Long Ashton Cricket Club

General information

Cricket has been played on the present field in Yanley Lane adjacent to the by-pass since 1884. Previously the field opposite Hobwell Lane in Long Ashton Road was used. Several photographs of players and spectators at games on this field are displayed in the present pavilion.

For reasons not known now, possibly the fact that the field in Long Ashton Road was not available, a meeting was held at the Angel Inn on the 15th October 1883 at which it was proposed by a Mr O’Doneghue that “It is desirable to establish a cricket club in the parish of Long Ashton” and agreed unanimously. Minutes of that 1883 meeting and every meeting of the cricket club since have been preserved. Alas, records before 1883 are not available; however a letter in the records written on Ashton Gate Brewery notepaper refers to the club being formed in 1866 with Sir Greville Smyth, his agent Thos Dyke and John Kempe being prime movers in setting it up. The document also refers to E.M. Grace (whose mother kept a school in the village at the time) as being one of the players, together with others at that time. This letter/document is not signed but attributed to Inman H. Harvey, Chairman of that Brewery, Captain of the cricket club for twenty five years from 1904-1927 and President from 1940-1954.

The records show a very close association between the club and the Ashton Court Estate from the outset. In 1883, Sir Greville Smyth was asked to “continue as President of the Cricket Club” and did so until his death in 1901. His successor at the Court, Dame Emily Smyth was appointed Patron until her death in 1914 and her successor the Hon’ Mrs Esme Smyth held the same status in the club until her death in 1946. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the cricket club during the many years up to 1946 was always the Agent to the Ashton Court Estate. The first, Thos Dyke, was commissioned in 1883 to canvas support for the club and continued to take active chairman’s role until 1901. His successors as Agent, Henry Napier 1901-1934 and Bertram Worrall 1934-1946 followed in the footsteps as Chairman of the club.

The death of the Hon’ Mrs Esme Smyth and the sale of the farms on the estate and the Court to the Bristol Corporation ended the long association of the club with the Smyth’s but it has continued to thrive under the presidency and chairmanship of several distiguished members, the names of whom are displayed on an honours board in the pavilion.

In so far as the cricketers are concerned, the club, like so many others, can lay claim to one of the legendary Grace family. More recently John Sullivan (Gloucestershire), Christopher Broad (England, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Orange Free State) and Shane Warne (Australia, Hampshire, ICC World XI, Victoria) have played for the club.

The club has done well in the local competitions winning the Bristol & District League Championship in 1976, the B&D Cup in 1978 and several runners-up awards subsequently. During this time the club has also developed a strong youth policy and regularly field youth teams in under thirteen, fifteen and seventeen categories.