The original Fareham Cricket Club was formed in 1882 and moved to Bath Lane in 1904, an event which we celebrate today and as set out in Len Thompson's history of the ground, elsewhere in this programme. For those interested in such matters, I do commend Len's full history of Fareham Cricket Club, from which the extract on Bath Lane is taken.
Crofton Cricket Club was founded in May 1939 at a meeting in Pier Street, Lee on the Solent. Among those present at the meeting were Ron Dimmer who was later made an Hon Alderman of Gosport and was the club's last President and also WCE Stares who was a principle player of the period. His son Norman became perhaps the club's most prolific player and was also the driving force behind the establishment of colt's cricket at the club in the late 1970's. This was something of an unusual step at the time as until then junior cricket had largely been organised by schools, but was a farsighted move and is the reason for the involvement with Fareham & Crofton today of the likes of myself, Graham Marchant, Duncan Farmery and our 1st XI skipper Brian Keen.
Bath Lane Centenary by Mike Vimpany It seems hard to imagine, but it's close on 30 years since Bath Lane recreation ground said its fond farewells to football and 10 years since the town's hockey club moved its playing base to Henry Cort Community School.
Until the mid-1970s, Bath Lane was the headquarters of Fareham Town FC, Fareham Hockey Club and, during the summer months, Fareham and Fareham United Cricket Clubs. That all changed in 1976 when Fareham Town moved to Cams Alders and took football away from Bath Lane once and for all.
Golden Ducks In 2000 Fareham & Crofton 3rd XI were 11 all out which was replied by 14 without loss by Emsworth. Skipper and opening batsman Steve Godwin carried his bat for 8 with extras contributing the other 3 runs. The rest of the side were all dismissed for ducks. Within 10 minutes of the end of the match, which had taken less than an hour, torrential rain fell which would have prevented any further play!
Egg on the Face! Our treasured Treasurer Dave "Big Ron" Atkinson made his debut for the club in a 20 over a side evening league fixture, after years of nagging to come and play at the club from the Chairman! As a naïve young Baggie he responded with enthusiasm to the captain's request to "bring a plate of sarnies as everybody comes straight from work and we still stop for food between innings etc" Despite any undisclosed misgivings, Big Ron came up trumps with the largest hamper of the tastiest ever egg sarnies ever! My we did chortle at his falling for the prank but we enjoyed his splendid sarnies even more!
Chinese Laundry One of the best parts of a days play at Bath Lane used to be the opportunity to relax in the large bath in the main pavilion. In the late 70's Mike Vimpany was appointed "Bath Monitor" for the Sunday XI which meant that it was his job to nip off and run the bath at the start of the last 20 overs at 6.30pm. It really did take that long to fill! On this famous occasion, play was interrupted after about 20 overs when what looked like smoke was seen pouring from the home dressing room, the first thought being that perhaps the boiler had caught fire! In fact the cause was Vimps forgetting to put the plug in the bath which resulted in everybody's clothes being steam cleaned and no hot water left for the bath!
Only at The Lane! Structural Damage In a moment of madness a Sunday Captain who shall remain nameless, wilted in the face of an onslaught from Harting batsman, Colin Pay who was one of the biggest hitters in league cricket. In an effort to slow the run rate he brought on Rob "Taff" Thomas for a bowl. An over of complete carnage followed which saw tiles dislodged from roofs, windows broken and a car dented. Although he took plenty of stick at the time perhaps said Captain was cleverer than appeared! By the time the protesting local residents had been cleared from the ground and the lost balls found the over rate; if not the run rate had slowed considerably!
Only at The Lane! The Ashes! Richard Chrishop, a local member of her majesty's constabulary and 1st XI bowler also fancied himself as a bit of a batsman, but was in fact a bit of a slogger! Against advice he bought himself a brand new Slazenger bat. Within minutes of PC Chrishop's arrival on the ground with his new bat, our present Chairman, as a prank, hid it up high where it would never be seen! Unfortunately the prank backfired as the chosen hiding place was on top of the ceiling mounted gas fire which had a naked pilot light and said bat caught fire!
Only at The Lane... Missed the Boat! A touring side from the midlands turned up early for a match at Bath Lane. When asked why like most touring sides they were not still in the pub the replied that "Your Fixture Secretary told us that your main square was out of action and that we would be playing on your second ground on the other side of the creek and to get here early so that you could row us across!"
The second pitch, hired by local clubs, ran parallel with the railway line and immediately alongside the grass hockey pitch, which ran south towards the Creek from the existing pavilion.
When all three pitches were being used on a Saturday afternoon - as was often the case - it really was a squeeze to fit all 66 players (fortunately, there were no substitutes in either football or hockey in those days) - in the dressing rooms, which weren't that much different to those of today.
Fareham Town (and their opponents) occupied the main pavilion, with the footballers from the No 2 pitch using the changing room annex. The Fareham hockey team somehow managed to change in the front of the main pavilion, with their visitors crammed in what was little more than a storage shed and and in amongst the spare goalnetting and the groundsman's line marking equipment.
