Birkenhead Park Cricket Club is a cricket club based in Birkenhead Park in the Wirral on Merseyside, England. The club was founded in 1846 and has one of the oldest cricket pavilions in the country.
They are currently members of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition. The club runs four senior Saturday teams as well as junior sides at U11, U13, U16 and U21 age groups.
Their 1st and 2nd XI play on the front pitch while the 3rd and 4th XI compete on the back pitch which is commonly known as Cannon Hill.
History The majority of historical information included on this page is adapted from the 1996 book Birkenhead Park Cricket Club 1846-1996 by Chris Elston.Birkenhead Park Cricket Club 1846-1996: Amazon.co.uk: Chris Elston: 9781899241088: Books The post-96 era is written by former club scorer and archivist Craig Kell.
Formation
In 1846, Birkenhead Park Cricket Club was formed on Park Drive, based in the park itself. At the time, it was a very exclusive club in which all the members were Old Boys of the top public schools. Because there were so few clubs in the area, the members arranged matches between themselves, such as married vs. singles. From the start, the ground was enclosed by railings and initially had a tent used as the pavilion. This was later followed by a wooden structure which was then replaced by the present club house that still stands to this very day.
Early years (19th Century) One of Park's first ever fixtures came against Bootle Cricket Club though unfortunately the result is unknown. However this was to mark the beginning of their long rivalry which still continues today. 1847 saw them take on another historic opponent in Liverpool for which both teams celebrated victory in the two games played that season.The Home of CricketArchiveThe Home of CricketArchive
The following year saw Park bowled out for 18 by Liverpool which is officially their lowest ever score.The Home of CricketArchive
During the first thirty years of their formation, Park played MCC at Lords, Surrey at the Oval and Cambridge and Oxford Universities as well as touring Ireland and Scotland. Perhaps the most significant game of that era was when they played Lancashire in 1864. Staged in Warrington, it was the Red Rose's first ever fixture and ended in a close draw.The Home of CricketArchive A return game was later played back in Birkenhead.
During the period, Park also had two amateur players who would tour Australia with England and play one test each. They were Sandford Schultz, born in Birkenhead, and Reginald Wood, born in Woodchurch.
In 1877, George Dunlop scored the club's first double century as he made 201 in a fixture against Rock Ferry. The team's total of 508 is Park's highest and still stands to this day.The Home of CricketArchive
1881 saw one of Park's greatest players Cecil Holden make his debut against Southport Cricket Club. Over the next fifty years, he was to dominate the club, first as a player and then as its President. He played first class cricket for Lancashire on several occasions and also represented the Liverpool & District and Cheshire sides. During his prolonged Park career, he ended up compiling almost 20,000 runs and took over 650 wickets.
One of Holden's biggest contributions came in 1898 when he and William Barnes forged a new competition opening partnership record of 278 in a two-day evening game at Oxton.The Home of CricketArchive
Holden also struck the club's second double century (202) in a home match against Northern. The hosts had been reduced to 83 for 9 when Holden and number eleven batsman C E Steen put on a club record 178 run partnership for the final wicket as Park eventually finished up on 261 all out.The Home of CricketArchive
1892 brought about the formation of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition after a Liverpool newspaper began publishing a weekly table in order to create more interest in the game.
Park were one of eleven senior clubs to make up the original table with the other teams being Bootle, Formby, Huyton, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Oxton, Rock Ferry and Sefton.The Liverpool and District Cricket Competition
The century ended with the 3rd XI being formed in 1898.
Early 20th Century The 1900s began with the club converting the ladies pavilion into a public stand which was then later replaced by a lounge. At the time, women were not allowed into the clubhouse until the 1950s.
1908 saw Park win the unofficial Liverpool Competition for the first time. A year later, all-rounder K D R Morrice made history for them by taking all eleven wickets in a twelve a-side match versus Western.The Home of CricketArchive He would also go on to make over 1000 runs in that season at an average of 61.8.
No cricket was played between 1915 and 1918 owing to World War I. The club had suffered great loss during that period with some members having laid down their lives for their country in active service.
In 1931, Park tied with local rivals Wallasey for the championship which was made possible by the acquisition of fast bowler Jack Bartley who took 67 wickets at an average of 10.37. During two spells with the club between 1931 and 1936, Bartley would take over 400 wickets for which two of those seasons would see him snare over 100 dismissals. He became the second 1st XI bowler to take all the wickets in a match as he claimed 10-37 against New Brighton in 1935.The Home of CricketArchiveIt was in that particular year that saw Park celebrate winning the championship again.The Home of CricketArchive It was a second title success for captain Arthur Cooke who was to take charge of the 1st XI on three occasions (1929-1932, 1934-1936 and 1938-1939).
Another standout name from that period was batsman John Rogers who amassed 1228 runs (in all competitions) at an average of 55.8 during the 1933 season.The Home of CricketArchive This Park record wouldn't be broken until 70 years later.
