20-inch Greens mower was purchased to be used for cutting the square. It produced some very good results. For all his work Ron was later suitably honoured with the position of president of the club for many years.
Nigel Bence celebrated his 50th playing year in 1982, opening the batting with Trevor Cross (sitting) and Eric Martell (right)
Events in the 1980s
There was general discussion in 1981 about a proposal by Pat Bollen and Mike Warren that the club should purchase the Manor House and grounds with the possibility of building a centralised sports complex there but the suggestion came to nothing. The parish council then floated the idea of a pavilion on the corner between the Selwyn Hall car park and the Lower Field that would serve all sports in that area of the Recreation field. However, the position was in the wrong place for the Cricket Club, who much preferred their pavilion location near the Queen's Head.
There was general discussion in 1981 about a proposal by Pat Bollen and Mike Warren that the club should purchase the Manor House and grounds with the possibility of building a centralised sports complex there but the suggestion came to nothing. The parish council then floated the idea of a pavilion on the corner between the Selwyn Hall car park and the Lower Field that would serve all sports in that area of the Recreation field. However, the position was in the wrong place for the Cricket Club, who much preferred their pavilion location near the Queen's Head.
The first Wessex League fixtures took place in the early 1980s. Box teams finished low down in the tables but several promising youngsters were starting to make their mark in the senior sides. Nigel Bence celebrated his 50 years association with Box Cricket Club with a very successful fixture against the Wiltshire Cricket Society. By this time, the club were playing far too many fixtures on the small square, so the number of midweek games against touring sides had to be reduced. The idea that cricket should move to the Lower Field was briefly talked about but for many reasons the idea was discarded. As always, plenty of time and money needed to be spent on pavilion improvements and repairs, with few people willing to volunteer, just the faithful few keeping the club running.
Plans for a Centralised Sports Pavilion
Preliminary discussions took place with the Parish Council Playing Fields Committee for the renewal of the deed of grant. Consent was given for the replacement of the tea hut by a second-hand, equipment store erected at the spot of the old concrete practice wicket at the rear of the Comrades Club which was no longer used regularly. A wooden shed was acquired which Alec Cogswell erected. Box Rovers Football Club were given permission to use the cricket pavilion as their changing room on occasions but a more permanent arrangement was wanted. The two clubs met when the principle of a combined pavilion was agreed with sketch plans being produced, the parish council agreeing in principle. Bass Brewery showed an interest in the scheme and offered an advance of £30,000. Subsequently there was a lack of enthusiasm which indicated that such a large, long-term project was not a viable proposition.
By the mid-1980s John Harris decided to give up playing for Box to play golf at Kingsdown. He had been an elegant batsman and superb wicket keeper who stood up to the stumps even for the fastest bowler. He always wore a red cap so that fielders could aim at his head when throwing the ball to the keeper. He continued playing cricket for Wiltshire Over-50s team and was named man of the match when Wiltshire lost in the final of the inter-counties knock-out competition. Although Wiltshire lost, he had performed very well with the bat and behind the stumps. Soon afterwards, umpire Alec Smith suffered a heart attack which forced him to give up his involvement. The club thanked him for the many years of great service, as well as his wife Dora and daughter Val who were involved for many years providing and organising teas for the club. In 1985 there was another sad loss of one of the club’s stalwarts, trustee Hubert Sawyer, who had given many years of devotion to the club as a player, official, umpire and trustee. Phil Lambert was very pleased to accept the honour of replacing him as trustee, as his father had occupied the post during the 1914-18 war. Richard Gray was unanimously elected as a life member for his many years' service on committees and as captain of the club. Bernard Lovell was thanked once again for auditing the club’s books over many years.
