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Colden Common v Twyford Cricket Match

This nostalgic film from Jack Francis captures the essence of village cricket as Colden Common battles it out with Twyford in 1955

Amateur film 1955 9 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Wessex Film and Sound Archive

Overview

This evocative film shows a Sunday cricket match between Colden Common and nearby Twyford, just south of Winchester, in 1955. We begin with shots of the match in progress with batsman walking on to and off the pitch as they are progressively bowled out. We also see players and spectators watching the match from the diminutive clubhouse. One player even seems to be praying! Rain, however, doesn't stop play as the match continues into the late afternoon.

Jack Francis ran weekly 16mm film shows in Colden Common village hall. According to the memories of Michael Knell, Jack Francis also owned a small cinema in Sunningdale.Cricket in Colden Common was centred round the Main Road Recreation ground in the 1930s. After the war the Cricket Club was re-formed in 1950.