Linden Park Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Linden Park Cricket Club (LPCC) is a cricket
club based at Higher Cricket Ground
, Fir Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells
, Kent
, England
with over 300 members.
On Saturdays, LPCC has four adult teams, in which youngsters are able to play. The club has many awards for performances throughout the season, most notably Saturday 1st XI Player of The Year for the adults, and Young Player of The Year and The Andrew Marshall Colt Cup for the youngsters.
. In 1876 a gentleman called Lewis Luck formed a cricket club known as Tunbridge Wells Juniors initially playing near the present Nevill Ground. Following the opening of the Linden Park estate the club moved to the Lower Ground and changed their name to Linden Park Cricket Club. In 1898 the club moved to the present location on the Higher Ground, where it remains today.In 1882 a United England XI (W G Grace captain) played Australia
at the Higher Ground. The visitors were bowled out for 49. In 1927 LPCC played against a Frank Woolley
XI with 6,000 spectators.
On 19 June 1941 1,500 people watched LPCC beat a British Empire XI but the following year the “Empire fought back”, beating the LPCC. On 6 May 1949 a match against Kent
saw Les Ames
make 91 out of 226 but unfortunately the team was bowled out for 71 in reply. Further matches against Kent and visiting academy and national sides
(including West Indies) followed and continue today.
s in 9 games, and the most recent youngster to win a Sunday XI award was all-rounder Mark White, whose cousin is back to back MVP NBA baller, Steve Nash
. Usually after three or even four years developing in the 4th XI, youngsters that shine in the side often find themselves in the 3rd XI or 2nd XI or even the 1st XI, where 16 year-old Alex McDonald found himself after just five games in the 3rd XI. The club continues to be successful today.
The club welcomes players of all standards and ages from 7 upwards. With over ten different sides playing each week – there will be one for everybody. The beauty of its location and friendly welcome mean that it is one of the highlights on the fixture list for all of its visiting teams. The LPCC recognises its importance in the community and in the common itself. During the summer it welcomes all non-playing visitors who want a cup of tea, something stronger, or somewhere to relax with a picnic.
The club's most important role is to encourage, assist and develop junior cricket in Tunbridge Wells. Its links to local schools are also important and it is committed to this going forward. A team of qualified coaches, under Brian Gasking manage teams at under 9, 11, 13 and 15 who each have a full programme of both competitive matches and friendlies where the emphasis will be on ensuring “everyone takes an active part”. Every Friday evening from April to September the cricket pitch is full of children playing as up to 100 boys and girls turn up to enjoy qualified coaching where the emphasis is on learning – with fun. Their parents seem to enjoy it too as in most weeks nearly the same number do not just “drop off and disappear” but stay throughout the evening chatting and enjoying a well earned drink in the beautiful surroundings of the common.
attack. The club has tried to arrange fundraising events such as the recent Victorian Day in which club members dressed up in Victorian clothes and played a charity match. The Pavilion was destroyed when vandals set fire to it. The Common Conservators have agreed to its rebuilding - in brick!
The insurers have agreed a settlement. Builders are being lined up. The new pavilion can be ready for May 2007.
Situated in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, the common provides a tranquil open space amidst the hustle and bustle of this beautiful and historic spa town.
For over 100 years the Higher Ground cricket pitch, overlooked by the
Wellington Rocks, has been a jewel in the centre of the common.
A central feature of the community with nearly 200 players of all ages, Linden Park Cricket Club and its welcoming 130 year old clubhouse has provided a quintessential sense of British history complementing the beautiful Georgian and Victorian architecture of the town. On a typical summer weekend, over 3,000 people realise that there is no better place than one of the many benches around the ground to slow down, “take five” and relax in the sun to the sound of leather on willow. Fixtures for the season were in place, pre-season practice was completed, the days were getting longer, the sides for the first matches were selected and the pitches were cut.
Everything was in place – but then disaster. At around 3:00 a.m. on 14 April, “Good Friday
” and the day before the first game of the season, an alarm was raised – vandals had broken into the pavilion and set fire to it. Unfortunately, though it is a beautiful old structure designed to fit into the surroundings, it is 130 years old and to comply with The Commons’ byelaws, the pavilion was made out of wood and despite the best efforts of the fire services, the building was completely wrecked. Changing, showering, cooking and bar facilities, not to mention somewhere to hide from the rain, the very heart of the club had been taken away in just a couple of hours. The match the next day (15 April) had to be cancelled.
This was the only one all season. Members and friends all helped and opposing teams demonstrated huge understanding and support for the club's plight. Emergency equipment was found. Mowers and ground keeping tools and a storage container to put them were organised. Portable units for changing and the all important bar were found. Lots of canvas gazebos! The club would not be living in the lap of luxury but Linden Park Cricket Club was going to survive.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club based at Higher Cricket Ground
Higher Common Ground
Higher Common Ground is a cricket ground in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1844, when the Married cricket team played the Single's cricket team in the grounds first first-class match. The following season, Kent played Sussex at the ground, marking their...
, Fir Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with over 300 members.
On Saturdays, LPCC has four adult teams, in which youngsters are able to play. The club has many awards for performances throughout the season, most notably Saturday 1st XI Player of The Year for the adults, and Young Player of The Year and The Andrew Marshall Colt Cup for the youngsters.
History
Cricket has been played on Tunbridge Wells common for over 200 years with the first recorded game taking place in 1782 between Tunbridge Wells and GroombridgeGroombridge
thumb|right|A house in GroombridgeGroombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Tunbridge Wells, about away by road....
