The major reconstruction of the ground which took place in 1972, necessitated the removal of the old timber scorebox, which in any case was probably nearing the end of its useful life.

For financial reasons alone, the purchase of a relatively small second-hand timber shed, as a temporary measure, seemed to be the best option, thereby allowing time to address the best permanent solution.  The fact that the ground was unavailable for matches due to the ground reconstruction, and also the need to allow the new playing surface to become properly established, gave some breathing space for the acquisition of a suitable shed. Mr Beaghan undertook to source a suitable shed and managed to find one for about £50 by July 1974. On completion of the new ‘permanent’ scorebox in 1981, Mr Beaghan bought the then ‘surplus to requirements’ shed from the Club. It remained in his garden until his death in 2022, no doubt giving him a constant daily reminder of what everyone recognised as an enormous contribution he had made to the Club, and in particular to the playing area, over several decades.

It was not until 1979, that a decision was made to build a substantial and durable permanent Scorebox, and a small sub-committee established to produce proposals.

Early in 1980 an anonymous donation of £400 towards the cost of a Scorebox was received.  It was also recognised that Planning Permission would be required for the new Scorebox. A request for a grant to help fund the cost was submitted to the Ribble Valley Borough Council (RBVC) and the intention was that the new Scorebox would be built prior to the commencement of the 1981 Season.  The RBVC advised the Club to seek financial support from its local Parish Councils, which was duly followed up. But subsequent Minutes indicate that a grant of £400 was obtained from the RVBC. Also, a £50 donation from the Clayton-le-Dale Parish Council can be reasonably assumed to have been in support of the Scorebox project. The overall total of donations amounted to £1 425, far in excess of the actual materials cost of approximately £600.

Mr Dickinson undertook to set in motion the preparation of an application for Planning Permission and confirmation of approval was reported in November 1980, but with the unexpected requirement for renewal after a five year period, for which the Club sought an explanation.  The construction work of the breeze-block structure of the scorebox, on a concrete base, was largely carried out by Club members, under the direction of Harry Wharton.  The new scorebox was in operation for the start of the 1981 Season.

Considerable discussion took place regarding the method of displaying the score details, serious consideration being given to possible purchase of an electrical/electronic system, in part arising from some concerns about the safety aspect of hanging tin sheets on nails.  However, the traditional system was retained. Many discussions about an electronic display system occurred in subsequent years ! 

The roof was found to need attention in 1990. This was carried out, as was further work on the roof in 1995.  Despite efforts to enhance the security of the Scorebox, an occurrence of vandalism was reported in November 1996. 

At the October 1962 AGM, shortly after the purchase of the ground from the Huntroyde Estate, the Chairman drew the attention of members to the importance of ‘development of the ground’.  His statement that the purchase of the ground ‘would not be the end, but only the beginning, and all members had an equal responsibility in making the ground purchase worthwhile’ proved over time, to have been entirely appropriate.  He was referring to, not just the playing area, but the overall facilities, and without doubt, included in his vision was the need for a new pavilion. 

He explained that most of the Premium Bonds prize money would be expended on the ground purchase and therefore the further developments would ‘have to be obtained by hard work’.  Club members bought into this strategy in the ensuing years, recognising the need for a prioritisation of the various improvements envisaged.

By November 1962, it had been established that financial assistance for the building of a new pavilion may be forthcoming from the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA). Shortly afterwards it emerged that a better grant may be obtainable from the Ministry of Education than from the NPFA.  It was noted that a grant from the Ministry of Education was likely to be 60% of the total cost. It was recognised that work on the pavilion would have to be done in stages, as cash became available, and the order of precedence would have to be decided.

In March 1963 Mr C H Frankland reported that a satisfactory new pavilion comprising dressing rooms, toilets and refreshment room would cost approximately £2 000 and some suggestions were made for minor alterations to the initial plan for the proposed building.  By February 1964, however, the estimated cost for the pavilion had risen to £5 892, this being the first element of an overall Club development programme envisaged to be of the order of £15 000.  It was decided that a request for a grant be submitted to the Ministry of Education and at the same time an enquiry about financial support also put to the NPFA. It was hoped that it may be possible for building work to commence at the end of the 1965 Season.  A site visit by a Ministry of Education Inspector in July 1965 gave the Club some optimism that grant aid would be forthcoming.

In August it was decided to apply for a NPFA loan of £2 000, repayable over a 3 year period.  Unfortunately, by February 1966, not only were loans subject to a maximum of £750, but the award of Ministry of Education Grants had been suspended for an indefinite period.  However, the suspension period was short-lived, but resumption of grants was expected to be on a limited scale. The Club accepted an offer from the NPFA of 3 year loan of £750.

By April 1966 it became clear that the Club’s application for a Ministry of Education Grant was not included in the ‘first’ list of applications to be considered, but encouragement was taken from the fact that it was included in the ‘second’ list.  The Club was advised by its agent Mr Forbes that, in order to qualify for a grant, the planned ‘social area’ would have to be omitted or re-designated. A revised plan, omitting the social area had the benefit of reducing the estimated cost from £6 000 to £4 000, without precluding the possibility of identifying the building of a social area extension as a future project.  It then became apparent that a ‘tea-room’ as opposed to a ’social area’, could be included in a grant application. In March 1967 a £5 000 plan including a tea-room was under consideration by the Ministry of Education.

