The village of Eydon in Northamptonshire is no exception to thesestatements. In an excellent booklet about the cricket club, Caroline Bedford has traced its history from 1877 to the present.

The year of the club's foundation was marked by a membership of 37 out of a population of 500 and each paid 1/- (5p) to join. In 1977 the membership level was as it had been at the start and by the early 1990s the club was forced to advertise for players in the Banbury Guardian and Daventry Weekly Express.

As much as anything it was work commitments that brought about this situation. Considerably fewer players than in the past can be termed 'home grown'. In the words of John Arlott in Howat's book, "only the first change bowler, hurrying up the road, is a local – the publican".

Maidens, Matches and More will be of interest to cricket fans and also those who just appreciate a good book. As much as anything this is because it is people centred and successfully identifies the highs and lows throughout the club's existence.

One of the earliest matches at Eydon took place on Whit Tuesday in 1877. The married members of the club played those who were still single. For the record, the latter won with some ease. A target of 88 was passed with six wickets in hand, but the most notable feature of the game was that the married XI conceded 23 runs in extras.

Sadly, this would appear to be the only match reported by the Banbury Guardian of the day. Possibly the editor's decision to charge 2/6d (12½p) for each submission of scores might have acted as a deterrent. Payment to the newspaper had to be made in an appropriate number (60) of halfpenny stamps.

By 1920 Eydon had entered the world of league cricket when they became founder members of the South Northants League. For the next real milestone supporters had to wait until 1939 when they won the league. Their opponents were the redoubtable Culworth and the match was played at Woodford Halse where the wicket was almost to county standard.

"It was a run-getting wicket and the advantage taken of it by both sides ensured that the match would occupy an important place in cricket history," so commented the Banbury Advertiser, which added that before the game "speculation was rife as to the ultimate result".

The match itself did not disappoint. South Northants League records were broken when both sides exceeded 200 runs in their first innings and Teddy Kerby of Eydon scored 129 (including 18 boundaries) which beat the previous best of 71 credited to Culworth's GP Dr Johnson back in 1921.

The fixture was remarkable for another reason. It was played over two successive weekends because a sharp thunder shower ended play shortly after tea on the first Saturday when Eydon were 17-1 in reply to Culworth's 218. On the resumption came the hero of the day, Castle, who got John Blower's wicket. John was a Culworth stalwart. In the end the game was decided on the first innings totals and Eydon walked away with the Colonel Kerr Trophy.

Another vintage year was 1953. Eydon finished third in the league with 14 points from 12 games, just topped by Wardington with 15 but easily outshone by Chipping Warden, who won every match. However, the real drama came in cup competitions and their trophy cabinet boasted the Banbury Advertiser, Charlton, and Bolton and Pollock cups.

A record crowd watched Eydon take on and beat Chipping Warden by 16 runs but with a score well below the 1939 achievement – a mere 71 beat Warden on 55.

The real excitement came with the Advertiser Cup when Eydon played Bloxham on the British Railway ground near the Cricketer's pub in Grimsbury's Middleton Road. Eydon reached 100-9 off their 20 eight-ball overs.

The game went to the final over when Bloxham needed a mere six runs.
They could not have anticipated the drama about to unfold. Turner, bowling for Eydon, struck Baughen of Bloxham on the head and he had to return to the pavilion bleeding profusely. His replacement, Hemmings, was bowled by the penultimate delivery, which left a brave Baughen to face the last ball but he failed to dispatch it for the required six.

Come September and Eydon made it a hat-trick of cup successes. This time it was the delayed Bolton and Pollock competition. Claydon were the opponents and in a low-scoring match Eydon's 83 runs were sufficient by a margin of 15.

Eydon's status as a South Northants League team held good until 1994. Beyond that date appeals for players became necessary and the club adopted a new title to reflect this change, that of Eydon Occasionals. A team picture attributed to 1996 or 1997 included Catherine (Kate) Hawes who was already a notable hockey player and able to transfer skills.

Among the many wonderful anecdotes in the booklet is one concerning the Occasionals. In April 1999 the club's mower broke down and Jacob sheep were deployed to reduce the height of the grass. Despite this hiccup, Oakey's Field is now an assured home and the future for cricket looks secure.

- Copies of Maidens, Matches and More are available from David Kench at 20 High Street, Eydon, Daventry, Northants NN11 3PP.

DIFFERENT ERAS: The 1939 championship-winning Eydon side, left, and the Eydon Occasionals team of 1996 or 1997 right: Chris Yates

RUN KING: Ronnie Fairbrother is the highest run-scorer in Eydon CC's history. It is believed he hit up to 9,000 runs from 1946 to 1976
Picture: Syd Gooden