Preliminary discussions took place with the Parish Council Playing Fields Committee for the renewal of the deed of grant. Consent was given for the replacement of the tea hut by a second-hand, equipment store erected at the spot of the old concrete practice wicket at the rear of the Comrades Club which was no longer used regularly. A wooden shed was acquired which Alec Cogswell erected. Box Rovers Football Club were given permission to use the cricket pavilion as their changing room on occasions but a more permanent arrangement was wanted. The two clubs met when the principle of a combined pavilion was agreed with sketch plans being produced, the parish council agreeing in principle. Bass Brewery showed an interest in the scheme and offered an advance of £30,000. Subsequently there was a lack of enthusiasm which indicated that such a large, long-term project was not a viable proposition.
By the mid-1980s John Harris decided to give up playing for Box to play golf at Kingsdown. He had been an elegant batsman and superb wicket keeper who stood up to the stumps even for the fastest bowler. He always wore a red cap so that fielders could aim at his head when throwing the ball to the keeper. He continued playing cricket for Wiltshire Over-50s team and was named man of the match when Wiltshire lost in the final of the inter-counties knock-out competition. Although Wiltshire lost, he had performed very well with the bat and behind the stumps. Soon afterwards, umpire Alec Smith suffered a heart attack which forced him to give up his involvement. The club thanked him for the many years of great service, as well as his wife Dora and daughter Val who were involved for many years providing and organising teas for the club. In 1985 there was another sad loss of one of the club’s stalwarts, trustee Hubert Sawyer, who had given many years of devotion to the club as a player, official, umpire and trustee. Phil Lambert was very pleased to accept the honour of replacing him as trustee, as his father had occupied the post during the 1914-18 war. Richard Gray was unanimously elected as a life member for his many years' service on committees and as captain of the club. Bernard Lovell was thanked once again for auditing the club’s books over many years.
Social Life at The Queen's Head
Since the cricket pavilion had been built in the grounds of the Queen's Head, the club had used the pub as its headquarters. It had been the centre of the players’ social life for many years. After games, both sides would take over the lounge bar, with many of the wives joining in later. Len and Joan Walker, the licence holders, looked after the members very well providing cooked sausages and Len even had a television set up for us in the lounge bar for us to watch the 1966 World Cup Football Final. The hours of opening were much different and on a Sunday the evening opening time was not until 7.30pm. Len would keep an eye on the game from an upstairs window and if he saw that the game was ending early would rush down and open up much earlier than he should, not wishing to miss the trade. Closing time was 10.30pm in Somerset and 11pm in Wiltshire, so on occasions players from away games would rush to the pub to beat last orders. Len would then close the shutters and those present would continue drinking and talking. Most club members played both Saturdays and Sundays as well as weekday games and team spirit was high and drinking games were commonplace. Len would be around with his mop and disinfectant, drying up the floor, particularly after the tour games. When the annual dinner dances were held, Len and Joan would be given complementary tickets in recognition of the support they gave to the club.
Since the cricket pavilion had been built in the grounds of the Queen's Head, the club had used the pub as its headquarters. It had been the centre of the players’ social life for many years. After games, both sides would take over the lounge bar, with many of the wives joining in later. Len and Joan Walker, the licence holders, looked after the members very well providing cooked sausages and Len even had a television set up for us in the lounge bar for us to watch the 1966 World Cup Football Final. The hours of opening were much different and on a Sunday the evening opening time was not until 7.30pm. Len would keep an eye on the game from an upstairs window and if he saw that the game was ending early would rush down and open up much earlier than he should, not wishing to miss the trade. Closing time was 10.30pm in Somerset and 11pm in Wiltshire, so on occasions players from away games would rush to the pub to beat last orders. Len would then close the shutters and those present would continue drinking and talking. Most club members played both Saturdays and Sundays as well as weekday games and team spirit was high and drinking games were commonplace. Len would be around with his mop and disinfectant, drying up the floor, particularly after the tour games. When the annual dinner dances were held, Len and Joan would be given complementary tickets in recognition of the support they gave to the club.