It really was a scramble. It couldn't have been much fun playing hockey in those days, though, with a football match taking place either side - especially when the wind blew !
Footballs rained on to the hockey pitch from either side, with short corner routines interrupted when a large white spherical object landed in the D - just as the ball was injected towards Steve Godwin's goal hungry Fareham forwards.
It was often a precarious occupation watching the football from inside the green canvas sheeting, hung on poles around Fareham Town's soccer pitch.
Many an ankle was bruised when an errant hockey ball flew under the screen and whacked an unsuspecting soccer spectator on the back of the legs. Perhaps it was the hockey team getting its own back !
But no one seemed to mind. Everyone just got on with it. Despite their relatively Spartan facilities (certainly in today's terms), Fareham Town were hugely successful in local football, winning trophies galore in Hampshire soccer, besides landing one massive FA Amateur Cup shock back in 1964, when they knocked the then mighty Hendon (one of the country's top amateur clubs) out of the competition. The result was so famous, it made the BBC Grandstand headlines !
Fareham hosted quite a number of top sides at Bath Lane, among them Carshalton Athletic, Corinthian Casuals and, not long before they entered the Football League, Wimbledon. In its farewell season to soccer at Bath Lane, the Fareham Centipedes team won the FA Sunday Cup, scoring several notable success against Newick Rangers (Sussex) and the crack London side Pools United (including Glen Hoddle's brother) along the way. Fareham United and Olympian (for whom that great and loyal Pompey fan Ted Burridge frequently appeared in goal) normally played on the No 2 pitch - as did the other Fareham United CC in the summer months.
The Alderton family was synomomous with Fareham United, who used to enjoy their annual battles with the Good Intent (now known as Clinkers in Trinity Street) and Knowle Hospital.
Alan Wassell, who won a County Championship winners medal with Hampshire in 1961, played his early cricket with Fareham United, whose other leading lights were Peter Babb, Norman and Mick Hamper (the man with the most amazing forward defensive prod you've ever seen), and the late Frank Wheeler.
When Fareham and Fareham United played at home on a Saturday afternoon in the summer, as they often did, there used to be a race to take the wooden money collection box around to see which club could glean the most pennies about of the the spectators who watched the games. They only used to stay till tea. There must have been something good to watch on tv. Dr Who or Dixon of Dock Green in black and white. Blind Date ?
Never heard of it ...
International Cricket! In 1982, Hampshire CCC paid the Fareham bowling the utmost respect by sending Test batsmen Robin & Chris Smith and Paul Terry to Bath Lane to play for a County second string XI against Fareham in a match to celebrate the club's centenary. Robin Smith proceeded to smash a hundred which included a six over the railway line AND the A27 into Upper Bath Lane, whilst a further blow struck the old gas holders on the full!
Only at The Lane... Buzzed by Bees! Rarely, if ever can a Hampshire League Fixture have had such a bizarre interruption! In 2002 during a 1st XI home game with Bramshaw, Bath Lane was literally buzzed by a huge swarm of bees which appeared from Cams Hall, over Swan Quay. The 13 players and two umpires on the "A" square all hit the deck and lay very still whilst the insects made there way over the ground and away over the pavilion. Following this unusual interruption, the umpires were about to resume play, when it was realised that the scorers and indeed everybody else that had been sat around the pavilion were still locked inside and awaiting a shout of all clear!
The idea had appeal for differing reasons on both sides, on the Fareham side the infusion of a number of younger players and indeed some younger blood off the field was perhaps the most attractive advantage, whilst for the Crofton members the chance to move on from the very limited and deteriorating Stubbington ground was a prime motivation.
There followed a number of meetings at The Golden Lion in Fareham High Street, attended by the then Chairman of Fareham, Paul Barrett and the Secretary, Tony Tucker. The Crofton side was represented by the writer as Secretary and the then Chairman, Graham Hurst.
EGM's followed on both sides and the merger was duly approved by both memberships in time for the new Fareham & Crofton Cricket Club to start the 1990 season with 4 league teams in the league pyramid.
At that time the second or "B" square at Bath lane was not of sufficient standard to allow all four teams to play at Bath Lane and so Stubbington House was utilised for the first two season's. However this was understandably not popular with the membership and steps were taken to base all the teams at Bath Lane as soon as possible by improving the condition of the "B" square.
At the time the "B" square was nothing more than a rolled and cut section of a hockey pitch, which reverted to hockey at the end of each summer season.
In terms of improving this situation, the contribution of Roy Dean in the mid 90's was a huge one and he must go down as somebody who has made a most important and lasting contribution to the new club.
The Crofton club used two grounds in Stubbington before the merger with Fareham in the winter of 1989/90. The first of these grounds was at Nursery Lane, the club playing here until the County Council built a school on the site in the late 1960,s. The club was then moved by the council, very much against its wishes, to Stubbington House recreation ground, this ground also being used by Fareham & Crofton in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
During the winter of 1989/90 a round of the Hampshire Cricket League sports quiz was held in the Bath Lane Club House. It was at this quiz that the late Kevin Thompson suggested almost casually the idea of a merger between the two clubs's.
