A fast bowling partnership - Hood and Kelsey: Paul Ladbrook's bowling: Burnt Ash Hockey Club as Winter tenants: The ground levelling: Another fast bowling partnership _ Quick and Hutton.

It is often said that fast bowlers achieve their best results when operating in pairs and towards the end of the 1950s the Club found a good opening partner for Trevor Hood. He was Brian Kelsey, of the well-known cricketing family. Although of no great pace, Brian was very accurate, despite having the disconcerting mannerism of pausing to look down at his feet as he began his delivery stride. The success of their partnership is shown by the number of wickets they took in the seasons 1957-59:-

1957 1958 1959 Total Average
Hood 76 111 72 259 13.3
Kelsey 77 82 61 220 15.4

Hood is the only bowler of any pace to have taken 100 wickets in a season for the 1st XI. The bowlers received good support from the wicket keeper, Ray Stilwell, who had 117 dismissals in these three years, many off their bowling.
The two bowlers played in a remarkable match at Bexleyheath in 1958. Bexley had been dismissed for 116 and when the Bexleyheath score reached 114 for the loss of only two wickets it seemed that the match would be over in a minute or two. But in the next eight overs seven wickets fell for one run, with Hood taking 5 wickets in four overs without conceding a run. And it was only then, with the score at 115 for 9, that Kelsey finally conceded two runs to give Bexleyheath victory in one of the most exciting finishes seen for years.
Two other matches in 1958 were also remarkable. In the first, the Lords Nippers, a young professional side, scored 224-6 dec. When Bexley's Dracup and Field went out to open the innings they found themselves faced with a most hostile 'umbrella' field of five slips and two leg slips, and a pair of tearaway bowlers. For a moment it looked as though the batsmen might be swept away under the assault, but Alan Dracup suddenly began to play lofted drives and pulls of amazing power and certainty. He crashed his way to 44 out of the first 50 and had scored 81 not out when the score was 89-1. Most exasperatingly, at this stage it began to rain and the match had to be abandoned, so it will never be known what might have happened. Dracup, a tall left-hander, played only a few seasons for Bexley, but when he was in this mood anything was possible.
The following week Dracup and Field again opened, against Putney Eccentrics. This
was not one of Dracup's days and he was out in the first over. Norman Field was joined
by sixteen-year old Graham Footitt and the pair put on 196 for the second wicket. On a very hot day they hit the ball to all corners of the field and scampered their runs as though their lives depended on it. Eventually Footitt was bowled for 89. Field scored 104. This was the highest partnership for Bexley since the War and the highest second wicket partnership ever. Unfortunately these two very talented teenagers, who had come up through the Club's colts coaching scheme, left the area to pursue their careers after a couple of seasons and were lost to the Club. (In 1988 in a Sunday B XI match at Wanstead, J Doble and A Clayton had an undefeated stand of 239 for the second
wicket. Both scored centuries, but Bexley lost off the last ball.)
The following year, 1959, was the 75th anniversary of the famous match against the Emeriti Club in which Shuter and Ashdown scored 402 in an unbroken first wicket partnership. The two clubs decided to commemorate the occasion by repeating the fixture. The match attracted considerable publicity and a good crowd turned up to watch, but not surprisingly the scoring feats of 1884 were not repeated. Score: Emeriti 103 : Bexley 104-3. The Emeriti were a wandering side, having their origins in country house cricket in the 1860s. Their membership was drawn from the chief Catholic
schools.
At this time the battle to keep the pavilion in reasonable repair was being fought with vigour. The dressing rooms were enlarged, a kitchen added, a new bar installed and the pavilion floor renewed. A new scorebox was erected, the money being donated by members in memory of the late Ken Kelsey.
In 1960 the Club purchased the car park and tennis courts, previously leased, for £500, a decision which was to prove highly beneficial some years later when a site was needed for squash courts.
One of the keenest tennis players in this period was Bert Richards, who spent much time tending the courts when not actually playing. His son Keith, and friend Mick Jagger, often visited the Club, before achieving fame and fortune with the Rolling Stones.
As usual at this time, the Club was short of money; it depended a great deal on voluntary help from members and on the profits from the bar (or "canteen" as it was quaintly called in the accounts of the period). An excellent bar chairman for many years was Arthur Wilkinson.
In 1961 Jim Jeffery scored 1000 runs for the season for the seventh time. But gradually he was beginning to lose some of his enthusiasm for batting and often went in late in the order. Instead, however, he was now bowling a lot, a cunning mixture of off-breaks and away 'floaters'. His bowling looked easy to hit but there was a shrewd brain behind it all and in four seasons he headed the bowling averages.
Several promising young players were now appearing in the men's teams, including David Turner, Alan Siveyer, Barry Jeffery, John Preston, David Medhurst, Roger Simmons (wicket keeper) and Paul Ladbrook, in addition to Norman Field and Graham Footitt already mentioned. The first of these younger players to show his ability was Paul Ladbrook! who took 40 wickets for the 1st XI in 1960 and 86 the following year. He bowled medium paced leg cutters with a whippy action and on responsive pitches achieved disconcerting
movement. In seven seasons, from 1960-1966, he took 417 wickets for the 1st XI at an average of 17, but then unfortunately developed a recurrent back injury and was unable to do much bowling afterwards.
John Preston played for the 1st XI in 1959, while still at school. He always looked a stylish batsman, but for several seasons failed to score many runs. The selection committee continued to pick him for the 1st XI and one wonders whether this delayed or hastened his development. Eventually he had many very good seasons and he was probably the best batsman in the Club in the late 1960s.