The fact that the condition of the existing timber pavilion was reported to be such that it could not be expected to last beyond the 1967 Season, served to highlight the desperate need for progress on the financial front.  Mindful of the need to avoid any possible further delay to construction of a new pavilion, and the critical need for contractor vehicular access across the Common Land for delivery of materials, work commenced on creating a suitably firm surface across the Common Land for delivery vehicles.

In May 1967 the Club received confirmation from the Department of Education and Science of the award of a grant of £2 322 towards the new pavilion, payable by instalments.  The Club’s current financial position meant that the project could proceed immediately.

The Pavilion Specification prepared by the Club’s architect was issued to five potential contractors, seeking tender submissions. By July 1967, Cort and Holden, who had submitted the lowest tender, was selected as the company to build what turned out to be Phase 1 of the new pavilion.

Disappointing though it was that the social area had necessarily been omitted from the revised plans, it was recognised that it could be identified as a potential future project. Reconsideration of priorities established that reconstruction of the ground should remain the next priority, and take precedence over an extension to the pavilion.

The building work progressed well and was completed prior to the commencement of the 1968 Season, along with demolition of the old timber pavilion.  This major milestone was marked by a cricket match between past and present players on Easter Monday 15 April 1968.  The Club Minutes reveal that a film showing the opening of the new pavilion and ‘action pictures’ of play during the 1968 Season would be shown at the AGM.

The final overall cost of the first phase of the pavilion project was £5 311 of which £2 322 was covered by the grant.

Phase 2 of the pavilion did not materialise until 10 years later, in part, as a consequence of the decision to give priority to the ground reconstruction over a pavilion extension, and only after several design iterations, principally associated with difficulties associated with identifying the best approach to meeting the Club’s need for improved storage facilities.

In 1973 a decision was made that a new storeroom should be incorporated into the new pavilion, rather than be contained within a new Scorebox.  Plans for this were submitted to the Blackburn Rural District Council (RDC), which not too surprisingly, resulted in the RDC insisting that matching brickwork would be required.  An application for a grant towards the cost of the above storeroom had been rejected, which resulted in a sub-committee being appointed with the remit: ‘to review the storeroom needs and siting thereof, bearing in mind possible extensions of dining and toilet areas, and in so doing to seek as wide a view as possible’. 

In April 1974, the sub-committee recommended that an integral storeroom should be the aim and it was agreed that outline planning and building regulations approval should be sought. A target building date of March/April 1975 for the proposed pavilion extension was set, with priority to be given to a storeroom, other extensions to be delayed if necessary to ensure storeroom completion in readiness for the 1975 Season. 

A possible plan, prepared by Riley Burwat, was rejected because it failed to meet the first priority, relating to adequate additional equipment storage area. The Committee decided therefore to revert to the original plan and Mr Cort and one other builder were requested to submit estimates with a clear breakdown of costs of various elements, of which the storeroom was one such element. 

In November 1974 it was agreed that planning permission be sought for the full scheme of pavilion extension, but in three stages:  1 storeroom, 2 end of bar, 3 the remainder; with every effort to be made to avoid possible delay in respect of the storeroom.

However, on further reflection, it was accepted that building a storeroom behind the pavilion would make any additional building more difficult in view of restricted access. In order to overcome this potential problem, it was agreed that the necessary storeroom should be achieved by a double garage in the corner of the field near to the pavilion. It was further agreed that the building of a bar and appropriate extension should be discussed at the AGM, to establish the extent of likely support and demand. 

Mr Dickinson reported the fact that the Planning Authority had expressed an unwillingness to approve the proposed plan for a double garage, probably influenced by the likelihood of objections being submitted by residents of the Hazels, but he was requested to press hard to get support for the Club’s proposal at an imminent site meeting with an officer of the Planning Authority. 

Taking all factors into consideration in February 1975, it was finally concluded that a single application should be submitted for a double garage directly behind the pavilion close to the ground access gate. This proved to be acceptable to the Planning Authority and the eventual planting of climbing plants helped to screen the double garage.

At the beginning of 1976, Messrs Wharton and Dickinson were requested to draw up a revised plan for a relatively modest pavilion extension based on a seating capacity of approximately twenty. This resulting plan had an estimated cost of £7 000 and would provide an additional area of approximately twice the size of the existing ‘dining’ area.  Several potential uses of the proposed extension, in addition to match day use, were identified, including for example activities for Junior members such as table tennis.

It was agreed in principle to proceed with revised plan, subject to receipt of a satisfactory quotation and being able to raise the necessary finance. Towards the end of 1976, having established that a loan of up to approximately £5 000, repayable over a 10 year period if required, was likely to be available, the Committee felt able to back the initiative, provided a second quote indicated that the quote of approximately £6 000 supplied by Mr Cort was a fair one. 

By February 1977, Local Authority Planning Approval had been gained, but some concerns remained about financing the project, resulting in a possible stage-by-stage approach, but at the same time noting Mr Blackman’s urging to achieve maximum floor area. 

A sub-committee in the summer of 1977 recommended that a stage-by-stage approach be adopted to avoid the risk of putting the Club into heavy debt. It was acknowledged that there may need to be some minor alterations but understood that the overall scale of the project should remain unchanged.  The issue of a veranda was discussed, the outcome of which was that an outdoor veranda was the preferred choice, even though this obviously didn’t maximise the internal floor area. The adoption of the plan including a veranda, meant that the existing front line of the building was retained. Mr Cruse was appointed Clerk of Works for the pavilion extension.

