Norfolk County Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Norfolk County Cricket Club is one of the county
clubs which make up the Minor Counties
in the English
domestic cricket
structure, representing the historic county of Norfolk
and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy
.
The club played all its home matches in 2006 and 2007 at Manor Park, Horsford
, Norwich
, but the Common, North Runcton
, Kings Lynn is also sometimes used.
The Minor Counties play three-day matches at a level below that of the first-class
game. At present, Norfolk competes in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship.
The first county match was Norfolk v Suffolk at Bury St Edmunds Race Course on Thursday 23 August 1764, which was won by Norfolk. This was reported in the Gazetteer & London Daily Advertiser on Tuesday 28 August. More games against Suffolk followed.
and the famous Norfolk v MCC
match of 1820, in which William Ward
made 278, was in fact the Holt Club with EH Budd
, Thomas Vigne
and Felix Ladbroke
as given men. This was a "borderline" match in terms of its status but, because of its historical importance it is rated first-class. In any case, the addition of the three given men raised the standard of the Holt/Norfolk team above the general run of Holt matches. The Holt club declined from the mid-1820s.
After that, the centre of county cricket was Norwich and a prominent club was founded there on 11 January 1827. For a few seasons, prior to Fuller Pilch
's departure for Kent
about 1835, Norfolk could put a fairly strong eleven into the field. Their only major county opponent, however, was Sheffield Cricket Club (playing as Yorkshire) and the five games they played in 1833, 1834 (twice), 1835 and 1836 are rated first-class.
Apart from the games against Yorkshire, the main opponents of the Norwich/Norfolk team were Bury/Suffolk and MCC. These games however were not quite in the class of the Yorkshire matches and are not rated first-class. Norfolk played Cambridge Town Club (aka Cambridgeshire
) in the 1840s but Norfolk generally fared very poorly and by 1852 the county had ceased to play even MCC
.
After the present club was founded in 1876, the county did not again aspire to first-class status and it joined the Minor Counties Championship when it was formed in 1895. It missed the 1896 season, and also did not compete in 1902 and 1903, but otherwise has remained at that level ever since.
Norfolk has won the Minor Counties Championship five times, two of them shared. It won the first Championship in 1895, sharing with Durham
and Worcestershire
. It won outright in 1905, 1910 and 1913. Its most recent success was a shared title with Herefordshire
in 2002.
Norfolk has won the MCCA Knockout Trophy
a record five times since its inception in 1983. It won in 1986, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009.
:
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
clubs which make up the Minor Counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
domestic cricket
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...
structure, representing the historic county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
.
The club played all its home matches in 2006 and 2007 at Manor Park, Horsford
Horsford
Horsford is a village six miles north of Norwich, England. Its population has seen a steady increase since the Second World War, growing from 750 in 1945 to just under 4000 today .There are various explanations of the village name...
, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, but the Common, North Runcton
North Runcton
North Runcton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Norwich, south-south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The village is located a small distance south-west of the A47 between King's Lynn and Swaffham. The nearest railway station is at...
, Kings Lynn is also sometimes used.
The Minor Counties play three-day matches at a level below that of the first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
game. At present, Norfolk competes in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship.
Honours
- Minor Counties Championship (3) - 1905, 1910, 1913; shared (2) - 1895, 2002
- MCCA Knockout Trophy (5) - 1986, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009
Earliest cricket
Cricket may have reached Norfolk by the end of the 17th century. The earliest reference to cricket in the county is dated 1745.The first county match was Norfolk v Suffolk at Bury St Edmunds Race Course on Thursday 23 August 1764, which was won by Norfolk. This was reported in the Gazetteer & London Daily Advertiser on Tuesday 28 August. More games against Suffolk followed.
Origin of club
A number of county organisations existed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The present club was founded on 14 October 1876.Club history
The first major Norfolk Club of the 19th century was that based at HoltHolt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
and the famous Norfolk v MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
match of 1820, in which William Ward
William Ward (cricketer)
William Ward was a noted English cricketer. He came from an affluent family which owned property on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at Winchester College, and then received financial training in Antwerp.-Life and career:William Ward was a prominent right-handed batsman and an occasional slow...
made 278, was in fact the Holt Club with EH Budd
EH Budd
Edward Hayward Budd was a noted English cricketer and all-round sportsman. He was a prominent right-handed batsman and an occasional medium pace lob bowler...
