NACTON CRICKET HISTORY PART 1

  1787

Nacton Cricket Club is one of the oldest in Suffolk, with the first recorded match being in 1787. Most of the opponents in those days, were factory teams from Ipswich, plus a few other clubs such as Sudbury and Boxford.

The home matches were not played in the village in these times, but on Nacton Heath, which could have been on the airfield site, on the Ransomes Industrial site or close to where the Racecourse pub now stands.

It is quite possible that Nacton had a team before 1787, as cricket was played on Nacton Heath as long ago as 1745. The Ipswich Journal records a match in that year being played by the "Gentlemen of Ipswich " against a team selected from the villages of East Bergholt, Dedham, Manningtree and Mistley. The motivation for the match, as were many of that era, was a considerable amount of money. The wager was often in the region of 50 gns, a huge amount of money in the 1700's, so cricket was only available to the very well to do people. With so much at stake, many devious tactics were used to gain advantage and things got so bad,that it prompted the forming

of the M.C.C., which then published a set of laws that all teams had to follow.

  1901

Nothing much is known about the club until the Ipswich & District Cricket League was formed in 1901. Nacton were one of the eight teams that took part in this first attempt at league cricket, which ran for three seasons.

The other teams involved were :- Ipswich Garrison, Melton Asylum, Bredfield,

Ranelagh Works, Ipswich & East Suffolk, Woolverstone and Tattingstone.

Nacton finished fourth in 1901, but for some reason interest in league cricket declined and the league was disbanded at the end of 1903, and it was to be almost 70 years before another league structure got underway.

Nacton's famous green shed has been confirmed as being on the playing field in 1886, so we assume that the cricket was then played in the village.

    1911

The club changed its name from Nacton & District to Nacton, as it was thought there was enough cricketers in the village to run a team.

   1914 - 1945

Due to the two wars there were several years within this period , that cricket was suspended and during the Second World War, the playing field was used

to grow vegetables, potatoes in particular.

  1946

Cricket resumed after the war and 1946 was notable for being the first season that Max Ralph played for the club. Max has been involved with Nacton longer than anyone, although Ellis Baker, who joined in 1965, is the longest continous member as Max played for Ransomes in the 1950s, when Nacton couldn't raise a team.

  1972

After a gap of 67 years, league cricket for the junior clubs, started up again. The Suffolk Cricket Alliance was a massive league of 52 teams, with fixtures arranged around each club's friendly programme.

  1974

Suffolk Alliance League is split into four sections. Nacton were placed in Section C, but finished bottom, and were relegated to Section D.

    1980

League is split up again, this time into six sections as a number of clubs wanted to play fewer league games. This move encouraged some clubs to join extra leagues to increase its league programme. This league decision killed off any chance of the Alliance having a strong top section, as in the years that followed many of the best clubs moved away.

  1981

Nacton are Champions of the Suffolk Cricket Alliance Section E

  1984

The new pavilion is opened with Elmsett being invited to bring a team over to celebrate the event. It replaced the green shed which had been on the ground for almost 100 years. In recent years "cricket teas" had been taken in the village hall, but the hut was still used to changing.

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