AUSTRALIA
050S UK TOUR 2017
GAME
13 AUSTRALIA 050S VS SUSSEX 050S
AT
PRESTON NOMADS CC SUSSEX
THURSDAY
3rd AUG 2017
This
is a story of one man, his love for cricket and his dream. The
outcome was one of the most beautiful cricket grounds one could
imagine.
Spen
Cama was born in Brighton England in 1902 to an Indian father and
English mother. After being educated at the local private schools
Athol house and Brighton Grammar he qualified as a Barrister but
never practiced. After leaving school he got the idea of purchasing
cheap legally protected tenanted houses before and between the wars
and thereafter. He was also partial to owning corner shops.
On
Monday 3rd
March 1927 Spen with some like minded friends including the Reverend
Westall from the nearby Church of the Good Shepherd met at his home
at 16 Maldon Rd Brighton to create the Tivoli CC. Later on the 8 th
March 1927 they renamed the club “Preston Nomads “as they found
they didn’t have a ground in Brighton Park. Subscriptions were set
at 1pd uk 1 shilling. Spen became its first Treasurer and the Captain
of the first team from 1928 until1954 and Captain of the Club from
1955 until 1959.He played until 1968 -over 40 continuous years except
for the time spent overseas on war service.
In
1937 Spen purchased some land in Clippers Lane at Fulking just below
the Downs Sussex with a view to building a cricket ground as he had
conceived the idea from playing at a small private ground known a
Friar Oaks Hassock in 1936. The local Council immediately zoned the
land “public Recreation” so Spen had the sell some land to the
Council to fulfill his dream of a ground for his beloved Preston
Nomads.
Since
then many folk were involved building the ground under the Spen’s
leadership and the Club house appeared in 1954.
In
about 1980 in a scheme to avoid excessive taxation Spen’s Solicitor
pursuaded him to invest a lot of his estate with a failed land
developer whom he trusted. This was a masterly move as the venture
was a massive success and land values skyrocketed so Spen made even
more money.
In
2002 Spen died after spending the last 10 years of his life in a
nursing home with an advanced state of dementia. Having deceased with
no children and a wife who deserted him for the ship’s purser on
their honeymoon cruise his will bequeathed his 30 million UK pd
estate to the Preston Nomads Cricket Club! However before the Club
received the money a will interpretation case went to the High Court
which imposed a trust on strict conditions in favour of the club. The
trust continues in perpetuity for the benefit of the club which has
built a magnificent state of the art 3 building Clubhouse which was
opened in 2006; ; improved the original field to perfection and
purchased more land and built another beautiful adjoining field.
In
this correspondent’s time of fortunately travelling the world
playing cricket one would have to rate this complex in the top 5
world best Club grounds. A truly amazing story and ground.
After
a long drive to the ground which is nestled under a pretty hill which
is just beyond the county ground at Hove we arrived to a wet pitch
and damp outfield. Despite many expensive covers heavy rain had
seeped onto the wicket and delayed the start from 1pm until
1.
45pm.
Our
team for today was Tim Pellen Captain; Warwick Hayes; Allan Chellew;
Geoff Doyle; Noel Raymond; Steve Moore; Tim Sargent; Greg Briggs;
Peter Judd ;Fabian Heaton ;Mick Munro and Gordon McGurk.
Unfortunately the toss was vital as the team which batted first was
going to have a very difficult time of it as the blustery but cold
conditions would dry out the wicket to make it somewhat more easily
paced second time around. Alas we lost the toss.