This beautiful ground lies behind Watts House, now known as Cedar Falls. Watts House was built by the Winters family and was completed in 1831.the family lived there until about 1890.

The last Winter to live there was Major John Arundel Winter. Major Winter was keen on his cricket and he was instrumental is selling/gifting the land on which Somerset County Cricket Club now stands. It was an athletics track when he owned it. The house was then occupied for a short while by Major Lovatt Ashford Wise.
In 1902 Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Fortescue Boles, later to become Sir Dennis Boles, bought the property. Sir Dennis was a keen sportsman (especially hunting) and was also keen on his cricket. It is thought that Sir Dennis probably laid the cricket ground at the back of the house, but there is a possibility it was Major Winter. What we do know is that cricket was being played on the ground in 1904. Somerset Stragglers were frequent visitors to the ground, where they played a Country X1 or a Sir Dennis Boles X1. Both these teams had quite a few Somerset Cricketers playing, including Sammy Wood, Jack White and R C Robertson-Glasgow. These were elaborate affairs with Marquees and reasonable sized crowds.

As Sir Dennis represented Wellington and Taunton as a Conservative MP, Winston Churchill and Baden Powell amongst others visited on a number of occasions. Sir Dennis became President of Somerset Cricket Club on two occasions 1925 and 1934/5. Unfortunately Sir Dennis collapsed and died on the cricket field in 1935, he was judging a dog show not playing cricket. Cricket continued to be played at the ground throughout the time the Boles family owned the house. Sir Dennis’s son Gerald took over the house.
However, as the Second World War approached the family left the house and went abroad. Gerald Boles was unfortunately killed in Italy while serving in the forces. The family still owned the house but due to it being empty Connaught School was relocated from Weymouth to Watts House as their premises had been taken over by the Military. The cricket ground then became the cricket ground for the school. It is at this time that John le Carre became familiar with the school (he was at Sherbourne School), as he knew some of the pupils who attended Connaught School. The opening few pages of Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy feature the school and Watts lane that goes by the side of the cricket ground. The school eventually bought Watts House and the grounds in 1967.
Unfortunately the school was already in financial trouble and it closed shortly after. It was at this time that the house and grounds (including the cricket ground) fell into serious disrepair. In 1972 the Ross family bought just the cricket ground and Bishops Lydeard Cricket Club moved in.


They worked hard to get the ground up to a good standard and with the help of Taunton Cider built the pavilion that stands there today.
Article by Alan Ranger (Founder Member, Wombat Cricket Club)
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