By April 1978, the base had been laid (twelve inches below the existing pavilion floor level) at a cost of £620 and it was agreed that the sooner the walls and roof were built, the better. Securing of a loan, if necessary up to £800 was agreed, so that it would enable this further work to be carried out at an estimated cost of approximately £1 500. Work on the roof, glazing and asphalting of the floor were given the go-ahead in July.  It was also agreed to have a timber inset floor area.

Including furniture, carpet tiles, joinery, electrical work and decorating, the overall cost was expected to be approximately £7 000. The extended pavilion was judged to have a safe capacity of 70 people. 

Following a number of previous discussions with the Matthew Brown Brewery, and a request for them to reconsider the terms of their most recent loan offer, it was agreed that a loan of £1 500 should be sought, pending a financially successful Gala Day event, with the final decision regarding the loan being made after the Gala Day. In the light of the successful Gala Day Event generating a profit of £800, a loan of £1 000, repayable over 2 years was agreed. 

From the commencement in 1962 of plans for a new pavilion, to completion of Phase 2, had taken more than fifteen years, but this project proved to be just as important to the Club as the initial purchase of the ground and the major reconstruction of the playing area.

Members of the Club, many of whom were still active playing members, had worked extremely hard to overcome a whole range of obstacles and challenges that arose, in pursuit of these permanent major improvements, being at all times prudent in respect of avoiding jeopardising the Club’s financial status.  For those of us involved, it was a great privilege to have been involved in this stage of the Club’s development, and an immense pleasure to work in a highly committed team of volunteers helping the Club achieve its long-term aims. 

By 1982 it became apparent that the roof was in need of repair, but it wasn’t until 1991 that a major repair project became absolutely essential, costing in excess of £6 000 including VAT, minor repairs it seems having sufficed in the meantime.

A serious blockage was identified in 1984 in a section of sewer pipe running from the pavilion and passing through the garden of No 21 The Hazels.  Also, the presence of unacceptable smells in the vicinity of the old septic tank led to the recognition that possibly one of the pavilion discharge pipes had not been correctly linked in with the pipework leading to the sewer.  This eventually proved to be the case and the problem of the sink waste discharge pipe not having been properly connected to the sewer pipework, was rectified. 

Improvement of the ladies’ toilet facilities was identified as a high priority in 1984, the existing situation being described as ‘grossly inadequate’. The agreed solution was to relocate the storage garage from its position adjacent to the pavilion, so as to enable an extension to the pavilion to be built.  Planning Approval for the re-siting of the storage garage was given early in 1985, but the quotes received, based on the plans produced for the ladies’ toilet improvement project, incorporating also a storeroom, were considered to be unaffordable in 1987.

The acquisition of a snooker table for the pavilion in 1991 was a further enhancement of facilities. 

In the nineties several aspects of the pavilion and its facilities became in need of repair, replacement and refurbishment, the first of which was the framework of the large window in the pavilion. In 1996 necessary bar renovations were completed. 

In 1994 an architect was engaged to produce drawings in respect of a further extension to the pavilion, quite probably concerned with improvement of ladies’ toilet facilities and storeroom, but not specified in the minutes. 

Rewiring became necessary in 2001, in part at least because of vermin access.

In 1980, not for the first time, a tribute was paid to Michael Foley for his outstanding contribution as Junior Teams Manager, following the tremendous achievements again of Junior teams, including their successes achieved at Old Trafford.   

The following paragraphs are taken from the tribute which appeared                                        in the Lancashire Telegraph, following Michael’s death in 2022.

Tributes have been paid to a much-loved player and official who dedicated more than 60 years to Lancashire cricket.

Dr Mike Foley was recovering from a hip replacement operation while at home but died on February 21, aged 86.

Mike was a long-standing servant of Salesbury Cricket Club, initially as a player and then since the late 1960s as junior team manager. He was well known throughout Lancashire cricket and received an MBE in 2003 for services to Salesbury Cricket Club and to young cricketers.

Mike was described as one of the most respected men in cricket and known for his ‘knowledge, dedication, gentle manner and politeness within the sport’.

His career spanned more than six decades during which time he helped to rejuvenate his local club and inspire a new generation into cricket.

Mike is first mentioned in the cricket club minutes in 1957 when he supported a vote of confidence in the club's selection committee following unease among the club members which forced a club EGM (extraordinary general meeting).  

In 1959 he was one of 16 club members who were committed to selling football sweepstake tickets for 6d, in order for the club to raise funds to purchase the ground. 

Through that and other fundraising efforts, the ground was eventually brought into club ownership. In 1960 he joined the main club committee. He stayed on the committee until 2007. 

In his playing days, he was part of the 1st team that won the club’s first league title in the Chorley and District league in 1968. In 1969 he undertook the position of second team captain, a position he held until the end of the 1978 season. During that period he was supported by the club president, John Mather, as his vice captain.

In 1972 he led the second team to their first league title. 

In 1969 the club took the decision to level the ground and Mike formed a sub-committee to oversee the works. He later formed a sub-committee to oversee replacement and installation of drains to improve the ground. During his time on the committee he kept a keen eye on the club's machinery and ensured the club maintained and replaced it as required. 

Mike continually looked for grants or methods of fundraising to support the club and specifically support junior cricket at Salesbury. He continued to sell football cards and in 1978 raised £145 by holding a junior cricket ball throwing competition. 

