The headline gives the answer to the first question in our quiz on the history of Prestwich Cricket, Tennis and Bowling Club.
All the answers follow below.
1
What anniversary is the club celebrating this year?
a – 120th
b – 140th
c – 160th
d – 180th
Answer: d – 180th.
Founded in 1840, the club’s last major anniversary landmark was in 2015 when it notched up 175 years.
2
Heys Road was not the club’s first location. Where was its first pitch?
a – Thatch Leach Lane
b – St Mary’s Road
c – Highfield Road
d – Junction 17 M60 roundabout
Answer: a – Thatch Leach Lane
The population of the village in 1840 was around 3,000, and the club was based here for 10 years before moving to land at Diggle Hills.
3
When did tennis matches first start?
a – 1893
b – 1900
c – 1910
d – 1920
Answer: a – 1893.
The club committee was asked to consider the provision of tennis courts in 1891 resulting in 3 courts being built at the then-venue of Stack Meadow (where Highfield Road is now). The club had relocated there in 1862. Tennis fixtures commenced in 1893 against teams from St Margaret’s, Stand, Priory, Castle and Wilton. Consequently, the club’s official name was changed to “Prestwich Cricket and Tennis Club”.
4
In what year did the bowling green open?
a – 1900
b – 1908
c – 1914
d – 1918
Answer: c – 1914
Opened on August 4th – the day World War One broke out. By now, the club was at its current base at The Heys, having moved in 1904.
5
In 1961, Prestwich 2nd XI bowled out Denton for how many?
a – 5
b – 7
c – 10
d – 354
Answer: b – 7
6
In 1976, the ever-developing club made a state-of-the-art purchase for its pavilion. What was it?
a – bar till
b – cuckoo clock
c – hand dryers in the toilets
d – telephone
Answer: d – telephone
7
The 1st XI faced relegation from the first division of the Lancashire & Cheshire League in 1986, but managed to beat which team on the last day of the season to stay up?
a – Stand
b – Wythenshawe
c – Unsworth
d – Greenmount
Answer: b – Wythenshawe
The 2nd XI fared much better this year. They contested the Hulme Trophy Final but lost to Newton Heath.
8
In 1987, the club took its first step to pay a professional. Who was it?
a – Mark Whelan
b – Mohammed Bux
c – Richard Cobham
d – Keith Boden
Answer: d – Keith Boden
This was the first appointment of a ‘permanent’ professional role. There had been previous professionals employed for short periods – going back to the very first in 1883 when Chas Maltby, from Eyam, Derbyshire, was signed, staying for four years before moving to Stand CC. Ken Morgan also served as a pro in the late 1950s/early 1960s.
In 1987, it was considered that if the club was to hold its own in the Lancashire & Cheshire League, a professional needed to be acquired on a yearly basis. The cricket section had held onto its “amateurs only” policy manfully for a long time before this, but the time was deemed justified so the first team could compete on more equal terms with the majority of opponents in the first division.
9
The new clubhouse was built in 1991 and refurbished in 2011. Which cricket legend attended to mark both occasions?
a – Viv Richards
b – David Lloyd
c – Clive Lloyd
d – Neil Fairbrother
Answer – Clive LLoyd (see photo opposite – Sir Clive unveiling the plaque for the refurbished pavilion with then club president Anne Orrell and chairman Brian Lorenzini).
10
In 2004, Prestwich 1st XI won the league title for the first time in how many years?
a – 50
b – 65
c – 97
d – 105
Answer: c – 97
The first team had won the South Lancs League in 1907.
Were you a history buff or duff?
Marking gauge:
0-2: You do well to find where the club is
3-5: History not your main subject – but a reasonable effort
6-8: Good knowledge of your club’s roots
9-10: You must live and sleep there.