, Thomas Vigne
Thomas Vigne
Thomas Vigne was an English amateur cricketer.-Career:He was mainly associated with Surrey and he made 60 known appearances in first-class matches from 1804 to 1832 . He was an occasional wicketkeeper.Vigne's son was Godfrey Vigne who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1845.-External sources:*...
and Felix Ladbroke
Felix Ladbroke
Felix Calvert Ladbroke was an English amateur cricketer who made 29 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1804 to 1826.-Career:...
as given men. This was a "borderline" match in terms of its status but, because of its historical importance it is rated first-class. In any case, the addition of the three given men raised the standard of the Holt/Norfolk team above the general run of Holt matches. The Holt club declined from the mid-1820s.
After that, the centre of county cricket was Norwich and a prominent club was founded there on 11 January 1827. For a few seasons, prior to Fuller Pilch
Fuller Pilch
Fuller Pilch was an English cricketer. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Surrey, as well...
's departure for Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
about 1835, Norfolk could put a fairly strong eleven into the field. Their only major county opponent, however, was Sheffield Cricket Club (playing as Yorkshire) and the five games they played in 1833, 1834 (twice), 1835 and 1836 are rated first-class.
Apart from the games against Yorkshire, the main opponents of the Norwich/Norfolk team were Bury/Suffolk and MCC. These games however were not quite in the class of the Yorkshire matches and are not rated first-class. Norfolk played Cambridge Town Club (aka Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cambridgeshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.The club is based at The Avenue...
) in the 1840s but Norfolk generally fared very poorly and by 1852 the county had ceased to play even MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
.
After the present club was founded in 1876, the county did not again aspire to first-class status and it joined the Minor Counties Championship when it was formed in 1895. It missed the 1896 season, and also did not compete in 1902 and 1903, but otherwise has remained at that level ever since.
Norfolk has won the Minor Counties Championship five times, two of them shared. It won the first Championship in 1895, sharing with Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
. It won outright in 1905, 1910 and 1913. Its most recent success was a shared title with Herefordshire
Herefordshire County Cricket Club
Herefordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Herefordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 2002.
Norfolk has won the MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
a record five times since its inception in 1983. It won in 1986, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009.
First-class players
The following Norfolk cricketers also played first-class cricketFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
:
- Fuller PilchFuller PilchFuller Pilch was an English cricketer. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Surrey, as well...
- Michael FalconMichael FalconMichael Falcon was a British Conservative Party politician and an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1908 to 1936....
- Bill EdrichBill EdrichWilliam John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
- John EdrichJohn EdrichJohn Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
- Geoff EdrichGeoff EdrichGeoffrey Arthur Edrich was born in Lingwood, Norfolk, on 13 July 1918.He was an English cricketer who played 339 first-class matches for Lancashire between 1946 and 1958 as a right-handed batsman...
- Eric EdrichEric EdrichEric Harry Edrich was an English cricketer. Born in Lingwood, Norfolk, Edrich played in 36 first-class matches for Lancashire as a wicketkeeper between 1946 and 1948, before becoming a farmer. His three brothers, Brian, Geoff and Bill, and also his cousin, John Edrich, all played first-class...
- Michael BartonMichael Barton (cricketer)Michael Richard Barton was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman, in a first-class career lasting from 1935 to 1955, he scored 5965 runs at 25.82, with 7 hundreds and a highest score of 192.He appeared for Oxford University from 1935 to 1937, winning a Blue in the latter two years...
- Henry BlofeldHenry BlofeldHenry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury...
- Peter ParfittPeter ParfittPeter Parfitt is an English former cricketer. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk....
- Clive RadleyClive RadleyClive Thornton Radley MBE is an English former cricketer, who played eight Tests and four One Day Internationals for England...
- Paul TaylorPaul Taylor (cricketer)Paul Taylor is an English former cricketer, who played in two Tests and one ODI for England from 1993 to 1994.-Life and career:...
Current squad
The Norfolk squad for the 2011 season comprised the following players:- George Walker (captain)
- Sam Arthurton
- Chris Borrett
- Paul Bradshaw
- Chris Brown
- Keiran Bunting
- Harry Bush
- Luke Caswell
- Michael Eccles
- Stephen Gray
- Peter Lambert
- Carl RogersCarl Rogers (cricketer)Carl John Rogers is an English cricketer who has represented Norfolk since 1990. He is a right-hand batsman who has appeared in 22 List A matches, 17 of these with Norfolk, scoring 524 runs at an average of 26.20 and with a best score of 139 not out coming against the Netherlands in 2001...
- Darren Smith
- James Spelman
- Oli Stone
- Trevor WardTrevor WardTrevor Robert Ward is an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and is also an occasional off-spin bowler. Ward has played county cricket for Kent and Leicestershire....
- Matthew Warnes
- Michael Warnes
- Aaron Watson
- Ashley Watson
External sources
Further reading
- Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - E W Swanton (editor), Barclays World of Cricket, Guild, 1986
- Playfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current...
– various editions - Wisden Cricketers Almanack – various editions