Back Row C.Boulton, D.Cogswell, M.Hope, A. Smith, A. Smith (umpire) Back Row D.Hill, P.Robson,
M.Robson, B.Sawyert, R.Miller, S.Cross, N.Gooden, C.Dix, N.Pettit, G.Fletcher, P.Dove-Meadows,
Front Row M.Warren, R.Rebbeck, P.Bollen, ?, N.Guy, J.Drury, R.Gray, T.Cross, Seated P,Kirby, ?,
M.Bollen, ?.
A letter was received from Linda Bentley concerning the possibility of a newly-formed playgroup hiring the cricket pavilion for use of the toddlers. This request was agreed although several members expressed their objections. The following year the playgroup requested that a shed could be erected at the rear of the plot and the brewery were contacted for a meeting regarding the shed and also the possibility of the ground being purchased. The brewery agreed to the shed and to enlarging the pavilion but decided not to sell the rented land to the club. Now that the playgroup had full use of the pavilion, there were complaints that footballers often left the pavilion in a very dirty state. The club told them that they were likely to lose the use of it unless they took more care.
In 1987 the First XI reached a commendable 4th position in the Wessex League with both Neil Pettit and Steve Perrin scoring over 1,000 runs, Richard Gray taking over 100 wickets and Richard Bryant proving to be a lively replacement for John Harris behind the stumps. The following year Steve Perrin was invited to visit the nursery nets at Lords to be assessed. Nigel Bence had performed an excellent job of looking after the square for several years, the wicket standing up well to its heavy use, but many pavilion repairs also fell to him as well as having been fixture secretary for many years. So, to help his workload, Ron Key took over the fixtures for a short while. There were several administrative changes. The club’s patron, Lieutenant Colonel Northey had died recently and Christopher Northey took his place with John Harris becoming president. A new pavilion was designed thanks to a donation of £500 from Len and Joan Walker and the club started fundraising for a new pavilion with a day’s golf for Cricket Club players which continued for several years, playing for The Box Cricket Club Trophy.
The parish council informed the club that they were agreeing in principle to a multi-sports pavilion project and invited the club to join the project but the parish council were not able to finance it in any way and it would have to be funded by interested clubs. Club members were against the idea because they were generally happy with the location of the cricket pavilion which was considered ideal for viewing the ground. At the same time, the Comrades Legion Club closed and it was suggested the skittle alley be bought by the club for possible use - but this was later dismissed. Courage Brewery offered to sell the land on which the clubhouse stood for the sum of £12,500 but the club considered a reasonable price to be in the region of £2,000 to £3,000. At the same time, the brewery mentioned that the Cricket Club were in violation of the terms of the lease by subletting the pavilion to the playgroup. Perhaps it was time to settle a deal.
In 1987 the First XI reached a commendable 4th position in the Wessex League with both Neil Pettit and Steve Perrin scoring over 1,000 runs, Richard Gray taking over 100 wickets and Richard Bryant proving to be a lively replacement for John Harris behind the stumps. The following year Steve Perrin was invited to visit the nursery nets at Lords to be assessed. Nigel Bence had performed an excellent job of looking after the square for several years, the wicket standing up well to its heavy use, but many pavilion repairs also fell to him as well as having been fixture secretary for many years. So, to help his workload, Ron Key took over the fixtures for a short while. There were several administrative changes. The club’s patron, Lieutenant Colonel Northey had died recently and Christopher Northey took his place with John Harris becoming president. A new pavilion was designed thanks to a donation of £500 from Len and Joan Walker and the club started fundraising for a new pavilion with a day’s golf for Cricket Club players which continued for several years, playing for The Box Cricket Club Trophy.
The parish council informed the club that they were agreeing in principle to a multi-sports pavilion project and invited the club to join the project but the parish council were not able to finance it in any way and it would have to be funded by interested clubs. Club members were against the idea because they were generally happy with the location of the cricket pavilion which was considered ideal for viewing the ground. At the same time, the Comrades Legion Club closed and it was suggested the skittle alley be bought by the club for possible use - but this was later dismissed. Courage Brewery offered to sell the land on which the clubhouse stood for the sum of £12,500 but the club considered a reasonable price to be in the region of £2,000 to £3,000. At the same time, the brewery mentioned that the Cricket Club were in violation of the terms of the lease by subletting the pavilion to the playgroup. Perhaps it was time to settle a deal.
