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• St. James Montefiore CC - a posh sounding name. Once upon a time it was called St. James CC
• The web master first played against the Club in 1960 having received a written invitation to do so in the scrawled scripted hand of Noel Bennett- the fortunate cricketer to have a side named after him.
• The game took place on the top pitch in Stanmer Park- a corporation ground adjacent to the University of Sussex site.
• Having opened the bowling and sent down 18 overs without change one was pleased when tea was taken by the shed at Stanmer Park.
• "Tea was produced from a dirty lean-to hut . Inside was an ancient , chipped, porcelain sink, with cold tap only, and a rotting , wooden draining board. It was overhung by a tree and close to bushes.... and the odour and ambience were not enhanced by its proximity to the mens' outside toilet."
• The extract from "Cricket at Grass roots" by Dick Redbourn - a St. James cricketer- brings to life the game of cricket in Sussex during the 19060/1970 and 1980 period.
• An earlier section of the book reveals how Dick " learnt" the game in Physical Education lessons -
  " His ( sic the PE teacher's ) periods, normally expected to involve some strenuous exercise, were used as another opportunity to hone his spin bowling.
  He would whirl away unchanged throughout the period, with a tennis ball, to a batsman wielding a shaven down bat, surrounded by thirty eager close fielders.
  The combination of spin,bounce and half bat ensured that he would run through the whole class in the forty minute period- well at least everyone got a bat ! "
• In the early 1980s St. James were keen to find their own ground.
  They found a piece of meadowland next to the Keymer road near Ditchling.
  The first match was played on the ground versus Ditchling on June 20th 1982.
• St. James Montefiore CC - Hove Montefiore joined with St. James to provide the present Club name.
• It is therefore with some personal pleasure to hear that the St. James Montefiore CC coach expand upon the Club's Chance to Shine programme which will entail working with children from the very area in which the Club has its 1960's roots -namely Stanmer.
• James Balcombe, coach at St. James Montefiore CC attended an initial meeting with national representative Terry Bates- he once of the NCA /ECB- in which he gained a general knowledge of the Chance to Shine programme.
• The Club's programme is to be initally overseen by the Regional Representative - Steve Peyman.
• Little specific guidance was given to James but he has been able to use his local knowledge of schools north of the South Downs to build up school contacts.
• Interestingly a decsion was taken to contact DOROTHY STRINGER - a state secondary school which has grown into a SPORTS COLLEGE.- over the Downs in Brighton.
• The contact there is Andy Marchant - who as a youngster was an outstanding footballer representing Brighton Schools in their heyday of the 1960s.
• Stringer was a very competitive sports school but went through a period of time when -rumour had it - they were not in favour of competitive sport.
• The choice of Dorothy Stringer - a school named after the Mayoress - who was a tremendous supporter of school sport in the 1950-60 period and she always attended Brighton Boys soccer matches.
• She once provided us with lunch in the main dining room of the Royal Pavilion.
• Steak and kidney pie and chips/ fruit salad and ice cream - We were playing Aldershot - in an annual fixture-before playing the match on the Goldstone Ground of Brighton and Hove FC
• The web master suspects that her fur coat would now cause a furore in the City Council chambers c 2006
• Dorothy Stringer School has been linked with Brighton and Hove CC in the Club / School link activity so to avoid a clash of interest St. James Montefiore CC will concentrate upon schools to the east of Brighton.
• TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

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