A book entitled Newington Times Past tells us that the earliest evidence of cricket in the village was in the 1841 tithe map index, where it lists the names of fields and where one was called the Cricket Field, which later became known as Coronation Meadow and which was owned by Arthur Webb.

If we use that as our benchmark it makes the club 168 years old.

There is more than one reason to use Cricket Field as evidence. You’re not going to call it that unless cricket is played there and the owner, Mr Webb, is a name which crops up for the next 60 or so years.

Indeed, the booklet has a photograph taken in1908 and there were two Webbs playing then.

There are names in that picture which I recognise.

Ernie Brittenden was still alive and kicking when I was a kid, Victor Hewett could well be the granddad of Ian Hewett, who was a key part of the team in the 80’s, while Len Allsworth was a prominent name in the village for donkey’s years. There’s even a road named after him.

In the parish magazine of 1907 they talk of a team containing T Mannering, G Mannering, W Kitchingham, M Hales and two Webbs, G and S.

The Mannerings were either uncles or older brothers or Albert “Buck”Mannering who was still playing in the 60’s and who once scored four of the princely six made by Newington against Borden.

The four was an edge through slips!

That, by the way, is the lowest recorded total in the history of the club.