View from the boundary with John Harris keeping wicket in red cap
The Club's 125th Year in 1995
The 1995 season was a very good for the club which achieved its highest league position in both divisions. A highly successful cricket week was organised to replace the annual tour. The weather was glorious and the matches themselves extremely competitive. Opposition was provided by sides from Harlech Television, Lansdown, Bath, the 40 club, an MCC XI and Corsham. Box made a profit of over £1,500. Ron Low who had returned to play for Box a couple of years earlier was awarded the club Man of the Year Trophy in recognition of his hard work. Graham Cogswell was thanked for his work with youth cricket, a youth policy being essential for the future of the club.
The ground remained a picture with one of the best playing surfaces in the league but the pavilion was falling to bits, needing constant maintenance with a new pavilion desperately needed. Problems had also occurred with the playgroup because cricketers had too little room to be able to change. The playgroup contemplated moving to the Methodist Chapel in 1996 and eventually left the cricket pavilion following their transfer to the Jubilee Centre in the Market Place. Although a source of income, subletting had also brought difficulties but it wasn't the last time that the club went down this route.
After more than 50-years service to the cricket club, Nigel Bence retired from his role looking after the square and Phil Matthews took over. Nigel was elected to the post of club president. Gerald Hayward created a league record of 629 runs in 15 games at an average of 41.93 and 1,396 runs in all games at an average of 48.13. Tony Trotman also scored 1,220 runs in the year.
The 1995 season was a very good for the club which achieved its highest league position in both divisions. A highly successful cricket week was organised to replace the annual tour. The weather was glorious and the matches themselves extremely competitive. Opposition was provided by sides from Harlech Television, Lansdown, Bath, the 40 club, an MCC XI and Corsham. Box made a profit of over £1,500. Ron Low who had returned to play for Box a couple of years earlier was awarded the club Man of the Year Trophy in recognition of his hard work. Graham Cogswell was thanked for his work with youth cricket, a youth policy being essential for the future of the club.
The ground remained a picture with one of the best playing surfaces in the league but the pavilion was falling to bits, needing constant maintenance with a new pavilion desperately needed. Problems had also occurred with the playgroup because cricketers had too little room to be able to change. The playgroup contemplated moving to the Methodist Chapel in 1996 and eventually left the cricket pavilion following their transfer to the Jubilee Centre in the Market Place. Although a source of income, subletting had also brought difficulties but it wasn't the last time that the club went down this route.
After more than 50-years service to the cricket club, Nigel Bence retired from his role looking after the square and Phil Matthews took over. Nigel was elected to the post of club president. Gerald Hayward created a league record of 629 runs in 15 games at an average of 41.93 and 1,396 runs in all games at an average of 48.13. Tony Trotman also scored 1,220 runs in the year.
The New Millennium
The 2001 season was the most successful for many years with the First XI finishing runners-up in both Division 1 of the Wilts League and the County Knock-Out Cup. The club won the Best Pitch Award for both divisions which it retained for the following three years, thanks mostly due to Brian Foley and Andy Guy for their hard work. The playing performance in 2002 was outstanding, the most successful in the club’s league history with the First XI winning Division 1 of the Wilts League and being promoted to the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire Division 2. Richard Foley, Neil Pettit, and Andrew Davis had excelled with the bat while successful bowling had come from Dave Crawford and Richard Foley. Strong performances for the Second XI came from Martin Jenks and Richard Gray.