. In 1876 a gentleman called Lewis Luck formed a cricket club known as Tunbridge Wells Juniors initially playing near the present Nevill Ground. Following the opening of the Linden Park estate the club moved to the Lower Ground and changed their name to Linden Park Cricket Club. In 1898 the club moved to the present location on the Higher Ground, where it remains today.In 1882 a United England XI (W G Grace captain) played Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at the Higher Ground. The visitors were bowled out for 49. In 1927 LPCC played against a Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
XI with 6,000 spectators.
On 19 June 1941 1,500 people watched LPCC beat a British Empire XI but the following year the “Empire fought back”, beating the LPCC. On 6 May 1949 a match against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
saw Les Ames
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, CBE was an outstanding wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, the Wisden of 1991 described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of all time...
make 91 out of 226 but unfortunately the team was bowled out for 71 in reply. Further matches against Kent and visiting academy and national sides
(including West Indies) followed and continue today.
Development of youngsters
LPCC's Saturday 4th XI Squad is made up of experienced older players and plenty of youngsters. The side's most recent recognised partnership of 130 was made by two 15 year-olds, Nick Chellel, who scored 78, and Dan Scott-Ham, who is usually a bowler, who made 54. The side's highest recent score by a youngster was 16 year-old Michael Brown who scored his first ever 100 last year. The most recent 4th XI Player of The Year award was won by left-arm seamer Joe Nagle, who took 14 wicketWicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in 9 games, and the most recent youngster to win a Sunday XI award was all-rounder Mark White, whose cousin is back to back MVP NBA baller, Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
. Usually after three or even four years developing in the 4th XI, youngsters that shine in the side often find themselves in the 3rd XI or 2nd XI or even the 1st XI, where 16 year-old Alex McDonald found himself after just five games in the 3rd XI. The club continues to be successful today.
The club welcomes players of all standards and ages from 7 upwards. With over ten different sides playing each week – there will be one for everybody. The beauty of its location and friendly welcome mean that it is one of the highlights on the fixture list for all of its visiting teams. The LPCC recognises its importance in the community and in the common itself. During the summer it welcomes all non-playing visitors who want a cup of tea, something stronger, or somewhere to relax with a picnic.
The club's most important role is to encourage, assist and develop junior cricket in Tunbridge Wells. Its links to local schools are also important and it is committed to this going forward. A team of qualified coaches, under Brian Gasking manage teams at under 9, 11, 13 and 15 who each have a full programme of both competitive matches and friendlies where the emphasis will be on ensuring “everyone takes an active part”. Every Friday evening from April to September the cricket pitch is full of children playing as up to 100 boys and girls turn up to enjoy qualified coaching where the emphasis is on learning – with fun. Their parents seem to enjoy it too as in most weeks nearly the same number do not just “drop off and disappear” but stay throughout the evening chatting and enjoying a well earned drink in the beautiful surroundings of the common.
Pavilion
After over 100 years the club's pavilion was destroyed by hooligans in a horrific arsonArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack. The club has tried to arrange fundraising events such as the recent Victorian Day in which club members dressed up in Victorian clothes and played a charity match. The Pavilion was destroyed when vandals set fire to it. The Common Conservators have agreed to its rebuilding - in brick!
The insurers have agreed a settlement. Builders are being lined up. The new pavilion can be ready for May 2007.
Situated in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, the common provides a tranquil open space amidst the hustle and bustle of this beautiful and historic spa town.
For over 100 years the Higher Ground cricket pitch, overlooked by the
Wellington Rocks, has been a jewel in the centre of the common.
A central feature of the community with nearly 200 players of all ages, Linden Park Cricket Club and its welcoming 130 year old clubhouse has provided a quintessential sense of British history complementing the beautiful Georgian and Victorian architecture of the town. On a typical summer weekend, over 3,000 people realise that there is no better place than one of the many benches around the ground to slow down, “take five” and relax in the sun to the sound of leather on willow. Fixtures for the season were in place, pre-season practice was completed, the days were getting longer, the sides for the first matches were selected and the pitches were cut.
Everything was in place – but then disaster. At around 3:00 a.m. on 14 April, “Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
” and the day before the first game of the season, an alarm was raised – vandals had broken into the pavilion and set fire to it. Unfortunately, though it is a beautiful old structure designed to fit into the surroundings, it is 130 years old and to comply with The Commons’ byelaws, the pavilion was made out of wood and despite the best efforts of the fire services, the building was completely wrecked. Changing, showering, cooking and bar facilities, not to mention somewhere to hide from the rain, the very heart of the club had been taken away in just a couple of hours. The match the next day (15 April) had to be cancelled.
This was the only one all season. Members and friends all helped and opposing teams demonstrated huge understanding and support for the club's plight. Emergency equipment was found. Mowers and ground keeping tools and a storage container to put them were organised. Portable units for changing and the all important bar were found. Lots of canvas gazebos! The club would not be living in the lap of luxury but Linden Park Cricket Club was going to survive.
Active teams
- Saturday 1st XI, captain Stuart Clarke
- Saturday 2nd XI, captain Robert MacGregor
- Saturday 3rd XI, captain John Hoare
- Saturday 4th XI, captain Roy Hyde
- Sunday 1st XI, captain Michael Taylor
- Sunday 2nd XI, captain Brian Gasking
- Midweek XI, captain John Harvey
- Twenty20Twenty20Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
, captain Stuart Clarke