Cricket in Harston

We know from newspaper articles that cricket was already being played in Harston in 1845 with matches against nearby villages or Cambridge teams. Most of the players’ names were linked to old established families that owned some land or business in the village – basically the better off. Labourers wouldn’t have been able to afford crickets bats or whites!

Money was raised, however, by having annual concerts in the Board School in late C19th where songs and banjos were played, and annual suppers were well attended at the Queen’s Head.

Cricket was played in the field opposite Park House known as ‘The Park’ – now has horses grazing. After World War 2 Tony Gatward and Gerald Ives, who played cricket there, used to mark out the boundary using a string from one point to draw a circle. It had a good cricket wicket away from the end that flooded. They often rolled over the pitch, which previously had cattle on it, with Ted Laman sitting on the roller to add weight to it! They remember the team was the best in the county and when they won the cup, they filled it with beer at the Old English gentleman and went down the High Street filling it at every pub.

Bill Ives was well known as one of Harston’s best players. For over 30 years, since the early 1920s until 1957, he played cricket exclusively for Harston club and there was not a Cambridgeshire cricket trophy awarded to Junior or Senior League that did not have his name on it.  An all-round player with a particularly good record for his medium pace bowling, Ives obtained the distinction of taking 10 wickets in an innings, ten times, and on each occasion was awarded the ball for his feat. For 15 seasons he headed the Harston Cricket averages.

It is thought Cricket had stopped in the Park by about 1981.  Does anyone know when exactly?