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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.
For detailed history of 2008 click
here to see web-site blog for that year.
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