Backwell House was once home to the Robinson family, founders of a very successful packaging company established in Bristol. As employers, the Robinsons took a keen interest in the health and wellbeing of their employees, funding well-furnished respite facilities, evening classes, and sports competitions between teams from different branches of the business. These included hockey, lawn-tennis, athletics, football and rugby, swimming, and bowling. Especially though, cricket, which was a game close to the Robinson family’s hearts.
During the nineteenth century, the Robinsons would regularly compete amongst themselves in various games and sports at a ground in Flax Bourton. In 1878, Charles Parnell, the captain of West Town Cricket Club challenged Alfred Robinson to an August Bank Holiday cricket match. Alfred accepted, and duly assembled a Backwell House team entirely of family members. The Backwell House team claimed a glorious victory, with Arthur as captain scoring 83 not out.
Games continued to be played annually against teams from Wraxall, Nailsea, Long Ashton and Yatton. A long-running rivalry with Flax Bourton was started in 1889. In 1891, the Backwell House team played against the cricketing powerhouses of the Grace family, who at one time had three brothers playing alongside each other for England, including the legendary W. G. Grace. During the afternoon, one of the older Graces, a doctor, was called away on a supposed home visit, and replaced by a young prodigy from Gloucestershire CCC. The older Grace was later spotted secretly watching on as, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Grace team triumphed. Nonetheless, the Robinsons kept the loss to a respectable 37 runs.
The Backwell House team last played in 1964, having played every August Bank Holiday since 1878, with breaks only during the world wars.
Note – A full description can be found here
The photo includes Somerset & Gloucestershire first-class cricketers. Crescens Robinson (Cres played 32 matches for Somerset 1885-1896) is seated far left holding the bat. His brother Theodore is standing behind him. Theo also played for Somerset 1884-1894.
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