A History of Rowner Cricket Club by Tony Johnson

Taken from 'Rowner Cricket Club - 50th Anniversary' by Tony Johnson

1 THE BEGINNING : IN THE MISTS OF RAIN

"I've got to get a move on, mate, I can't hang about." The lorry driver looks at Pat Magee, standing by the oblong hole, wondering how in the hell this lone figure is going to manage. It is raining. Not good for dumping a load of concrete. Not his problem.
"The others will be along in a minute," says Pat, in a futile attempt to stall. The concrete begins to pour into the hole. The lorry driver isn't hanging about. Just then two figures, one with a rake the other with a shovel, appear through the mist of the steadily drizzling rain in the nick of time. Arthur and Peggy Rawlinson set to with Pat, raking and shovelling the concrete in the 22-foot oblong, hoping like mad the rain isn't going to spoil it, before they can get a cover on it. The time is sometime in the early 1950s: the place is somewhere on the playing fields of Bridgemary School.
The idea for a cricket team with its base at the Bridgemary, Woodcot and Rowner Community Association had come from the head of a Community worker and was taken up by people like Arthur and Peggy Rawlinson and Pat Magee. Arthur raised money with Bingo sessions, a hole was dug; ready-mix concrete poured; and matting obtained. A cricket team was assembled. After the hard work was done on the strip, the head teacher asked if his children could play on it. "Why not?" came the reply. The concrete strip is grown over now, but Peggy Rawlinson says that you can still see that the grass is a different colour where it was. Regular games were played from 1954 and in addition the team entered a six a-side competition in Gosport.

In 1954 the team entered the Gosport Cricket League, calling itself Bridgemary CC. The captain, Sid Venvell, gained a reputation as one of the best bowlers in the league. Twice he took nine wickets in an innings, thwarted only by Brian Townley taking a mere one at the other end. His best analysis was 8 wickets for 2 runs! The artificial wicket had got the team started, but they later played many games at Gosport Park. Gradually the fixture list broadened to include matches against contemporary regulars such as Locks Heath. Rowner's association and rivalry with this side began back here in the mid 1950s!

2 BEFORE THE BEGINNING : SIR HUMPHREY PRIDEAUX-BRUNE, GOSPORT BOROUGH COUNCIL AND ROWNER GREEN.

Even before people like Pat Magee, Sid Venvell, Arthur Rawlinson and Brian Townley had begun to play cricket in the locality, Sir Humphrey Prideaux-Brune had entered into negotiations with Gosport Borough Council about a piece of land he wanted to give to the council. On the 19th April 1948, reference was made in Council to a letter dated 8th December 1947 to the Open Spaces and Cemeteries Committee from Sir Humphrey and Mrs Ida Simmons. Here's what it said,

"We appreciate....the Corporation has accepted the terms of our gift and we hope that it will prove of lasting usefulness to the community in our town and future generations."

The gift was a parcel of land close to St. Mary's Church, Rowner. Among the terms of this gift of land were :
  1. That the land shall be preserved by your council as a public space in perpetuity.
  2. That no timber shall be felled, the existing woodland being maintained as such by your council.

This explains why the oak tree, near to the boundary with the churchyard but within the field of play, has survived, continuing to play very well for the batting side. It is why opposing captains have to agree that if the ball strikes the tree, no matter how high up, a batsman can score four runs, although the ball may not cross the boundary. However, there was as yet no cricket ground. The Open Spaces and Cemetery Committee noted, on the 30th October 1961, the gift of the four and a half acres of land and commented that the land be held for the benefit of the public pursuant to the provision of The Open Spaces Act of 1906. But it was not until the 5th March 1962 that a decision was made to develop the triangular plot, by making a cricket square, building a pavilion and a children's play area at an estimated cost of £5,062. The way was clear for the erection of the pavilion and the laying of a cricket square. There were some local cricketers who had watched these developments with interest. Among them was a small group, which had started originally from the Bridgemary, Rowner and Woodcot Community Association. This team had no proper home ground and consequently always played its first fixture against Crofton away from home, because other pitches were not available. Pat Magee rang Sir Humphrey Prideaux-Brune and it was decided that Bridgemary CC should change its name to Rowner CC and the club would play at Rowner Green. The first game was played on the new turf in 1964 against the Mayor of Gosport's XI. Trevor Jesty, who went on to play as an all-rounder for Hampshire, played against Rowner in that match. Fittingly. Sir Humphrey Prideaux-Brune agreed to be the Club's first president. So is Rowner CC 45 or 55 years old? In a photo of that first game at Rowner Green you can see Pat Magee, Arthur Rawlinson, Brian Townley and Sid Venvell, stalwarts of the Bridgemary team. They deserve to be honoured as founders of the club in 1954 and to be celebrated for their vision, determination and flexibility.

