| |
|
Headley History |
|
|
|
The following is an amalgamation of various items that
hopefully over time and with contributions from our members
will become a more comprehensive history of the club.
The Cricket Club
was first founded in 1860 but did
not survive it was restarted in 1893 as
Headley United Cricket Club. |
|
|
|
Past Players
|
|
|
|
George Martin Packham |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
George Martin Packham was born in Brighton in 1896.
Shortly after the turn of the century he and his family moved
to the Crowthorne/Wokingham area of Berkshire. He was
already an avid cricketer and at the age of fourteen took two
gold sovereigns from Prince Ranjit Singh who made a practice
of placing a half sovereign on his off and leg stumps and a
full sovereign on his middle stump challenging all comers to
remove them. George spent one sovereign in the local pub
buying ale all round which made him very popular for the day |
 |
After serving throughout the First World War, he made his
living as a gardener to Mr. Palmer of Huntley and Palmers'
Biscuits, rising to head gardener after some years.
During this period he married and had two sons, Tony and
Ronnie. Moving to Headley in the early 20's he was soon
playing for the local team and won the cup for best batting
average on three successive years, 1923, 1924, and 1925.
His son has two of the cups but the third George gave to his
best pal who always came second. The cups were presented
by H. Noel Esq. |
|
Unfortunately George was shot in the upper body and head by a
visitor to the grounds in which he was working with the result
that he lost one eye thereby ending his cricketing career to
all intents and purposes. He did try to carry on but
felt he could no longer do himself justice as a player but did
remain very interested in the club and cricket in general
serving as Hon. Secretary and on the Committee at Headley.
The family moved to Farnborough, Hants prior to World War 2 at
the outbreak of which both his sons joined the Royal Navy, the
elder one Tony was killed on H.M.S. Barham in 1941. His
third son, another Tony, was born 5 months afterwards.
Tony would also go on to serve in the Royal Navy. |
 |
| The
love of cricket never died and George and Tony would spend
many hours in the local park practicing. On one
occasion, he was about 56 or 57, in answer to some barracking
yobs he put one stump in the ground and took a longer than
usual run up and broke the stump - no more barracking. |
|
George died in 1981 a wonderful sportsman and a credit to
cricket. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Headley
United CC circa 1924
George top
right |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Many thanks to Tony
Packham for supplying all the material above |
|
