By Charles Randall

22 June 2015


Hopes that Hampstead CC can mark their 150th anniversary with the Middlesex County League crown remain alive, but Ealing have taken themselves ahead of the pack with a jet-propelled start to the season.

Hampstead lie in joint-fourth place in their celebratory season already 18 points behind Ealing. With 10 points value for a win the leaders must be favourites for another league title, their first since completing seven in a row in 2011. Ealing won all five of their 50-over games in this first season of split formats, whereas the 2014 champions Teddington lost all five and found themselves rooted at the bottom, a big surprise. 

Hampstead could boast a longer and more interesting history than most clubs, especially in London, and a new bronze statue of Andrew Stoddart in a corner of the upstairs bar illustrates their colourful past. This work by sculptor Neale Andrew, unveiled by the former England captain Andrew Strauss in May, commemorated Stoddart's innings of 485 at Lymington Road in 1886.

Stoddart's innings against the Stoics – the 125th anniversary was marked by a special match this season, a defeat for Hampstead veterans – was played before declarations were permitted. He raced to 230 before lunch and Hampstead piled up 813 all out, leaving Stoics with no time to bat.

Stoddart hit 1,671 runs for his club that season at an average of 83.11 and took 72 wickets, adding to that his maiden century for Middlesex. He went on to play rugby for England 10 times as a skilful back – captaining the side once in a defeat by Wales at Dewsbury – before he concentrated on cricket as a dashing batsman, touring Australia four times with England and leading them to an Ashes success. 

As a club cricketer Stoddart was always associated with Hampstead. Between 1885 and 1907 he scored 13,912 runs at an average of 70.61 and took 771 wickets at 10. In three seasons he averaged over 100 with the bat. 

As though Hampstead's opponents did not have enough of Stoddart, Fred Spofforth joined the club in 1891, having toured England five times with Australia. During his international career he must have been the world's best fast bowler and in 1894, at the age of 40, he took 200 wickets for Hampstead at an average of 5.90, deceiving batsmen with pace and a vicious break-back. In 15 seasons he finished with more than 900 wickets. Stoddart and Spofforth played many times in the same Hampstead side. Good luck, you opponents.

Hampstead could hardly emulate a wonderful Victorian past, but they did win the national club knockout in 1969, and these days, under the chairmanship of Downton actor Jim Carter, the club achieved a maiden Middlesex County League title in 2013 under the captaincy of Steve Clark. In 2003 a league record partnership of 347 between Mark Harvey (153) and the Middlesex all-rounder Paul Weekes (206 not out) at Uxbridge gave Hampstead prominence. Harvey, ex-Lancashire, topped the league batting averages that year with a Stoddartesque 96.10.

This season Hampstead would have been closer to the leaders if a likely 50-over victory over Stanmore had not been turned into an annoying two-wicket defeat when former England man Mark Ramprakash (113 not out) produced a 72-run eighth-wicket partnership with tail-ender Abishek Kulkarni. On the plus side a maiden league century by Jamie Gibson took Hampstead to a three-wicket win over Finchley.

Hampstead have published an evocative brochure edited and written by David Bradshaw. On 30 August a Middlesex Select XI visit Lymington Road for a T20 game against the club in an afternoon festival of cricket as part of the club's 150th year celebratory programme.