Levelling the ground
Before the 1968 significant work was done to reduce the slope and level the ground at the lower south-west corner of Sandilands. It meant that a fielder at long leg/deep extra cover could actually see the whole of the batsman rather than just his head and shoulders!

It was not immediately successful and for much of the summer the ground in that area was boggy and swamp-like. After a lot of work by the groundsman it gradually improved and Sandilands was enhanced by this work.

The Championships begins
The major development in 1968 was the birth of the Surrey Championship of which Addiscombe CC was a founder member. Cricket in the southern counties was still very different to the northern leagues, such as Lancashire and Bradford who had played in a competitive league format, along with club professionals, since the 19th century.

Until then all matches among the Surrey Clubs had not been played within any form of formalised, competitive structure. Often fixtures were arranged on certain weekends based on long-standing arrangements between clubs. But the argument for a formal league structure was growing and by the mid 1960s a significant number of clubs voted to start the Surrey Championship.

Seventeen clubs made up the inaugural season and these were Addiscombe, Banstead, Beddington, Cheam, Dulwich, East Molesey, Epsom, Guildford, Malden Wanderers, Mitcham, Old Emanuel, Old Whitgiftians, Purley, Spencer, Streatham, Sunbury and Sutton.

First win v Mitcham
The first match of the whole league was between Addiscombe and the eventual winners, Sutton, on 4th May 1968. It was the first match between the two clubs for 63 years and ACC escaped with a rain-affected draw. In fact, bad weather hampered the start of all the league’s first few weeks of matches. ACC went on to record the first victory in the league against their fierce rivals Mitcham a few weeks later.

The ACC team which secured the league’s first ever win was as follows: Terry Kent (Captain), Mike Burrows, Ron Houghton, Paul Hooper, Mike Every (wkt), Peter Williams, B. Burt, Laurie Keelan, John Weale, Keith McKinstrie and David Hooper. ACC had a mixed season and ended up 11th place in the first historic season of the Championship.

Strengthening in the 70s
Mike Burrows and Terry Kent continued to be high performing all-rounders but the arrival of John Cox and Austin Agard greatly strengthened the 1st XI. Keith McKinstrie and Ken Adams helped form a potent bowling attack.

1970 was a great season as ACC came second in the Surrey Championship and reached the semi-final of the national ‘Robins Cup’. Fast bowler Chris Whitehouse was affected by injury but he showed his quality with 9-20 v Beddington.

Alan Butcher, who would go on to play for Surrey and Glamorgan and win an England Test cap, was a key player. Against Mitcham in 1974, he scored 89 and then took 5-28. In that season, ACC won the Regional stage of the Cricketer National Knock-Out Cup with Paul Hooper scoring 70 not out to beat South Hampstead.

Club characters
The club had many strong characters who joined in this era and would stay associated with the club for decades.

Brothers Paul and David Hooper both played for the 1st and 2nd XIs for many years and held key positions on the committee. The irrepressible Roy Sattar, who had represented Barbados in the 1948 Olympics in cycling, was an eccentric but skilful bowler who got a huge number of wickets. Derek Stevens captained ‘The Strollers’, a very successful Sunday 3rd XI which developed in the 70s and in 1976 he got 8-16 in one match. The team would later be captained by others such as Crispin Williams and Aiden Eaton who gave great service to ACC.

Seamer turned leg-spinning all-rounder Don Stevens and wicketkeeper Brian Carter were both significant players. As well as captaining teams they also led the popular ‘Add-Sparkle’ cabaret evenings which ran between 1971 and 1985.

Former colt, Ian ‘Wildy’ Turner was an aggressive batsman with a legendary competitive spirit. Many found it ironic that later on the Wildman would became a Premier League umpire!

Another youngster in this period, Ian Harris was described in ‘The Hectic’ as a ‘Dulwich College scholar who likes his pint’, clearly showing the promise that would later lead to him receiving an MBE for services to the drinks industry!

End of an era
Throughout this period Joe Peirce continued his reign as Club President. He had received both an OBE and a CBE for his work for the National Playing Fields Association.

But in 1979, he died after a short illness. Following his funeral, a ceremony was held at Sandilands at which his ashes were scattered on the square of the beloved ground that he had done so much for.

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Next instalment: Youth and Experience 1980-1990

We have copies of the book 'Addiscombe Cricket Club: a history' available for a £5 donation to club funds. Please email AddiscombeCC@Outlook.com if you would like a copy.