Summer Sports - Cricket
Henfield’s unassuming little pavilion ...
centre stage, arms him well for the work on the Henfield square, where the site’s significant slope - a few feet from one end of the square to the other, presents a tough challenge to even the most proficient player.
Last summer was a washout, even for clubs on big budgets, and Henfield suffered like so many other grounds, yet it managed to wring a healthy few fixtures from the sodden ground. Conditions took a toll though, and major end-of-season renovations were required to prepare for the 2013 season. “With fixtures delayed, last season ran on late, which meant our contractor didn’t start work until much later than we’d have liked,” recalls Nick. “The square needed dimple seeding and new loam spread, but works only began in October, so the results of the germination are not quite what we wanted,” he adds. “The weather was too cold and wet by then and, added to that, the slope of the site can be an issue when applying seed or fertiliser.” That delay has compounded the knock-on effects for this season and, due
to continued spring downpours and heavy snowfall in March, pre-seeding for April only got underway early that month and Nick has had to rely on his germination sheets to do their best to gain good grass coverage by the time cricket began.
A glance at the fixture list confirms a
crowded season is beckoning. “From 20th April to late September, every weekend and bank holiday is full with cricket,” Nick says. “During the week, we also hold Twenty20 matches and a local tournament - The Henfield Cup - set up in 2004 by former captain Graham Fuller. In its first year, four local teams competed but, in the years since, it has doubled in size and is popular amongst players and spectators both at Henfield and at the other competing clubs,” he adds, “and that’s not taking into account the women’s and Colts cricket played here.”
The Colts section has proved immensely successful since its inception, with membership rising year on year, attracting a high calibre of local players and those from further afield.
Henfield won its Clubmark
accreditation in 2006, allowing the Colts scheme to flourish. Two years later it gained Focus Club status, further building on its sound reputation in the county. A fair percentage of the current 1st XI came from this source. The year 2006 also marked the first steps taken to establish women’s cricket in the village and, a year later, saw the first Henfield Women’s fixture played. It’s pleasing to see that the spirit of the club’s ancestors is still alive and kicking in today’s leading lights and Henfield CC continues to assume a key community role.
Lewes, Arundel, and Horsham were major cricketing centres of West Sussex, but many local villages have provided the opposition in Henfield’s sporting heritage.
The village’s central Sussex location was pivotal in catalysing cricket. Travel back then was limited compared to today (although the Beeching rail closures in the early 1960s again left the village a tad inaccessible), so Henfield appears to have been central to the game’s
In summer 2012, the rain just went on and on ... 90 PC APRIL/MAY 2013
... and on and on ...
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