Hollywood Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
The Hollywood Cricket Club (HCC) is an amateur cricket
club in Los Angeles, California
. It is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association. The club was formed in 1932 by British
actor and cricketer Aubrey Smith
.
Smith learned to play cricket at Charterhouse School
, and was on the same team as Lord Hawke
and the three Studd brothers
at Cambridge
. While at Cambridge, Smith played for Sussex
. In his prime, he played against W.G. Grace and with The Champion on the "Gentlemen versus Players" games held annually between the best amateur and professional cricketers in Britain at Lord's
. In 1889 Smith captained the England team in South Africa which introduced the Currie Cup
, a competition that continues to this day in South Africa.
Aubrey Smith came to Hollywood in 1929, and teamed up with Boris Karloff
of the Overseas Cricket Club to teach cricket at UCLA in 1932. The same year Arthur Mailey
's Australian team captained by Vic Richardson
played Smith's team of British Actors at UCLA. Smith scored 24 runs against Don Bradman's team. The publicity from the Australians' North American
cricket tour was put to good effect with the founding of the Hollywood Cricket Club and the securing of a permanent cricket ground at Griffith Park
in Burbank
(near the film studios).
A photograph of the Hollywood Cricket Club taken at UCLA in 1932 includes H.B Warner (who Aubrey Smith used to play cricket with for the Actors' XI in England), Boris Karloff
and Harrow-educated
Frank Somerset, who later became Secretary of the Screen Actors' Guild (also founded in May 1933). Pelham Grenville Wodehouse
was Hollywood CC's first secretary the same year he became the highest paid script writer in Hollywood. Psmith
, featured in stories such as The Golden Bat before Wodehouse invented the character of Jeeves
, was named for a pre-war Warwickshire CCC cricketer. Wodehouse opened the batting for Dulwich College
, but his field tenure with HCC was limited due to script-writing commitments.
The Hollywood Cricket Club built a pavilion at the ground which still stands though it has since been turned into a wedding reception center at the Burbank Equestrian Center. The original Griffith Park ground had four pitches and it was officially opened on 23 May 1933 with Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Director Williamson as the guest of honor. Williamson gave his name to a knock-out trophy played between local teams. Hollywood was the first to win the Williamson Trophy in 1934. With actors such as Boris Karloff, Aubrey Smith, Ronald Coleman
, Leslie Howard
(who joined for social reasons, despite disliking cricket) , David Niven
, Laurence Olivier
, Olivia de Havilland
, Joan Fontaine
, Elsa Lanchester
and Merle Oberon
attending matches at the Griffith Park ground on Sundays the British colony in Hollywood set the tone for tea on lawn.
Evelyn Waugh
satirized the HCC in his 1946 book The Loved One
, with its protagonist "Sir Auberon Abercombie", a thinly-disguised portrait of Sir Aubrey Smith.
From its illustrious beginnings, the Hollywood Cricket Club continues to take a leading role for the development of California cricket. In its 75 years existence, the HCC have ranged worldwide from East Africa, India and to Canada while maintaining an extremely competitive local presence with three teams in three separate divisions of the Southern California Cricket Association. The Hollywood Cricket Club attracts test and county players from India, Zimbabwe and England that strengthen its roster on occasion.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association. The club was formed in 1932 by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor and cricketer Aubrey Smith
Aubrey Smith
Sir Charles Aubrey Smith CBE , known to film-goers as C. Aubrey Smith, was an English cricketer and actor.-Early life:...
.
Smith learned to play cricket at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, and was on the same team as Lord Hawke
Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke
Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke of Towton , generally known as Lord Hawke, was an English amateur cricketer who played major roles in the sport's administration....
and the three Studd brothers
Studd brothers
The famous Studd brothers, Sir John Edward Kynaston, George and Charles , were Victorian gentleman cricketers; they were educated at Eton and Cambridge. They all represented Eton in the Eton v Harrow annual needle match and represented Cambridge at cricket...
at Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. While at Cambridge, Smith played for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. In his prime, he played against W.G. Grace and with The Champion on the "Gentlemen versus Players" games held annually between the best amateur and professional cricketers in Britain at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. In 1889 Smith captained the England team in South Africa which introduced the Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
, a competition that continues to this day in South Africa.
