Research for a full history of Hickling Cricket Club is underway; please contact us if you would like more information or can help in any way.

Married vs Single

(May 2022; with thanks to RC)

The late Bob Collishaw married in 1947 and 6 years later played proudly for the ‘married’ against the ‘single’ in the Hickling Cricket Club Coronation match, played at that time in the field behind the Church and over the brook (and still known as the ‘cricket field’) – he played his highest scoring innings on the day and spoke fondly of the occasion over the years.

When the last issue of the Hickling Standard was published it included a beautiful handwritten schedule of events for the Coronation of George V and Queen Mary in 1911; when Richard read this it was the first time he had seen any reference to a ‘married vs single’ cricket match apart from his father’s story.

Has this been a Hickling tradition on these royal occasions?

Have these matches taken place elsewhere?

The only printed record we have is this one sheet of paper from 1911 but now we also know of a match in 1953 – could there have been other occasions too?

Can we make this happen again?!

It’s an enormous challenge but it would be both timely and wonderful to:

• Revive an old Hickling occasion one more time and commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the footsteps of earlier generations; it would be like no other cricket match for its memories and nostalgia.
• To celebrate the long life of Hickling Cricket Club and to bid the club a fond farewell in style.
• To celebrate and thank Phil Parkes for his exceptional years of involvement and commitment to the club
• To remember John Walker and his many years playing for and supporting the club.
• To remember Ted Faulks and his wonderful playing years.
• To thank and share memories with Phil and with Keith Wadkin and all those Hickling lads, past and present – everyone who has batted, bowled, fielded, made teas, supported and watched over the decades.

Howzat!

Please contact us to share your own memories!

Update.

Our very grateful thanks to Keith Wadkin for sharing his memories of these matches, too. He tells us:

• That, as an eighteen-year old, he played in this match with Bob Collishaw; he remembers bowling against Mr Collishaw who was having a wonderful time. Keith says that he hit all the bowlers around the field and that he scored an amazing 88.
• Keith also reports that the cricket field behind the Church/over the brook was a great surface to play on with a really good wicket.
• For a spell at least; the club played a Married vs Single match to open each season. Keith also remembers that Nether Broughton also played Married vs Single matches at times.
• As well as these matches, Men vs Women matches were played; the men were handicapped – right-handed players played left-handed (and visa versa) and men could only catch with one hand.
• Keith has an old scorebook from Hickling Cricket Club (and given to him by John Walker); it includes a record for his grandfather, Ernest Shelton (blacksmith) who took 8 wickets for 30 runs against Kinoulton. Many years later, Keith made similar inroads when he took 8 wickets for 36 runs – also against Kinoulton.
• When money needed to be raised to match a Cricket Association grant for the new ground on Bridegate Lane, Keith remembers the club starting from a few shillings in the bank account to reaching their target with whist drives in the front room of Elm Farm and jumble sales.
• Keith also remembers watching the men’s matches when he was a boy. From the age of 12 he sometimes found himself called in to the team from the boundary, if they were short for some reason – “often with pads up to my chin and I couldn’t run in them!”

Hickling Cricket Club (2019) – including a history of cricket in Hickling.

Hickling Village vs Hickling XI (August 2005)

Including: Terry Faulks, Mark Fraser, John Walker, Paul Frost, Mark Samworth, Tom Holmes, William Collishaw, Scott Hetherington, Richard Collishaw, Peter Playle, Jim Playle (umpire; David Malpas).

Match Report 1925: Hickling vs Harby

Oh, dear – there may have been two-sides to this story but this is the match report filed in the Grantham Journal by Harby Cricket Club (match 23rd May 1925, report 6th June 1925):

Eleven men from Hickling came;

Cricket was their favourite game;

It was Harby whom they came to play,

At any cost to win the day.

At three-fifteen the game begun,

Hickling batting in the sun;

But the thunder began to roll,

And Bilby Hickling men did bowl.  [Bilby was Harby bowler]

At four-fifteen the rain came down,

Threatening the ground to drown;

Hickling weren’t at all put about –

Only twenty-five runs and nine men out.

