CRICKETERS at Evesham have taken time out from the wicket to research the history of their club.

They have been tracing the club's history in the 19th century, up to the opening of the present riverside ground in Avon Street in 1904 and the wooden pavilion, which still stands, in 1906.

"But," said the club's Dr Bob Shaw, "we are uncertain when the club was actually founded. It was certainly prior to 1860, and research continues. We may have already passed our 150th birthday without being aware of it. Certainly we intend to celebrate the centenary of the ground."

In 2004, it is intended to publish a full history of the club, and Dr Shaw is appealing to Journal readers to help the club historians Ted Bradshaw and Maurice Newbury with the project.

He explained: "We are very short of material about Evesham Cricket Club in the 20th century. Our records are very sketchy and we need much more. If anyone has them, we would be very grateful for old scorebooks, minute books, annual reports, match programmes, photographs - in fact anything and everything about Evesham Cricket Club from fairly recent times to distant memories.

"We would welcome personal reminiscences - there must still be plenty of people around who can remember Evesham Cricket Club before and after the Second World War."

In the club's yearbook and fixture list for 2002, a feature on the history says that throughout the 19th century, press reports referred to the team variously as Evesham Cricket Club or the Vale of Evesham Club.

The Journal reported a match between the Vale of Evesham Club and the Worcester Railway Club on August 21, 1860, which "attracted a considerable number of spectators." The ground was deemed "too agricultural for a scientific display of batting," as may be judged from the scorecard which showed Evesham won by 83 runs - Evesham 39 and 92, Worcester 23 and 25.

Reports on Evesham matches appeared regularly in the Journal through the 1860s and 1870s. In 1888 there was some acrimony between Evesham and Pershore when the latter failed to turn up, even though "the Evesham men had a luncheon prepared and a beautiful wicket ready." Apparently, 1888 was a wet summer, on the day of the match it was raining in Pershore (but not in Evesham), so the Pershore team sent a telegram declining to travel, even though a telegram in return protested fine weather in Evesham.

It is not know where the Evesham club played its matches in those days, possibly on the same ground as used by The Grammar School which was reported to be "Mr Morris's field." Perhaps this was at Oxstalls Farm, Blayney's Lane, where the school had a playing field before moving to the present Prince Henry's site.

By 1890, Evesham CC was negotiating for a ground, perhaps without success, as by the turn of the century the club appeared to have fallen on bad times. In early 1904 a vigorous effort was made to revive the club's fortunes with a public meeting, and the club was re-established that year with its headquarters at The Crown Hotel, Bridge Street. The 1904 season started late, June 6, presumably reflecting time needed to prepare the new ground which in the following year was shared with Evesham Wednesday Cricket Club.

By 1906 the club was sufficiently well-established in its present home to start building a new wooden pavilion. The Journal reported: "The club has secured a first-class ground and the work that has been done ensures that not only will the wickets be good but that out-fielding will be equally satisfactory and there will be no excuse for slackness in the field."

The first match was played on May 12, 1906, when Pershore was entertained and beaten. There then followed a lengthy plea for punctuality in general and a sharp complaint against the visitors for delaying the start until half past three. Next came an equally wordy account of the match, and a detailed score sheet where the batting scores do not add and neither are consistent with the bowling analyses - nothing changes.