A Review of the 1944 Season
Very little is known of off the field activities in 1944, but many scorecards survive. Two Saturday elevens and one Sunday eleven were fielded but availability was erratic with many members serving in the forces and the star players often unavailable.
Results were as follows:
|
|
Won
|
Drawn
|
Lost
|
|
1st XI
|
10
|
3
|
7
|
|
2nd XI
|
7
|
0
|
7
|
|
Sunday XI
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
Top run scorer for the Club was Doug Insole with 698, while leading wicket takers were Laurie Bayes (51) and Bill Adamson (41).
There were no centurions although Doug Insole (99) and Don Spencer (98) both came close for the 1sts v South Woodford. Insole again got in the nineties with 92 v Loughton.
With the ball Laurie Bayes took 7-8 twice v Chelmsford and Enfield in 1st XI matches. Not to be outdone, Jock Harwood took 7-12 v Northampton Polytechnic, while Len Parslow repeated this analysis v Goodmayes and Bill Adamson took 7-51 for the Sunday XI v Enfield.
Highgate visited Chingford on Saturday September 23 in a game which not surprisingly did not feature in the Chingford Guardian but was discovered in the Hornsey Journal, Chingford took first knock and were dismissed for their lowest ever total – an embarrassing SEVEN all out, with Highgate bowler RH Livermore taking 9-3 in just 22 deliveries, including four consecutive bowleds. Highgate went on to win the game but Chingford gained some face back by dismissing them for 63.
For the 2nd XI there were few remarkable performances, but the best bowler was Francis Harley, who contributed a useful 25 wickets. Ken Dowding took 6-19 v Buckhurst Hill.
Evidence of financial difficulties was starting to appear as the petrol mower for the wicket broke down and The Secretary wrote to the Council to say that in terms of funding a replacement, the Club would be unable to make any contribution to the Council in excess of the normal rent.
Meanwhile the old Chingford Cricket Club’s former ground on Chingford Plains had now been converted to a Prisoner of War Camp.