1936 would see the club play their first friendly fixture against Tranmere Rovers F.C., a tradition that would carry on until the end of the century.
The following year saw Park High School student Noel Overend become a member. His involvement with Park would make a big difference many years later when he would go on to become the club's most successful captain.
The first recorded hat-trick from a Park bowler came from M E White who claimed three dismissals in a row in a home win against Ormskirk in 1938.The Home of CricketArchive
1939 saw the cricket season overshadowed by the arrival of World War II, over twenty years since the end of the previous conflict. The pavilion was taken over by the military with various club portraits and scorebooks stored away safely. During the war, the council decided to remove the railings surrounding the ground as part of the war effort but they were never used as they contained the wrong metal content.
Post-war period Following the end of World War II, the president confirmed that several club members had been killed in action. They were G A Bone, E S Locke, G A Hosking, JM Kerr and H E Rogers. The pavilion had also been affected after it had sustained damage which was to be later paid off by the war damage commission.
The return of cricket proved frustrating for Park particularly in 1948 when they failed to win a single game all season and ended up finishing bottom of the table.The Home of CricketArchive
The following season marked the arrival of Jamaican-born wicket-keeper Clovis Roach who was to be the club's first overseas player. A key member of Noel Overend's dominant title-winning team of the 1960s, Clovis was to be a regular fixture in the 1st XI for many years and would even go on to be awarded an MBE for his work as a probation officer. He also went on to skipper the 2nd XI as well as serve two terms as club president.COMMENT & ANALYSIS: OBITUARY; Clovis Roach. – Free Online Library
In 1950, 56 year old Rex Bloor became captain of the 1st XI again which made him the second man after Arthur Cooke to have skippered the club on three separate occasions. That same year saw bowler Colin Tomkinson make his debut for the club. He would become the first Park player to represent the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th elevens over the course of 45 years.
In 1951, J R Dobie became the second 1st XI player to take a hat trick during a fixture against Hightown.The Home of CricketArchive
The following season saw M Finlay lead the 2nd XI to their first ever championship win. That year also proved a significant one for the club as Bill Edgar and the great Tony Shillinglaw made their first team debuts.
Along with David Hope, the three players were part of the title-winning team of 1955. Captain Alf Liggins played a pivotal role by scoring over 800 runs as Park sealed their championship triumph on the final day of the season.The Home of CricketArchive
In 1956, Bill Edgar took four wickets in four balls against St Helens Recs, the only Park player to have achieved that remarkable feat.The Home of CricketArchive
Away from the cricket, the club began to improve its facilities which included the installation of flush toilets and the construction of their present scorebox. 1958 saw women finally being allowed into the clubhouse for the first time, albeit half an hour after the close of play.
The Noel Overend title-winning era 1959 saw Noel Overend take over as 1st XI captain which would lead to Park dominating the Liverpool Competition for the next few years. One key factor in that successful period was the acquisition of leg spinner Brian Jameson from Wavertree. A member of the club for seven seasons, Jameson took over 500 competition wickets which would make him one of Park's greatest ever players.1960 marked the club's first of five title wins in six years as Jameson and Shillinglaw dominated the bowling and batting performances.The Home of CricketArchive One of their most memorable victories that season came when Shillinglaw smashed a 52-minute century in an away success at Ormskirk.The Home of CricketArchive Jameson was instrumental again with the ball during the 1961 campaign when he took 80 wickets as Park retained the title.The Home of CricketArchive However it was wicket-keeper Clovis Roach who took the plaudits by claiming 50 victims behind the stumps, which still remains a post-war Competition record.The Home of CricketArchive Elsewhere the 3rd XI triumphed in the Alderman Dawson Knock-Out Cup but they would have to wait forty years before landing their next trophy.
1962 saw the first team clinch a third consecutive championship with 14 victories achieved during that season.The Home of CricketArchive Jameson claimed another 63 wickets to his name including a last over hat trick against Chester Boughton Hall.The Home of CricketArchive That was then followed by his season-best tally of 83 dismissals as Park made it four title triumphs on the trot in 1963.The Home of CricketArchive
The 1964 campaign was to be the most successful of that period as Park clinched the double of the championship and the John Summers Knockout Cup.The Home of CricketArchive Remarkably, Jameson was overshadowed by new addition Ray Digman who would take 87 wickets. Following that season, Overend retired as 1st XI captain thus bringing down the curtain on the greatest period in Birkenhead Park's cricketing history.
1965 saw Tony Shillinglaw become the new skipper but the team's title-winning reign came to an end as they were pipped to the championship by local rivals Neston.The Home of CricketArchive The crucial departure of Jameson was another key blow although he could not be faulted after his significant contributions to the club in the previous few years. However one important name to make his 1st XI debut that season was Andy Hurworth who would go on to become one of the most prolific batsmen in the Liverpool Competition's history.