Blasts from the Past: Teddington Cricket Club

I have never played cricket. I have only watched a couple of matches and, even then, I looked on with little idea of the rules and even less understanding of the scoring! I might not know much about cricket but I am always striving to learn more about the history of King’s. So, when I was recently reminded that, every August, a select group from the King’s community attend the annual former players’ lunch at Teddington Cricket Club, I wanted to learn more about the King’s-Teddington connection. Thankfully, David Belchamber, former pupil and then long-serving member of staff at King’s, had already written on this subject for the TCC’s own archive.

Like King’s, Teddington Cricket Club can trace its roots back to the 1820s (although it was not until 1863 that it was granted permission to make a ground and play in Bushey Park). A century later, at least one former King’s pupil was playing for the Club: Bernard Odhams (OK 1928). He was shortly followed by others, John Pearsall (OK 1933) and brothers Gordon and Leslie Murray (OK1933 and OK 1937).  All three scored over 500 runs for Teddington. Pearsall would be an especially important figure at the TCC, serving as captain for many years. It was he who recruited David Belchamber and, in all likelihood, other ex-King’s pupils such as Stewart Wise CBE DFC (OK 1935).

There were, of course, times when Teddington was the opposition. The first match between the school and the TCC appears to have been in 1934. Before this, however, King’s alumni, under the title of the King’s Wanderers, had faced Teddington Cricket Club. Organised by none other than Bernard Odhams, the King’s Wanderers was an unofficial club open to anyone who was a member of the Old King’s Club. During their first season, in 1930, the Wanderers beat Hampton Wick, lost to the school and drew with Teddington.

The Second World War brought about a hiatus: Teddington’s ground was needed for other purposes and the many of the Club’s members were serving in the Armed Forces. The TCC’s own records suggest that all Club activities stopped in 1941 but the school magazine from July 1942 records a game between King’s and Teddington CC. The school won by eight wickets: ‘Their batt­ing was not quite so strong as we were led to believe, although they had some good men, and they were all out for 70.’ Three of the TCC side were, in fact, teachers at the school: ‘Duggie’ Dalziel, Geoffrey de la Condamine and Peter Gibbs.

Peter Gibbs would take on the captaincy of the TCC when it became active again post-War. During the 1950s, and then increasingly in the 1960s and 1970s, Teddington looked to King’s – pupils and staff – to provide a steady stream of talented players. Some were regular members, other filled in as and when needed. It is lovely to know that some of these cricketers still get together at the annual lunch, representing the King’s contribution to Teddington Cricket Club. I hope this tradition continues for years to come. For my part, I look forward to digging further into the links with the TCC in the school archive. I also feel the time has come for me to learn about the basics of the game so that I can better understand the match reports and score cards!

As ever, please do get in touch if you have stories to share: I can be contacted via email at archive@kcs.org.uk.

Dr Lucy Inglis | School Archivist