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Cricket Club History

The club was believed to be in existence in 1869 but the first known record of any kind was published in the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard on Saturday 30th April 1887. This recorded a meeting of members of the Cricket Club in the Schoolroom on Friday 22nd April 1887, the President, E.W. Cripps Esq. in the chair. The Treasurer, Mr Woodman, produced his balance sheet, which was considered very satisfactory. Eight matches were played last year, of which six were won and two lost. The following officers were appointed: President, E.W. Cripps Esq.; captain, treasurer and secretary, Mr C.R. Woodman; sub-captain, Mr W. Woodward; committee, Messrs. H. Cole, W. Cuss, G. Davenport, J. Tunley and S. Trowbridge. The thanks of the members of the club are due to E.W. Cripps Esq., who besides lending a field free of expense, subscribes liberally to the funds; and also to Mr. D. Blackford, who last year lent a tent for the home matches at a merely nominal sum.

Photograph from 1975 - Left to Right: Dick Gearing, Fred Wardle, Peter Butler, Nicholas Cripps, Tony Truman, Sid Wyman, Mrs Champion

At the time of this meeting there was no village hall and no cricket pavilion so the school appears to be the venue of choice. The cricket pitch is not identifiable in any old maps and therefore we can only assume that it has always existed on its current site. It's also possible that the Cripps family hold records from the time that would shed more light on this.

The next known mention of cricket in the village was at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. A match took place between the married and single men of the village, with the singles easily winning.

In 1904 Ampney Crucis hosted its own cricket week from Monday 17th July through to Thursday 21st July. An E.T. Cripps XI first entertained the Free Foresters in a 2 day game followed by another against the Greenjackets. Adjacent are the scorecards1 from both matches first published in Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game on 28th July 1904.

By the mid-1920s Ampney Crucis boasted two teams and was one of the strongest cricket clubs in the Cirencester district. It supplemented its income by holding whist drives and dances in the village hall (a converted hut at the time) and as a result they were able to purchase a new mowing machine.

Photograph from 1952
Back row: Ray Wyman, A.N. Other, Maurice Truman, A.N. Other, Ted Greenaway and Mick Wager
Front row: Sid Wyman, Dick Gearing, Fred Wardle, Gordon Stratford and John Tugwell

The ground was supplied by the Cripps family and the original pavilion was of a wooden construction painted green with a tin roof, this was extended in the late 1960's to include a kitchen. The old building was replaced in 1977 with a new pine wood pavilion built by club members.

The current car park was once an orchard belonging to Ampney Park.

The National Lottery and Lords Taverners provided the money to enable the ground to be purchased off the Cripps family in 1994. A trust was then set up to manage the club.

The cricket club played its final match and drew stumps in August 2016. Over the course of its existence 3 generations of the Rutter family (Ernie, Nick and Tom) and the same for the Gearing family (Henry, Dick and Phil) played for the club.

The ground is still maintained and used throughout the summer months for functions as well as cricket matches.

1980 Oxton Tour Photograph
Back row: Syd Wyman (Umpire), Norman Russell, Rob Waters, Dave Broadhurst, Phil Gearing, Roy Hudman and Geoff Cronk
Front row: Les Wenban, Paul Edwards, Mervyn Snowden, Gordon Stratford and John Tugwell

Dick Gearing and adjacent the pavilion named after him

2016 Fixture Card

2016 Fixture List

All photographs, names and recent historical information supplied with thanks by Phil Gearing. Additional research by Paul Brice [2021].
1 Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).