Its Just Not Football

They say its a whole new ball game and in this case the game is cricket.  We take a look around some of the links to the summer game and Tottenham.

This picture shows Bill Nicholson and Arsenal manager Bertie Mee umpiring a cricket match between their two sides in 1973 at Finsbury Park.

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 Top scorers for Spurs were Cyril Knowles 45, Roger Morgan 35 (and two wickets) and Martin Peters 19. Ralph Coates also took two wickets as Arsenal won by 18 runs.

Left - Pat Jennings helps Martin Peters with his pads.

Of course Tottenham started as Hotspur Cricket club and although that side of the events was dropped when football was adopted it has reemerged regularly. By the late 1890's regular games are mentioned and by 1901 John Cameron (a Scot) manager of that great side declared it a great team builder. That year our fixtures included The City of London and QPR.

We have met that team from Woolwich several times over the years. Below left, we have Arsenals Charlie George who was bowled for a duck by Phil Beal.

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Above Right, Paul Gascoigne not the first man you would associate with the game seen here with David Howells.  Below left - From July 1972.  Right - Jimmy Greaves comes out to bat.

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Left - Rain stops play in the England / India test match (1936) and the chap on the left here is the umpire Fanny Walden our former star player. After giving up football he played for Northampton at First Class level before turning to Umpiring.

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Above left - 1913 and our great goalkeeper John 'Tiny' Joyce at a game V Chelsea.  We met Chelsea again in August 1926 when the Evening News ran a competition for all London clubs. Spurs beating Chelsea in the final. Jimmy Seed scoring a century. Our legend Vivian Woodward was in the Chelsea side and Spurs were skippered by Arthur Grimsdell (two England captains). This was just two days before the season started. Arthur also played Minor Counties for Herts and The East of England. While Woodward played for Essex 2nd XI.

Right - 1966 and the England team take to the square and Martin Peters keeps wicket to United's Nobby Stiles. Below left - England again this time Gary Lineker in 1985 while on tour with the national side in Mexico. Here with John Barnes, I can tell you England beat a local team by eight wickets.
Right - Lineker again this time for the MCC at Lords V Germany in 1992 ( it was a  draw). Gary was caught for one but as he said at least I scored one V German.

Gary was quite good and played for Leicester shire Second XI.

Left - Charles McGahey. Charles was one of the top players for Essex in the 1890's and played for Spurs during the winter.

In 1902 he was in the tour party to Australia and played in 2 tests.
Around the same time Percy Perrin was with Spurs and another Essex player who went on to become an England selector.

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Wally Hardinge upon joining Spurs

Bill Edrich batting for Middlesex.

Two more England players in our ranks are  Wally Hardinge (1), who played for the country at both football and cricket and was later caretaker manager for Spurs. Whilst Bill Edrich (2) turned out for Spurs during the 1930's before becoming one of crickets greats.

Frank Hartley who we featured in the Tottenham Mysteries (3) played for Oxford and had several trials for England. Eric Tomkins played in the first ever England schoolboy game and later turned out for Spurs and played for Northampton.

FA Cup winning captain and the first Tottenham international Jack Jones (4) played in South Africa and taught the game at Rugby school. We must not forget John Over the Spurs groundsman for many years also laid the pitch for the first test England V Australia at the Oval. While George Leech (Sussex), Charlie Walters (Oxford), Jack Chisholm (Middlesex) Jack Reddish (Notts) Tommy Clay (Leicester) all appeared for various counties while former manager Joe Hulme played for Middlesex.

Michael Dawson shows off his batting skills

These days players get little chance to play (not to mention broken fingers).

After the war the Spurs players often played and the 50's saw a full fixture list (all away) when most of the first teamers involved including Bill Nicholson. This games lasted up to a coupe of days before the seasons opening game and were seen as part of the fitness programme.

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Arthur Willis - 1953

1984 - The gate would of been helped by the UEFA Cup being on display.

I did plan to deliver this two summers ago but it got squeezed out at the time, then last summer the club did something similar just days before it was due, but its here at last.
If you know any other links between Spurs and Cricket please get in touch.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f - https://www.facebook.com/keith.harrison.9659
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Notes - 1 -http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/hotspur-towers-wally-hardinge
2 - http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/hotspur-towers-bill-edrich
3 - http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/tottenham-mysteries-the-missing-international
4- http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/hotspur-towers-j-l-jones