Gumley Cricket Club

Gumley Cricket Club

Gumley Top Cricket Ground (2013)
League	Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket League
Team information
Founded	1977
Home ground	Gumley Top, Gumley
Official website	Gumley Cricket Club

Gumley Cricket Club is an amateur cricket club based in Gumley, Leicestershire, England. The club has three senior teams.^[1] The Saturday XI, having traditionally played friendlies,^[2] started playing competitive cricket in 2009, in the Northamptonshire Cricket League. A Sunday XI side plays friendly fixtures against an established selection of clubs in and around the region. A Midweek XI compete in the Market Harborough District Midweek Evening League and Knockout competitions.

Gumley is a small village in South East Leicestershire, 4 miles north west of Market Harborough. Gumley cricket field is situated in the middle of the scheduled remains of the Gumley medieval settlement^[3] on the North West edge of the village, on a picturesque position along the gated road to Laughton. The field has extensive views of the valley looking South from the pavilion, and is characterised by the road which bisects a small portion of the outfield between the square and the pavilion. Motorists are relatively few on this particular stretch, but those that do arrive during a game are politely asked by way of a sign to wait until the end of the over.

There's a long history of cricket in Gumley, with reference to matches as early as the mid 19th century. One account, reported in the Leicester Chronicle in 1873 recorded a match between Kibworth and Gumley regressing into a brawl between the two teams, fueled in part by the presence of alcohol.^[4] However, facilities and decorum have improved markedly over the years. A concerted effort by several club members have raised the quality of the square and fund raising efforts have yielded many improvements to the pavilion, in particular a much needed new roof.^[5]

The club arranges an annual tour of 4 matches on consecutive days from the Thursday after the late May Bank Holiday. Past venues include: Margate, Braintree, Barnstaple, Havant, Harrogate, etc. The tour has been a regular feature of the club calendar since 2000.

The Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket League competition results showing the club's position (by Division) since 2017.^[6]

The Northamptonshire Cricket League competition results showing the club's position (by Division) since 2008.^[7]

The club appoints a separate Captain for each of its three teams. Captain since 1977 are as follows:

Since 1977 are as follows:

Performance prizes awarded at the end of each season since 2000 are as follows:

The club runs a range of events throughout the year. On the cricket side, the intra-club Twenty20 day has proved very popular. The last game of each season is the keenly fought Club Match. This has traditionally been a Saturday vs Sunday affair, but with the better players gravitating to the League side, a new format was introduced in 2009 of 'Greys' (being over 35) vs 'Kids'. A recent addition to the calendar is Presidents Day. This is seen as an opportunity to say 'thank you' to our benefactors and features the Sunday team taking on a Select XI.

Away from cricket, a variety of social and fund-raising events are held throughout the year, ranging from golf days to millionaires evenings and race nights. The club arranges a fireworks display each Guy Fawkes night, in conjunction with the local Scout troop. This event regularly attracts a very large audience from the surrounding villages.

• Club cricket

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• Official website
• The Pickering Papers - Unofficial web log
• Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket Board