A FORDINGBRIDGE cricket club celebrated its 50th anniversary at its home ground.
On Sunday, June 22, Hyde Cricket Club celebrated half a century as a club with a friendly T10 tournament.
The day also involved an unveiling of a new honours board and an assembly of former and current players to have played at Hyde CC.
Supporters and players alike were reunited with former members of the Hyde CC and shared memories of their time at the club.
To celebrate the anniversary, a new honours board with both the merits of former players and space for those yet to come was unveiled.
Established in 1975, the club was founded by families and friends from Hyde and surrounding Hampshire villages.
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Julian Simms first began playing for the club at age 15 and later served as Club Secretary in 1985.
“The village had its school, the church, the village hall and a couple of pubs. The cricket club was formed and became another focal point of the community,” explained Mr Simms.
Mike, who passed away on 3, February 2023, served as a treasurer and umpire for Hyde CC, supporting the Hampshire club both on and off the field.
During his time as treasurer, Rosemary served as the Hyde CC bookkeeper, helping run the club at its peak in the 90s.
“Michael was a founding member of the club, and we had three generations of his family there. His sons, grandsons and great-grandchildren, the family, were heavily involved,” said Mr. Simms.
Throughout its history, the club has fielded multiple men’s Saturday teams across the Hampshire Cricket League as well as developing youth teams across different ages.
“Over the years, the club has provided the community with an opportunity for youngsters to be involved with cricket, a lot of them have carried on with it for the rest of their lives” he added.
Next year, Hyde CC intend to begin its involvement with the English Cricket Board programme ‘All Stars’, a youth development project aimed at five-to eight-year-olds.
