Belhus Cricket Club

                                                                  

                                                                  Tours

                  

  Northern Ireland

  Barbados

  Hampshire

  Devon

  Yorkshire

  Lancashire
  Norfolk

The club undertook its first tour in 1966 - to Northern Ireland - travelling by air from Heathrow to Belfast.  The tour's success generated demand by members for a return visit in 1967,  but quite why it was decided to make the long journey by boat and train the following year is not known - we experienced the roughest weather on the Irish Sea for more than 20 years. 

Having played matches against Queen's University CC, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Downpatrick, North Down, Cliftonville and  Armagh (whose pavilion was blown up just weeks after our return in 1967), the increasing troubles in Northern Ireland meant that a third visit had to be deferred.  Given the fantastic hospitality that we received, the attractive grounds on which we played and the great time that was had by all, another tour to Northern Ireland is long overdue.

Terry Rampling
Leading Run-Scorer on
Northern Ireland Tour 1966

It wasn't until 1976 that the club ventured on its next overseas tour.  This time the destination was the West Indies - to Barbados.
    Being the first club side in Essex, and one of the very first clubs in the UK to organise a tour to the island, much media interest was generated and messages of goodwill were received from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd (then captains of England and the West Indies).  Local diplomatic authorities and numerous test players acknowledged the ground-breaking importance of the Belhus CC visit by attending a Reception given in the club's honour by the British High Commissioner.

With opposition players including test legends such as Wes Hall, Joel Garner and Wayne Daniel and a match against Pickwick CC  at the test ground, Kensington Oval, it was not surprising that we didn't excel on the field of play.  But our pioneering tour paved the way for many future tours to Barbados by a good number of UK sides.  For match details please see the .doc link below

Barbados Tour Match Results.doc 

                                                         
                                                Queen's Park Oval, Barbados 1976                                               Tour Handbook 1976 

                                                                                        

It was to be another 15 years before we returned to Barbados.  Having achieved pathfinder status among the cricketing fraternity on the island, our visit was warmly received and many friendships renewed.  Although the playing standard of the tour party was much higher than in 1976, we failed again to win a match.


Kensington Oval, Barbados 1991

Hampshire was the destination for the club's first domestic senior tour in 1981 and the small coastal town of Southsea was chosen as our headquarters.  The highlight of the week arose even before a ball had been bowled.  Having announced to tour party members that we had booked into the Hotel Bristol, some members, who shall remain nameless, made a long journey down to Bristol to look for the Hotel Southsea!  After a fruitless tour of the city and being advised by a local policeman that the hotel simply didn't exist, the members in question eventually came to their senses and duly arrived at our designated hotel at 3 o'clock in the morning! 

During the 1983 tour to Devon, and whilst tour party members were imbibing in the 'Goose and Gander' in South Molton, Ian Botham was spotted doing likewise.  Sir Ian kindly signed a tour pennant and cricket bats, and spent time with the young John Forrest on whose bat he inscribed, 'To the second best all-rounder in the world'.


Lisa Cansdale, Ian Botham and Cliff Cansdale
at the 'Goose and Gander' 1983

After four successful tours to Devon, nine years elapsed before Peter Clark and Richard Wakely picked up the baton and organised a trip to Lancashire.  The tour was so popular that further visits were arranged  in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2002.


  Cheshire 1994
Belhus CC v Neston CC
Back (L to R): Peter Clark Robert Waters Cliff Cansdale Mark Winter Martin Dix Tony Lincoln David Stone
Front (L to R): Jim Robertson Jim Banner Richard Wakely John Killilea Neil Carter Kelvin Carter

Yorkshire was added to the list of touring venues in 1988 and 1999 and, closer to home, Norfolk became the location of choice
in 2003 and has been visited annually ever since (as at 2010).


Norfolk 2010
Belhus CC v Vauxhall Mallards CC
Back (L to R): John Lewis Jnr Tom Thompson Scott Bayford Martin Guilbert Ben Marns Richard Day
Front (L to R): Jim Robertson Roy Heffernan Nathan Turner Wayne Read Paul Whitlock


Tom Thompson and Paul Whitlock
At Ingham (Norwich CC), Norfolk 2009
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For further information about our tours and to view extracts from our 50th Anniversary Booklet
published in 2010, please click on the .doc links below:

50th AB Overseas Tours.doc

The club’s history of domestic and overseas tours reads:

Northern Ireland
1966 19967

Barbados
1976 1991

Hampshire
1981

Devon
1982 1983 1984 1985 2000

Yorkshire
1998 1999

Lancashire
1994 1995 1996 1997 2002

Norfolk
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

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Tours


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