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Chudleigh Sports Clubs
This page contains an alphabetical list of some Chudleigh sports clubs.
The Chudleigh Book contains comprehensive histories of the main clubs;
for these, the following icon gives the page reference:
Certain items do have additional information not in The Chudleigh Book;
you can click on this icon to download the full PDF report for that club:
Kate Brook sports ground – Badminton – Bowling – Cricket – Cycling – Football – Hockey – Pétanque – Rifle – Tennis
Kate Brook sports ground
Chudleigh Cricket Field at Kate Brook, 1912
The Kate Book sports ground had for many years been the home of the Cricket Club (since 1859), Hockey Club and Bowling Club. From 1897 to 1956 the Lawn Tennis Club also played on courts here.
In the 1960s, it was proposed to also host the Football Club as that club had no permamnent ground for home fixtures. A meeting took place in the Town Hall on 10th January 1968, when it was agreed to form the Chudleigh Sports Association. The association members consisted of four representatives of each club. An agreement was made with Lord Hugh Clifford (landowner) and Mr Robin Andrew of Hams Barton to purchace adjacent farmland to construct a football pitch. Finance was also found for groundworks, fencing and clubhouse.
With finance secured by September 1968, work started on the new sports ground layout, but bad weather delayed the completion of the football pitch for another year. In July 1971, plans for a new clubhouse were approved, and with the help of a grant from the National Playing Field Association, building work comenced mostly by volunteers. The Grand Opening took place on 13th July 1972, the ceremony led by Lord & Lady Clifford.
In 1973, more land was aquired at the far end, to where the Hockey pitch was relocated, then allowing the Bowling club to enlarge its playing area to county standard and to replace the clubhouse. At this time the Cricket club created a practice area and erected a new scoreboard.
A few years after this, the Hockey club moved away as all competative hockey was being played on astroturf, but the Bowling, Cricket and Fooball clubs are still present at Kate Brook. In the late 2000s, it seemed that when the ground's lease from Clifford Estates was soon to run out, the site could be sold for housing development. But with local opposition and goodwill, the lease was fortunately extended and use of the sports ground is secured for many years to come.
[p.332]
Badminton Club
The Badminton Club play in the Chudleigh School hall. Awaiting input
Bowling Club
Minutes Book of the Bowling Club's showing creation in 1929 (courtesy of CBC)
The first entry in the CBC minutes book (above) is dated 16th March 1929, documenting the official formation of the club. This initial entry reads:
A meeting was called by My Beach & others in the Chudleigh Schools on March 16th 1929 to consider the formation of a Bowls Club in Chudleigh; also to consider a letter from the Chudleigh Cricket Club regarding permission to use a part of the Cricket facilities temporally till another ground can be obtained.
The offer from the Cricket Club came with restrictions, but was accepted. The meeting noted an offer from Randell's Nurseries of Exeter to make a green for £97 12s. A committee was formed and membership fees set at 10s 6d a year, of which 5s per member went to the Cricket Club. A committee meeting of 26th March 1929 in Swanston House proposed and voted that the club be called the Chudleigh Bowling Club.
At a committee meeting in the cricket pavillion on 12th June, Lord Charles Clifford offered two possible sites; a general meeting on 17th July at the Town Hall selected one of these sites at Kate Brook, and agreed to build a green with four rinks (later extended to six rinks). Funds were to be raised by open subscription of £1 to be redeemed in the future when funds allowed. The Bowling club still play at the Kate Book sports ground.
Cricket Club
Chudleigh Cricket Club
Chudleigh Cricket Club was apparantly formed on 27th June 1857, from a photo celebrating a centenary match vs. MCC on that date in 1957. The oldest known photo is from 1895. The Chudleigh Book notes (p.58) that when the old Baptist chapel burned down in June 1973, the Cricket Club considered purchasing the grounds for £1000 in order to extend their own grounds and to build a new pavilion there. In the event, this didn't happen and a new pavillion was built in the same place of the old one. We have over 20 team photos up to 2000, most dated and with names.
[p.333–340]
Cycle Club
Chudleigh Cycle Club starting an outing at The Square, 1937
Cycling – in Chudleigh as elsewhere – was popular in the inter-war years before personal motor transport became affordable. Although charabanc outings were popular, cycling was much more flexible to route, breaks, time and weather. However, CHG has no information about the Chudleigh cycle club apart from this photo of 1937 labelled as such. Although dominantly a male pursuit, clearly ladies also took part..
Chudleigh Athletic Football Club
Chudleigh AFC, 1926-7 season
The oldest team photo we have is labelled as First Season 1904-5, so presumably was formed earlier in 1904, with the captain being W. Ridler. As for the Cricket Club, we have several team photos 1904–2000.
[p.342–345]
Hockey Club
Apart from a mention in The Chudleigh Book [p.332] that the Hockey Club had a representative, Roy Caunter, on the Chudleigh Sports Association at its formation in 1968, and that the hockey pitch was moved to a newly purchased area of the Kate Brook sports ground in 1973, CHG has no pictures or information on this club's history.
Pétanque Club
Pétanque Club at Kate Book sports ground (temp image from facebook page)
Chudleigh Pétanque Club was formed in 20xx and initially played in Culver Gardens. They moved to Kate Book in 20xx. Awaiting input.
Rifle Club
Rifle Club at Target Wood range, possibly 1920s
Little is known about the Chudleigh Rifle Club, except that they used a range in (appropriately) Target Wood. This is so-called, as being a quarter-mile from the Church, it was the target for medieval archery practice after Sunday church service, as required by law for all adult males. Today, there is a small stone-built structure in Target Wood; it may be that this was used by the Rifle Club as shelter and equipment storage.
Tennis Club(s)
The Chudleigh Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1897. At the club's first meeting, held in the Town Hall on June 3rd, it was proposed by Lord Clifford and seconded by Reverend G Ford that a lawn tennis club be formed. Permission was secured from the Chudleigh Cricket Club to play on two courts which were prepared and marked out in front of their pavilion. The club started with forty-two playing members. Founder member HG Michelrnore was a Devon tennis champion for three consecutive years and his son became a regular county player. Records show that the membership included many of the 'great and good' of the town.
A year later they asked the Cricket Club if they could add another court to the existing pair and also an area where croquet may be played, which was approved. It was also agreed that a members‘ ball be staged at the close of the 1899 season.
In 1947 several of the town's tradespeople formed the Brookfield Tennis Club, separate from the lawn tennis club, and asked the cricket club if they could mark out three courts above the cricket square below the Baptist Chapel. A rental was agreed allowing the new club to play on those evenings that would not infringe on cricket matches or the playing area. Twelve months later the Brookfield Club, wishing to be free of limitations to the aforementioned courts, laid out two new courts on previously derelict land adjacent to the Kate Brook. Several members were from the farming community and their expertise and machinery prepared a playing surface of the required standard to allow the club to enter two teams in the Exeter league.
The Chudleigh Lawn Tennis Club prospered for the first half of the 20th century playing both tennis and croquet at the cricket ground, but as members got older the club's membership also dwindled and at an extraordinary general meeting a it was recorded the club only had ten members and it was no longer viable to continue paying rental to the Cricket Club. From 1956 the few remaining members played their tennis on private rented courts at Newinnton Lodge, Waddon and Saffron Close. Their annual tournament was played at Stover School. The club finally closed in 1993.