Tideford
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Tideford Cricket Club
A Personal view
By Anton Luiten
I first played for Tideford about 36 years ago. Living in the
local pub – “The Rod & Line” I met cricketers when they came to
enjoy a pint after their matches.
My first game was an evening affair. Bill Snowdon, one of
an extended cricketing family (I have seen a photo of a Tideford
team made up exclusively of Snowdons) asked me if I was a
batter or bowler. After saying I could bat I duly went in at No.
3, took guard, looked around the field and was bowled by a leg
stump Yorker.
Since that inauspicious start I have enjoyed many seasons
playing for Tideford Cricket Club.
I have held the posts of secretary, treasurer, fundraiser and
chairman. I have also coached youngsters for over 30 years.
Coaching is the most challenging and rewarding of these
roles. In times when youngsters have lots of other interests, more
energy is required to capture and maintain their attention and
enthusiasm. I get enormous pleasure out of seeing them do well
and enjoy the game.
Tideford is a friendly village club. My wife, Jane and three
children would happily spend summer Saturday afternoons,
mixing with other families while their menfolk did battle on the
field.
We run two league teams, three winter indoor teams, play a
few Sunday friendlies and run a youth team in two local leagues.
We have a dedicated hard working committee. This year
we have secured funding for new wicket covers and have had
traditional wooden sight screens donated by WH Bond and Sons,
a family that has a long history with the club.
Raising enough money to buy that much needed mower,
roller or practice nets is always a problem. Hopefully with our
own motivation and the ability to tap into various grant aids
available we can over the next few seasons develop a stronger
club.
In recent years, more and more teams are pulling out of the
league, so one of our aims is to create a larger base of players, so
we don’t go the same way.
I have played in four league finals, Tideford winning three
of them.
Cricket has also inspired poetry – my latest poem “Everyone’s
an Expert” was published in the 2016 Cornwall Yearbook.
We have had several of our talented juniors progress to bigger
clubs, playing in higher divisions, play for the county, or in the
case of Ben Kitt, sign for a first class county, Nottinghamshire –
watch this space!
On the other end of the scale four of our more mature members
have represented Cornwall in their Over 50’s championships
side.
Our groundsman, Ian Trundley spends a great deal of
time mowing, rolling, weeding, scarifying and mending and
maintaining our ageing machinery. His efforts are one of the
reasons it is such a pleasure to play at Tideford. It is one of the
few level cricket fields in Cornwall, with a raised pavilion and
viewing bank, woods to one side and a view down the valley
towards Plymouth and the River Tamar.
Our enduring love for cricket, with its triumphs and
disappointments is what keeps us coming back year after year
(until our ageing bodies can’t take any more).
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