article from
http://www.ruascc.reading.ac.uk/venues/Checkendon.html
Reading University Alumni &Staff Cricket Club
Cricket
Grounds Visited by RUASCC
by Michael Sewell
Checkendon
This has been a
long-standing fixture, home and away, since 1975, against an
interesting opposition full of character. The village ground is set
between a substantial wood to the east, and a road just past the church
to the west. Boundary hits often find trees across the road, along
which horse riders therefore have to be alert to the possibility of
unwelcome projectiles. The pavilion stands by the wood. Tea is usually
taken there, but occasionally in the church hall across the road. The
pitch is parallel to the road, and straight drives can reach a hedge
which borders a farm
track to the south. More open ground lies in the opposite direction,
with
a distant children's playground, and some houses.
The pitch provides a fair balance between batsman and bowler, and a
variety of types of bowler can, and have been, tried. The field can be
thought of as a typical Chilterns cricket ground.
For many years the three Powell brothers, Doug, Lou and Lindsey, played
against us, with their parents always there to keep the scorebook and
help with tea. Plainly Powell Senior had been playing cricket even
before some of us. Doug Powell was a capable opening batsman, whose
wicket would be
prized because, unless he could be prised out, he would threaten a
century.
The contest between bat and ball was always absorbing. Two Wickens
brothers,
Matthew and John, added strength to the side. Matthew batted
tenaciously
and well, and teased us with bouncy spin. John used to open the
bowling,
partnered at the other end by our own David Petherick, after he began
work
at a pig farm in the village. This was after his postgraduate pig
husbandry
course in the University Department of Agriculture. The Agriculture
Faculty
was a source of strength in providing capable cricketers to RUASCC for
many
years. Other Checkendon stalwarts included Jack Howe, a slow bowler,
Andy
Marquis, a free hitting middle order batsman and opening bowler, and
Cliff
Blackburn, a wicket-keeper/batsman.
The perception arose that there was always keen rivalry in Checkendon
games, even "needle" sometimes. The two sides were often very evenly
matched.
It was quite hard for either side to take all ten wickets. RUASCC
sometimes felt that Checkendon declarations were rather long delayed;
clearly they did
not like to lose. But neither did we, and there was underlying mutual
respect,
notwithstanding the occasional irritation.
A particular contest within the main match was that some of us did not
care to get out to David Petherick, who had bowled so well for us in
the past. And he was just as keen to get us out.
On one occasion Mike Biddiss and I were invited to play for Checkendon
at Mattingley. David Petherick agreed that this was surely the first
time that two professors had played for Checkendon.