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Belhus Cricket Club was established in 1960 and played its home matches in Belhus Park (where the earliest known match took place in 1803 between the 'Gentlemen of Essex' and the 'Gentlemen of Kent' for a prize of 100 guineas) which it shared with Aveley Cricket Club (since disbanded), whose roots dated back to around 1880.
In 1618 Sir Edward Barrett was granted a licence to create a park ('English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest') around the Belhus mansion (one of the great country houses in Essex) that was subsequently landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown between 1753 and 1763 for which he received £668 for his services. The name 'Belhus' derived from the 14th century owner of the house, Nicholas de Belhus, who was of Norman ancestry. Queen Elizabeth I visited the mansion in 1578 and her carriage may well have crossed over what was later to become the 1st XI cricket square.
Belhus Park was used in the First World War as a training camp and as the operations centre of the busy Army Postal Service that by 1916 was handling 1.5 million letters a day including 1.1 million to the Western Front ('The Quick and The Dead', Richard Van Emden 2011). And in the Second World War, Belhus Park was a reporting venue for our troops prior to their departure for D-Day landings.
Belhus Park and Mansion
An engraving by W. Wallis 1819
On 27th August 1879, Field Marshall Sir Evelyn Wood VC, GCB, GCMG, sailed home with Lord Chelmsford from the Anglo-Zulu war having commanded the Left Column of the army that crossed the Zulu frontier and subsequently led the victorious battle at Khambula. He was met at Plymouth by his family and immediately came to Belhus to stay with his brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Lennard. As one of Britain's greatest and most decorated military figures, Sir Evelyn received a tremendous welcome by the tenants of the grand Belhus estate and the inhabitants of Aveley, and an address was made at the entrance gates to Belhus Park (see picture below from the illustrated weekly newspaper 'The Graphic' of 30th August 1879). The following month Sir Evelyn left Belhus to stay at Balmoral at the invitation of Queen Victoria.
Famous for its deer and heronry and boasting the finest pack of foxhounds in Essex, the mansion subsequently became the home of the Barrett-Lennard family until its demolition in 1957. Some interesting remains and photos of the mansion can be seen in the Thurrock Museum. Edward Barrett-Lennard emigrated to Western Australia in the 19th century and his grandson, George, established a winery in the Swan Valley in Northern Perth that is known today as Belhus.
Belhus CC 1st XI 1962
(at Horndon-on-the-Hill CC)
John Lewis Snr Mike Willett Danny Carroll Andrew Merton Frank Peters Mick Patrick
Dick Bignell George Dow Patrick Pooler-Williams Graham Cunliffe Roger Dalby
The First Weekend
The 1st XI's inaugural match was against South Ockendon Hospital CC (at the time, one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in the UK) on 30th April 1960. We batted first, and after being dismissed for 52 from 22 overs, proceeded to skittle out the opposition for just 25. Only one batsman reached double figures in the entire match - George Arendse of Belhus who scored 17. The following day, against Beltonians CC, our 1st XI batsmen performed only marginally better when they amassed 55 and major Patrick Pooler-Williams top-scored with 17. Sadly, we lost by 6 wickets.
The 2nd XI made their debut on Sunday, 1st May and their opponents, London Graving dock CC, declared at 103 for 5. In reply, we were coasting to victory when sitting on 80 for 3. But we then proceeded to lose our next 7 wickets for just 10 runes to be all out for 90! This match, on our very first weekend, marked the origin of the famous 'Belhus Collapse' and provided much food for thought for the selection committee the following week.
Accounts 1961 Showing Annual Income at £132
Grounds and Facilities
Apart from a pitch that was considered to be one of the best in South Essex, the changing and catering facilities at Belhus Park were primitive. The little 'old green hut' served its purpose well in those early days but, recognising the increasing popularity of the game of cricket in the borough, the local council built a new, modern pavilion in 1965. An additional cricket square was laid and provided the club with the luxury of two 'home' pitches that sparked the resurrection of a regular 2nd XI.
North Stifford Village Green - Headquarters of Belhus CC
With an age-old ambition to buy our own ground and provide better facilities for our members, we moved from Belhus Park in 1997 to the present ground at North Stifford (where cricket was first played in 1949), and subsequently finalised negotiations for security of tenure in 2004. This development was undoubtedly the most significant in the club's history and with ambitious plans to improve our facilities, we are busy with plans to achieve our objective.
