Bridgetown Cricket Club which sits alongside the River Exe and is one of the most attractive grounds, not just in England but in the world, will celebrate its centenary in 2024, writes Richard Walsh.

For almost 65 of those years Doug Sherring has been part and parcel of the Bridgetown scene and at this time of the year is still busy working on the ground preparing for the start of the 2023 season.

He said: “My involvement at Bridgetown started back in 1960 when as a typical youngster I used to go down to the ground at weekends, always with my kit, just in case they were short and sometimes they were and I got the chance to play. Other times however everyone had turned up and I was pretty disappointed and had to patrol the river!

“Mr Nesfield, who first set the club up back in 1924 was my mentor and he used to take me down to the ground and place a handkerchief on the wicket and get me to try to land the ball there which was a perfect length- and it served me well for all of my cricket days. He was like a second father to me and got me into playing for the Somerset Stragglers and took me all over the place to play cricket. He was a lovely man and a great influence on me.

“I started playing in 1960 and carried on until I was 70 and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I think the best time that I played cricket was back before the league started, when although games were friendly it was no less competitive.

“During the season I would play Saturdays and Sundays and then at least once in the week, and if I wasn’t playing for Bridgetown then it would be for somebody else. I also used to play for the Somerset Stragglers which I enjoyed a lot.

“On Saturday’s we played against all of the local village teams and there were some very good cricketers around in those days people like Roy Takle at Brompton Ralph, Dave Cobb at Kilve, Maurice Huxtable at Timberscombe, John Lethaby at Exford and Stuart Tudball at Minehead. On Sundays we used to travel to play against Chard and Ilminster, and down to play at Westward Ho, North Devon CC, Crediton and Barnstaple Raleigh. It was a day out for all of the family. One Sunday afternoon we beat Taunton Cricket Club who had some top players in their side.

“In addition to the weekends there was a lot of 20 over evening matches back then and that has gone, which is so sad.

“I have scored quite a few runs down at Bridgetown and one particular weekend sticks out when I got a hundred on the Saturday and 150 the following day. I’m not sure who they were against, because I’m not a great one for statistics and that never happened again. That season I scored five centuries but never reached a 1000 runs.

“My best return with the ball was when I took seven wickets against Sou’Westers CC at Bridgetown.

“One of the most memorable games that I was lucky enough to play in was when Cecil Buttle who used to be the groundsman at The County Ground asked me to play in his benefit match at Weston super Mare - and it was against a Somerset side that included Roy Kerslake, Roy and Ken Palmer. I felt very proud to have been asked to play in that game and I managed to get a couple of wickets as well.”

For many years Doug has helped with looking after the ground and preparing the wickets.

“Mr Nesfield was the one who got me into doing the ground. I used to go down with him and work on the ground from the late 1970s. I know a lot about the ground, all of which is self taught, but you never stop learning. The wicket has improved a lot over the years and now Kenny Cross and myself look after it.”

After he finished playing, Doug organised cricket teas at Bridgetown.

“The teas were an important part of the game and after I finished playing I used to do organise the teas, in fact until covid since when they haven’t come back. It’s a shame as it gave you the chance to sit and chat with the players in both teams. After games we would then all go to the local pub for a drink and enjoy the company of everyone from both sides, which is when you got to know people. Sadly a lot of that has gone too.

“I think that I enjoyed my cricket most before the leagues came into being, after which it became win at all costs attitude and a lot of the old values went.”

Doug concluded: “I’m so lucky to have had the chance to play cricket at Bridgetown and to still be able to enjoy being involved now. I can go down to the ground on a summers day, cut the wicket then sit beside the river and watch the dippers and kingfishers - it’s just so quiet and peaceful.”