Gumley Cricket Club
Gumley Cricket Club is a village cricket team based in Gumley, Leicestershire, England. The club has three teams. The Saturday XI, having traditionally played friendlies, from 2009 competes in the Northamptonshire Cricket League. The Sunday XI plays friendly fixtures against an established selection of clubs. The Midweek XI competes in the Market Harborough District Midweek Evening League and Knockout competitions.
Gumley Top
Gumley is a small village in South East Leicestershire. The nearest large town is Market Harborough. The cricket field is found on the North West edge of the village on the road to Laughton. The field has extensive views of the valley looking South from the pavilion, and is characterised by the road which bisects a small portion of the outfield between the square and the pavilion. Motorists are relatively few on this particular stretch, but those that do arrive during a game are politely asked by way of a sign to wait until the end of the over.
Facilities have improved markedly over recent years. The concerted efforts of several club members have raised the quality of the square. Fund raising efforts have yielded many improvements to the pavilion, in particular a much needed new roof.
Touring
The club arranges an annual tour of 4 matches on consecutive days from the Thursday after the late Mary Bank Holiday. Recent venues include Margate, Braintree, Barnstaple, Havant, and this year, Harrogate. The tour has been a regular feature of the club calendar for over 20 years.
Honours
Northamptonshire Cricket League
Division 13 Winners - 2009
Market Harborough Midweek League
Division 1 Winners - 1998, 2003 (Shared), 2004
Division 1 Runners Up - 2005
Division 2 Winners - 1997
Market Harborough Midweek League Cup
Winners - 2009
Finalists - 2004, 2006
Houghton on the Hill Millennium Cup
Winners 2000
Runners Up 2001
Everards Cup
Winners - 1988
Holkham Hall 6-a-side
Winners - 2004, 2005, 2006
Club Captains
The club appoints a separate Captain for each of its three teams. Captain since 1977 are as follows:
Saturday XI
|
Sunday XI
|
Midweek XI
|
|
Club Officials
Since 1977 are as follows:
Secretary
|
Treasurer
|
Fixture Secretary
|
|
Annual Awards
Performance prizes awarded at the end of each season since 2000 are as follows:
Best Batsman
|
Best Bowler
|
Best Fielder
|
Best Young Player
|
Best League Batsman
|
Best League Bowler
|
Best Midweek Player
|
Merit Award
|
Regular Events
The club runs a range of events throughout the year. On the cricket side, the intra-club Twenty20 day has proved very popular. The last game of each season is the keenly fought Club Match. This has traditionally been a Saturday vs Sunday affair, but with the better players gravitating to the League side, a new format was introduced in 2009 of 'Greys' (being over 35) vs 'Kids'. A recent addition to the calendar is Presidents Day. This is seen as an opportunity to say 'thank you' to our benefactors and features the Sunday team taking on a Select XI.
Away from cricket, a variety of social and fund-raising events are held throughout the year, ranging from golf days to millionaires evenings and race nights. The club arranges a fireworks display each Guy Fawkes night, in conjunction with the local Scout troop. This event regularly attracts a very large audience from the surrounding villages.
External sources
- Gumley Cricket Club - Official Site
- The Pickering Papers - unofficial web log
- Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket Board