North Stifford Village
North Stifford Village is a traditional English village with its pub (the 'Dog & Partridge'), a 12th century church (St Mary's) and village green where our headquarters area based. The name 'Stifford' derives from the Anglo-Saxon, stig ford -
a ford where a path crosses a stream.
Development of League Cricket
With the exception of the local, SEDCB Knock-Out Cup (which we won in 1978), all of the club's match prior to the early 1970s were 'friendlies'. With both national and county cricket bodies keen to improve the standard of play at club level, league cricket was introduced in 1973 and the larger clubs in Essex, including Belhus, were invited to participate. The competitive nature of league cricket has been a contributing factor to the improvement in standards of play, but success solely on the field of play is no substitute for a club that boasts a congenial playing and social environment that stimulates camaraderie and a spirit of good fun. Belhus joined the Shepherd Neame Essex League in 2009 since when we have enjoyed moderate success. Thanks to the hard work of many members, we achieved high praise for the quality of our pitch, ground and hospitality in our very first season.
Tours
In 1966, the club undertook its first overseas tour - to Northern Ireland. The success of that first tour prompted demand for a return visit in 1967, although it is still not known why it was decided to travel by boat and train on the second trip in preference to the Aer Lingus flight the previous year. The party of young Belhus players experienced what was reported as the worst ferry crossing over the Irish Sea for nearly 20 years!
The club didn't venture on another tour until 1976. This time the destination was the West Indies - to the Caribbean island of Barbados. Being the first club side in the UK to undertake a tour of Barbados, much interest was generated at both local and national level. Written congratulations were received from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh as well as the then captains of England and the West Indies, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd.
Local cricketing and diplomatic dignitaries in
Barbados acknowledged the importance of our groundbreaking visit by inviting the tour party to a Reception at the official residence of the British High Commissioner. In addition, a match was arranged at the test ground, the Kensington Oval. But with opposition players including test stars such as Wes Hall, Joel Garner, Wayne Daniel and Roland Butcher, it wasn't surprising that we didn't excel on the field of play! However, the club's pioneering visit paved the way for many future tours to the island by a great number of UK club sides.
Queen's Park Oval, Barbados 1976
Belhus CC v British High Commissioner's XI
Back (L to R): B Hoyos M Finn R Young A Clarke P Garrud J Williams C Cansdale C Francis J Donovan D Guthrie L Unsworth B Line
Front (L to R): L Nadal D Bignell T Pope N Fisher J Bacon D Reed G Morrant R Young R Anderson R Howkins
Another fifteen years passed before we toured Barbados again. Having already achieved pathfinder status among the cricketing fraternity on the island, the club's visit in 1991 was warmly received and old friendships renewed. The playing standard of the tour party was much higher than in 1976 but still a victory escaped us.
Kensington Oval, Barbados 1991
Belhus CC v Pickwick CC
Back (L to R): Jim BannerJim Robertson Mathew Lewis Snr Derek Etchells Chris Adams Robert Waters Gary Plane Doug Harding Ali Nagir
Front (L to R) : Wayne Read Steve Liddiard Richard Waters Mark Winter Richard Wakely Colin Adams David Cayless
The club's first domestic tour was to Hampshire in 1981 and numerous other tours have been organised to Devon, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Norfolk. No other club in Essex has undertaken such an ambitious programme of tours - see the side menu on this website entitled Tours: Domestic/Overseas. This degree of activity is testament to the spirit of fun, friendliness and adventure that underpins the culture of Belhus Cricket Club and is a differentiating factor for those who are looking to join a local club but require rather more than just a game of cricket.
Lancashire 1994
Belhus CC v St Helens CC
Back (L to R): Robert Waters Peter Clark Tony Lincoln Mark Winter Martin Dix David Stone Cliff Cansdale
Front (L to R): Wayne Read Richard Wakely Jim Banner Jim Robertson Kelvin Carter
Youth Cricket
A key feature of Belhus CC has been its vibrant youth section. Having established a 'Colts' Section in 1975, we today organise coaching and arrange an extensive programme of matches for Under 9, Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 age groups within an environment that is considered to be one of the friendliest in Essex. There have been numerous achievements in various league and cup competitions, but the Belhus CC youth section is perhaps best known for its long history of organising tours, the first being arranged in 1977.
Under 13s 2010
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To gain a more detailed insight into our club - our officials, our players and
our playing records - please visit the left-hand submenus on this website. Thank you.
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Our History
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