WITH the start of cricket season soon, 2024 sees Tedburn St Mary Cricket Club celebrate 40 years since its reform in 1984.

The club plan to celebrate this landmark year with a season full of fixtures including Midweek T20 style games and a re-establishment of a Sunday side to play a longer form of the game. 

The club is also planning an anniversary fundraiser game with a special reunion to say thank you to the members of the 1984 team and to those who helped rebuild the club 40 years ago.

Don Fathers, one of the group who helped start the reform and who still today takes an active role within the club, recalls: “Tedburn and Whitestone Cricket Club lost its original ground when the new A30 was constructed.

“They became nomadic at this time and used various playing fields in the area.  It soon became apparent that this was not sustainable and sadly the club disbanded.

“Charlie Risdon is as far as I am aware the only member of the original club who still lives in the village.”

In late 1983 Don Fathers heard about the old club from his neighbour Andy Heathwood who, in turn, knew Bryan Rainbow, who also lived nearby and had an interest in cricket.

Various conversations were had by the three and Bryan with his contacts locally soon had a number of locals interested enough to call a meeting at the Kings Arms in the village.

The meeting in 1984 was attended by about a dozen or so. Among others, Andy Heathwood became the first chair, Bryan Rainbow first Captain and Don Fathers first Secretary and First Treasurer Richard Bulman.

Andy Allison, Darren Giles, Mark Giles and two older gentlemen Barry Gunter and Len Alpin - these two last names were to become pivotal in the reforming of the club.

The last two gentlemen mentioned were members of the original cricket club in Tedburn, and held a trust fund, and decided if the newly reformed club could match the amount they would release the funds. 

With no home ground to begin with, Tedburn played a couple of seasons, held lots of fundraising events and managed to raise the money to release the trust fund and construct a home wicket.

The club has continued through all these years, not only providing a sports outlet but also a hub for the community with a lot of the players living in and around the village and also joined in raising money for charities as well as maintaining its existence. 

There are still some limited opportunities to sponsor games, and if anyone would like to know more information, please email: [email protected] . 

The club would like to wish all local cricket players and fans all the best for the coming season.