Timperley Sports Club

A brief history of the first 125 years.


1927 - 1952

In the twenties and thirties Timperley Cricket Club had a strong team which included W. Helsby and W. Griffith each holding the post of first XI captain for twelve years. A travelling fair used to visit the ground each spring before the Cricket season started and the rent from the hire of the ground enabled the Club to build a new pavilion alongside the old changing rooms in the mid thirties.

By this time Ladies Cricket had started at the Club and Timperley were founder members of the national Womens Cricket Association. Just before the second world war, Tinmperley fielded the entire Cheshire County team on one occasion.

During this period Eric Johnson (later to become president of Cheshire County Hockey Association) and Roger Tattersall who, apart from playing ten times for England either side of the second world war was to become a prominent umpire and administrator at international level.

Once again the club was 'mothballed' during the war and eventually re-activated in September 1946. Throughout the forties and fifties there were new faces who made huge contributions to the clubs life and success, people such as: Bill Kennedy, Stan Johnson, Ken Stoneman, Bill Dean, Stan Moore, John Wild, Freddy Fitton, Ken Griffiths, Jack Abel and Les Boyes.

Born in Konisberg, Germany, Billy Feick joined the club after being a prisoner of war at Dunham Park Camp. Later he became the groundsman at Timperley and was still working at the club until the late 1980's.

Eddie Hodgkinson started the Timperley Cricket trios which for many years was one of the premiers tournaments on the North West Cricket circuit. He was also responsible for bringing the West Indies (including the 3 W's, Worrel, Weekes and Walcott) touring team down to play Timperley in 1949 when 4,000 people watched the game. He was later to become Patron of the club in the mid-sixties.

A note from the clubs record of the time made reference to the clubs growing reputation for hospitality: '...it was agreed that two shillings per head be collected from each member on the day of the match thus allowing the captain to purchase a round of drink for the visitors'.