West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club (WC&TCC) is a cricket club based in the village
of West Chiltington
in the Horsham District
of West Sussex
, England
.
The club plays its cricket
at the West Chiltington
Recreation Ground. The original West Chiltington Cricket
Club (WCCC) was established in 1921 and for many years enjoyed playing cricket against local sides. As the turn of the century approached, WCCC and the dormant Thakeham
CC merged to create a more viable and competitive player base. This allowed the newly merged club to really challenge and be competitive in the West Sussex Cricket League (WSCL) whilst still offering more friendly traditional Sunday cricket. A new badge incorporating a windmill was designed and club colours of the Green & Gold first appeared on shirts. In 2008, WC&TCC was welcomed into the Sussex Invitation Cricket League (SICL) representing a new stage of the Club's playing development and new challenges.
In 2007, the Club was delighted to be chosen to host a testimonial match for the then Sussex CCC opening batsman Richard Montgomerie. The weather was kind and the largest crowd to ever watch WC&TCC play saw a Sussex CCC XI squeak home narrowly. The day raised well earned funds for an excellent & loyal Sussex cricketer. The Club was awarded the ECB ClubMark accreditation in 2007 and recognised as an ECB Focus Club in 2008. In 2008 the Club also joined the Sussex Invitation Cricket League.
In 2009, three brand new nets were constructed near the tennis courts to accelerate both colts' and adult progression. These were opened in May by Murray Goodwin, Sussex CCC's beneficiary of that year. The Club also recruited its first overseas players that year and the 2nd XI were promoted for the first time ever.
In 2010, covers were purchased and at the start of 2011, sitescreens were erected to further enhance playing facilities. A year later, Horsham District Council announced it had approved developer's plans to build on part of Sussex Mushrooms in Thakeham village. Part of the proposal was a new Thakeham cricket square and a pavilion, both to be situated on the site of the former Thakeham CC pitch. It remains to be seen if opposition from parish councils and other protest groups will delay the start of these changes. The Committee of the merged cricket club announced on its website that it had no plans to de-merge and actually needed a second pitch to run extra adult and colts' sides.
The 2011 season has been the most successful in the Club's short history. The 1st and 2nd XI both won their respective West Sussex Invitation League divisions and the Under 12s won the Club's first ever colts' trophy - Sussex Junior Cricket Festival Shield Winners in the final against Crawley.
West Sussex Invitation League Division Three Champions 2011
West Sussex Invitation League Division Seven Champions 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 12s Shield Winners 2011
Sussex West Area Association Under 13s Shield Winners 2009, 2010, 2011
West Sussex League Division One Runners Up 2003, 2005
West Sussex League Division Two Runners Up 2002
West Sussex Invitation League Division Three (Res) Runners Up 2009
Sussex Junior Festival Under 16s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 14s Shield Runners Up 2007
Sussex Junior Festival Under 13s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 12s Shield Runners Up 2008, 2009
Lowest score made by WC&T: 50 all out by the Sunday side at Ditchling on 11 September 2005
Highest score against WC&T: 316-3 made by Sussex Martlets against the Midweek XI on 7 July 2011
Highest score by WC&T: 413-4 - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Recreation Ground on 26 May 2007
Biggest margin of defeat: 211 runs - Sunday side vs Falling Leaves at Arundel on 13 August 2006
Biggest margin of victory: 326 runs - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Rec. on 26 May 2007
Number of ten wicket victories: Four vs. Amberley (2002), Ifield 4th XI (2004), Bury & West Burton (2009) and Ansty Sunday 2nd XI (2010)
Number of ten wicket defeats: Four vs. Bury & West Burton (2003), Worthing Foresters (2004), Milland (2008) and Scaynes Hill (2008)
Highest individual score:
Brian Chambers - 198* vs Brighton Insurance at the West Chiltington Rec. on 14 May 2005
Best individual bowling figures:
James Chaloner - 10-3-17-8 vs. Ocean away on 27 July 2002
Most hundreds: -
Rob Llewellyn - Sixteen
Most five-wicket hauls: - James Chaloner - Fourteen
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of West Chiltington
West Chiltington
West Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Storrington to Broadford Bridge road, 2.6 miles north of Storrington.The parish covers an area of 1733 hectares...
in the Horsham District
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
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...
.
The club plays its 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...
at the West Chiltington
West Chiltington
West Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Storrington to Broadford Bridge road, 2.6 miles north of Storrington.The parish covers an area of 1733 hectares...
Recreation Ground. The original West Chiltington 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...
