Ahead of the upcoming 2022 season, UCC President Adrian Barr-Smith has penned a brief history of the club. Enjoy!
The origins of the Club (UCC) are somewhat obscure, but certain historical facts have been established. Cricket was played in the village during the 19th century. 1874 has been mentioned as the start date, in which case 2024 will be the 150th anniversary. The cricket field was across the road from, and slightly to the south of, Underriver House. Dennis Campbell’s father bought the House and estate towards the end of WWI. Dennis’ recollection was that the Peploes (“good games players”) lived there before the Campbells and an Indian family (“keen cricketer”) before the Peploes. He (Dennis) described how “the teas were always carried by 2 members (usually gardeners) from the House across the road on a long tray with handles either end, through a hay field or corn” and how the ground was mowed by a horse named Maggie. He made particular mention of Laddie Peacock - a “demon bowler” who also liked to hit sixes.
The field had to be ploughed up during WW2. When cricket resumed after the war, it was on the field in front of Southernhay adjacent to the current ground – “quite a good wicket but a lot of snags…..the pond didn’t help”. So the decision was taken after a couple of years to move again, to the current ground. The old pavilion was somehow transported and transplanted to the current site. As Dennis explained, we “started again rolling, mowing, raking, spraying…. there was a deep dip all along the roadside about 25 feet wide. I managed to get soil from a Tonbridge building site – about 50 loads – which we levelled off mainly by hand.”
When I first began to play for the Club in 1974, the sheep would regularly graze across the ground over the winter months. Income that year was £210 and expenditure was £174. This only changed when the Underriver House estate was sold in 1978, which afforded the Club the opportunity to purchase the ground for £1,500. Half of the purchase price came from the Sports Council. The Club members adopted a constitution. They resolved that the ground should be held on trust for the Club and, in the event that cricket was no longer played there, on trust for the village.
The purchase of the ground spurred the members to fundraise in order to invest
in their new asset and to meet those maintenance costs which had previously been absorbed elsewhere. Dinner dances were organised, initially at Absaloms (Bunny and Caroline Hayward) and later at Goldings Farmhouse (Clive and Christine Simeons). A “tennis day”/barbecue was hosted annually at Catts Cottage (David and Margaret Brooks). Performances improved on the field. In 1985 the Club overcame Linton Park in a tense Kent semi-final of the National Village Cup before succumbing in the final to Crockham Hill.
In 1987 the decision was taken to replace the old pavilion with a modern structure. The funding was raised by members, including a sponsored run/walk around Knole Park, plus an interest-free loan from Kent County Playing Fields Assoc. The old pavilion was dismantled and construction materials were delivered immediately prior to the October hurricane. This storm toppled the oak tree immediately behind the pavilion and the plastic wrapping from the materials ended up coating the apple trees in the Absaloms orchard. Thankfully that was the extent of the damage. The new pavilion was opened by the president John Hitchcock in 1988.
The Club flirted with the concept of league/limited overs cricket on several occasions before eventually resolving to join the Kent Village Cricket League in 2011. Since joining the bottom division of the League, the Saturday team has yo-yoed up and down the divisions. Last season, inspired by skipper Kendall Jarrett, they won promotion to Division 3, so season 2022 promises to be a challenging one. The Sunday team, marshalled by Mark DuBock, now co-ordinates its fixture list with Ightham and plays friendly matches as a combined “Underightham” XI.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those Underriver residents who have provided support to the Club down the years. It is invidious to single out any individual, but I would like to say a special thank you to our “neighbour” Mary Owlett, who has been unstinting in her concern for the health of the Club and who continues to permit us the use of her field as our carpark.
Adrian Barr-Smith, President UCC
The origins of the Club (UCC) are somewhat obscure, but certain historical facts have been established. Cricket was played in the village during the 19th century. 1874 has been mentioned as the start date, in which case 2024 will be the 150th anniversary. The cricket field was across the road from, and slightly to the south of, Underriver House. Dennis Campbell’s father bought the House and estate towards the end of WWI. Dennis’ recollection was that the Peploes (“good games players”) lived there before the Campbells and an Indian family (“keen cricketer”) before the Peploes. He (Dennis) described how “the teas were always carried by 2 members (usually gardeners) from the House across the road on a long tray with handles either end, through a hay field or corn” and how the ground was mowed by a horse named Maggie. He made particular mention of Laddie Peacock - a “demon bowler” who also liked to hit sixes.
The field had to be ploughed up during WW2. When cricket resumed after the war, it was on the field in front of Southernhay adjacent to the current ground – “quite a good wicket but a lot of snags…..the pond didn’t help”. So the decision was taken after a couple of years to move again, to the current ground. The old pavilion was somehow transported and transplanted to the current site. As Dennis explained, we “started again rolling, mowing, raking, spraying…. there was a deep dip all along the roadside about 25 feet wide. I managed to get soil from a Tonbridge building site – about 50 loads – which we levelled off mainly by hand.”
When I first began to play for the Club in 1974, the sheep would regularly graze across the ground over the winter months. Income that year was £210 and expenditure was £174. This only changed when the Underriver House estate was sold in 1978, which afforded the Club the opportunity to purchase the ground for £1,500. Half of the purchase price came from the Sports Council. The Club members adopted a constitution. They resolved that the ground should be held on trust for the Club and, in the event that cricket was no longer played there, on trust for the village.
The purchase of the ground spurred the members to fundraise in order to invest
in their new asset and to meet those maintenance costs which had previously been absorbed elsewhere. Dinner dances were organised, initially at Absaloms (Bunny and Caroline Hayward) and later at Goldings Farmhouse (Clive and Christine Simeons). A “tennis day”/barbecue was hosted annually at Catts Cottage (David and Margaret Brooks). Performances improved on the field. In 1985 the Club overcame Linton Park in a tense Kent semi-final of the National Village Cup before succumbing in the final to Crockham Hill.
In 1987 the decision was taken to replace the old pavilion with a modern structure. The funding was raised by members, including a sponsored run/walk around Knole Park, plus an interest-free loan from Kent County Playing Fields Assoc. The old pavilion was dismantled and construction materials were delivered immediately prior to the October hurricane. This storm toppled the oak tree immediately behind the pavilion and the plastic wrapping from the materials ended up coating the apple trees in the Absaloms orchard. Thankfully that was the extent of the damage. The new pavilion was opened by the president John Hitchcock in 1988.
The Club flirted with the concept of league/limited overs cricket on several occasions before eventually resolving to join the Kent Village Cricket League in 2011. Since joining the bottom division of the League, the Saturday team has yo-yoed up and down the divisions. Last season, inspired by skipper Kendall Jarrett, they won promotion to Division 3, so season 2022 promises to be a challenging one. The Sunday team, marshalled by Mark DuBock, now co-ordinates its fixture list with Ightham and plays friendly matches as a combined “Underightham” XI.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those Underriver residents who have provided support to the Club down the years. It is invidious to single out any individual, but I would like to say a special thank you to our “neighbour” Mary Owlett, who has been unstinting in her concern for the health of the Club and who continues to permit us the use of her field as our carpark.
Adrian Barr-Smith, President UCC