Another player to do well in the mid-sixties was Ron Sculley, a lively opening bowler developed through the Club's youth training activities. Many years later Ron broke his neck in a car accident, but happily recovered and continued to play cricket.
Football fans will be interested to know that Geoff Hurst scored a century in Cricket Week in 1964. His innings, for Walthamstow, lasted only 71 minutes and the last fifty runs were scored in only 11 minutes. He is, of course, famous for having scored a hat trick for England a couple of years later to help win the World Cup.
Cricket Week was continuing to be a major feature of the season, but although the matches were as popular as ever, the sideshows and the carnival procession began to lose their appeal. By 1960 there were few decorated floats in the pr9cession through the village and it was decided to scrap this part of the programme.
Various alternative entertainments were tried. In 1962 it was decided to hold a grand fireworks display at the end of the Week. It was to take place on the far side of the ground, away from the pavilion and a large expectant crowd gathered to see the show. They were not disappointed, for immediately it started the whole sky was lit up and there followed one of the most spectacular displays of coloured flashes and assorted bangs ever seen in the district. Unfortunately it was certainly also the shortest, for it lasted less than a minute. A stray spark had found its way unerringly into the other fireworks and set them all off!
At this time, the Club played the MCC for the last time. This fixture, which had begun in the nineteenth century, was discontinued at the request of MCC as they were finding it difficult to raise teams to play clubs on Saturdays. They subsequently concentrated their efforts on playing Public Schools matches. The author has the doubtful distinction of being last out in this final fixture, bowled in the last over of the match.
In 1966 members were stunned by the sudden death in mid-season of the captain, Jim Jeffery, at the age of 45. He had appeared to be in excellent health and was enjoying his usual success with bat and ball. He had played at Gravesend, taking five wickets, but died a few hours later. Apart from the tragedy for his family it was a great blow to the Club, which quite overshadowed the remainder of the season. Reference has already been made to his outstanding cricketing achievements but it should also be recorded that he and his wife Eileen also worked tirelessly for the Club off the field.
On a lighter note, also in 1966, Mr E Johnson, the 1st XI scorer announced that he was retiring and moving from the district. At a farewell presentation Johnnie reminded those present that he had taken on the job in 1946 'for a few weeks until you can find someone to do it regularly', but had ended up doing it for 21 years. There is surely a lesson there for all incautious volunteers.
It may surprise present-day players at Manor Way that until 1966 the cricket square was much smaller than it is now. In those days it was only 24 yards wide and each strip had to be used several times in a season. This led to some very worn pitches, particularly in dry summers. In the Autumn of 1965 the square was extended to about 40 yards and this made a big improvement, particularly as a motor roller was bought at the same time.
In the mid-sixties there was a growing mood of dissatisfaction with the pavilion facilities, particularly with the lack of showers in the changing rooms. Plans were therefore drawn up for extending both dressing rooms to provide space for shower cubicles. The necessary funds were donated by members as a memorial to the late Jim Jeffery, with the additional help of a grant from the Department of Education and Science. The new dressing rooms were formally opened by Mrs Jeffery in August 1968.
During 1967 discussions began with Burnt Ash Hockey Club to see whether agreement could be reached for them to become Winter tenants, using the pavilion and two hockey pitches on the outfield. From the Hockey Club's point of view this had the advantage of giving them a settled headquarters, and for the Cricket Club there was the attraction of a rental income and also a sharing of costs such as ground maintenance, insurance, etc. An important consideration in the discussions was that hockey would do no significant damage to the outfield. Both clubs wished to retain their independence and separate names, and both were against any idea of a joint Sports Club.
The discussions proceeded in a very amicable way, but there was a particular difficulty with the ground. Although the turf was smooth it was very undulating, so much so that a person sitting in the pavilion could see only the top half of a fielder standing in the deepest depression on the far side of the ground. There was also a pronounced ridge between the square and the pavilion. It was clearly necessary to level the field before hockey could be played on it. Burnt Ash offered to arrange for this to be done, as part of the financial arrangements. This offer was accepted and a 35 year lease covering the various aspects of the collaboration was signed.
Work on the levelling operation commenced in mid-September 1968. It involved a great deal of earth moving (although the square was not touched) and the laying of many thousands of turves. Unfortunately it co-incided with one of the wettest Winters for many years, and the contractors got into serious difficulties. Earth-shifting machinery almost disappeared into the numerous soft areas in the ground and could only be pulled out with great difficulty by other machines. The stacks of turf disintegrated and floated away, and as the rain fell incessantly all work on the site had to cease. At the AGM in December members expressed their alarm at this turn of events and the author, who was Hon Secretary at the time, had an uncomfortable time trying to allay their fears.
It was not possible to resume work on the ground until the end of March an? all the earlier turfing had to be renewed. With improving weather the operation was completed, but the ground could not be used until the beginning of July 1969. Fortunately opponents who were due to play matches at Manor Way early in the seaso_n were most understanding and wherever possible matches were transferred to therr grounds. Where this was not possible the Club played its matches at Hall Place.