The rain came down till five o’clock,

When players and umpires agreed to stop;

Then Mrs Beecham they went to see,

And she gave them all a real good tea.

Play was resumed at six-fifteen –

The wicket was wet, but the ball could be seen –

The Captains deciding to play it out,

To finish the match when Harby got out.

Hickling were all out for twenty-eight,

Harby went in, two points to take;

But, alas! they only scored sixteen for eight.

Everyone thought they had driven it too late.

But Butcher and Rowe, with faces grim,

Were at the wicket the match to win;

Though the Hickling bowler’s face wore a grin –

The over before we’d seen a hat trick from him.

The batsmen started to knock him about;

When they got twenty-eight, Oh, what a shout,

For the Harby supporters would see a victory, no doubt,

When Jimmy Rowe gave the ball one more clout.

Whether it was the ovation or not, I can’t say,

But Hickling refused any longer to play;

They said it was time, and it would be a draw;

What a noise, then “Oh, my good lor'”.

The umpire said there were four more minutes to play;

Hickling said, “Ah, but not today”;

And then there was something to be heard and seen

That shows Harby supporters are wonderfully keen.

I am sure all people will agree when we say

That the Hickling team had ought to pay

For leaving the field in such unsportsmanlike way.

(Grantham Journal 6th June 1925)

From the Wadkin Archives:

Hickling: Reflections of Yesteryear.

(Page 5) In the late 1940’s several school boys were playing cricket on the road outside ‘The Plough’ when the ball accidentally broke a window. With legs shaking the offender went to tell Mrs. Armstrong of the accident. “I know you ****** well have” came a cross reply as the door was slammed. The following day the boy went to pay for the damage but Mrs. Armstrong wouldn’t dream of accepting any money. She was also very understanding, not telling the boy’s parents.

Scrapbook of Hickling.

(page 38) 2 photographs:

Hickling Cricket Team – Season 1863

T. Magson, J. Marsden, T. Shipsides, E. Lovett,  J. Herrick,

J. Hopkinson,  G. Shipman, J. Rose,  W. Collishaw,  A. Daft,  T. Jeffrey , T. Meadows,

Photographer – Garside and Stevenson, The Studio, Long Eaton.

Hickling Cricket Club – circa 1907

Back row – Joe Spencer, Billy Copley, George Squires, John L. Laws, Mitchell Marshall, Albert Simpson .

Front row – George Lakin , Ernest H. Shelton, Oliver Ginniver, Charlie Munks ,

G. Fred Shelton , Harry Keay, Alwyn F. Shelton.

(page 39) Cricket Club

Press cuttings show there was a thriving cricket club in Hickling as far back as the 1860 ‘s (note photograph of 1863 on previous page). The cricket field was then situated in the field beyond the spinney along the south side of the canal, it was reached either by a cart – track opposite Mill Lane or

along the canal bank. Matches would be played against teams from villages throughout the Vale of Belvoir, players travelling either by cycle or horse and cart. The new cricket field, situated about half a mile from the village up Bridgegate Lane and owned by Mr. W. Woolley & Son, was opened in April 1959. The day dawned pouring with rain and continued such, this being the only wet day of a long , hot and very dry summer.

A new pavilion was opened in 1968. It was built by Philip Parkes and Don Gray, assisted by most of the players. The weather was more favourable for this event which was opened by a Mr. Gibson of the Nottinghamshire Playing Fields Association. A single wicket competition was played and won by Jim Fisher, runner-up Gerald Mackintosh. A sit down tea was provided on the field by the ladies .

Cost of the pavilion was £250 and a gr ant of £80 was given by the Nottinghamshire Playing Fields Association from the Lords Taverners’ fund.

It is believed the old pavilion was erected in 1906. This was moved by tractor and trailer when the new ground was acquired.