From the 1970s onwards there was an annual expression of thanks at the club's AGM for all the work that Mike was doing to support the younger members of Salesbury Cricket Club. In 1979 the club appointed Mike the club's junior cricket manager, a reflection of the work he had been doing for a number of years. It was a post he enjoyed and held to this year. 

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the juniors made regular appearances at Old Trafford in age group finals. 

Mike was always on the lookout for sponsorship for the teams to help with the travel costs. To try and support juniors transition to senior cricket, Mike was among those in the club that pushed in 1979 to form a third team that could play in the Ribblesdale League third division. The Chorley and District league, at the time, only had two Saturday divisions.

As well as supporting the juniors in the 1980s, Mike took on the role of finding match sponsorship for the senior teams and also preparing the “Red Book” of fixtures. 

In 2001 he was elected chairman of the club’s selection committee.  

He was granted honorary Life Membership of the club in 2015.

Salesbury Cricket Club President, John Mather, said: “I first met Michael Foley when I started at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School; he was a few years ahead of me. 

“We all know what a likeable and friendly person Michael was. His parents were just the same and, kindly on occasions, took me home by car, after a cricket or football match. In addition to his passion for cricket, probably not many people would have known that Michael was also useful as an ‘outside left’ (forward) on the football field.

“Michael was one of a small group of people who managed in 1962 to persuade the Committee of Salesbury Cricket Club to allow me to become a playing member, despite the fact that I lived in Osbaldeston, just outside the permitted playing membership boundary. 

“I have therefore always been appreciative of Michael’s support. I was one of the first, if not even the first, to have enjoyed that privilege, enabling me then to enjoy 20 wonderful years as a playing member. 

“Without Michael’s support, my very fond memories of the cricket club may well never have been achieved. Michael’s commitment to Salesbury Cricket Club, and in particular to the recruitment and development of junior members was truly outstanding. 

“I recall often being amazed how much time he spent on the field during summer evenings, in the sixties and seventies, not to mention all the ‘off-field’ effort he put into the organisational aspects. It’s hard to imagine that there could ever have been anyone more committed, over so many decades, to cricket youth development.”

Stan Heaton and Simon Lord, LJCL Executive of Salesbury Cricket Club, paid this tribute: “Mike would spend as many nights as possible down on the ground, coaching, umpiring and supporting juniors of all ages.

“He was keen for cricket to be coached and played whenever possible, regardless of the weather. If it was safe to play he was happy to umpire and score underneath his golf umbrella. 

“Parents could either get a little damp or watch from their cars. The spirit of cricket was instilled in all the juniors that came into contact with him. Shirts needed to be white and tucked in the playing trousers. 

“Caps, if worn had peaks to the front. He gave everything to junior cricket. In the later years when he was unable to attend to coach, he would still continue to spend the spring arranging all the junior fixtures. 

“On home match days, he would always ring to check ground conditions if it had been raining and to ensure that a wicket had been prepared. Whenever possible he would drive to the ground and park his car as close to the boundary edge as possible.

“He would check the ground was fit before driving round to the score box. If he needed to park by the club house he would bring his binoculars (also used for another of his pastimes, bird watching) so he could watch the game and make judgements on players. 

“After each season he would prepare all the statistics for the junior teams, ready for awards nights and inclusion in the following season’s ‘Red Book’.”

A message from Lancashire Junior Cricket says: “It was always a pleasure to deal with Mike and to meet up with him at our junior matches. As one of our elder statesmen, Mike was an invaluable source of common sense and understanding of the game and so very influential in the development of junior cricketers. 

“Indeed over the years hundreds upon hundreds of junior cricketers have benefited from Mike's wisdom, teaching and insistence on the game being played in the correct spirit. We have been contacted by many within junior cricket already. 

“It is clear that Mike will be very much missed within the junior cricket community for both his contribution to the sport, and the children and for his humility and humanity.”

Away from cricket, following attending university Mike worked at Crown Paints in Darwen until 1988 and then moved into his passion of natural history. 

He gained his PhD in 1998 and became an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Lancaster University in September the same year. He was an enthusiastic botanist and an expert plant taxonomist and as mentioned before a keen bird watcher, often loading pictures online of UK and European birds.

For all but his first four years Mike lived in the same house in Salesbury. 

In the 2003 New Year Honours, Mike was awarded the MBE for his services to sport following the 30 years of being coach and manager to Salesbury Cricket Club juniors. 

A junior team member he had coached had paid tribute at the time saying: "One thing that really stood out about him was that he wasn't just interested in the good players. He wanted everyone to do well. He gets everyone involved and he created an enthusiasm for the game in every young player.

The Clayton Cup Competition commenced as a Cricket Competition for Salesbury and its surrounding villages.  It is engraved as Salesbury Memorial Hall Cricket Cup, but it appears that early in its life, the responsibility for arranging a programme of matches was transferred to the Salesbury Cricket Club.

The magnificent trophy was provided by Mr Clayton, believed to be a local resident.

The first reference to the Clayton Cup Competition in the earliest Minutes Book, in the possession of the Club, appears for a Special Meeting immediately following a weekly Selection Committee meeting, on Tuesday 20 May 1930. 

The Rules were read to the representatives of the following:

Mellor, Ramsgreave, Ribchester, Langho, Clayton-le-Dale, Balderstone, Nomads and Wilpshire.

A few weeks later, before any of the matches had been played, a request from a representative of Salesbury for permission to field in their team “a player not resident in Salesbury” was rejected, with the advice that the request should have been made to the earlier meeting of representatives of the villages, at which the Rules had been read out.

