The Early Days
In 1884, Radlett was but a small part of Aldenham, not even warranting a mention on the maps of the day. It was the vicar, Revd. C M O Parkinson, the schoolmaster, Dickie Forfeit, C T Part and two ‘well-to-do’ gentlemen who agreed to establish a cricket club. They put their persuasive talents to work on a local, somewhat reclusive landowner, Sir Francis Head. Eventually, he allowed them to use a small field in his grounds at Newberries.

Having only 360 residents in the parish to draw from meant that the team saw little early success. It was some 13 years later before fortunes seemed to have improved, when in 1897 they managed to win 12 of their 19 fixtures.

The club celebrated Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1901 by building its own thatched pavilion, 30 feet by 20 feet – apparently, a rare feat for a village club at that time.

The vicar confirmed his interest in cricket by publishing in the parish magazine “Some Useful Hints to Young Cricketers”, which included the following gems:

• “In order to hit a ball to leg, put your left leg well forward and ‘mow’ round to leg with your bat”. Who said the sweep shot was a relatively modern innovation?
• “Keep your hands out of your pockets and never where a coat when fielding, except in wet and very cold weather.” Better remind the first XI.

Cricket in Radlett continued to grow, both in quantity and quality. In 1907, 42 matches were played. The best player was the opening bat, G G Dumbleton, from the large house at Organ Hall, who appeared for the County fairly regularly from 1902 to 1912. Mostly, he averaged over 20; in 1904 he headed the county batting averages with 38.83.

Between the wars

Despite two changes of location, the club made great strides forward between the two world wars. It changed from being a modest village set-up to being one of the leading clubs in the county. Much credit for this is due to Miles Brunton (after whom the current ground is named), Leo Reid and Bob Woodbridge.

The old ground at Newberries was soon restored to use after the First World War, but proved too small by then modern standards. In 1928, the club seized the opportunity of moving to a magnificent ground on the Porters Park estate. The cricket ground had been built by Cecil Raphael in 1909 to the same dimensions as the Surrey Oval. The site is better known today as Shenley Cricket Centre. The estate had been sold to Middlesex County Council for development as a mental hospital. The council gave the club a 10 year lease of the ground at £10 per year. The ground had not been used since before the First World War and had deteriorated to little more than open pasture. However, club members set to work and amazingly it was in full use by mid-season, 1928.

Radlett’s captain, L J Reid, introduced the novelty of Sunday cricket and arranged the appearance of eminent players such as Wilfred Rhodes, Maurice Leyland and Patsy Hendren. Leo Reid, himself was prominent on the county scene and became the only Radlett player to regularly captain Hertfordshire.

Leo Reid, a free-scoring left-hand batsman, was a popular captain of Hertfordshire from 1923 to 1927; thanks to his influence, four minor counties matches were played at Radlett’s ground at Porters Park between 1929 and 1934. Other Radlett men to be honoured by the county included steady R H Baucher (ex-captain of Harrow), dashing Peter Woodbridge and R Postill, a very fast bowler who taught at Aldenham school.

At the end of the lease in 1937, the ground was required by Shenley hospital for the use of its own staff and the club was without a home. Miles Brunton came to the rescue by buying some land on Cobden Hill for £1,000 and letting it to the club for 99 years at a most favourable rent. A fair was held which raised £100 and enabled work to begin on a new pavilion. That rough field has now become our fine cricket ground, admired by the Australian test team when they played on it in 1993.

1940s and 1950s

After the Second World War, Radlett was fortunate to have a band of players who also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the viability of the club. They were Leslie King, Ivor Golby and Chris Dexter. Leslie King was a lovely bowler, quiet and modest in nature – a knowledgeable and popular captain. As an opening bowler he combined variety and accuracy; normally bowling away swing, with an effective off-cutter, a good slower ball, and now and again a much faster one with a slinging action. He played for Hertfordshire from 1939 to 1954, and his tally of 170 wickets at 21.85 would have been much greater had he not lost seven prime years to the war. Untiring and persistent, he provided an admirable foil to the brilliant array of slow bowling the County had at the time.

For 40 years, from the time he joined as a 17 year old in 1934, Ivor Golby was an ever-present part of the Radlett first eleven. His correct method and unruffled temperament made him an effective opening bat, and his medium pace outswingers were always spot on a length. Year after year he took 100 wickets at low cost; 12 consecutive maidens against H.A.C. in 1966 were a typical example of his nagging accuracy.

For more extensive history and pictures, see RCC History Blog Site.