johhj_au

In early stages of planning a club cricket tour to england (from oz.)

Looking for fixtures at quintessential village grounds...

BTW congrats on the wrc win.

ben_haines_london

The site http://www.village-cricket-league.co.uk/ gives a short list of places in Surrey and Sussex that sound pretty village-like to me, but I am afraid I know none of them. Here is the list: I expect most of these clubs have web sites that Google will find you.

Village Green, Abinger Hammer, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6XQ 01306 730389
Alfold The Recreation Ground, Dunsfold Road, Alfold, Surrey, GU6 8JB 01483 753132
Bramley Gosden Common, Bramley, Surrey, 01483 536889
Cranleigh The Common, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8SN 01483 274220
Ewhurst Ewhurst Green, Horsham Lane, Ewhurst, Surrey, 01483 276541
Grafham & Smithbrook Rushetts Common, Cranleigh, Surrey, 01483 595903
Hambledon Cricket Green Lane, Hambledon, Surrey, GU8 4HF
Holmbury St Mary Hombury Hill, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey, 01306 730693
Normandy Hunts Hill Road, Normandy, Nr Guildford, Surrey, GU3 2AH 01483 811519
Oakwood Hill opposite Punchbowl Inn, Oakwood Hill, Surrey, 01306 627650
Plaistow The Green, Plaistow, Sussex, 01403 752388
Rudgwick The Recreation Ground, Bucks Green, Rudgwick, Sussex, 01403 822612
Shalford Shalford Common, Shalford, Surrey, 01483 535110
Warnham Hollands Way, Warnham, West Sussex, 01403 255786
Wonersh The Common, Wonersh Common Road, Wonersh, Surrey, 01483 893209

So I tried Google on village cricket, and think these grounds may be beautiful: you could check each website

Bledlow Village Cricket Club
Founded In 1889, Bledlow Village Cricket Club is situated in the picturesque
Buckinghamshire village of Bledlow. The pretty ground ...
Description: Fixtures, results, history, events news and guest book.
Category: Regional > Europe > ... > Buckinghamshire > Recreation and Sports
www.bledlowvillagecc.co.uk/

Cheriton Cricket Club - The Quintessential English Village ...
Cheriton Cricket Club - The quintessential village
cricket club. Hampshire, England.
www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~wrightsa/cricket/

Leigh CC - in the heart of Kent village cricket
Leigh Cricket Club, Kent 2003 season. Welcome to Leigh ... cricket has been played
here for over three hundred years. Coming soon - tidy the pavillion day. ...
www.leighcc.co.uk/

Evesham Cricket Club, Worcestershire, England. Established in 1854. (2004 is clubs 150 anniversary). Website: www.evesham.play-cricket.com. Where: A beautiful market town, situated in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire, along the valley of the River Avon, 12 miles from Stratford-on-Avon

But really, I think you could pick any midlands or southern shire, use Google to find the e mail address of the Tourist Information office, and ask that office to pick you a few beauties

Welcome to England

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rickmav

Looks like Ben Haines has given you lots of places to start looking. Last year, we did spend a great Sunday afternoon watching a game of cricket in a lovely little village in Sussex, called Benenden.

Have no idea as to facilities but the village was very picturesque and there's a good pub for ale called The Bull in Benenden and a great food pub called the William IV. (Had a vegetarian dish of brie and broccoli in a kind of crusty, spiced crust with fresh potatoes, carrots, caulliflower and green beans that was to die for.)

Good luck with your planning.

flanneruk

You have to go a long way to beat the pitch at Swinbrook in Oxfordshire, where a decent six lands in the Windrush (yes, the Laurie Lee Windrush).

But many would argue Coombe (also Oxfordshire) is up there. The next-door church has medieval paintings of lascivious ladies being cast into hell: the village lanes leading up to the pitch are glorious, and even have a village water pump; and the old gaffers watching really do claim to remember Bradman. Bad news: the boozer's got muzak. But the pub's on the village's other green, so you can get outside.

BTW: appreciate the sentiments. Our ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory almost came out again. And your guys refused to give up. Great game: great organisation.

johhj_au

Thanks very much for your help.

I suspect getting suitable fixtures will be the least of our problems.

Our intial thoughts are

-a party of 16-20
-tour lasting 3 weeks with approx 12 fixtures
-hiring two mini vans for transport
-staying at cheaper,self catering accommodation for periods of about a week and paying several fixtures within driving distance.
-finding three or four accommodation "bases"
-staying away from London although we would want to play some London clubs around the M25 belt.