The Competition made a profit of £6-10-101/2.  The shillings and pence were given to the groundsman and the £6 shared between the Cricket Club and the Memorial Hall. 

The Club Secretary was instructed to send Mr Clayton (the donor of the Trophy) a statement of the result of the Competition and to invite him to a ‘Social Event’, to present the Clayton Cup.

The above are the earliest records held by the Club concerning the Clayton Cup Competition, but it is possible that the Competition may have taken place on one or more occasions prior to 1930. 

The sharing of profits with the Salesbury Memorial Hall, obviously was linked with the trophy having its origins in the Salesbury Memorial Hall.  

It is reasonable to assume that the Competition continued to take place each year, in the years leading up to the outbreak of war in 1939, but the Club does not have any Minutes Books for the period between 1936 and 1951.

In March 1956 reference was made to ‘entries for the Knock-out Competition’, which probably was for the Clayton Cup Competition.  In April 1957 arrangements were made for a meeting of representatives to discuss the arrangements for the Clayton Cup. It seems that the Competition did take place, as Mr C R Davies of the East Lancs Cricket Club, agreed to attend the Final on 16 July and present the trophy.

On reviewing the 1958 Competition, the Committee concluded that ‘for some time the Competition had brought very little, if any, revenue to the Club, was costly and an embarrassment to the Club, at a period of the season when friendly matches would be more enjoyable and more profitable’. 

The Competition was therefore discontinued, but subsequently re-launched in 1961, and ‘confined to the teams representing the original four parishes (Salesbury, Wilpshire, Clayton-le-Dale and Ramsgreave) and Club members’. 

The wording of the Minute in the September 1958 Committee Meeting implies that the Competition had run for several years in the ‘fifties’, despite there being no specific reference to it in the Club Minutes until 1957.

In March 1961 the Committee considered draft Rules for the Competition and decided that the Rules should be printed in the 1961 Season Fixture Card.  Ten matches enabled each team to play all the other four teams on a ‘league basis’, with the Champions then playing a final match against ‘The Rest’; a team made up of players from all the other four teams.  Matches were played on mid-week evenings, between mid-May and early July. 

The same format was adopted for the 1962 Season, with the concession that Ramsgreave would be permitted to have ‘outside assistance’ (ie select players outside the residential qualification) if they would otherwise be unable to field a side. 

It was also decided to form a sub-committee to govern the Competition, with one representative from each of the five competing teams.

In 1963 the Competition was opened up to other Clubs in the district, with Salesbury 1st XI and 2nd XI teams taking part.  Invitations were issued to the following Clubs: Ribchester, Hurst Green, Brockhall, Langho Colony, Roe Lee Mills, Blackburn Northern, East Lancs, Hospitals, Whalley, Great Harwood and Ribblesdale Wanderers.

At least eight applications were received, and the Competition was won by the East Lancs Club.  In reviewing the Competition, which was deemed to have been very successful, it was noted that there had been some excellent games, and in particular, the Final, which was considered to have been one of the best matches ever played on the ground.

In 1964 Salesbury played East Lancs in the Final, a subsequent Minute implying that East Lancs won.

In 1965, however, Salesbury CC won the Clayton Cup for the first time in the current format and the 2nd XI had also performed well.  In 1967 Darwen were invited to participate as Whalley had declined the invitation.

In 1967 the Club accepted an offer from the East Lancs Cricket Club to supply and have fitted to the plinth of the trophy, a silver band to replace the shields bearing the names of the winners. The trophy, however, does not have winners’ names on it.

In 1968 the standard of teams being fielded by participating Clubs was raised, presumably with regard to the fact that Clubs were invited to field teams of a standard approximating to the Chorley and District League Club standard.  In particular the East Lancashire Club was reminded that players who were established in the Lancashire League would be regarded as ineligible.

The Competition continued up to and including the 1970 Season, but particularly in view of the proposed major project of ‘levelling the ground’, it was decided that the Competition be suspended for the 1971 and 1972 Seasons.

In 1975 a sub-committee was established to consider the possibility of a Clayton Cup Competition involving four or five fixtures.  This led to a tentative plan for a series of matches in mid-June 1976, but it seems that nothing ever developed, and the Clayton Cup Competition era therefore seemed to have come to an end.

For a number of years the whereabouts of the fine trophy were not known, but its reappearance in 1986 led to Bill Blackman suggesting that the Competition might be re-launched. His son John rose to the challenge and in July 1987 the Competition Final took place, with the following four teams having participated: Wilpshire North, Wilpshire South, Salesbury & Clayton-le-Dale and a team made up of non-parishioners. The Competition appears to have continued thereafter, but the bad weather of 1990 prevented any matches from being played, but John Blackman gave an assurance that he would organise the 1991 Competition.

During the fifties and sixties, the various formats of the Clayton Cup Competition had been an important element of the Club’s calendar of cricket matches, eagerly awaited and appreciated, despite some ‘low points’.  The temporary suspension of the Competition during the major ground re-construction project, may have had some part to play in its temporary demise, possibly coupled with the fact that the trophy ‘went missing’ for a while.

The reason for the creation of a digital record of the Club’s history, is to provide members and non-members with easy access to the history of the Club since its formation in 1906. A further advantage of the task, is that it provides a ‘back-up’ source of information, should Minutes Books for example be lost, or destroyed by fire.

A great deal of material has already been scrutinised, articles written based on the Club’s Minutes Books and other records, such as photographs converted to digital format.