Aubrey Smith came to Hollywood in 1929, and teamed up with Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
of the Overseas Cricket Club to teach cricket at UCLA in 1932. The same year Arthur Mailey
Arthur Mailey
Arthur Alfred Mailey was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926....
's Australian team captained by Vic Richardson
Vic Richardson
Victor York Richardson OBE was a leading Australian sportsman of the 1920s and 1930s, captaining the Australian cricket team and the South Australian Australian rules football team, representing Australia in baseball and South Australia in golf, winning the South Australian state tennis title and...
played Smith's team of British Actors at UCLA. Smith scored 24 runs against Don Bradman's team. The publicity from the Australians' North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
cricket tour was put to good effect with the founding of the Hollywood Cricket Club and the securing of a permanent cricket ground at Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
(near the film studios).
A photograph of the Hollywood Cricket Club taken at UCLA in 1932 includes H.B Warner (who Aubrey Smith used to play cricket with for the Actors' XI in England), Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
and Harrow-educated
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
Frank Somerset, who later became Secretary of the Screen Actors' Guild (also founded in May 1933). Pelham Grenville Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
was Hollywood CC's first secretary the same year he became the highest paid script writer in Hollywood. Psmith
Psmith
Rupert Psmith is a recurring fictional character in several novels by British comic writer P. G...
, featured in stories such as The Golden Bat before Wodehouse invented the character of Jeeves
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
, was named for a pre-war Warwickshire CCC cricketer. Wodehouse opened the batting for Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, but his field tenure with HCC was limited due to script-writing commitments.
The Hollywood Cricket Club built a pavilion at the ground which still stands though it has since been turned into a wedding reception center at the Burbank Equestrian Center. The original Griffith Park ground had four pitches and it was officially opened on 23 May 1933 with Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Director Williamson as the guest of honor. Williamson gave his name to a knock-out trophy played between local teams. Hollywood was the first to win the Williamson Trophy in 1934. With actors such as Boris Karloff, Aubrey Smith, Ronald Coleman
Ronald Coleman
Ronald Coleman may refer to:* Ronald Colman, English actor* Ronald D. Coleman, American politician* Ronald S. Coleman, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General* Ronnie Coleman, American bodybuilder...
, Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
(who joined for social reasons, despite disliking cricket) , David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
, Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland , known professionally as Joan Fontaine, is a British American actress. She and her elder sister Olivia de Havilland are two of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s....
, Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an English-American character actress with a long career in theatre, film and television....
and Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress best known for her screen performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Cowboy and the Lady . She began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII . She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel...
attending matches at the Griffith Park ground on Sundays the British colony in Hollywood set the tone for tea on lawn.
Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
satirized the HCC in his 1946 book The Loved One
The Loved One
The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry.-Conception:...
, with its protagonist "Sir Auberon Abercombie", a thinly-disguised portrait of Sir Aubrey Smith.
From its illustrious beginnings, the Hollywood Cricket Club continues to take a leading role for the development of California cricket. In its 75 years existence, the HCC have ranged worldwide from East Africa, India and to Canada while maintaining an extremely competitive local presence with three teams in three separate divisions of the Southern California Cricket Association. The Hollywood Cricket Club attracts test and county players from India, Zimbabwe and England that strengthen its roster on occasion.
Notable past members
- Nigel BruceNigel BruceWilliam Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
- Ronald ColmanRonald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
- Gary CrockerGary CrockerGary John Crocker is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 3 Tests and 6 ODIs from 1992 to 1993.Born in Bulawayo, Crocker played in Zimbabwe's first ever Test match, at Harare in 1992. Crocker retired from international cricket in 1993, and due to the political instability and economic...
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Errol FlynnErrol FlynnErrol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
- Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
- Leslie HowardLeslie Howard (actor)Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
- David NivenDavid NivenJames David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
- Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
- Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
- Ann RichardsAnn Richards (actress)Ann Richards was an Australian actress, who achieved notability in Australian films as Shirley Ann Richards before moving to the United States where she continued her career as a film actress, mainly as an MGM starlet....
- H. B. WarnerH. B. WarnerH. B. Warner was a British actor.-Early life:He was born Henry Byron Charles Stewart Warner-Lickford in St John's Wood, London, England in 1875...
- P. G. WodehouseP. G. WodehouseSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...