3 PLAY UNDERWAY AT ROWNER GREEN

When the first match got underway, looking towards Rowner Church and the trees from the pavilion was always a pleasant sight. The club was delighted to have its own ground so that not so many games had now to be played away from home. However, the back of the pavilion doubled up as a public convenience. At Annual General Meetings resolutions were regularly passed to request showers and a toilet not shared by the general public. It was not until the nineties that this request was granted. However, a compensatory factor was that Rowner CC struck up very good relations with succeeding groundsmen, who also had care of the nearby bowling green, a factor which may well have contributed to the reason why the Rowner cricket square acquired a reputation as an excellent batting track.
For many years a Saturday and a Sunday team played 'friendlies' only. There was net practice on Thursdays on a concrete strip sited under an oak tree near the boundary nearest the church. Fixture lists included clubs like Alverstoke, Crofton, Portchester, Rowlands Castle and Minstead and Swan Green in the New Forest. Sadly some of these clubs are no longer in existence. Friendly games could generate as much tension and 'needle' as league games can today. For instance, there was an unwritten assumption that you did not bat after tea, a natural break between the two innings. What was wrong with a quick thrash after tea for just one over which might produce up to 20 runs and avoid defeat and make the opposition work harder to win? Likewise, if John Bryant or Mike O'Neil was on form and had destroyed the opposition's attack and as many as 150 to 170 (a good score in those days) were on the board, Rowner might declare and make the oppostion face one over of John Bundy at his speedy and aggressive best. Many an opposition went into tea 0 for 1, last man 0.

4 JOINING THE LEAGUE AND THE ROAD TO RUIN!

With the formation of the Hampshire Cricket League in 1972 and its first season in 1973, friendly fixtures became harder to obtain. Rowner CC started to play league cricket in 1975. According to John Anthony, the club were late entering South East Division 2, but were accepted nonetheless. The first game against Park Lane, Fareham, resulted in a victory for the home side at Rowner Green. The first season a creditable 4th position was achieved, in 1977 4th again, in 1978 3rd and 1979 2nd and a hard-earned promotion to South East Division 1. In 1980 a creditable 5th position was achieved in the new division. But it was downhill all the way after that : 10th in 1981, 14th in 1982, 18th in 1983 and relegation back to South East Division 2. It was not joining the league the almost led to the collapse of Rowner Cricket Club, but lack of strength in depth. When the August holiday season got underway our small pool of players was insufficient to weather the temporary loss of key players such as John Anthony, John Bryant, Mike Donaldson, Trevor Jones and Noel Costello. These players knew that they could succeed in higher divisions and by 1984 Mike Donaldson had left for Hambledon, Trevor Jones and John Anthony for Southsea. And they were not the only ones. The pool of players was even further diminished. The club found itself in debt and disarray. Only a rump of the second team was left, the team that had been formed expressly to form a bigger pool of players to draw on to ensure promotion. Suddenly the rump of oldsters and youngsters became the mainstay of the club.

5 RESCUE (CIRCA 1980)

"Please come and sort us out!" pleaded a voice on the end of the phone. A not so young teacher from Price's College responded to the call. There are still those that remember the meeting that followed around the green baize of the bar billiard table in the Railway Tavern, Gosport. The teacher asked how much the club was in debt, made a quick head count of those present and divided the one by the other. He put a note on the table and asked who would match it. One by one notes appeared on the green baize until the debt was instantly cleared.
"Right! We're in business. I'll give you three years and then you're on your own," he said. At that meeting, John Barfoot, who had come to cricket late and had turned himself into a very useful bowler indeed, could see that the clearing of the debt was only a start. There was still nothing in the kitty. Consequently, it was his idea, for at least one season, to turn the pavilion into the venue for a regular jumble sale on Saturday mornings. John Barfoot and Tony Johnson, the teacher from Price's College, sold an impressive array of rubbish with the odd item of value occasionally miraculously appearing. One woman insisted on buying a 78 record, even after it was pointed out that it was cracked! Thank you, madam! Perhaps, here is a good place to insert a piece by a loyal player, who started playing for Rowner CC in 1974 and has memories of this traumatic time. Had we not started the second team to which he refers, it is unlikely that there would still be a club. Tommy Underwood continued to travel to play for Rowner even after he had moved to London. He refers to a vital game where Rowner had not won a game for almost a year. It was do or die.

