The Cricket Paper

Green shoots of success for cricket at the home of rugby

Sam Hawthorn finds a thriving community club in south-west London where all are welcome

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Although located a mere stone’s throw from the Home of Rugby, Twickenham Cricket Club thrives in the hustle and bustle of south west London during the summer months.

And while matchdays at Twickenham Stadium can make for a busy day in the town centre, the cricket club uses its location, and Twickenham Green in particular, to bring in the rugby punters.

So while the cricketing aspect appeals to many, it is also the community feel of the club that makes Twickenham stand out from their local rivals and is what has drawn many members, including club secretary Dan Hough, to Twickenham.

Hough, club secretary since 2007 after joining in 2003, admits that he was attracted to the club because of its town centre location and the warm welcome he was offered on arrival.

“There was plenty of choice of cricket clubs in the area and I did not have an agenda apart from wanting to play on a nice ground, so I contacted a few clubs and Twickenham responded the quickest,” said Hough.

“It is a competitiv­e market for cricket clubs in south west London with a number of good quality clubs around us.

“We play on Twickenham Green, so we are right in the middle of Twickenham life.

“Our location means that the weekends in the town can be pretty hectic especially if there is a rugby game on at Twickenham Stadium, there can be up to 80,000 people around.

“Many people stop into our pavilion for a drink before or after the game so it has a real community feel to the club.

“People socialise at the pavilion and hurl friendly abuse at our incompeten­ce and that creates a great atmosphere on Twickenham Green.”

With strong links to local schools and a massive junior section, The T’s nurture young talent from as young as five years old all the way up to their 1st XI who have competed in the Middlesex Premier League for four of the last six seasons.

Their relationsh­ip with nearby schools extends to using Tiffin Grammar School’s facilities in the winter and St James’ Primary School’s playing fields in the summer although Hough admits they face the common challenge of retaining young players.

Last season also ended agonisingl­y with relegation to Division Two on the final day of the campaign when they failed to keep up with a Duckworth/Lewis target, and Twickenham are seeking a return to the top flight in 2017.

The T’s are quietly confident of bouncing straight back and if Hough’s optimism matches their quality on the pitch, you wouldn’t bet against them doing just that.

He said: “We have strong prospects of gaining promotion this season.You always hope that you retain the main nucleus of your side when you get relegated and I think we have.

“We are hoping to have one or two more players. I think we will be in the mix to go up and hopefully we will have enough quality when it matters to keep us in the hunt.”

Twickenham have had the benefit of some talented players down the years, including West Indian Test player Kirk Edwards who was part of their team in the mid-Noughties.

But their current set-up faces its own challenges, notably with trying to attract young players for Saturday cricket.

As Hough explains, the desire for T20 is on the increase, even at club level, but he’s optimistic that 50-over cricket will not disappear just yet.

“I’ve had 25 years of every Saturday being a cricket Saturday and I have played 1st XI at Twickenham, gradually moving down the teams as I have got older.

“In a few years time I’ll be playing in the 5th XI and I’ll be telling people how good I used to be.

“Many people now want to play a shortened version of the game on a Saturday because a 100-over game is not as attractive to young players nowadays as it was 20 years ago.

“Weekend cricket is not T20, it might be in the future, but it isn’t at the moment so we have a little bit of trouble selling the product.”

If there is rugby on at the stadium, people step into our pavilion and hurl friendly abuse at our incompeten­ce and that creates a great atmosphere

 ??  ?? On your way: In action against Hampstead
On your way: In action against Hampstead
 ??  ?? Media darlings: Sky’s CricketAM drops in at Twickenham Green with former Liverpool footballer Didi Hamann, left, and Dan Hough fourth left. Top: Hough appeals for a wicket
Media darlings: Sky’s CricketAM drops in at Twickenham Green with former Liverpool footballer Didi Hamann, left, and Dan Hough fourth left. Top: Hough appeals for a wicket
 ??  ?? Green men: Twickenham in action
Green men: Twickenham in action

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