Any comments on our general approach would be much appreciated.

desper8dan

I live in a small village called Great Brickhill, about 40 mins drive north of London. The village has a cricket ground just opposite where I live. Have a look at web sites below they have contact details and give you a 'feel' of the place.

www.gbcc-uk.com

http.clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/highash01/GB.html

As for where to base yourselves ... St. Albans, Hertfordshire is hard to beat for its road links. Major motorways are minutes away, junction 21A M25, and M1. Its an old Roman town and claims to have the oldest pub in the UK 'The Fighting Cocks'. Lots of places to stay.

ben_haines_london

I like your general approach. You will want to avoid driving on highways towards or away from London in the rush hours.

A commercial site of which I am afraid I have lost the address offers
under Kent Knowlton Court, Knowlton, Canterbury, with a house for 19, and neighbouring cottages, and Three Chimneys Farm, Bedgebury Road, Goudhurst, with five houses

Under Sussex it has Freedom Holiday Homes, 15 High Street, Cranbrook, Sussex,
TN17 3EB, with 120 units, which I think means 120 beds

I should think all three are findable in Google.

But for Surrey it offers nothing helpful to you. The South East England tourist Board has an e mail address at [email protected]/. They will know of any big self-catering place that may exist in Surrey

The County Council site http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/tourism/a.../selfcater.htm shows three self catering places in St Albans, and I fear that between them they will not take twenty people. But I think you should ask at [email protected]/ about Hampshire and Berkshire

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Godfrey26a

contact [email protected] for information about Coldharbour Cricket Club in Surrey which has its ground on Leith Hill.The nearby pub,The Plough,brews its own beer as well as stocking a wide choice of Real Ale.

SueW

I think a visit to Hambeldon, Hampshire, where cricket began in the 1750s, would be a great place to start.

Godfrey26a

That's a top reply,I think there is a pub next to the ground called the Bat & Ball

jsmith

A few years ago we watched part of a cricket match in Winchester. The pitch is in the shadow of the Cathedral adjacent to the river and Winchester College.

This is the site of the Southern Electric Premier Cricket League and
should be a help in setting up your tour and matches.

http://www.cricket.org/link_to_datab.../LEAGUES/SPCL/

Hope I've helped.

johhj_au

Thanks so much.... a cricket thread up and running on a board dominated by nth american naivete..excellent!

Does anyone here play the game?

We are planning to go in July or August of 2005.Weather at its best..chance to go to an ashes test match..it will in the north.. old trafford or trent bridge..so we have to find a base in the north...perhaps yorkshire.

Ben
We are attracted to farm style/stables self catering accommodation as you suggest...also perhaps we could get a school/college dormitory at that time of year??

Dan
Great Brickhill looks just what we are looking for. where does the cricket club drink?...do they have their own clubhouse?

If we were to base ourselves near say Luton what would be the travelling time to games at -
little buckhamstead (herts)
stony stratford (beds?)
great brickhill
garboldisham (norfolk)

Is it it possible to take tourist day trips to central London from Luton?

Godfrey
As it happens i have played at Coldharbour..got a duck and enjoyed a walk up to Leith Hill (highest point in sthn england??) and enjoyed the odd pint at the Plough after.
The ground is very odd shaped..apparently the yanks built it as a baseball ground during wwII.

SueW
As it happens I have been to Hambledon down and enjoyed a lunch and pint at the bat and ball.Ironically it reminded me of the part of oz were i learnt my cricket..hinterland of byron bay.
There is an excellent social history of cricket in 18th c england..the hambledon XI features.

Steve_James

JohnJ - Some universities rent out rooms in their halls of residence during the summer.

You could contact the universities in Yorkshire or wherever for info.

Steve

Godfrey26b

Interesting to learn that the cricket pitch half way up Leith Hill was once a baseball pitch. There were definately alot of GI's around the area during the war.The Plough Pub is a good traditional
English Pub in a good isolated spot

ben_haines_london

I like the idea of student accommodation. I think you might look at http://www.venuemasters.co.uk/holidays.asp
and the universities
Brighton
Kent
Essex
Cranfield
Royal Holloway, Egham
Surrey
Hertfordshire
Brunel, Uxbridge
Wessex centre, Winchester
I think, too, that one of you should ask for a price from Venuemasters and another a price direct from the university, to see whether they are the same. I have looked for towns in the home counties, but of course you could look further, since you plan to tour.

Not many schools offer summer space this way, as everybody goes off on holkiday. I think those that do are likely to be public schools (meaning private schools) with expensive rooms, but I have not checked.

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