6 WHEN STUMPS WERE CHEST HIGH - by Tommy Underwood

I started playing for Rowner aged 13, just a wee lad, not much more than 4' 6". My mate Chris Black and I were spotted playing near the square and joined the nets as Colts. In those days, 1974, cricket was played on a Tuesday evening, 20 overs a side. My first game was against Crofton. My mum knitted me a short-sleeved sweater in the club colours, blue and gold in those days. I took a wicket that night caught by Whacker Payne, and scored 2 not out with a late cut. We also regularly played against Price's College, a team of tutors, in which the youngsters had a chance to star. Chris, Doug Setchell, Derek Brand and myself played in those games. I always remember the cribbage in the Golden Lion afterwards. These evenings were great fun and played in the true spirit of cricket. Rowner had a good Saturday side so mostly Sunday cricket was available for me. I usually got a bowl, sometimes took wickets, batting was less often, number 11 mostly. I got my first taste of league cricket, making up the numbers against Bedhampton. They scored over 200 and Ashley Roe and I put on 40 for the last wicket. Sweet memories. I enjoyed my most bizarre injury in a Sunday game. Fielding at long on, I went for a ball, colliding with Les Davis. Somehow his stud managed to practically sever my little toe, which still bears the scar. OUCH!
The 2nd Eleven was formed for which I played regular cricket. Then the club went into freefall. I remember a game after the restart of the club after its virtual collapse with many new faces in the team. We had not won a game in nearly a year. I went out to bat at Number 5. Tony Johnson met me. "We're not going to be out until we've won. OK? We need a win!" We put on over 120 runs to win the game and an enormous cheer went up from the pavilion from the whole team. Victory at last! Tony was an inspiration to me as a young player : he took time to coach and show how the game should really be played. As well as being a good bat, he could bowl spin and catch with the best. The oddest thing about Tony was his running between the wickets. A dodgy knee gave him a strange shuffle, which kept young Ian Collins and me amused for seasons.
My best time with Rowner was towards the end of my career. Ian and I spent many Saturdays tormenting the opposition. Once at Riverside Park, when we were 20 for 3, I joined Ian at the crease and the ball flew around at 8 an over for 12 overs. New bowler. "Ian, have a look at him," I said. He did. First ball a towering six! Although known for some odd antics, ( I was once hanging upside down from a tree on the boundary at Rowner during a game), I always played to win without losing sight of cricket as a game.
I always enjoyed my time at Rowner, mostly after the rescue act, although the loss of Bill Danger* was very sad. I would love to play one more time at the green; bat at 5; bowl some 'leggies';laugh with Ian Collins; drink with Colin Webb; guess how long John Anthony's sweater would be; see the Costello stare (Gosh! He was quick!) and sit at my place by the door in the dressing room.

*Bill Danger - A quick bowler with deadly accuracy off a short run. He died quite suddenly after a short illness.

7 CLIMBING OUT OF THE HOLE

From 1981 there was a struggle to survive. Nevertheless, although Rowner CC languished in lowly leagues for some years, the standard of cricket was not at all bad. For a start, league cricket had improved the quality of fielding. For instance, our survivors, particularly the young, copied the fielding style of the professionals in the one-day game with magnificant sliding stops, not seen before. At one time, prior to near collapse, Rowner CC had acquired an unsavoury reputation for poor behaviour on the field. A disciplinary code, incorporated into the club rules, stems from this time. The true spirit of cricket prevailed. The table shows how we climbed out of the hole, though in recent years this trend has been sadly reversed for reasons that shall be touched upon later.

HAMPSHIRE CRICKET LEAGUE

Formed 1972, First Season 1973
Rowner CC joined 1976

The story of Rowner's development continues on History page 2.......