By Isle of Wight Observer
by Alan Marriott
Back in the 1970s, works team cricket was quite the thing on the Isle of Wight.
Employees at many medium and large businesses would look forward to a Tuesday or Thursday evening when they would finish at 5pm, and head off to the local recreation ground for a 20-over thrash – before it was even called T20.
Wadhams, Temperature, Inland Revenue, Trucast, Britten Norman, Southern Vectis and Southern Water, to name but a few, were stalwarts of this scene, which usually ended with a couple of pints at the home team’s local. Sadly, most are now gone, leaving one former works team to carry the banner into the 2020s.
Island Bakeries Cricket Club played its first matches 50 years ago in 1975, and although the Binstead-based bakery is long gone and none of the players are involved in baking any longer, the club lives on and has gone from strength to strength.
Next Sunday (August 24), at its modern-day home of Porchfield CC in Coleman’s Lane, the Island Bakeries CC President’s Day will be used to mark half a century of frankly mediocre cricket played for the sheer fun of the game. Former players from across the decades will be in attendance, to either play or watch the commemorative game, which will see president, Dene Richards’ XI take on the team of chairman, Alan Marriott. Former owner of the bakery, Bill Cooper, is also due to attend as guest of honour.
The first game was in 1975, when the Bakers took on Radio Rentals (one for true old Islanders to recall). Mick Souter, until recently still playing, was one of the names on the team-sheet for the early matches at Pell Lane in Ryde.
By 1982 the Bakeries were playing 30 games or more every season, and players who would become stalwarts such as Ray Tolley, Martyn Nicholson and Geoff Smith (still bowling today in his mid 70s and the club’s leading wicket-taker) had come along.
Island Bakeries closed as a business in 1984 but the cricket team went from strength to strength, with names like Richard Webb, Tony Cook, Dene Richards and Pete Bonser ensuring the club lived on. After a four-year stint at Simeon Street Rec, in Ryde, in 1996 Bakeries took the big step of moving to Porchfield Cricket Club’s newish ground at Coleman’s Lane, where they remain until this day.
They remain one of few clubs on the Island to still have an annual tour. For the last 20 years that has been to Sussex, but has also seen them visit Kent, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex and the New Forest.
Although they play only friendly matches against Island and visiting clubs, in the winter, they take part in the IW Indoor League and this year had their finest competitive triumph by winning the league for the first time.
Nearly 600 players have turned out for the team over the 50 years, with club statistician and historian, Tony Cook, recording the names and numbers in two books he has published.
Behind every strong sporting club there is a lot of hard work, and the groundsman trio, of Richard Webb, Pete Bonser and Gordon Barton, put in countless hours to ensure a good playing surface for the 50-plus matches that take place at the ground each year.
Club president, Dene Richards, said: “Over many years, I have played and watched Bakeries, seeing us develop into one of the last beacons of social cricket on the Island. Many works teams and cricket clubs have fallen by the wayside over the years but Bakeries just seem to get stronger and stronger.
“We hold social events, play against lovely touring sides and host nearly all of the Island clubs through the season.
“I am proud to be the president and look forward to many more seasons in the sun.”
If you used to play for or against Island Bakeries and would like to go along on the day, ring Alan on 07812 100567.