talk report - april 2007
25 April: The History of Ormskirk Cricket Club - Ken Lea
Mr Lee is currently President and Historian of the Ormskirk Cricket Club and 27 years ago managed to stop the groundsman, George Anderton, from burning a collection of old photographs which led to his interest in the history of the Club. During his searches he found the minutes of the Club from 1868-1949. Before he told us about the origins of the Club he gave us a short history of cricket. The first Cricket matches were held at among, other places, in 1725 at Hambledon, Hampshire and were the result of the fashion for gambling. In the north a team of players is known to have been at Edge Hill in Liverpool in 1807 and games were played at 6.00am (before people went to work). Another team was the Moss Lake Fields Club also of Liverpool. The Liverpool Cricket Club settled in Aigburth in 1881. In Ormskirk the game was played by a team rather than a club. All the innovations to the game started in Hambledon. The underarm, round arm, and finally over arm bowling. Initially the batsmen had no leg pads or any kind of protection. The grounds were rough and there were no specified pitches and were in fields grazed by sheep or cattle with a square being cut and levelled as best as could be. The rules changed all the time. Although Ormskirk Cricket Club claims to have been founded in 1835 there is no evidence. In 1880 a member recalled that it began as a Break O'day club which began as a manly recreation utilising half a day a week and one evening spent in a lawful and healthy desire to excel'. In 1883 Sam Brighouse wondered why there was no evidence of the earlier existence of the Club. The social atmosphere was always a considerable part of the Club. In 1835 the Ormskirk Cricket Club played in Ruff Lane at Woodlands Farm. In 1853 St Helens sent a team of nine to play an Ormskirk 11 and beat them. Ormskirk later played on Drapers Field at the back of the present pavilion which is now the school field. In 1870 the Club was looking for a permanent field and in 1871 settled at Elm Place with a timber hut but no cricket was played as a factory development was proposed for the field. The first permanent home came in 1878 at the corner of Brook Lane and Altys Lane which was rented from Lord Derby on a series of 5 year leases. The pitch was levelled and a hedge was taken out. In 1924 Lord Derby agreed to sell the ground to the Club. Among the members have been Lord Skelmersdale who was also President of the MCC, Rev. Penrhyn in 1858 who had a Stanley connection, The Ainscough family four sons who were educated at Ampleforth and the youngest, Tom, captained Lancashire. Among the other founding families were the Stretches of Ormskirk and the Barnes of Aughton. A really interesting and informative talk about a little known aspect of Ormskirk.