The material we are now putting on the Club website, represents the first phase of making the information we have gathered, available to Club members and anyone else viewing our website.

In the coming months, we hope to put a great deal of further material on the website, covering the period 1951 to the present day.  We want to give you the opportunity now to offer comments and advice, before we finalise the material for 1951 onwards.

Also, if anyone has relevant information or photographs for the two periods 1906 to 1919 and 1936 to 1951, we would be delighted to receive that.

Please do not hesitate to draw to our attention any errors or items of information      which you feel should have been included for the period 1919 to 1936.

·       photographs of the ground and its facilities, and of people heavily involved in the Club in its early years, which we would copy and return to you

·       the names of any people in the photographs you lend us and also the names of people in the photographs below 

·       any additional items of information which you feel may be of interest, not only relevant to the 1919 to 1936 period, but also for later years

·       any information for the years 1906 to 1919 and for 1936 to 1951, as we have no Minutes Books for these two periods

Please feel free to contact any of the following people if you wish to offer any comments or if you have information and/or photographs which you feel may be of interest:

John Mather    e-mail:   jdmather@hotmail.co.uk      Tel: 01254 812551

The absence of a mains water supply on the ground had been a long-standing issue of concern, as water had to be carried to the ground for the serving of refreshments.  The serving of refreshments was a tradition, and in fact laid down as a requirement.

Enquiries in 1953 about possible provision of a mains water supply to the ground, the need to carry water to the ground understandably having been reported as problematical, unfortunately resulted in the Committee reaching the view that the cost of £200 was beyond the reach of the Club’s finances.

In August 1960, two years before the ground was purchased by the Club, the first steps were taken to arrange for a mains water supply.  An on-site meeting took place with a representative of the Fylde Water Board to discuss laying a water pipe across the field, along the east side of the playing area. The architects concerned gave an assurance that any damage would be made good, and that the installation was expected to be completed prior to the commencement of 1961 Season.  Following a further visit of a Fylde Water Board representative in December, work commenced in January 1961, with connection to be made to the new water pipe, at the south-east corner of the ground, in readiness for the supply of water to the pavilion.

Unfortunately, it was found that the installation work had damaged the existing concrete practice wicket, beyond possible repair.  The Club therefore asked the Fylde Water Board if it would undertake to replace this in a different position, or alternatively compensate the Club for its loss, suggesting a figure of £50, in addition to the cost of re-seeding of the portion of the playing area which had been disturbed.  The Club also pressed for tidying up the clay and top-soil.  In response, the Fylde Water Board offered £25 compensation, but the Club expressed its dissatisfaction with the Water Board’s reaction, urging that the contractors install a replacement concrete wicket.  It was probably no great surprise that the Water Board did not reply to numerous attempts to achieve progress.

In November 1961 however, the reference in the Minutes Book to the Secretary being requested to write to the Fylde Water Board, asking for the concrete wicket to be two inches below the level of the ground, suggests that the Club’s determination to hold the Fylde Water Board’s contractors to the initial assurances that any damage would be made good, eventually prevailed !

By mid 1962, although the water pipe had been installed more than a year earlier, the necessary supply point to the pavilion had not been installed.  There being no subsequent mention in the Minutes Book of water supply issues, it is assumed that the Club’s demands were eventually satisfied.  

A totally separate ‘water’ issue, is the fact that running between the cricket playing surface and the Hazels residential development, is an underground pipe, believed to be approximately 30 inches diameter, which carries ‘raw’ (untreated) water from Haweswater in the Lake District, feeding reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.  The 90 mile pipeline was commissioned in 1955, having taken 20 years to complete.

Throughout its existence, the Club has benefited enormously from the many contributions made by players’ wives and other ladies associated with the Club. In the early days, in addition to undoubted tasks of knitting sweaters and ensuring that players’ clothing was ready for matches, the ladies were extremely active in organising social activities and in fund-raising.  

The ladies didn’t hesitate to support their husbands, for example by being on the match-day refreshments rota, not only serving cups of tea, but often making the sandwiches and cakes, which were then sold and provided a contribution to fund-raising. 

For many years, the social life of players and their families were closely tied to the Club.  The very fact that wives would bring their children to the cricket field, where they would meet and play with other children, was in respect of the boys at least, helping to prepare the next generation of team players.  The Minutes Books provide ample evidence of family ‘threads’ with grand-parents and parents being followed by family members, not only developing into competent players for the Club, but also in taking on major responsibilities within the Club, and successfully leading it forward.  Without the support and strong ties of the ladies with the Club, this would not have happened. 

This of course is not unique to Salesbury, but it certainly has been a strong characteristic of the Club, helped in no small measure by virtue of it being a rural village Club, which for many years had strict residential membership requirements.

The oldest Minutes Book, dating back to 1919, refers to a ‘Finance and Entertainments Committee’ in 1926, which quite quickly appeared to become the ‘Entertainments Committee’ with at least once, the responsibility of organising the ‘Winter Programme of Entertainments’. The Entertainments Committee membership was entirely male, but it would be quite reasonable to assume that a significant amount of organisation and implementation was carried out by ladies. In addition to events being much enjoyed, they would also have generated essential income to ensure the continuation of the Club.  

A ‘Refreshments Hut’ (no doubt staffed by the ladies) was given go-ahead for construction in 1926 and installed on the field some 10 yards from the footpath near Common Land boundary.

