Just when you thought the Calmore On This Day feature had ended – here is a very, very special one.

Because, 107 years ago to this very day, on Easter Monday 13th April 1914, Calmore Sports played their first ever cricket match.

Courtesy of “BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk”, the report below comes from the Hampshire Independent newspaper – a Liberal weekly newspaper formed in 1835 but would amalgamate with the Hampshire Advertiser in 1923.  The Saturday 18th April 1914 edition contains a report of the match, played between Married and Singles.  The first, small report was from the week before edition which mentioned that the “newly-formed Calmore Cricket Club” would open their season on Easter Monday.  Note there were no details of the match itself, just that the President Mr. Louch would be entertained at tea!

It is a great find and outlines who were Calmore Sports’ forefathers.  Mr. E.A. Maton, whose field the game was played on and who also provided the scorebox and prepared the pitches.  Mr. George Thomas Othen was the Chairman while Mr. W. Grace (not THAT Mr W. Grace, I would think!!!) was the honorary secretary.  The Club’s first ever President was Mr. Charles Louch – who bowled the first ever ball under the Calmore Sports Cricket Club banner while Miss Everett and Miss Mary Louch – presumably the daughter of – participated in a few of the overs.

The match was won by the ‘benedicts’ by over 30 runs – a rather old fashioned description listed in the dictionary as “a newly married man who was previously considered a confirmed bachelor” – so the Married side won the game which, following the tea interval, saw a ‘smoking concert’ with a piano.

One line from the report that does stand out and has certainly rung true 107 years later was “As we have previously announced a cricket club has started for this village, and it bids fair to be a success.”  107 years later, the Calmore Sports Club of today is testimony to that.

There is much to discover on this website – including a Calmore Sports team playing football in the 1920s …. on a ground called Loperwood Park!

SATURDAY 11th APRIL 1914 edition

SATURDAY 18th APRIL 1914 edition

CHAIRMAN Mr. George Thomas OTHEN and his FAMILY

With many thanks to Calmore village historian Sue Lawrence for her assistance.