Anniversary exhibition relives club’s glory years

Newark Cricket Club has opened up its proud history to the town by staging an exhibition commemorating the club’s 180th anniversary.

Treasures, including 18th Century bats, photos and paintings, normally hidden away in the club pavilion are on show at the Spotlight Gallery in Newark Town Hall until November 13.

The exhibition, officially opened last week by club president Mr Roger Parlby, charts the club’s history from its humble beginnings, through the glory days of the mid-19th and 20th Centuries, up to the present day.

Former club president Mr Chris Grant, 74, who had a 43-year playing career with the club stretching back to 1949, is the driving force behind the exhibition.

“I am very pleased to finally be able to show off some of the amazing things this club has collected over the years,” he said.

“This exhibition is an excellent way of showing the people of the town the rich cricketing history of the area, and in particular this great club.”

The exact date when cricket was first played in Newark has always been open to debate. The earliest reference to cricket in the area is a single wicket match in 1787, in which it is said a gentleman of Newark defeated a gentleman of Southwell.

A club was officially founded in April, 1830 by Sir Henry Bromley of East Stoke.

He called a meeting at the Ram Hotel, Castlegate, Newark, to establish a formal cricket club, so the Newark CC of today was born.

Mr Grant is in no doubt that although the club is celebrating its 180th anniversary this year, cricket was being played at Kelham Road long before the formation of the club.

“I always think if this club had been closer to the south and the home of cricket, we would have had a much more prominent history on the national stage,” he said.

“But I still believe Newark has been a hotbed of cricket for many, many years, stretching back well before 1830.

“We have evidence at the exhibition showing games taking place at Newark well before 1830.

“There is even a painting hanging at Lords cricket ground which proves my point entirely.”

The picture in question is a famous J. Digby Curtis canvas, which hangs in the committee room at the famous old ground showing a game played at Kelham Road in 1823.

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