In 1930 the first formally recorded recognition of the Club’s appreciation of the work undertaken by lady members, appears when the Secretary was asked to ‘write to Miss Stokes and to Miss Coar, and thank them for their services this last season’.

A resolution passed at a meeting in April 1930, sounds quite daunting: ‘that Mrs Counsell provide tea and cakes etc for the refreshments for this season,’ but whatever detailed arrangements were put into place, we can assume that the Club conveyed its appreciation.

The Minutes Book covering the fifties contains many records of the invaluable contributions of the ladies.  In the AGM of 1953, the Minutes record that the Chairman Mr Rozee ‘spoke of the great help received from the ladies and expressed the Club’s gratitude not only for their financial assistance but also for the delightful way in which they had again provided refreshments for the teams and spectators.’  He proposed a vote of thanks which was carried unanimously, and the Hon Secretary was instructed to address a suitable letter of appreciation to Mrs Baldwin. 

The Committee also unanimously decided shortly afterwards, that ‘the Ladies’ Committee and helpers should be invited to be the guests of the Club at a function, to be held on a date to be decided by the Ladies’. A view was expressed and recorded in the Minutes that ‘the arrangements made for the last similar occasion, could not be improved’. 

Attendance of Mrs Baldwin and Mrs Kenyon at a Club Committee meeting in March 1954, appears to be the first occasion on which ladies had attended a Club Committee meeting. At that meeting they drew attention to the urgent need for repairs to the Tea Cabin and also of their difficulty on match days of obtaining water. The Chairman promised to draw these issues to the attention of all playing members and to put the matter (presumably the water difficulty) on a proper footing for the coming season. At the next meeting, playing members were urged to support the Whist Drive organized by the Ladies’ Committee in April and that everything possible should be done to assist the Ladies on match days.

The first mention of a possible Jumble Sale appears in the Minutes of the July 1954 Committee meeting, accompanied by a note indicating that members of the Ladies Committee were willing to assist. The records indicate that the first of a long string of profitable Jumble Sales took place in March 1956, the ladies being always heavily involved.

Once again, at the !954 AGM a tribute was paid to the efforts of the Ladies’ Committee. Towards the end of 1954, it was decided that a Social Evening be arranged during the Winter, at which the Ladies’ Committee should be the guests of the Club. It transpired that the Ladies’ Committee felt that they should forgo such an event, owing to the Club’s poor financial situation, which evoked the following response from the Club: ‘the least they could do to repay the ladies for the amount of trouble they took all through the season, was to continue with Social Evenings’.  A similar situation arose in 1956, when because the Ladies’ Committee had not raised as much money as previously, they had hesitancy in accepting the Club’s invitation, but again the Club Committee insisted on the ladies again being invited to the usual dinner as the Club’s guests.  These matters having been recorded in the Minutes, illustrate just how much support the Ladies’ Committee gave to the Club, and also how much the Club genuinely appreciated their efforts.  In 1977, at the request of the Ladies’ Committee, a ‘joint’ Social Committee was established including men. 

Without the involvement of ladies, the Club Musical Concerts which took place in the Memorial Hall in the seventies, simply would not have been possible.  These were magnificent team efforts, which brought enjoyment to many.

Suffice it to say that the Club’s Minutes books record the appreciation expressed at AGM’s of the efforts of the ladies, particularly in aid of fund-raising, such as in 1960, 1962, 1967, 1970

The establishment of a Bar and House Committee in 1988, probably arose in recognition of the steadily increasing utilisation of the pavilion extension. Quite soon after that it was recognised that the Bar and House Committee would be benefit by the inclusion of some lady members, as an alternative to attempting to re-establish a Ladies Committee. Throughout the eighties, Jumble Sales, having commenced in the fifties, also provided a reliable source of funding.

The purpose of these notes is to make abundantly clear, how invaluable the assistance, of ladies associated with the Club, has been throughout the Club’s existence. The serving of refreshments by the ladies on match days has been a feature of the Club throughout its history, but it is hoped that this particular article will serve to make abundantly clear our sincere gratitude for everything they have done and still do, for the benefit of the Club.    

LADIES AND THEIR INVALUABLE CONTIBUTIONS TO THE CLUB

As the ground was originally agricultural land, with farm animals grazing on it in the early years of the Club’s existence, it would have been no surprise that the land drains existing at the time, had their limitations.  It is also reasonable to assume that the severe undulations, particularly on the side remote from the Common Land, were associated with previous agricultural drainage work carried out, prior to use of the field by the Cricket Club.

The Club’s early records, however, do not indicate any major problems of standing water, or match cancellations, although there is evidence to suggest that on occasions the field was not suitable for practice to take place. Perhaps the fact that Friday evening practice in the early part of the twentieth century, was limited to areas at least 50 yards from the match wicket area, may have been associated with relatively poor drainage. A reference in 1932 to a large quantity of stones being left on the pitch by contractors, suggests the likelihood of some drainage work having been carried out then, but the absence of any further information means that we don’t know whether this was on the ‘wicket area’ or the outfield. During the fifties also, there appears not to have been a major drainage problem. 

In October 1951 drainage of the central area of the ground was considered and a cost estimate sought. Work was carried out on the lower side of the wicket (square) at a cost of £50 and a plan of the new drains produced, for future reference.

The Minutes reveal that the weather during the1954 Season had been the worst in memory, but that ‘its interference with matches had not been exceptional', therefore again suggesting that there had not been particularly serious problems with drainage.