Money was desperately needed for improvements to the cricket pavilion so club members, Eric Martell, Alan Joy, Mike Warren, Richard Hulbert and Dave Hill made loans so that the refurbishment could begin. Later all five were elected as Honorary Life Members, not only for their financial contributions but also for their many years of supporting the club. Despite the experience of the last venture with a playgroup, the club accepted the use of the building by another pre-school group. There was a financial inducement with the possibility of a £11,000 lottery grant for creating suitable premises in which to run a playgroup. Mark Hempleman-Adams was elected as chairman of the club with a remit to raise funds which, as usual, were running low and he soon found four sponsors who each donated £250 towards the club’s normal running costs but debts on the pavilion grew whilst work continued on it. Most alterations to the pavilion had been completed by August when Lord MacLaurin, former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, opened the facility. The celebrations were followed by a game against a team made up of players from the Bath Rugby Club. But the playing season was not a great success with the First XI ending up third from bottom of the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire League and relegated back to the Wiltshire League. Mark Hempleman-Adams and Alan Joy organised a very successful fund-raising dinner followed by an auction which raised a fantastic £20,000 for Club funds. Alan had donated two conservatories to be auctioned towards the funds.
The Old Order Changed
The mid-2000s sadly saw the death of several club stalwarts. In 2004, not only the Reverend Tom Selwyn-Smith died but also Alec Cogswell. Alec had always looked after the interests of younger players, had spent many years as the parish council groundsman looking after the cricket wicket and keeping the outfield in superb condition. He had been a marvellous player in his youth. His very heavy old bat was full of nails and tape that kept it from falling apart and which he had used with much success. He and Brian Boulton often hit 6s that landed on the base of the swings or cleared the Queen’s Head roof, landing on the A4 road. No game was ever over until those two players were back in the pavilion. He is remembered by two benches positioned by the family, one on the edge of the boundary near the pavilion and the other overlooking the football field.
The following year Nigel Bence died. He is first mentioned in Don Bradfield’s book playing for the Box Cricket Club in 1934 when he was claiming attention. Apart from the war years Nigel’s passion was Box cricket and he rarely missed a game. He also excelled at badminton in the Bingham Hall and tennis on the outdoor grass courts between the post office and Glenavon where Keats Keep and Tregoney now stand. Nigel was involved with the club in every capacity and especially in the earlier days he hated it if Box born players moved away or gave up the game. He was a fine batsman and loved organising the annual tours that took place from the early 1970s until the turn of the century. He was also heavily involved as a parish councillor at the time when the bowling green and tennis courts were being considered. A memorial bench to Nigel has been positioned on the recreation field. Ron Low agreed to take over as President to replace Nigel and Jim Drury joined Andy Kerr as the two Trustees of the Club.
Many Wiltshire League Clubs were by now using a foreign player to strengthen their sides. Box Cricket Club had first come across it in 1978 when they played against Stone in Cheshire while on tour in that area. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 2005 the club managed to acquire the services of a young Australian called Dean Grammattikos. Dean returned for a second year and was involved in some coaching for both junior and senior players as well as strengthening the First XI. Meanwhile, Gill Bowey contacted the club to say that her father, Jack Eyles, had been presented with an autographed bat for winning the batting averages in 1925 and wished to present the bat to the club. She was enthusiastically received and the bat was handed over. Towards the end of the season another prestigious event happened when a dinner and fund-raising evening was held in the Selwyn Hall with guest speakers Bill Frindall (scorer and statistician for radio’s Test Match Special) and Lord MacLaurin talking to a packed audience.
With the idea of a centralised sports clubhouse abandoned, the parish council were now proposing to build a new premises (now called The Pavilion) in the area between the bowls green and the tennis courts which was completed in 2009, now serving as a clubhouse for the Bowls Club on the ground floor and an upper room (the Green Room) being used by many organisations. The village public conveniences are also situated there.
Bob Hancock, the parish council groundsman, retired in 2009 after many years of looking after a variety of areas around the village. He had been so helpful and carried out so many tasks for the cricket club over the years including maintaining machinery, helping with work on the square and looking after the outfield. At his retirement party at the Selwyn Hall the club presented him with a glass trophy for all his efforts.
