Penn CC celebrate centenary

Penn Cricket Club welcomed over 100 ex-players and the Mayor of Wolverhampton Christine Mills at a special tea with president John Fellows to celebrate the club's centenary.

Current first team captain Richard Bradford marked the event on the field with an unbeaten 116 against St Georges, as their winning draw cemented their place at the top of Birmingham & District Premier League division two.

Tony Farmer, who scored from 1935 onwards, 1950s team-mates Theo Butler, John Woodward, Terry Lamsdale and Cyril Underwood, the club historian and ex-first-team spinner, all attended the gathering.

Butler was captain in the 1950s and 60s and organised the golden jubilee events in 1958.

Clive Nutting, Simon Cox, David Bassett, Steve Walters, Rod Vaughan, Rob Pearce and Stuart Price represented the 1990s 'legends' team that for years dominated the Staffs Clubs Championship, before promotion to the Birmingham league.

Bradford's century was greeted by choristers of St Bart's singing in the marquee.

This was significant because Penn were formed by the choristers who played on Penn Common alongside Penn Golf Club, who coincidentally celebrated their centenary with a captain's day on the same afternoon.

As part of the celebrations, a scorecard from a 1954 match against Wolves, who had just won their first League championship, was produced.

In the game, legendary manager Stan Cullis opened the batting for Wolves, who also boasted League title winners Peter Broadbent, Eddie Clamp, Ron Flowers, Johnny Hancocks, Bill Slater and Roy Swinbourne in their line-up.

The game was played on 21 July 1954, almost three months after Wolves lifted the title for the first time.