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The
Second Revival till today
Dick
Norrish moved to the village in 1982 but it was not until 1993
that his enthusiasm in re-forming the club paid off. As
Chairman Peter Hammond said at the first annual dinner, “in
recent times we have seen the demise of the shop, the school and
even the WI. It was time for innovation.” Dick became
Treasurer, fixtures secretary and groundsman; Rew Meadow,
now claimed as the highest cricket ground in England, was
purchased and, with the support of many in the local community
who became vice presidents, the new team took to the field
against Tedburn St Mary on 23rd May 1993. Since then
an all weather synthetic pitch has been laid, the pavilion,
nets, scorers box, equipment shed and toilet block erected, and
Harold Klenk has constructed the unique hinged sightscreen which
has withstood Dartmoor gales at the Pavilion End since 1994.
Highlights away from the game include Test umpire David Shepherd
stepping in to replace indisposed England captain Bob Willis as
guest speaker at the 1994 annual dinner; introducing visitors
from Okehampton’s twin town Craon to the mysteries of the game
in August 1994; and the first ever car boot sale in Belstone,
held at the ground on 25th July 1998.
Over
the years 70 people have played for the senior team, 27 of them
from within the parish. Interest has been kindled among
youngsters in the surrounding area, so that there can be as many
as 40 attending colts’ practice nights. As the club has gained
in experience so expectations have risen. The Buckley Cup,
presented by supporter Tom Marshall in 1997 as a limited over
evening competition between, at various times, Belstone,
Chagford, Moretonhampstead, Professional Tree Services, Spreyton,
Sticklepath, Tedburn St Mary and Yeoford, was won for the first
time by Belstone in 2000. In 2000 the club played League cricket
for the first time, finishing as runners-up in Division 3 of the
South Devon League. In 2002 promotion was gained to the Second
Division, followed immediately in 2003 by promotion to Division
One. In 2004 and 2005 the club has been back in Division Two.
Belstone were unbeaten in the local derbies against their
opponents from down Skaigh Lane until August 2003 when
Sticklepath finally won a 20 over game. Full results from the
13 seasons are:
1993 played 29, won 9, lost 16, drawn 3, tied 1
1994 played 36, won 16, lost 12, drawn 8
1995 played 44, won 19, lost 18, drawn 6, tied 1
Ladies, played 5, won 4, lost 1.
Colts played 6, won 2, lost 4.
1996 played 41, won 18, lost 20, drawn 3.
Ladies, played 4, won 1, lost 3.
Colts played 4, lost 2, drawn 2.
1997 played 41, won 16, lost 21, drawn 4.
1998 played 40, won 20, lost 13 drawn 6, aban 1
1999 played 34, won 20, lost 7, drawn 7.
Colts played 7, won 4, lost 3.
2000, played 39, won 27, lost 11, drawn 1.
Colts played 10, won 5, lost 5
2001, played 32, won 18, lost 11, tied 1, aban 2.
2002, played 36, won 22, lost 11, drawn 2, tied 1.
2003, played 37, won 24, lost 9, drawn 1, aban 3.
2004, played 37, won 19, lost 16, aban 2.
2005, played 32, won 16, lost 14, drawn 1, aban 1.
1994
was a golden summer for bat and ball. It saw the club’s first
centurion, Dean Summersby, and much big hitting from Chris
Gomersall. Even Bill Crocker was appreciative of his 30 sixes in
the season; “last time I saw a swing like that it was harvest
1923”. One of the club’s highest scores, 237 for 5, was
rattled up against Launceston on 17th July, just
seven days after the Elephants Nest conceded 236 for 8. And
still to be bettered bowling records were set by Reg Wonnacott
when he removed 8 of the touring Old Eldonians for 69 runs on 23rd
June, and by Chris Gomersall with an end of season haul of 65
wickets. It wasn’t until 2000 that a comparable flurry of record
breaking took place when Eddie Jones scored 120 against Ide on
30th July and easily broke the aggregate for the
season (975 runs), and Dick Norrish broke his own wicketkeeping
records, with 24 catches and 10 stumpings. At the other extreme
is the club’s lowest total, all out for 27 in the opening
fixture of the 1999 season, against Abbotskerswell – but they
did have a young West Indian fast bowler who had just graduated
from the Barbados School of Cricket Excellence. Eddie Jones
now holds the record individual score (203 not out against
Cheriton Fitzpaine in 2003) and the season’s highest aggregate
(1023 runs in 2003), while the highest total was against the
luckless Shaldon in 2002, when 340 runs were scored off 40 overs
for the loss of just two wickets.
One of
the stranger games was played in the first season when Haldon
Hole (St Anthonys Close) asembled a team from the
guests at his daughter’s wedding; “I was going to play, but
someone who we thought had a bad hangover turned up at the last
minute. We had a very good Aussie playing and won by 4 wickets”.
Then there was the “umpires game” against tourists Winford on 4th
September 1999 when 71 wides were signalled in a match that
totalled 218 runs. Peter Cooper played his first ever
game in 1995 and won the match against Tedburn St Mary on 10th
May with a spell of 4 wickets for 3 runs in 7 balls – but after
a few outings in 1996 he never played again. The President’s
game is the social event of the season, with his players
traditionally travelling from early refreshments at The Tors
to the ground on a cart pulled by one of Michael Ash’s vintage
tractors. The 1995 game was the closest, Peter Hammond and Simon
Hill running a bye off the last ball to tie the game with Jack
Reddaway’s XI. |
