Club History

History

Since 1935...

From the playing fields of Pavor to the green slope of Cricketfield Road, Barton Cricket Club has come a long way since it was formed in 1935.

The club's founding fathers also took in a spell at Windmill Hill before switching to Cricketfield – hopefully our home for many years to come.

In those long-gone days net practice was on a concrete strip at the bottom of the field or borrowing those at Audley Park School (now Torquay Community College), and the clubhouse was a little green hut with Double Diamond the main beer and run entirely by volunteers.

Barton team at their annual six-a-side tournament

The likes of Den ‘Lucko' Luxton, Cyril Brimicombe and Bill Morgan will never be seen again – although we still have Cliff Bryant, Alf Blakey and “Terrible Twins” Bob and Gerry Meyer.

Regarded as a so-called “junior” club by our bigger neighbours, we made our name on the park in the early days as kings of the knockout cup competition, winning countless Narracott, Brockman and Kendall Meek trophies.

We were also just as successful with the dawn of league cricket in the '70s under the guise of the Shiphay Manor League, with local derbies against St Marychurch, Cockington and Chelston do-or-die affairs. Die if you argued with Roy ‘Chopper' Horswell!

It was a while before we were invited into the then Devon league, but it was well worth the wait, winning promotion to the A Division in 1977.

But three years in the top flight was to end in bitter disappointment and relegation back into the B Division.

The setback proved to be a turning point in the playing history of the club as the membership decided to become the first club in Devon League history to appoint a professional – with particular emphasis on coaching both young and old.

Enter the maestro from Lahore – Agha Zahid.

Watford manager and former Spurs star Steve Perryman

The Pakistani international rejuvenated the club both on and off the field, made friends – and gained respect – wherever he went.

His impact on playing standards was immediate. The club went on to win championships in 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1989. It became – and still is – the only club to have accomplished the League and Devon Cup double, and twice at that, in 1987 and 1989.

Barton's 1986 First XI

It also lost its “junior” tag to become one of, if not the, top clubs in the county.

T he overseas player tradition has been maintained – Asad Butt helped us to a top five place in the Premier Division a few seasons ago and nobody will argue that our current pro Aqeel Ahmed – back with us for a sixth summer in 2007 - does not have a massive future in the game.

The First XI pictured in 1987

An array of overseas players have played for the club since the days of Zahid. They have come from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh and even Wales.

Many have stayed in touch, impressed with the famous Barton welcome which made them part of the Cricketfield Road family.

Barton took on Gloucestershire in a charity match

In fact, the sister of one Australian who played here liked it so much she took one of our best young players back Down Under with her and they got married last year. Lee and Sam Elmore and now living in Laverton, just outside Melbourne and are now expecting their first child.

The pros are not just about helping to win games. They have added a new dimension to the club, made our approach to the game more professional. Most important, they coach both young and old.

There was a time when we were frowned upon for employing an overseas player and laughed at for our pre-match warm-ups. Now virtually everybody has a “pro” and the laughing has stopped – they are too busy doing their own exercises.

The 90s were less kind than the 80s with a couple of victories in the Devon KO Cup but little success in the League.

The Knockout Cup winners of 1989 (click image to enlarge)

For some unknown reason we seemed to be brilliant at grooming up-and-coming young players – and then see them end up playing for some of our main rivals. There was little talent coming through.

But that, hopefully, is not the case now.

The colts' section was brought back to life 14 years ago with just a handful of kids. Now we play in four divisions of the South Devon Youth League and boast a colts section of more than 50 children aged from around seven to 17.

Coaching, led by ECB-qualified coaches, takes place all year round. During the winter the demand this year for coaching has been so strong that we have had to hire out the sports hall at South Devon College. During the summer dozens turn up for our Sunday morning training school.

The Fathers beat the Sons in 1995

A vast array of trophies has been bagged by the youngsters over the years, including several South Devon League championships. County cups have also been won at under-15 and 16 levels.

Several of our youngsters have been picked for regional and full Devon teams. Nick Watkin, Adam Parker and Richard Milton were lucky enough to be selected for a ground-breaking Devon Youth Cricket Board under-16 tour to South Africa some ago with Jack Porter following in their footsteps 12 months later.

Adam and Aaron Williams have since returned to Cape Town and the Kruger Park with the Devon – as coaches. Well done, lads.

From the playing fields of Pavor to the green slope of Cricketfield Road, a large number of the colts have now broken into senior cricket, including the first team and Premier Division games.

The whole purpose of the colts' section is to breed tomorrow's first team players. Some regard our youth set up as the best in the county. Without the youngsters there is no tomorrow and we must strive to make sure they blossom for the sake of the club.

The unthinkable happened in 1999 when we were relegated from the Premier Division. But – just as we did in 1980 – we put on a united front and decided to rebuild and start again.

Swift promotion followed back to the top flight. Consolidation in the Premier was accompanied by another shot at the Devon KO Cup, narrowly losing in the final to Paignton that same season. And in the 2003 season we missed out on that elusive championship title by just a point.

It's that sort of fighting spirit that has kept Barton at the forefront of county cricket over the past 20 years.

It hasn't been easy going all the time, either on or off the field. A brilliant band of volunteers have managed to steer the social side of the club through some stormy waters and now it's back on an even keel.

Add that kind of dedication to an army of supporters second to none anywhere in the West Country and you have a recipe for success.

Stir in new senior recruits during the winter and add to them the prospect of our Sunday morning kids becoming the Saturday afternoon stars of the future and you have a mouth-watering future.

That's if we continue to back the younger players and all continue to pull in the right direction in typical Barton style. It's something that every other club in the country envies fiercely.