Administrative/Biographical History:

Cricket was an integral part of sports played at The Eton Manor Boys Club since it was founded in 1908. Boys played at Junior, Senior, and then ‘Old Boy’ levels practicing and playing matches at the Club’s sports ground, ‘The Wilderness’ in Eastway, Hackney. Following the Second World War the early post war years saw returning demob Old Boys and new members take Senior Cricket into a new era as Eton Manor Cricket Club (EMCC). In the 1950’s and early 1960’s EMCC was developing into one of the strongest playing teams on the Club circuit but in 1966 the Wilderness Sports Ground was closed and the Club had to survive a critical 11 year period as a wandering team with no home base.

The derelict Wilderness site was eventually bought by The Lea Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) a Government Sports Development Agency. LVRPA funded a new Sports Centre on the site and partnered with EMCC whose club members completed a voluntary Self Build derelict Squash Court Pavilion conversion project and after 4 years hard work cricket finally returned to Hackney in 1977. EMCC prospered for the next 25 years but as with all sporting clubs the social and sporting landscape was changing fast. Increased prosperity, the arrival of phone and internet technology, the growth of other social activity outlets all contributed to the gradual decline of Eton Manor Cricket Club which sadly closed in 2004.

Scope and Content:

Archives of the Eton Manor Cricket Club (1947-2004), including: seven albums containing photographs, press cuttings, ephemera, scoring records, obituaries of Club members, reports, constitution and other items; typescript post-war history by Chris Jackman and Miles Harwood; digital discussion between Miles Harwood and Chris Jackman on the Club's history; memorabilia including cups, shields and pennants; scorebooks for 1st and 2nd XIs and the Colts (1947-2004)

Quantity:

2 Boxes