Hampshire Cricket History


An Island Trip?
February 22, 2015, 8:45 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

I reported (below) the recent death of Brian Gardener who developed Newclose Cricket Ground near Newport (IOW).

I’ve been reading this weekend’s edition of The Cricket Paper where I was surprised to learn that Hampshire’s Stuart Robertson and other “Hampshire officials” are due to visit the ground this week to discuss the possibility of playing the 50 over match v Lancashire there on 17 August. I’m surprised, because Stuart attended the Members’ Committe meeting last Tuesday from which I also reported, yet no mention was made of this plan. I will try to discover if the news report is correct.

5 Comments

5 Comments

The following was in the IOW County Press after Brian Gardener’s death, so it looks as if the report could be correct :

“Fellow Newclose trustee, and Ventnor Cricket Club chairman, John Hilsum said: “Brian was a very dear friend, president at Ventnor and a great benefactor to Isle of Wight cricket. Newclose, a fantastic facility, is his legacy. We are hoping to stage a county one day match in August, and sadly Brian will not see his dream of county cricket at the ground fulfilled.”

Hope it happens and the weather is kind!

Comment by Ian White February 24, 2015 @ 12:48 am

Let’s hope so Ian and thanks for that. John H was a fine IOW opening bat for years and his son Ian, a leggie, was briefly on Hampshire’s staff about ten years ago.

Comment by pompeypop February 24, 2015 @ 7:25 am

After the fixtures for the season have been published and the club have accepted my expensive membership fee, I believe it is wrong for fixtures to be moved from the Ageas Bowl at this late stage. It is prohibitively expensive to get to the Isle of Wight after all

Comment by Andy February 25, 2015 @ 9:26 pm

Playing at grounds other than the Ageas Bowl would probably help increase the local public’s interest in Hampshire, but like Andy says it is quite expensive to get over to the Isle of Wight, especially as we would need transport to get to Newport.
If the club do go for this plan, I wonder if it is worth them looking at running coaches over from the Ageas Bowl at a nominal cost for members/ticket holders; otherwise the risk is that they would be playing in front of almost deserted stands.

Comment by David Blackstone February 27, 2015 @ 3:45 pm

I doubt it would be deserted as am sure the novelty factor would see islanders attend. I would be keen to go and watch just to say I was there.

Comment by Ian February 27, 2015 @ 3:52 pm


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