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THE HISTORY OF BOWDON CROQUET CLUB
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The first croquet club in the Bowdon area
was at the tennis club at the end of Winton Road, founded
in 1873 as the Bowdon Bowling and Croquet Club, which
is thought to make it the seventh oldest croquet club in
the country. It was, incidentally, at its formation or
soon afterwards, constituted as a limited company; probably
one of the very earliest so created in the country. The
ground had previously been used by the Bowdon Cricket Club, originally
formed in the summer of 1856, by a few men who started practising
on land at Rose Hill, where later a Wesleyan Chapel and then a
school run by Mr. Pearce were built. However, the pitch
was rough, being either cut by scythe, or cropped by sheep, so
in 1865 they moved to a venue in Stamford Road. Their members
included names such as Willis Mudd, son of the photographer, Sir
Joseph Spencer, an M.P., and Alexander Ireland, Jnr., publisher.
The club then moved to South Downs Road, where the pavilion
was built in 1874. Then and on a subsequent occasion, a
Miss Bickham helped financially in buying the land, in remembrance
of her brother who was a player. This cricket team
may be considered as the Gentleman’s team, but a player’s team,
made up originally of chauffeurs, gardeners and servants from the
big houses (and sometimes referred to as Lord Stamford’s team),
had their ground on the Devisdale (still marked on the “A to Z”
map). Only a couple of years ago, the pavilion collapsed (and the
remnants may still be there), situated near to a ring of trees which surround
a cottage.
The surviving
minutes of the croquet club date from 1885 and although
references to croquet are sparse, a few items of interest
are recorded. Members were only permitted to bring
individual guests on two occasions in any one year.
On 12th June, 1907, the members decided to convert the croquet
lawns into tennis courts. By 1909, tennis had gained
predominance and at another meeting on 1st April that year, it
was resolved to change the name of the club to The Bowdon Bowling
and Tennis Club. It is interesting to note that part of
the ground was donated by a neighbouring resident and covenanted
to remain an open space to be used for sport. This decision
resulted in 1911, in a group breaking away to found the Bowdon
Croquet Club, on the site we still occupy, off St. Mary’s Road.
A Mrs. Duggan was instrumental in suggesting the site of the
new club, being elected the first President and she and her
husband, Dr. Duggan, were also Ground Managers with Mr. Pearce,
Secretary and Treasurer; Mrs. Graffton, Vice President, and her
husband, were also created Life Members.
At their
founding meeting at the St. Margaret’s Institute, a
constitution was decided, including a clause which limited
the membership to 60, (and 26 non-playing members), with
the proviso that this could be increased to 80 if desirable.
Letters were circulated to those who the committee
thought might be interested in joining, resulting in a total
of 75 potential playing members; the limit of 60 playing
members was therefore increased to 80 (with 50 non-playing
members, rising to 60 if required). This indicates a high
level of enthusiasm for the game still existed in the area.
The initial subscriptions were set at one guinea for entry
fee; one pound and five shillings for playing membership and half
a guinea for honorary, non-playing members. The cost of
laying out the grounds was estimated at £188 and the cost of
the pavilion, between £130 and £150. It seems that
a major sideline for club members was the playing of Auction Bridge,
to The Portland Club Laws; weekly competitions being held in the
Assembly Rooms (and bridge continued up until 1962, when it seems
to have petered out). In 1913, the permitted number of playing
members was increased to 90.
Under these
flourishing conditions, it was decided to hold the
first tournament during the period 21st July to the
26th and for this purpose various additional croquet
grounds were made use of. The Ladies Lawn Tennis
Club was approached for the use of their green and (by reference
to letters of apology in the minutes for subsequent years, it
would seem) the greens at nearby residences were also used,
including the Dunham Road end of Green Walk; High Croft at the
end of Park Road; and Dunham Knoll, at the end of Devisdale Road,
built after 1878. There were, additionally, at least three
houses along The Firs with croquet greens. [In passing,
it is worth noting that the Bowdon Ladies Lawn Tennis Club was situated
on the Devisdale near Dunham Knoll (and should not be confused
with the St. Margaret’s courts on Bentinck Road). They took
part, by invitation, with the men’s club at the bottom of Elcho
Road, in tournaments and their pavilion was moved in the 1920’s
to the men’s club, on amalgamation, being the building nearest
the entrance on Elcho Road, now used as the groundsman’s storage
hut. The most prized trophies that the club now holds are
the two cups, one for each partner, dating from 1893, awarded
to the winners of the Mixed Doubles Handicap Competition].
In 1914,
a field adjoining the existing croquet ground became
available for sale or lease and the club approached
the land agent with a view to expanding the facilities of
the club. However, this proposal caused some consternation
in the local Bowdon schools, as they used the grounds
for drill, games and for gardening, in the form of allotments.
