Spring 2014 The Newsletter of Stourbridge & District Cricket Society Founded 1972 LEST WE FORGET N.B. - A.G.M. CHAIRMAN'S VIEW n Monday, 3 August 1914 Ger- Members are advised that the AGM ricket has benefited enormously O many had invaded Belgium and will be held, in the bar, prior to the C from the world wide media cover- Great Britain went to war. Worcester- monthly meeting on 10 April. age of the recent Ashes series in Austra- shire went to Edgbaston to play War- The AGM will commence at 7pm. lia. There has hardly been a day when wickshire. Although some counties It will be limited to a maximum length it has not featured strongly in newspaper cancelled their remaining matches, of 45 minutes. headlines along with both radio and tele- Worcestershire did not and fulfilled vision. As a result, I would expect the their remaining six fixtures. After a short break, the season’s final ICC to use this as a convenient way of monthly meeting will commence. Their final match against Derby- promoting all that is outstandingly good shire at New Road ended on 1 Septem- Our guests for that evening are in Test Cricket. ber. Despite a career-best score of 158 Bob Carter and Derek Person. With the South African series by M.K. Foster, the visitors won by Details inside beginning and a stronger looking New five wickets. Of Worcestershire’s Zealand playing India, there is a lot to eleven, G. N. Foster, Chester and John admire in the way sides are rebuilding Harber (this was his debut match) were The FOSTER GRAVES and providing a spectacle for the paying never to appear for the County again. public. G. N. Foster would play for Kent after he official date for the rededication The Ashes series was not only the war, but by then much had changed. T of the graves will be 13 May. The about an extremely poor performance by Frank Chester’s realistic dreams date has been specifically chosen, as it all of the English players, but was also of playing for England were shattered marks the centenary of the death of R.E. about an Australian side that outplayed along with his right arm at Salonika in ‘Tip’ Foster, the most famous of the England in every cricket skill, brilliantly 1915. Undaunted, he took up umpiring seven brothers. captained by Michael Clark. There were and attained a standard that all tried to The editor has been spear- times when he seemed to be in charge of emulate but none succeeded. heading the project to renovate the Fos- the whole country. The South Eastern ter graves on behalf of Malvern Civic bush fires and the Western Australian Society, with the full support of the shark cull could have been part of his present Foster family. remit. Perhaps with the Prime Minister, The members of the Foster fam- relaxing and admiring from afar. ily buried in Malvern Cemetery are: It was not of course that easy, The parents, Reverend Henry Foster cricket never is. When the breakthrough and his wife Sophia and six of their opportunities came England did not eleven children, namely: ‘Tip’, Maurice grasp them. Alistair Cook failed misera- and Johnnie plus three of their sisters, bly and was let down by all around him. Maud, Mabel and Cicely. With five consistently failing batsmen, In addition, the names of Clif- abject fielding, dropped catches (32) ford Bullock and Claude Giles, hus- statistically now in three series, there is bands of Mabel and Cicely respectively, nowhere to hide. Swann's exit from the have subsequently been revealed on the carnage halfway through the tour after toppled headstones. dismissing Clark before lunch at Perth is A crystal whisky glass has been unforgivable. Worcestershire’s wartime casu- There are so many unanswered alties included H. G. Bache (killed at produced by Stourbridge Glass Engrav- ers to mark the centenary of ‘Tip’ Fos- questions, however, England have Ypres, 1916), William Burns (above), surely never performed that badly before (Contalmaison, France, 1916), Christo- ter’s death. The proceeds from the sale of each glass will be allocated to a fund in a five match series. pher Collier (Mametz, France 1916), England need to regroup, as Aus- Arthur Isaac (Contalmaison, 1916), his set up to ensure the graves are main- tained in excellent condition. Glasses tralia, New Zealand and India are in the younger brother, John Isaac process of doing. The back room staff (Armentieres, 1915), Arnold Nesbitt may be obtained from the editor at Loughborough led by the impressive (Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium (1914) (address on back page). The renovation work is Andy Flower and his team of selectors and Cecil H. Palmer (Gallipoli, 1915). have produced a very successful team being carried out by Steve Allard’s ma- Lest we forget. sonry company of Callow End and is over the last six years. There is no