1998 was very important year In the life of Cleeve Cricket Club, The Club committee have been very busy organising events for their 50th year celebrations. Since the Club reformed in 1948 it had progressed steadily over the years, on and off the field. Every year brought new challenges and additionally now the Club was to play in the Senior Division of the Bristol & District Cricket League for the first time in their history.
In 1939, the then Sir Robert Sinclair purchased the 11 acre plot of land (now the Playing Field) and in 1948 the field was vested in the National Playing Fields Association, with local trustees. He became the Club’s Founder President in 1948 and continued until 1979. In 1949 Lord Sinclair opened the old pavilion and the annual fixtures against the President’s XI were always very special events.
Mr. Archie Stacey was a Founder Trustee of the Field, the Founder Captain of the Club in 1948 and continued until 1959 and was President from 1980 to 1993. As he writes, “the year was 1946, a telephone message was received, would I please call to see the then Sir Robert Sinclair at the Court. He outlined the proposal of a sports ground for Cleeve on what was the potato field and, knowing that cricket was my life, he asked me to start to form a cricket club”.
“I soon found out that Cleeve had a Cricket Club before the war, the earliest about 1927, we were lucky to find the score box, donkey-cutter, spike roller and heavy roller, for which we were thankful – it was a start.”
“The field of 11 acres was vested in the National Playing Fields of King George V, with Trustees Lord Sinclair, Mr. P. Cardew, Mr. Burns Snr, Mr. S. Wall, and myself. In a very short time players began to be interested so a Club was formed and what a loyal and wonderful Club, it has turned out to be.”
Things got underway with an ex-RAF hut as the pavilion (it being difficult for teams to change in a mobile score box) and this was greatly improved with valuable help from Mr.Bert Andow, a local carpenter, and the A.C.V. Telling Co.
Summer 1948 – and the club only possessed ‘four humble deck chairs’ and couldn’t play at Cleeve because the ground had been ploughed and grass seed sown, so all matches were friendly and played away, but at some stage Farmer Millier provided a wooden hut on wheels (ex home of the bowls club), which was used along with a small brick building in the corner of the field. around this time a sectional building was erected to be used as a pavilion to which a bar was added in 1951.
The fixture list kept growing during the early 1950s, a second team was formed and permission was granted by the Church and Trustees to play cricket on a Sunday along with The Cuckoo Penners, a team picked from players of Claverham, Cleeve and Congresbury. The Cuckoo Penners then formally merged with Cleeve in 1954.
Further improvements were achieved in 1958/59, a new scoreboard, storage hut and larger sight screen were added. Then in 1960 the club took ownership of a mechanical half ton roller – the first in the area.
During the 1970s League Cricket was introduced, completely different from the life time of friendlies but being a relatively young club it was hard to break into the fixture lists of more established clubs, so the introduction of leagues enabled the club to grow, a youth team was started and the playing surface improved dramatically. The pinnacle was reaching the final of the Somerset Minor Cup in 1981, losing to Evercreech at the the County Ground in Taunton.
What of the future, youth players have progressed into the first XI, but whatever happens it is hoped that all Cleeve players will maintain the standing traditions of the Club, both on and off the field.
The above brief notes were extracted from the Cleeve Cricket Club 50th Anniversary 1948-1998 Souvenir Brochure sent to the Somerset Cricket Museum by Mr Allan Burn, (copies available from the Club).
UPDATE – APRIL 2023
Cleeve Cricket Club currently run 1st and 2nd senior sides in the Bristol and District League, and a Sunday development side, comprising a mixture of senior and youth team players, with the emphasis on preparing our older youth players to transition into senior cricket.
We also run All Stars and Dynamos, with the aim of the graduation to our Under 11s, Under 13s and Under 15 sides, and onwards into our senior teams.
We have for this coming season, formed an Under 19s side, which has been entered into the Somerset Under 19 T20 competition.
For many years we have had an ethos of youth player development, with a view to retaining and transitioning them into senior cricket. This policy has been very successful, resulting in our senior teams comprising of our former youth team players, who have achieved much success, especially last season when the 1st X1 were promoted as Bristol and District League Division 2 champions, and also won the Somerset Intermediate Cup, which was played at Somerset CCC ground at Taunton in August 2022.
Chris Dent, of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, is a product of our youth cricket development scheme. Chris played in Cleeve CC youth teams, and went on to play for our senior teams. He progressed through the GCCC youth system eventually signing professionally for GCCC in 2009. He was appointed GCCC captain in 2018, a position he held for 4 years. He is GCCC opening batter, scoring over 10,000 County Championshipruns, and has signed a contract extension with GCCC until 2026.
He played in the England Under 19 team, in Under 19 World Cup in 2010.
Cleeve CC is proud to have been part of his cricket career development.
Cleeve CC played a Peter (Dasher) Denning Benefit Somerset CCC team in 1981. Also played Craig Spearman and Chris Taylor Benefit Gloucestershire CCC teams. We sincerely hope that in the future will be able to play a Chris Dent Benefit Gloucestershire CCC team.
In 2013 our new three lane outdoor net facility was officially opened by Steve Kirby, of Somerset CCC. This facility was funded by a Sport England grant.
Due to our high standard of ground and facilities we have for many years been a Ground Partner Club with Somerset CCC and hosted Somerset Boys and Girls games. Also for the same reasons we have hosted, for many seasons, the Bristol and District Cricket League annual Cup Finals.
We are currently preparing our renewal application for ECB Clubmark Accreditation.
We are celebrating our 75th Anniversary in 2023 with many events planned, two of which are a game against a Bristol and District Cricket League Representative X1, and Cleeve CC ex-players reunion lunch and match day afternoon. We will also hold our Annual Dinner and Presentation evening, with special emphasis on our 75th Anniversary.
To keep up to date with Cleeve CC, please see our website cleeve.play-cricket.com
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