In 1956 after another wet summer, consideration was given to ‘digging up the ground over the field drains and filling with ashes’.  However, in recognition of the fact that it would not be possible for a truck to get across the saturated Common Land, the idea was abandoned.

In July 1965 excavation of a drain on the lower side of the ground was expected to assist temporarily in drying the ground, and later in the year John Beaghan arranged to take some measurements of the amount of drainage ‘fall’.  Further investigations were assisted by a firm based in Burnley, indicating that by this time, the Club recognised that the problem of drainage needed addressing.  The planned work on the lower side of the ground had been completed by early 1966, and the machinery used was still available, with the possibility therefore of some further work being carried out on the pavilion side of the ground, but whether such additional work was actually carried out is not known.  Consideration was also given to carrying out ‘mole’ draining in specific locations.

In the late Summer of 1966, the team captains were requested to consult with playing members to ascertain how many would be prepared to assist in the carrying out of further drainage work, involving the installation of some new drains.  Progress reported in October indicates that playing members responded positively.  By February 1967 the new drainage areas had been ‘filled in’ and all that remained was levelling off.  At the 1967 AGM the chairman paid tribute to the efforts of John Beaghan who coordinated the installation of the new drains, and also thanked the many playing members who had been involved in what had been a major effort to improve the ground drainage. 

By 1970, the Club’s plans for the major reconstruction of the ground, involving extensive excavations and movement of excavated material from one side of the ground to the other, to create a uniformly smooth playing area, inevitably brought ground drainage back into focus.  John Beaghan undertook to obtain a copy of the plan of existing drains, and prepare a new drainage plan, in readiness for inclusion in the Specification to be provided to potential contractors for the ground reconstruction project.  

Early in 1973, following the completion of the ground ‘levelling’ project, it was recognised that the drainage system was not working perfectly, and the contractors suggested that ‘spiking’ of the ground be undertaken. Also, the contractors were requested to investigate a drain which had been identified as having water lying above it, suggesting therefore a misalignment or some form of blockage.

At the end of the season, it was also decided that subsoiling should be carried out, as per the Specification, but due to adverse weather conditions in the Autumn of 1973, this had to be postponed until the Autumn of 1974.  The ‘subsoiling’ process serves to shatter the earth, thereby creating tiny fissures, through which the water is then able to flow. 

David Dickinson approached the Ribble Valley Borough Council in 1980, drawing to their attention bad drainage conditions on the Common Land, the Club’s belief being that this was considered to be having a bad effect on the cricket ground. In 1981 poor ground conditions led to a lengthy discussion of how best to address the drainage problems. This resulted in a decision that the Club should become a member of the Sports Turf Research Institute. The ensuing detailed report from the Institute indicated that the likely cost of implementing their recommendations would be around £10 000. Their recommended spacing for slit draining was considered to be rather small and a wider spacing would be one way of reducing potential costs. It was agreed that some excavations should be made to establish the condition of the existing drains and that if they were found to be satisfactory, then as much money as possible should be spent on a selected strip of ground in an attempt to establish the optimum spacing for slit draining.

It transpired that the drains themselves were in satisfactory condition, but that the problem was associated with the difficulty of the water finding its way through the heavy clay, to reach the drains.  This prompted the Institute to suggest that it may be advantageous to have fewer deep drains and a rather larger number of shallower drains. The Club decided to carry out further work at the Ribchester Road end of the ground in the summer of 1982. A maximum expenditure of £2 500 was initially set for this work, but following confirmation of a £500 grant from the Ribble Valley Borough Council towards the costs, the figure was increased to £4 000, but the work actually carried out for £2 754

In 1985 further investigations were carried out at the Hazels end of the ground, where the contractor found a number of broken drains and expressed the view that the drains were too deep. The appropriate work was carried out at a cost of £1 280, close to the ‘bank’ of the ground.   

At the end of the 1990 Season, the need for extensive spiking of the ground was identified and a suggestion that a set of solid tines be purchased for aeration of the ‘square’.

The need for continually carrying out drainage work did not abate in the nineties.

By early 1994 a great deal of verti-drainage, involving creation of vertical holes by a spiking process, had been carried out by Club members.  A year later a quote of £23 000 was received for re-draining the ground (presumably the whole ground).  It’s safe to assume that this was immediately considered unaffordable.

A suggestion in 1998, that cutting a drainage channel of approximately 10 yards length, leading to a nearby tile drain, in particular areas of the ground prone to waterlogging, may be worth doing. This, carried out by a working party, did prove to be successful.

Varying further figures for the likely cost of a full re-drain appear in the Minutes.  In 1999 extensive further drainage work was carried out on the South and East sides of the ground, for a final cost of £8 620, but possibly excluding VAT. A Ribble Valley Borough Council grant of £3 000 was received towards this latest project together with an anonymous donation of an undisclosed amount.

No sooner had this been completed than plans were afoot for the next stage of drainage.  A quote of almost £8 000 resulted in the go-ahead being given for the work to be completed before the commencement of the 2000 Season.  The work was completed by mid-May with only verti-draining by the end of May.

Drainage issues persisted over the years, but the Club also persisted in taking continual action, resulting in an ever improving ground.  

NEW SCOREBOX

NEW PAVILION

MICHAEL FOLEY MBE

Clayton Cup Competition

Introduction to the Salesbury website

MAINS WATER SUPPLY

LADIES AND THEIR INVALUABLE CONTIBUTIONS TO THE CLUB

CRICKET GROUND DRAINAGE