Caistor Town

Founded: 1946

Club Honours: Lincolnshire League Premier Division champions 1995 and 1997, North Lindsey League Div 1 champions 2012 and 2014

Leagues played in: Lincolnshire League Premier League, North Lindsey League, Grimsby & District U15/U13, North Lincolnshire U11

Contact details: Mark Gowshall (Secretary), m.gowshall@btinternet.com

Website: http://caistor.play-cricket.com

By Ben Jacob (President) and Denis (Wes) Allison (Fixture Secretary)

The first record of Caistor being involved in a cricket match is in 1872 against Kirmington.

In 1877 Caistor scored 57 and beat Kirton Lindsey by one run. In 1891 a concert and ball for the benefit of Caistor Cricket Club was held in the town hall, but the first match of the season – due to be played against Healing – was postponed due to flu afflicting the Healing Team.

Club minutes of April 30th 1892 state that Caistor CC had previously played (presumably in 1891) Lincoln Lindum, the Hull and other teams. The services of a professional were to be retained.

A plaque in Caistor Church commemorates Hilary Westbrook, who was the vicar’s son and died in the Military in Northern Nigeria in 1899: the plaque states that he was a member of Caistor Cricket club.

A 1905 fixture card shows that matches were played on weekday afternoons; opponents were St Aidans, Owersby, Grimsby Amateurs, De Aston, Healing, Market Rasen, Brocklesby, Broughton, Girsby. Were the teams made up of professionals? Certainly an 1892 Caistor team included 2 doctors and a professional!!

Caistor CC was reformed in 1946 after the Town Council obtained a field on the Kelsey Road from Miss Gibbons of the War Agricultural Executive Committee. They played in the Grimsby League.

In 1981 the club moved to an adjacent field accessed from the Brigg Road, their current ground, where in 1990 the club hosted 5 county representative fixtures (4 x U15 and 1 x U13 matches).

In 1993 Caistor was one of the grounds used in the Bunbury ESCA Schools Festival. Notable participants were Freddie Flintoff who scored a century, Chris Read and Graham Swann.

In 1998 the Brigg Road ground hosted the Lincs 2nd XI vs Notts 2nd XI match.

 

(Photograph courtesy of Scunthorpe Telegraph)

Caistor Cricket Club have produced two players who have gone all the way through the system. Wayne Noon went on to play professionally in 1998 for Northamptonshire, and was selected to captain an England U19 tour to Australia. He is currently the assistant first team manager at Nottinghamshire. Guy Welton also went on to play professional cricket for Nottinghamshire.

The current 1st XI at Caistor play in the Lincs Premier League under the captainship of Gareth Johnson. The two other Saturday teams play in Divisions 1 and 4.

The Sunday XI, Caistor Cougars, play in Division 1 of the North Lindsey League. Caistor CC also turns out Junior teams at U15, U13, and two at U11 level.