A School Manager contacted the club, protesting strongly
against the scheme. An agent for the Archdeacon telephoned
to say that he had agreed to a lease on the understanding
that the allotments remained. The club accepted
these conditions and agreed to a rent of £10 per annum;
the schools were to be offered an alternative field for
their drill use. The matter does not end there, however,
as the next day a deputation arrived at the club pleading that
the alternative field was not suitable for their use and it was
an absolute necessity for them to have continued use of the half
acre field as, if they did not, the grant from the County Council,
specifically for that land, would be lost. The outcome was
that the Stamford Estates allowed the schools to continue their
use of the field with the club having first refusal, should the Bowdon
Schools Managers terminate their lease.
The fortunes
of the club have varied from time to time, but they
were certainly enhanced by Lord Tollemache of Peckforton
Castle and his wife becoming country members in April,
1920; only resigning in March, 1940. (Lord Tollemache’s
family can claim Saxon ancestors with a seat at Bentley,
in Suffolk; the origin of the name is said to come from “tollmack”
– “tolling the bell”). His lordship had a green at residence
and through constant practice had become an enthusiastic and
skilled player. As a newcomer to tournament competition,
he entered the 1910 National Open Doubles, causing quite a
stir by announcing before he played that he would “triple peel
his opponent and peg him out”! Such confidence was vindicated
by the result, when his actions proved as good as his word.
In 1914,
he published a book on how he thought the game should
be played, packing it full of photographs of himself
demonstrating strokes and techniques. He produced
another after the second world war, written for advanced
players, updating the strategy and playing methods required,
to keep abreast of modern developments. On joining
Bowdon, he enhanced the club’s prestige and, being a talented
personality, drew players to the club, but it was not until
March, 1938, that he was elected to the committee. He raised
the club playing standard by holding coaching sessions.
Annual house parties, which he hosted to encourage the participation
of top players during the annual club tournament also added to
the club’s attractions, such that a waiting list developed of eager
potential members. Lord Tollemache died in 1955.
During the
period of WW1, all energies were devoted to the war
effort and, as a consequence, the upkeep of the greens
could not be sustained; in fact, during 1917, sheep grazed
on the lawns, a “fowl-house” was erected on the terrace,
wounded soldiers were allowed the use of one of the lawns
and the club house was used to house nurses staffing the
Haigh Lawn Annexe Hospital, in St. Margaret’s Road. The
sheep proved a failure and were replaced by goats, the milk
being sold to the Haigh Lawn Hospital for the benefit of “delicate
soldiers”. In 1919, these wartime arrangements came
to an end and the club’s sporting activities resumed.
In 1925,
Lady Crossley was elected Club President. Between
the wars, a revival produced some notable players including,
in 1937, Charles Colman, who won the British Open
Championship and the following year was the first club
member to be invited to take part in the more prestigious
event of the President’s Cup. Each year, the best eight
players are invited to compete for this honour under playing
conditions which are more demanding than in any other tournament;
the hoops being set tighter than the usual tolerance.
The players play against each other twice.
The second
world war again caused a set-back, while the Nation’s
activities were redirected and, again, this had an
effect on the greens. Their upkeep lapsed and they
deteriorated (and it should be appreciated that the
conditions of the greens has to be well neigh perfect, especially
for tournament and international matches). To
add to these setbacks, quite a few players were lost, victims
of the conflict. The situation had reached such a crisis
that, in 1962, an Extraordinary General Meeting was called to
decide the fate of the club. The result of lengthy discussions
was that the members passed a resolution “that an effort be
made to continue the club”; they, therefore, renewed the lease
from the Stamford Estates. Again a revival occurred
and Bowdon recovered to produce more notable players.
Some have represented Great
Britain in internationals and Test Matches; namely Colin Irwin, David Maugham,
Ian Lines and Keith Aiton. David Maugham
has also won the President's Cup 4 times and twice won the American World
Championship, an event where entrance is by invitation of representatives
picked by National Associations. Bowdon's ladies have also been represented
at the top level. In 1999 Ailsa Lines won the Barlow Bowl, the invitation
event for the top 6 lady players in the country and Jenny Williams was
the 2002 British Ladies Champion. In 2004 David Maugham won the President's
Cup and Ian Lines the Chairman's Salver. In 2005 it was Keith Aiton's turn
to win the President's Cup and Messrs. Maugham and Aiton were two of the
GB MacRobertson Shield team that convincingly won the trophy in Australia
in late 2006. At present Bowdon have 9 players in the world's top 150.
Another famous name was
involved in playing croquet in the Bowdon area.
Either before the war or perhaps during it, (maybe to
encourage greater efforts in the production of specialist
equipment at a secret meeting with the engineering mandarins
of Broadheath ?), Winston Churchill came to stay at “Northlands”
in Grey Road and is known to have played croquet on its surviving
croquet lawn. Since 1959, the area where the ground was
once laid out has been part of the garden of one of the Bowdon
members, a former treasurer.
The standard
of players at Bowdon is comparable with the best
in the country, the clubhouse has been extended, the
greens are in superb condition and, generally, the facilities
have been improved to make Bowdon a club to be proud of.
In recent years, Bowdon has hosted International Test Matches,
including the 1996 series against the USA.
For detailed history of 2006 click here
to see web-site blog for that year.
For detailed history of 2007 click
here
to see web-site blog for that year.
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