Club (WCCC) was established in 1921 and for many years enjoyed playing cricket against local sides. As the turn of the century approached, WCCC and the dormant Thakeham
Thakeham
Thakeham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located to the north east of Storrington.The name Thakeham means "thatched homestead" and the original village had just one main street which is home to the village's only pub, The White Lion, and church. The...
CC merged to create a more viable and competitive player base. This allowed the newly merged club to really challenge and be competitive in the West Sussex Cricket League (WSCL) whilst still offering more friendly traditional Sunday cricket. A new badge incorporating a windmill was designed and club colours of the Green & Gold first appeared on shirts. In 2008, WC&TCC was welcomed into the Sussex Invitation Cricket League (SICL) representing a new stage of the Club's playing development and new challenges.
History
Both the former clubs played friendly cricket for many years. WCCC subsequently joined the Sussex Championship League (later to be renamed the West Sussex Cricket League). At time of merger at the West Chiltington CC AGM in 2000, WCCC was a WSCL Division Two side with many players actually living in Thakeham. In 2006, the Club celebrated being crowned champions of the WSCL First Division for the first time and in the following year, the Club created a second Saturday XI which entered WSCL Division Four.In 2007, the Club was delighted to be chosen to host a testimonial match for the then Sussex CCC opening batsman Richard Montgomerie. The weather was kind and the largest crowd to ever watch WC&TCC play saw a Sussex CCC XI squeak home narrowly. The day raised well earned funds for an excellent & loyal Sussex cricketer. The Club was awarded the ECB ClubMark accreditation in 2007 and recognised as an ECB Focus Club in 2008. In 2008 the Club also joined the Sussex Invitation Cricket League.
In 2009, three brand new nets were constructed near the tennis courts to accelerate both colts' and adult progression. These were opened in May by Murray Goodwin, Sussex CCC's beneficiary of that year. The Club also recruited its first overseas players that year and the 2nd XI were promoted for the first time ever.
In 2010, covers were purchased and at the start of 2011, sitescreens were erected to further enhance playing facilities. A year later, Horsham District Council announced it had approved developer's plans to build on part of Sussex Mushrooms in Thakeham village. Part of the proposal was a new Thakeham cricket square and a pavilion, both to be situated on the site of the former Thakeham CC pitch. It remains to be seen if opposition from parish councils and other protest groups will delay the start of these changes. The Committee of the merged cricket club announced on its website that it had no plans to de-merge and actually needed a second pitch to run extra adult and colts' sides.
The 2011 season has been the most successful in the Club's short history. The 1st and 2nd XI both won their respective West Sussex Invitation League divisions and the Under 12s won the Club's first ever colts' trophy - Sussex Junior Cricket Festival Shield Winners in the final against Crawley.
Honours (as a merged club)
West Sussex League Division One Champions 2006West Sussex Invitation League Division Three Champions 2011
West Sussex Invitation League Division Seven Champions 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 12s Shield Winners 2011
Sussex West Area Association Under 13s Shield Winners 2009, 2010, 2011
West Sussex League Division One Runners Up 2003, 2005
West Sussex League Division Two Runners Up 2002
West Sussex Invitation League Division Three (Res) Runners Up 2009
Sussex Junior Festival Under 16s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 14s Shield Runners Up 2007
Sussex Junior Festival Under 13s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival Under 12s Shield Runners Up 2008, 2009
Records
Lowest score made against WCT&T: 50 all out by Steyning 3rds against the 1st XI on 18 May 2002Lowest score made by WC&T: 50 all out by the Sunday side at Ditchling on 11 September 2005
Highest score against WC&T: 316-3 made by Sussex Martlets against the Midweek XI on 7 July 2011
Highest score by WC&T: 413-4 - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Recreation Ground on 26 May 2007
Biggest margin of defeat: 211 runs - Sunday side vs Falling Leaves at Arundel on 13 August 2006
Biggest margin of victory: 326 runs - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Rec. on 26 May 2007
Number of ten wicket victories: Four vs. Amberley (2002), Ifield 4th XI (2004), Bury & West Burton (2009) and Ansty Sunday 2nd XI (2010)
Number of ten wicket defeats: Four vs. Bury & West Burton (2003), Worthing Foresters (2004), Milland (2008) and Scaynes Hill (2008)
Highest individual score:
Brian Chambers - 198* vs Brighton Insurance at the West Chiltington Rec. on 14 May 2005Best individual bowling figures:
James Chaloner - 10-3-17-8 vs. Ocean away on 27 July 2002Most hundreds: -
Rob Llewellyn - SixteenMost five-wicket hauls: -
James Chaloner - Fourteen