Photo: Philip Parkes – David Brown – Jack Parkes – Keith Wadkin – Cliff Brown – Patrick Wadkin

(page 42) Allotments There were two separate fields of allotments which were rented to any parishioner. One field was known as Bridgegate Gardens and was situated about half a mile up Bridgegate Lane in the field before the present cricket field. The other was down Clawson Lane and known as the Parsons Gardens. People would walk to the gardens pushing a wheelbarrow to carry their tools etc .

Maggie’s Memories.

(page 27) [school activities] The boys played cricket and football in their yard and for ‘Drill’ lessons in the Summer we often all played rounders in one yard. Many times when playing in our yard with a ball it would get thrown into Mr. Edgson’s garden (Mr. Barnes garden now) over the school wall and over the Big Green into the garden and it was very seldom we were allowed our ball back again, you can imagine the names Mr. Edgson was called.

(page 30) [Sunday School and Methodist Church] After tea and of course during the afternoon before tea, children with some adults would meet in Mr. Dickman’s field and play cricket then an evening service.

(page 42) A Gymkhana was organised for the Parish Church most years, and the first I recall was held in what used to be the Cricket Field beside the Canal, in Canon Ashmall’s time, to get to the Cricket Field we went through the Rectory Stack Yard and down what we called ‘The New Road’ which was really a cart track, over the brook and into the Cricket Field.

(page 65) CRICKET CLUB Only through the War years can I remember Hickling without a Cricket Club. From only a small child I was taken to the Cricket field when matches were played, this was the old Field by the Canal with only a cart track for a road, or go along the Canal Bank, and a number of those living at the top end of Hickling would go down Clawson Lane, get over the stile by the brook bridge go over a couple or more fields to the Cricket Ground, everyone was interested, no one went out of the village for sport or entertainment of any kind, Hickling people supported Hickling Sports, (that is more than happens today) there would always be supporters at each match and we girls would shout our heads off if any of the visitors were extra good looking, we followed the Club around on our cycles and one or two of us often scored for them, but we weren’t fond of sitting in the pavilion. Hickling have won Cups on more than one occasion, one was the Vale of Belvoir Cup. Matches were played on Saturday afternoons and in the evenings, but no one ever played on Sundays. The present Cricket Field is on the Bridegate Lane, they have a new pavillion and are putting in new toilets this year (1976) and still have to go outside for players, so many of the youngsters are not interested, it is a great shame.

(page 90) Mr. & Mrs. Jack Parkes (Christened John). Remember them living at Sycamore House up Faulks Lane as it is called, then moved to Church Farm (I think) where their eldest son John still lives. Mrs. Parkes was fond of music and a member of St. Lukes Choir. Mr. Parkes an excellent hedge cutter which has been handed to his sons John and Fred and his Grandson Eric, and have won awards. Mr. & Mrs. Parkes had two sons as mentioned and one daughter Margaret, all the family fond of cricket. When Granny Simpson was buying milk, we fetched it each morning in a jug from Mrs. Parkes.

(page 92) Alwyn Francis – Blacksmith Lived in a cottage on Long Lane with his wife, former Ethel Drake, no family. Had Forge at Abb Kettleby and Hickling, Methodist Sunday School Superintendant, Choirmaster and Organist. At one time Captain of Hickling Cricket Club. Mrs Shelton died after a long illness after moving to Hill View. Mr A.F. married Evelyn Rose and they have one daughter, Gweneth, he died some years ago. Mrs Evelyn Shelton is the only ‘Shelton’ left in Hickling.

(page 93) Arthur son of Slater, married to Kate Drake who died in 1973 aged 95, Mr. Shelton died much earlier. Lived down the Green, was a Farmer, had one son Arthur Owen, who died in 1970 aged 61, was a qualified Chemist, single, living in Rickmansworth, excellent organist, also a daughter Norah living at Barland Fields, Hickling widow of Wilfred E. Woolley, Arthur Shelton a tenor singer in the Methodist Choir, keen cricketer. Cecil son of Slater, farmed together with his brother Arthur. Lived down the Green, married Alice East, had three sons and two daughters. Left Hickling years ago, none of the family live around here. The whole Shelton family were Methodists, and the men keen and excellent cricketers.