Initially the outfield was very bumpy, but as the turf knitted together after the first season it settled down very well and both hockey and cricket have since benefited from the levelling. Experience has demonstrated the wisdom of the two clubs joining forces in this way. The greatest benefit to the Cricket Club is that the collaboration has made it possible to employ a full-time groundsman throughout the year, with clearly visible advantages in ground maintenance standards.
The two clubs have worked together on several projects, notably the joint purchase in 1988 for £26,000 of two acres of land to the east of the ground. This is about half the area required for a cricket ground, but if adjacent land can be added to it, it will end the Cricket Club's long quest for a permanent home for the 3rd and 4th Xls, who at present have to play their fixtures on hired grounds.
Mention was made earlier of the undulations in the ground prior to the levelling operation. Although no measurements are available, the extent of the uneveness seemed to become worse in the post-war period and it is likely that gravel extraction and water pumping operations on neighbouring land contributed to the problem. The gravel workings began in the early 1950s, moving from one adjoining meadow to another. The planned restoration to agricultural use is still not fully complete over thirty years later; the operations have been, and are, an eyesore and a sad example of weaknesses in Planning controls in the Green Belt.
This chapter began with the achievements of a pair of opening bowlers and it ends with the emergence of another pair, Andy Quick and George Hutton. The aptly named Quick played a few matches towards the end of 1967 and for several years afterwards headed the bowling averages. Basically he was a fast-medium bowler, but he had an exceptionally fast quicker ball. His team mates sometimes unhelpfully suggested that he threw this delivery, but the suggestion was made more to see his frenzied reaction than in the belief that there was any truth in it. George Hutton, who bowled in-swingers and leg cutters, was well over six feet tall with a high action which generated a degree of hostile bounce. Incidentally, he is almost certainly the only Bexley member to have played representative cricket for Scotland. Quick and Hutton were both police officers and consequently were not always available to play, but nevertheless they were very successful, as is shown by their excellent records:-
wickets taken

1968 69 70 71 72 73 74 Total Average
Quick 40 60 69 74 92 49 384 12.4
Hutton 56 65 54 78 64 66 383 14.4