need due to be competed by mid-April. for wholesale panic, too many changes The editor offers his apologies for the inadvertent will result in more failure. omission of any other Worcestershire cricketers If the name sounds familiar, who gave their lives for their country in the so- Steve used to turn out for Worcester- called war to end all wars. shire Nomads. Continued on page three The opinions expressed in Boundary View are not necessarily those of Stourbridge Cricket Society Dave Nicklin (President) Committee Members: Mike Tomkins (Chairman); Craig Smith (Secretary); Ken Workman (Treasurer); Terry Church (Programme Secretary) ‘MAD JACK’ by Terry Church ack Flavell is one of three Worces- Together with Len Coldwell, he A keen left-handed golfer, Jack J tershire capped players to hail from was one of the best new-ball pairings in was a member at Enville for many Wall Heath (the others being Paul Prid- county cricket in the 1960’s, when years, becoming captain in 1981. He geon and Stuart Lampitt), not a bad Worcestershire won two Championship bought a garage in Heathton and, after record for a village that does not appear titles, finished second twice and fourth converting it into a restaurant, was a on many maps! and fifth once. He had the perfect ap- popular host for many years – like me, John Arthur Flavell shared his proach to his trade, with an unshake- many will remember the legendary birth date, 15 May, with another Black able faith in his rock-solid belief that Cricketer’s grill from the menu! He Country Worcestershire “great”, Don later moved to Barmouth, in North Kenyon, who was Jack’s senior by five Wales, where he ran a hotel. years and born down the road at Jack’s life was like his bowling Wordsley. – straightforward with no frills – but he Jack’s 401 first-class appear- also paid attention to detail and never ances produced 1,529 wickets. He missed a trick on or off the field. He played four times for England, all spoke plainly in a broad Black Country against Australia. His low number of brogue and never refused a challenge. caps was due to the fact that he played How we Wall Heath lads looked for- in a golden age of pace bowlers, which ward to the County games at Dudley, included Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, travelling on the bus to see our village Frank Tyson, Peter Loader, Alan Moss hero. I have been a keen autograph and all-rounder Trevor Bailey. hunter all my life and the first two Known initially as “Mad Jack”, pages in the book that I was given for a it took him several seasons before he birthday present in 1950 are filled with cut both his pace and run up to become the signatures of Worcestershire and one of the outstanding new ball bowlers Albion players all obtained for me by in county cricket. He took over 100 my hero, Jack. wickets in a season eight times and, in no batsman deserved to survive against A modern-day Flavell, master of 1961, his season’s haul of 171 wickets him for long. line, length and unrelenting hostility (avg. 17.79) put him top of the national He also played professional would be an England-ever present. averages. Three hat- tricks were football for West Bromwich Albion achieved, as well as nine wickets in an and Walsall. He fulfilled the role of a On 25 February 2004, Jack Flavell, innings on three occasions, including rugged defender with the theory that aged 74, died in his sleep at Barmouth, his best return of nine for 30 against “the winger might go past me; the ball Gwynedd. Kent at Dover in 1955. He was one of might go past me, but never both at the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1965. same time.” EARLY DAYS OF ENVILLE CC FLAVELL SIGN nville Cricket Club is some age for its whole extent is literally as smooth as a E a sports club. It was founded in billiard table and is, of course, only kept 1850, and for some time, it appears, was so by the most constant care and the considered to possess the best ground not combined use of the mowing machine, just in the country, but in the whole drawn by horses with clogged feet. world. Lord’s ground, however is not like the The paragraph below is taken Enville ground a perfect level throughout from a programme produced on the occa- its whole extent, but varies as much as sion of the club’s centenary in 1950. The three feet from the horizontal line. The extract dates however from the mid- Enville ground, therefore takes prece- nineteenth century, and comes from an dence of Lord’s and must be accounted unbiased source: the finest cricket ground in the world.’ ‘As it is the largest and best The extract is all the more con- cricket ground in the world, a short de- vincing for the fact that it was not written scription may not be unacceptable or out by a member of the club or even by a of place.