After a poor 2012 season the First XI finished 8th and were relegated to Division 2 and the Second XI to Division 7, which was a huge disappointment for the club. 2013 brought the sad death of Eric Martel. Eric had been opening batsman for the First team for many, many years as well as serving as fixture secretary, treasurer and captain, always in some capacity from the time he joined the club 40 years before. Eric was so devoted to the club that he was buried wearing his Box Cricket Club jumper. The club’s fortunes changed when Richard Foley returned from Corsham, took over as captain and led the First team to win all 15 of their league games to promote them back to Division 1 for the following season and Gavin Richardson, captain of the Second team, led the players to win their division with them gaining promotion back to Division 6. The following season up to 25 youngsters were attending the coaching sessions run by Dave Kelly, Kevin Dolman and David Mullins with help from Richard Hulbert, Richard Bean and Richard Rymer but it was proving to be a real struggle to keep the youngsters. When they matured, they often went to university or joined other clubs. As an aside, in a First team game against Hinton Charterhouse Gerald Hayward scored a total of 142 runs, a magnificent innings. At the 2016 AGM Gerald was appointed chairman replacing Mark Hempleman-Adams who stood down from the post after ten years of sterling service to the club having raised significant amounts of money through fund raising and recruitment of sponsors.
The 2001 season was the most successful for many years with the First XI finishing runners-up in both Division 1 of the Wilts League and the County Knock-Out Cup. The club won the Best Pitch Award for both divisions which it retained for the following three years, thanks mostly due to Brian Foley and Andy Guy for their hard work. The playing performance in 2002 was outstanding, the most successful in the club’s league history with the First XI winning Division 1 of the Wilts League and being promoted to the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire Division 2. Richard Foley, Neil Pettit, and Andrew Davis had excelled with the bat while successful bowling had come from Dave Crawford and Richard Foley. Strong performances for the Second XI came from Martin Jenks and Richard Gray.
Money was desperately needed for improvements to the cricket pavilion so club members, Eric Martell, Alan Joy, Mike Warren, Richard Hulbert and Dave Hill made loans so that the refurbishment could begin. Later all five were elected as Honorary Life Members, not only for their financial contributions but also for their many years of supporting the club. Despite the experience of the last venture with a playgroup, the club accepted the use of the building by another pre-school group. There was a financial inducement with the possibility of a £11,000 lottery grant for creating suitable premises in which to run a playgroup. Mark Hempleman-Adams was elected as chairman of the club with a remit to raise funds which, as usual, were running low and he soon found four sponsors who each donated £250 towards the club’s normal running costs but debts on the pavilion grew whilst work continued on it. Most alterations to the pavilion had been completed by August when Lord MacLaurin, former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, opened the facility. The celebrations were followed by a game against a team made up of players from the Bath Rugby Club. But the playing season was not a great success with the First XI ending up third from bottom of the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire League and relegated back to the Wiltshire League. Mark Hempleman-Adams and Alan Joy organised a very successful fund-raising dinner followed by an auction which raised a fantastic £20,000 for Club funds. Alan had donated two conservatories to be auctioned towards the funds.
The Old Order Changed
The mid-2000s sadly saw the death of several club stalwarts. In 2004, not only the Reverend Tom Selwyn-Smith died but also Alec Cogswell. Alec had always looked after the interests of younger players, had spent many years as the parish council groundsman looking after the cricket wicket and keeping the outfield in superb condition. He had been a marvellous player in his youth. His very heavy old bat was full of nails and tape that kept it from falling apart and which he had used with much success. He and Brian Boulton often hit 6s that landed on the base of the swings or cleared the Queen’s Head roof, landing on the A4 road. No game was ever over until those two players were back in the pavilion. He is remembered by two benches positioned by the family, one on the edge of the boundary near the pavilion and the other overlooking the football field.
