I've been a regular contributor to "The Village Voice," a monthly newsletter for locals and newcomers, for five years. My updates and assessments of Chilmark Cricket Club (CCC) provide light-hearted but community-building intel to enthusiasts and supporters throughout Chilmark, Fonthill Bishop, Ridge, and Berwick St. Leonard.
I've included the most recent editions in the carousel below and included the text in a separate paragraph for an easier read.
For a fuller swing at the highs and lows of local cricket, you can find my CCC Match Reports on my portfolio page.
"People love your copy. [It] was agreed that your pieces each month are valued above everything else."
- Sarah Miller, Village Voice Editor
Chilmark Cricket Club held its AGM at the Black Dog in February. It was riveting stuff. Ricky discussed the accounts, Carl brandished the fixture list, and Fowlsie, like a broken record, begged for an away honours board. The latter wasn’t even voted on. It’s been the best part of four years since he allegedly took five wickets for eight runs against a team of children and old men out at Damerham, and with each of those years the feeling that critical elements of the story are being left out grows stronger. And I’m here to tell you, they are. Of those eight runs, six were wides. And the pitch was a mare. It helped that the opposition warmed up in The Compasses Inn beforehand, too. Well, maybe not the kids, and to be fair, Fowlsie probably joined them, but the point remains – it’s a suspicious achievement.
The season ahead promises more unlikely heroics. Many of them are likely to occur against the Fulham Pigeons, a team of jovial lads armed with music, cheer, and very little cricketing prowess. If ever there’s a day to fill your boots. Then there’s Dinton who, as everyone west of Phillips House well knows, are heathens. Fonthill are a far more civilised bunch but they’ve been consistently strong the last few years, so we’d prefer it if they took it easy this time round. Who else? Berwick St James. It’s been 20 years since the two clubs crossed paths, a gap that is down almost entirely to a bloodied head given to one of their batsmen by a Chilmark bowler.
The year was 2005 and a 70-year-old Berwick batsman was facing down teenage Chilmark tearaway Harry Packer. The pitch was a gift – not your typical half-rolled custard track that was common at the time (and sometimes still is). No, the bounce was true, with the kind of carry that slaps painfully into wicketkeeper’s gloves. But that only happens if it doesn’t hit something along the way. Like a 70-year-old’s unprotected head. But bygones be bygones and all that. I’m sure they haven’t been plotting their revenge for two decades. Packer is long gone, too. In his place we have bowlers like Windmill Will Thompson, whose idiosyncratic action last season bamboozled a batsman so much that he forgot to swing and lost his stumps.
We also have Darren Lee, who had barely played the game before his 2009 debut, but now finds himself, 16 years later, with more wickets to his name than anyone else. He’s also the only Chilmark bowler to be hit for six sixes in an over. With every new season comes the promise of new anecdotes. Fancy a game? Speak to one of the players next time you’re in the Black Dog, or contact the club by email: chilmarkcc@gmail.com
Brand King
March 2025
No.096
Chilmark Cricket Club held its AGM at the Black Dog in February. It was riveting stuff. Ricky discussed the accounts, Carl brandished the fixture list, and Fowlsie, like a broken record, begged for an away honours board. The latter wasn’t even voted on. It’s been the best part of four years since he allegedly took five wickets for eight runs against a team of children and old men out at Damerham, and with each of those years the feeling that critical elements of the story are being left out grows stronger. And I’m here to tell you, they are. Of those eight runs, six were wides. And the pitch was a mare. It helped that the opposition warmed up in The Compasses Inn beforehand, too. Well, maybe not the kids, and to be fair, Fowlsie probably joined them, but the point remains – it’s a suspicious achievement.
The season ahead promises more unlikely heroics. Many of them are likely to occur against the Fulham Pigeons, a team of jovial lads armed with music, cheer, and very little cricketing prowess. If ever there’s a day to fill your boots. Then there’s Dinton who, as everyone west of Phillips House well knows, are heathens. Fonthill are a far more civilised bunch but they’ve been consistently strong the last few years, so we’d prefer it if they took it easy this time round. Who else? Berwick St James. It’s been 20 years since the two clubs crossed paths, a gap that is down almost entirely to a bloodied head given to one of their batsmen by a Chilmark bowler.
