Cricket is just one in a thriving stable of sports in one of Britain’s loveliest locations, Horsham.
Frank Fielding reports on...
The Ward of Horsham
D
riving out of Horsham uphill towards the A24, it’s easy to slip past the narrow turning into
Cricketfield Road.
But, if you have done so, you’ll have missed one of the most joyous sites for any fan of the sound of leather on willow. For, tucked away at the end of the
road, lined as it is by smart bungalows, is Horsham Cricket & Sports Club, whose home, nestling in the characterful rolling West Sussex countryside, is acknowledged to be one of the most beautifully located grounds in Britain.
Lined by low hills to the west and the London to Portsmouth mainline railway to the north, the ground is a hark back to olden times, when any cricketing fan could drive straight on to the surrounding grass verge beyond the boundary, take out a picnic and gaze across to the sporting action.
On selected days, steam locomotives still haul train enthusiasts past the historic setting, overlooked by the 14th century spire of St Mary’s church, positioned at the end of the Causeway, Horsham’s signature street of timber framed houses, once owned by the local merchants.
Amid this setting and strong spring sunshine strolls Roger Ward, sporting Rayban sunglasses, every bit the groundsman in form as he finishes tending the square during a second eleven match between Sussex and Surrey. Nearby, the shed’s open to display his range of machinery, equipment, seed and fertiliser. More akin to a three-bay garage converted from a rustic barn, it blends perfectly with the tranquil location and rural feel of the ground. With him is his assistant, Ben Gibson. Three years at Horsham, before that at
Brinsbury College, Adversane, West Sussex, and undertaking an NVQ Level 2 in Sports Turf management, he is warming to his role.
“It’s a lovely place to work,” says Ben, whose main responsibility at the ground is managing the four grass tennis courts, which sit alongside the five all-weather ones, as well as the cricket outfield - Roger focusing on the square with its sixteen wickets. Horsham Cricket Club has played at this magnificent site since the mid 1800s, and now ranks in the Sussex Premier League. Although the game was played in Horsham before 1768, the first record of a town side was on 8 August 1771, when the club was created. It shifted locations over the years before settling at the present ground in 1851. The club runs two grounds, four Saturday teams in the highest leagues
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