The following year Nigel Bence died. He is first mentioned in Don Bradfield’s book playing for the Box Cricket Club in 1934 when he was claiming attention. Apart from the war years Nigel’s passion was Box cricket and he rarely missed a game. He also excelled at badminton in the Bingham Hall and tennis on the outdoor grass courts between the post office and Glenavon where Keats Keep and Tregoney now stand. Nigel was involved with the club in every capacity and especially in the earlier days he hated it if Box born players moved away or gave up the game. He was a fine batsman and loved organising the annual tours that took place from the early 1970s until the turn of the century. He was also heavily involved as a parish councillor at the time when the bowling green and tennis courts were being considered. A memorial bench to Nigel has been positioned on the recreation field. Ron Low agreed to take over as President to replace Nigel and Jim Drury joined Andy Kerr as the two Trustees of the Club.
Many Wiltshire League Clubs were by now using a foreign player to strengthen their sides. Box Cricket Club had first come across it in 1978 when they played against Stone in Cheshire while on tour in that area. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 2005 the club managed to acquire the services of a young Australian called Dean Grammattikos. Dean returned for a second year and was involved in some coaching for both junior and senior players as well as strengthening the First XI. Meanwhile, Gill Bowey contacted the club to say that her father, Jack Eyles, had been presented with an autographed bat for winning the batting averages in 1925 and wished to present the bat to the club. She was enthusiastically received and the bat was handed over. Towards the end of the season another prestigious event happened when a dinner and fund-raising evening was held in the Selwyn Hall with guest speakers Bill Frindall (scorer and statistician for radio’s Test Match Special) and Lord MacLaurin talking to a packed audience.
With the idea of a centralised sports clubhouse abandoned, the parish council were now proposing to build a new premises (now called The Pavilion) in the area between the bowls green and the tennis courts which was completed in 2009, now serving as a clubhouse for the Bowls Club on the ground floor and an upper room (the Green Room) being used by many organisations. The village public conveniences are also situated there.
Bob Hancock, the parish council groundsman, retired in 2009 after many years of looking after a variety of areas around the village. He had been so helpful and carried out so many tasks for the cricket club over the years including maintaining machinery, helping with work on the square and looking after the outfield. At his retirement party at the Selwyn Hall the club presented him with a glass trophy for all his efforts.
After a poor 2012 season the First XI finished 8th and were relegated to Division 2 and the Second XI to Division 7, which was a huge disappointment for the club. 2013 brought the sad death of Eric Martel. Eric had been opening batsman for the First team for many, many years as well as serving as fixture secretary, treasurer and captain, always in some capacity from the time he joined the club 40 years before. Eric was so devoted to the club that he was buried wearing his Box Cricket Club jumper. The club’s fortunes changed when Richard Foley returned from Corsham, took over as captain and led the First team to win all 15 of their league games to promote them back to Division 1 for the following season and Gavin Richardson, captain of the Second team, led the players to win their division with them gaining promotion back to Division 6. The following season up to 25 youngsters were attending the coaching sessions run by Dave Kelly, Kevin Dolman and David Mullins with help from Richard Hulbert, Richard Bean and Richard Rymer but it was proving to be a real struggle to keep the youngsters. When they matured, they often went to university or joined other clubs. As an aside, in a First team game against Hinton Charterhouse Gerald Hayward scored a total of 142 runs, a magnificent innings. At the 2016 AGM Gerald was appointed chairman replacing Mark Hempleman-Adams who stood down from the post after ten years of sterling service to the club having raised significant amounts of money through fund raising and recruitment of sponsors.
Viewing from the pavilion (unknown attribution)
Substantial Decline
The Sunday XI only managed to play one fixture in 2015, the rest all being cancelled as the club failed to be able to raise a side. From then on Sunday fixtures were abandoned, a very sad day for the Box Cricket Club as Sunday games had been played for well over 50 years. The following year the club was again short of players and advertised in surrounding areas for cricketers who would be interested in playing for Box. It was a difficult year with the First team finishing bottom of Division 1 of the Wiltshire league and relegated and, then, in the middle of the season, the Second XI was ejected from the league as it had forfeited too many matches due to a lack of players.