Roy, who was subsequently elected as one of our vice presidents, spent many dozens of hours sourcing a lottery grant and all of the required consents from the local authority to create a dedicated new cricket square, off of the hockey pitch, slightly further from the clubhouse. This also had the effect of opening up to a more manageable size, the distance between the two squares, enabling two games to be held on the ground more comfortably than had previously been the case.
Also in the early 90's the club became increasingly frustrated at the quality of wickets that the council was able to provide in view of its budgetary limitations. The then head of leisure at FBC, Steve Gledhill, went out on a limb to assist by arranging what was at the time a revolutionary arrangement whereby the club leased the cricket squares from the council and was thereafter responsible for the management and upkeep of the two squares.
Graham Marchant was the first groundsman of this new era and put many many hours into improving the playing surfaces. Graham was assisted by the purchase by Paul Barrett of the F W Whites heavy sit on roller from FBC for the sum of £50, apparently its scrap value!
The roller had been left to rot in a corner of the ground for some 2 years prior, apparently beyond economic repair, until Mr Barrett's intervention. Following a deal of work and refurbishment initially by Dave Keen and latterly by Colin Palmer and others, the roller was put back into use and 15 years on is still giving sterling service!
Graham was assisted in his efforts by Hugh "Ches" Chesney (right) who also gave a great deal of his time on the ground, in addition to his then role as 1st XI and Sunday XI scorer. Perhaps not surprisingly, Graham found after a couple of years that, working full time as a trucker and working almost full time on the ground as well was not a situation that he could manage for ever and he bowed to the inevitable and stood down.The following season saw Alan Prior, the groundsman at Rowledge CC take over but the distance involved between Rowledge and Fareham was far from ideal and limited Alan's time on site and despite his best efforts his involvement was a short one.
Colin Palmer than suggested that a former Fareham member, Tony Brown, who had just retired from Winchester Tennis Club, may be interested in taking on the role.
A meeting followed one dark winter's night at The Jolly Miller, at which Tony's obvious enthusiasm and knowledge for the job hugely impressed Graham and I, who were there to "interview" him on behalf of the club and Tony was appointed more or less on the spot!
Tony quickly got into his stride and over the years has poured not only hundreds and hundreds of hours into the ground and it's improvement but also a good deal of his soul in his constant efforts to improve things.
Although paid by the club for his efforts our payment can only ever be a token one for all he puts in. Were the Department of Employment ever to get wind of how much we pay him and the conversion to an hourly rate, I fear I may as Chairman end up in prison as I don't think 30pence an hour is quite enough to meet modern legislative requirements!
Looking ahead, I am pleased to say that the future looks bright for Bath Lane and for the club. Off the field the club is as well run and progressive as any and with our hugely successful junior programme improving year on year and the envy of many, our on field stock and standing will rise, through our improvement and the inability of other club's without such infrastructure to keep pace.
I know that Tony remains hugely frustrated by the lack of real bounce in the "A" square, despite his huge, though to date frustrated, efforts to improve matters. He tells me that the reason is a separation below the surface of an upper crust from the ground below. I am sure he is right!
I believe that ultimately we will have to face up to the fact that in the "A" square we have a very old surface and that ultimately drastic measures will be required to improve matters. We may be faced with a phased operation over two seasons to dig the surface up and relay it. A move that may not be too far away.
The other major issue facing us at this time is the off field facilities. Sadly the pavilion building is in a very poor state of repair. Having been built by Fareham Cricket Club for the start of the 1905 season it has sadly been victim of time, vandalism and of the budgetary constraints on Fareham Borough Council in recent years. The fabric of the building really is in a poor state for anybody that cares to look at all closely.
Added to this the impending move of our co owners and users of the Clubhouse, Fareham Hockey Club, will present us with another issue in due course in that the clubhouse with it's 12 month a year outgoings will not easily be run by a cricket club that can only make use of it for four and a half months of each year.
The questions posed by the clubhouse and pavilion issues may have a common answer in the form of a new purpose built building to replace both. It has been suggested that a new two storey building could be built on the site of the existing pavilion with changing rooms on the ground floor to service both cricket squares. On the first floor there would be a balcony, scorer's facilities and scoreboards and a club room for teas and a beer post match.
We have held some preliminary discussions with Fareham Borough Council, who have been as supportive as they can be; bearing in mind they have no funds to put to such a project.
Undoubtedly such a scheme will take a lot of hard work to make a reality in terms of sourcing the required funding and planning consents and it will take somebody very determined to drive the project to fruition. However I am sure that with the backing of a very hard working cricket club committee that it can become a reality. If anybody reading this feels that they may like to take on a project management role or can make any sort of contribution, please let me know.
Of one thing I am certain and that is that such a building will launch Bath Lane and Fareham & Crofton Cricket Club very firmly into a second hundred years on this very special site!
Fareham and Crofton Cricket club has had a colts section for many years which continues to grow, supporting and developing young people attracted to playing the sport. The club values all young people who wish to play the game and two years ago developed the principles by which cricket training would be offered to young people in the club.
