MWCC – A BRIEF HISTORY

One day on the up-train from Kingswood, Valerie Pollitt (now Mrs Harlow) had the idea of forming a cricket team to keep her boy-friends busy on Sunday afternoons. This team played through the 1948 season under the name of Mr Hollis’ XI. During the winter the gentlemen, with Bill Hollis, Tim Barnes, Tony Sartain, Nigel and Malcolm Weller to the fore, resolved to form a proper club, taking the name Mogador Wanderers from the local telephone exchange. The earliest fixtures were Headley and Tadworth, whom we still play, along with other local clubs including the Kingswood Conservative Association. Tim Barnes was the first Captain and Bill Hollis the leading cricketer.

The fixture list built up quickly to 36 games in 1951 and 1952 when Saturday games were also played. Grounds at Burgh Heath and Woodmansterne were hired to allow some home fixtures. Club records, a few of which are missing from those early days, show some considerable success, including 15 wins out of 23 completed games in 1950. Wickets and batting scores were respectively more interesting and lower than in current times. Eric Evans and Nigel Weller each captained for a season. Fixtures with Reigate Priory and Reigate Pilgrims started in 1952.

With great foresight a Colts team was initiated in 1950, if not a year earlier. Peter Martin, who was still playing in 2003, was one of the leading players along with Nigel Brook and David Fawcus.

The first tour, to Devon, was made in 1952. It started with just ten players, which number was unfortunately reduced to eight following broken bones to two players who collided in the field, straining for a catch off the last ball of the first game. The Club almost folded in 1955 as leading players retired or moved away, but David Fawcus and Peter Martin, both just returned from National Service, took up the challenge and rejuvenated the membership under the experienced captaincy of Bernard Boxall. In 1959 and 1960 Saturday games were resurrected with considerable success – 17 wins out of 34 completed games in 1959, including an aggregate of 1082 runs for David Fawcus. Some eight more of our current fixtures date from this era, including Merstham, South Nutfield, Leigh, Coldharbour, Oxted, Chipstead and the two Horsleys, although not always continuously.

From 1957 to 1962 the Club was able to hire the Windmill Press’ ground at Lower Kingswood for a number of games giving a home venue and a legacy of club crockery, some as yet unbroken in 2003 (the poles of a cricket net from about 1950 still exist also). For a further three years some games were played at Lloyds Bank’ ground at Eyhurst Court, Kingswood.

From 1959 until 1971 a Whitsun weekend tour to the South coast, taking in Worthing and Ferring mostly, was a highlight with many famous parties at the Village House Hotel in Findon. The mighty Worthing were beaten in the first year, but took care to deny a repeat subsequently. Bob Brown knocked up 189 runs at Ditchling in 1964, a fixture regained in recent years.

We remained very strong in playing terms through most of the 1960s under the captaincy of Ian Foster, coinciding with an influx of refugee Sunday cricketers from Purley and a strong streak of ship-brokers. The bare records do not show great dominance, but the fixture list was very strong, with several all-day games, and a cavalier spirit existed. A particularly strong social life was enjoyed, with the Well House Inn at Mugswell being the unofficial club pub for many years. Huge dinner-dances were held for many years at the Burford Bridge Hotel, at Gatwick Airport restaurant for 12 years and in the 1970s at Russ Hill Country Club and the Felbridge Hotel. On one occasion at Gatwick no less than 303 guests attended.

John Ruffle was Captain in the early 1970s, doubling up as team secretary. He also introduced to the club Bob Hudson who stood as umpire for 25 years. Results begin to show a degree of steeliness in converting losses to draws.

The 21st, 23rd and 25th Anniversaries were celebrated in the grand manner at members’ parties at Ian Foster’s and James Freeland’s houses.

In 1975 David Martin took over as Captain and served, apart from a break of one year for John Cuthbertson, for 23 years up to the half-centenary in 1998. By the early 1980s retirement of many players and lack of major recruitment, gave team secretaries Peter Martin and Paul Whitehurst (probably our most prolific bowler with 10 bags of 6 wkts or more) many headaches. Guest players were often drafted; and for three years we had a flirtation with another wandering side, but playing and social synergies did not come about. So we soldiered on with the help of a small contingent from Cheam, sons of members in the holidays and on two occasions lady players. In 1986 we were bold enough to attempt a week’s tour to North Cornwall.

In 1988 we celebrated our 40th anniversary at Lord’s with a well supported dinner, including many former players. In the same year Alex Hewitt, son of a former player, joined and over a number of years encouraged a new membership of his contemporaries. This led to a highly successful period on the field, with a run of nearly two years without defeat and 16 wins out of 23 games completed in 1994. For five years in the early 1990s we toured North Cornwall, basing ourselves at Perranporth (who let us score 337-8 dec in 1994). In 1995 we had a short tour to Wiltshire. In 1996 and 1999 we took a whole week’s tour to Menorca, with introductions and hospitality courtesy of Ian Foster (resident there).

In 1998 we celebrated our 50th season with three mid-week games at local grounds against invited sides, and with a Ball at the Burford Bridge Hotel, attended by many former players and other guests. A slim booklet was produced for the celebrations, including memories, history and statistics. Copies are still available.

Alex Hewitt, by now the most prolific all-rounder in the history of the Club and a punishing batsman with two double hundreds to his name, became Captain in 1999. He is the son of Robert Hewitt, a former player now a V-P, and this points up the family nature of the Club. Three generations of Martins have played; David is now President. Some 15 other father and son pairs can be counted over the years. Not surprisingly, the supporters’ club goes through cycles of girl-friends, wives, children, then playing offspring. We are currently in an era of many young children, but also with wives, girl-friends and relatives, friends and former players.

In the Noughties there have been more tours – in 2002 & 3 to Lechlade in Wiltshire; to Menorca in 2008 (boys only weekend). There is currently a more or less a full Sunday fixture list, with a number of strong club games replacing village clubs who are no longer able to raise Sunday sides. It still includes Headley and Tadworth from the first year and many others of longstanding. Match trophies are played for - against Reigate Priory and Reigate Pilgrims, both in memory of Peter Martin, and against Merstham in memory of Matthew Lewis, a more recent player and vice-captain.

If the Club no longer holds regular annual parties, there are a number of pre-match luncheon parties, curry evenings and the annual dinner with the AGM continues. The latter started at Kingswood GC, and now, having passed through a number of local hostelleries, is held at Reigate Heath GC as a mixed event. The Club’s Sixtieth Year was celebrated in 2008 with a lunch for members of all vintages and their families down to babes in arms in the garden of Gill Freeland’s house in Chipstead.

David Martin September 2010