The year was 2005 and a 70-year-old Berwick batsman was facing down teenage Chilmark tearaway Harry Packer. The pitch was a gift – not your typical half-rolled custard track that was common at the time (and sometimes still is). No, the bounce was true, with the kind of carry that slaps painfully into wicketkeeper’s gloves. But that only happens if it doesn’t hit something along the way. Like a 70-year-old’s unprotected head. But bygones be bygones and all that. I’m sure they haven’t been plotting their revenge for two decades. Packer is long gone, too. In his place we have bowlers like Windmill Will Thompson, whose idiosyncratic action last season bamboozled a batsman so much that he forgot to swing and lost his stumps.
We also have Darren Lee, who had barely played the game before his 2009 debut, but now finds himself, 16 years later, with more wickets to his name than anyone else. He’s also the only Chilmark bowler to be hit for six sixes in an over. With every new season comes the promise of new anecdotes. Fancy a game? Speak to one of the players next time you’re in the Black Dog, or contact the club by email: chilmarkcc@gmail.com
Brand King
February 2025
No.095
Season 2025 is only a few months away and off-season preparations are well underway. For some this has entailed visits to the re-opened Black Dog for team bonding sessions, for others indoor nets at Warminster. At least one player is using darts as a way to get his eye in. A player’s process is his own of course and we look forward to seeing the fruits of these labours come April.
With that in mind, a list of fixtures for the upcoming season is provided below. A handful of new teams are trying their luck this year, including Urchfont and Collingbourne, while Berwick St James, a team that stopped playing Chilmark after one of their batsmen was unfortunately bloodied by a bouncer 15 years ago, have finally got over their huff.
It’s also exciting to see the Fulham Pigeons return. The Pigeons’ unconventional approach to cricket is nothing if not entertaining. After last year’s roaring success, Movie Night is also back. Scheduled for Saturday 16 August, a large outdoor screen will be installed at the ground and a BBQ, drinks and entertainment provided before sunset, when the movie magic begins. We haven’t settled on a movie yet, so suggestions are welcome.
Finally, the team will be taking the show on the road at season’s end, with a four-day trip to Portugal.
In the meantime, there is the club’s AGM at the Black Dog on Friday 7 February at 7pm. All are welcome to attend. Stick around afterwards to see how well the aforementioned darts is progressing. If anyone, young or old, boy or girl, in the village would like to play this season, please do get in contact. We only play friendly fixtures, so the vibes are always social and win, lose or abandoned, everyone has a good time. We’re also hoping for junior cricket to return this summer, so stay tuned for more information on that. Enquiries: chilmarkcc@gmail.com
December 2024-January 2025
No.094
Chilmark Cricket Club stalwart Carl Jacobs has had his contributions towards the local game recognised with a lifetime achievement award from Wiltshire Cricket. The ceremony, held in Devizes Town Hall in early November, saw volunteers from clubs across the county nominated in various categories. They saved the best for last, however, with Jacobs receiving his award towards the end of the ceremony. Tributes from fellow Chilmark players were compiled into a moving video tribute and played in front of the 40-strong crowd in the Assembly Room. Jacobs celebrated the award with a glass of cheap Sauvignon Blanc.
Jacobs played in Chilmark Cricket Club’s first ever game back in 2002. Over the next 22 years he took on every role possible within the club, both on the field and off – wicketkeeper, bowler, batter, scorer, umpire, fixture secretary, groundsman, tea wrangler. In 2015 he became club chairman and helped steer the club from one era to the next. He has been integral in reinstating the junior program, maintaining relations with other stakeholders and village entities, and in ensuring the club retains its reputation as a quintessential village cricket destination.
He’s played a bit too. 168 games to be precise. But you can probably add another 20 for opposition teams when they’ve turned up a player short. His batting return for Chilmark is a respectable 1407 runs at the very village average of 13.93. However, as a bowler, his 58 wickets at 21.95 put him into ‘strike weapon’ territory. Indeed, his proudest moment came when he took 5-28 against the London Erratics back in 2010. A haul that ensured his name will feature on the club honours board long after he hangs up his whites for good. Until then, Chilmark Cricket Club joins Wiltshire Cricket in honouring an icon of the local game.
Brand King