Free Foresters Cricket Club
| Free Foresters Cricket Club | |
| |
| Established | 1856 |
| Founders | The Rev William Kirkpatrick Riland Bedford |
| First match | v Pilgrims of the Dee 20 July 1856 |
| First-class matches | 83 (1912–1968) |
Free Foresters Cricket Clubis anEnglishamateurcricketclub, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties ofEngland.It is a 'wandering' (ornomadic) club, having no home ground.
The Free Foresters were founded by the Rev.William Kirkpatrick Riland Bedford,who had been appointed rector ofSutton Coldfieldin 1850. AtOxford University,he had discovered cricket and in 1847 he had set up the Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club. The name of the Free Foresters was chosen to reflect that archery had been popular at the Rectory Park long before cricket was introduced.[1]The club played its first match on 20 July 1856 against the Pilgrims of the Dee, at the Rectory Ground inSutton Coldfield.In 1863, the Free Foresters presented the rector with a silver salver as a token of their esteem. The salver can be seen atLord'scricket ground.
For many years, starting in 1912, their matches againstOxford UniversityandCambridge Universityhadfirst-classstatus, the last such game being that against Oxford atThe Parksin June 1968.[2]The Foresters' side in that match, which they won by 299 runs, was captained byDonald Carrand includedMike Brearley,Mike Groves,Richard HuttonandGamini Goonesena.[3]
The team colours are crimson, green and white, adopted in 1858. The badge consists of two capital Fs wrapped in aHastings knot,with the motto 'United though Untied', signifying that players are free to play for other clubs, and even play against Free Foresters.
In 2008, the club established Free Foresters Academy[4]to offer young cricketers matches at a representative level. The founding Hon. Patron wasChristopher Martin-JenkinsMBE.Since 2010, the FF Academy has played inMinor Counties U25 competitions(againstOxfordshire,Hertfordshire,Buckinghamshire,BedfordshireandLincolnshire) in a mixture of two-day,Twenty20(Beynon Cup) and three-day formats, winning the three-day Tom Orford Trophy on a number of occasions. The academy was captained by David Smith[5]until 2015 when he handed over toPaddy Sadler.[6]In 2018, the academy was led byEd Hyde.
References[edit]
- ^"Friends of Rectory Park - History of Rectory Park".Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2017.Retrieved22 November2009.
- ^First-class matches played by Free ForestersRetrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^Scorecard of their final f-c matchRetrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^"Free Foresters Academy Scorecards".Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2018.Retrieved27 January2019.
- ^"David Smith profile".
- ^"Paddy Sadler profile".
External links[edit]
- Free Foresters club web site.freeforesters.
- Lists of matches played by Free Foresters.cricketarchive.
- Players who have played for Free Foresters.cricketarchive.