The history of Oddballs Cricket Club...

The club was formed by Brian Kiddle as CIS Cricket Club in the summer of 1988 when the Plymouth CIS office was challenged to a match by a local company. CIS played a few matches in both 1988 and 1989 before deciding to take things a bit more seriously in the summer of 1990. CIS’s head office gave the fledgling club a grant to purchase equipment and CIS CC planned a full summer fixture load of around 12 games. As some of the office staff fell by the wayside “outsiders” were drafted in.

Brian roped in fellow musicians Ron Earl, Bev Day and Terry Holden as well as fellow gym-members Rob Denney, Terry Parsons and Richard Pfeil. By the mid-1990’s most of the “CIS originals” had left the team; only Brian, Sheldon Smith and Jon Lewis survived. As the CIS link had now mostly evaporated the club was renamed Oddballs around 1996. The club continued with its twelve or so fixtures a year throughout the 90’s with a new generation of Oddballs coming through including several sons of current players (Nath and Ash Parsons, Mike Holden, and Adam Kiddle included).

By 2003 numbers were severely dwindling and current Captain Pete Johns asked Ryan Hewitt to join the team; Chewy brought along a fellow slimline athlete by the name of Dan Stones to a first net session and this signalled the re-birth of Oddballs CC. By 2005 Dan and Chewy had relieved Brian of the chore of running the team he had done on his own for 17 years; the fixture list grew to about thirty games per year including weekend matches.

In 2007 Oddballs CC took another leap into the unknown when they joined the Plymouth and District Cricket League where they have encountered both promotion and relegation since. Since joining the P&D League Oddballs have evolved from one of the “small clubs” to an established top-tier side and integral part of the P&D make-up.

Oddballs now plays over 45 games per season in both friendly, weekend and league matches. The club enjoys close relationships with many local clubs who benefit from Oddballs players in the Cornwall and Devon leagues.

We enjoy an excellent relationship with Cornwood CC who host our league games and the annual Lovejoy Invitational.

Oddballs “Home”

Oddballs original home ground in the CIS days was at Marsh Mills until Plymouth City Council gave the site to St Boniface College. After that Oddballs played home games at Plymouth Cricket Club for many years.

In the late 1990’s Oddballs played home games at Staddiscombe and Plymstock School and it was the school field which was to become home in the early 2000’s. Plymstock School hosted friendly games until the council finally put a stop to it in 2009 but the school was our league home ground in 2007 and 2008.

In 2009 the league team played at Plymouth CC’s lovely Peverell Park site until it’s closure in September of that year. In 2010 Oddballs CC league team set up camp at Cornwood CC’s Oak Park ground where we hope to stay for the foreseeable future.

Oddballs Rivals

Who are Oddballs biggest rivals? Who do the club want to beat above all others?

There have been many contenders to this crown… In the past it’s fair to say the number one team had to be Moorhaven CC. Moorhaven, captained by Gary Sargent, had been playing against Oddballs for years. The banter at the games was always good and the level of cricket also entertaining. In the mid 2000’s Oddballs tended to get the better of Moorhaven but in 2009/10 the tide turned and MCC started having the best of it. However, due to widespread accusations of sexual misconduct Moorhaven were forced to shut down in 2013, finally admitting long-term to defeat to their superiors and taking their ball home/to the police station.

Other teams worth a mention:
Royal Mail/City Police – Mainly because several of Oddballs squad work/worked for Royal Mail, Chewy used to play for them, and the fact that they weaselled out of a league game in 2007 due to “wet” weather.

Philanthropists – Another long-term rival who used to beat OCC comfortably before the modern era where Oddballs have dominated. Some of their play and decision making is “questionable”

Ordulph Arms – A team we used to play three times a year in the beautiful surroundings of Kelly College. They used to hammer us, then it was reversed… Depending on which Aussie/Pakistani/South African ringer they had playing… Sadly they have also stopped playing.

In recent years Oddballs have enjoyed a friendly rivalry with the Hele School Old Boys. In both league and friendly games both teams have enjoyed wins and suffered defeats – Always in “lively encounters”. Their volume and excitability sadly cannot be matched by their wit or intelligence but they do try hard (bless them).