Sibton Park Cricket Club
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A brief history of Sibton Park Cricket Club
In 1897 Captain John Howard bought Sibton Park House and its surrounding estate. He was the owner of Chartham Paper Mills and a Member of Parliament. Records show that cricketCricket
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...
was played on this ground in the 1880s but the Club was formed under the patronage of John Howard in 1903. Cricket has been played continuously since then with the exception of the period during the two World Wars. In the 1930s, cricket weeks were held at the Park, marquees erected and this became very much a part of the social life of the village and the surrounding area.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLUB
After the second World War the club slowly developed though funds and resources were scarce. The Club has always relied on the help of Club members. The skills of the Club members have been put to good use in improving the ground and pavilion facilities. After the war a small wooden pavilion with no electricity, mains water or mains drainage. Regular improvements have progressed to the purpose-built brick pavilion that we enjoy today. Much of the work was carried out by Club members.
In the 1960s it was decided that the Club could field an occasional and XI. A little later, the most important development in the Club occurred when a Colts section was started (the first in the Shepway area). The Club now fields two Saturday and two Sunday sides with mid-week cricket and Junior cricket in several age groups. The 1st XI has just gained promotion to the 1st Division of the Kent League and the and XI was promoted to the znd Division in 2003. Likewise, the Colts have succeeded in a number of Competitions at their age groups. Whilst there is no room for complacency it is encouraging that the coaching over the years has yielded success. Many of those playing League cricket have progressed from the Junior Section.
Recent development
In 1998 a brand new net practice facility was built with two full sized double nets (with help from the National LotteryNational Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
). The winter of 2000/2001 saw the ground and pavilion under several feet of water for six months. Despite the view of many, the pavilion was completely re-furbished and cricket was played on the late May Bank Holiday. The following Autumn, through the work of members, a comprehensive drainage and pumping system was installed to prevent this happening again. In 2003 the Club celebrated its Centenary with a Cricket week—the highlight an excellent game against the MCC.
In 2004, the club became the first sports club in Shepway
Shepway
Shepway is a local government district in Kent, England. It includes the towns of Folkestone and Hythe and the Romney Marsh. It is named after the Jutish lathe of Shepway; the Royal Court of Shepway, which met near Lympne at a place called Shepway Cross, was the principal court of the Cinque Ports...
and only third cricket club in 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...
to be awarded the ECB
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
and Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Clubmark
and in 2006 became one of the county's first Focus Clubs. In 2007 the ground was extended to accommodate a larger Junior section and the new Girl's Section.