At the beginning of the 2017 year the club was approached on an informal basis by Corsham Cricket Club regarding the possibility of a merger. It was felt that both clubs would benefit from the additional pool of players available and Corsham would gain a grass wicket for their 3rd and 4th teams. There was much concern that the Box club as a whole would go out of existence in a few years but any merger would certainly see the end of Box Cricket Club as it has been known. When the proposition was put to the members of Box Cricket Club the majority felt that the proposal for such a significant event was not in the best interest of the club at the present time. The playgroup left the pavilion in July 2018 with work on refurbishing the building being proposed for the following year.
A cricket week along with other activities was organised for July 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Box Cricket Club. During the winter the club spent £6,000 renovating the cricket pavilion with much of the work completed by Jim and Barbara Drury and April Martel. With the pavilion back to its original purpose it was hoped that possible members might be encouraged to join. Then in February 2020, the world realised that it had been hit by Covid-19, a pandemic that was spreading across every country.
Conclusion
Box Cricket Club has had an amazing history of continuity over the last 150 years whilst the village has evolved beyond recognition. Thousands of local people have enjoyed the comradeship and sporting drama of its games. Television personality and cricket enthusiast MCC member Leslie Crowther, whose daughter lived in the Manor House at the time, often came and sat on the bench behind the boundary at square leg. One day, when I had finished an over and returned to my position of square leg fielder by the bench, Leslie spoke to me and said that he could not believe the standard of cricket that we played and how competitive it was. It was far better than the village cricket that he had expected. That was a fine compliment.
The history of the Box Cricket Club has, in its 150th year now been brought up to date. All that is needed now is for a young person, perhaps one playing now, to continue the history of the club, possibly recording 200 years of Box’s oldest club, the Box Cricket Club, in the year 2070.
The Sunday XI only managed to play one fixture in 2015, the rest all being cancelled as the club failed to be able to raise a side. From then on Sunday fixtures were abandoned, a very sad day for the Box Cricket Club as Sunday games had been played for well over 50 years. The following year the club was again short of players and advertised in surrounding areas for cricketers who would be interested in playing for Box. It was a difficult year with the First team finishing bottom of Division 1 of the Wiltshire league and relegated and, then, in the middle of the season, the Second XI was ejected from the league as it had forfeited too many matches due to a lack of players.
At the beginning of the 2017 year the club was approached on an informal basis by Corsham Cricket Club regarding the possibility of a merger. It was felt that both clubs would benefit from the additional pool of players available and Corsham would gain a grass wicket for their 3rd and 4th teams. There was much concern that the Box club as a whole would go out of existence in a few years but any merger would certainly see the end of Box Cricket Club as it has been known. When the proposition was put to the members of Box Cricket Club the majority felt that the proposal for such a significant event was not in the best interest of the club at the present time. The playgroup left the pavilion in July 2018 with work on refurbishing the building being proposed for the following year.
A cricket week along with other activities was organised for July 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Box Cricket Club. During the winter the club spent £6,000 renovating the cricket pavilion with much of the work completed by Jim and Barbara Drury and April Martel. With the pavilion back to its original purpose it was hoped that possible members might be encouraged to join. Then in February 2020, the world realised that it had been hit by Covid-19, a pandemic that was spreading across every country.
Conclusion
Box Cricket Club has had an amazing history of continuity over the last 150 years whilst the village has evolved beyond recognition. Thousands of local people have enjoyed the comradeship and sporting drama of its games. Television personality and cricket enthusiast MCC member Leslie Crowther, whose daughter lived in the Manor House at the time, often came and sat on the bench behind the boundary at square leg. One day, when I had finished an over and returned to my position of square leg fielder by the bench, Leslie spoke to me and said that he could not believe the standard of cricket that we played and how competitive it was. It was far better than the village cricket that he had expected. That was a fine compliment.
The history of the Box Cricket Club has, in its 150th year now been brought up to date. All that is needed now is for a young person, perhaps one playing now, to continue the history of the club, possibly recording 200 years of Box’s oldest club, the Box Cricket Club, in the year 2070.