ANOTHER local cricket club has failed to last out the cold winter months. After the demise of Cricketers, Letchworth Corinthians have called time due to a lack of players. The club was formed in 1961 and began playing the following summer. Their home grou

ANOTHER local cricket club has failed to last out the cold winter months.

After the demise of Cricketers, Letchworth Corinthians have called time due to a lack of players.

The club was formed in 1961 and began playing the following summer.

Their home ground was the Baldock Road Recreation Ground where they played on a matting wicket laid on concrete.

Prior to this, many of the original players turned out for the St John's Parents' Association which existed for several years.

Corinthians began playing most of the local villages like Willian, Newnham, Steeple and Guilden Morden, Ashwell, Tewin (in their first match which ended in a draw), Datchworth and Whitwell.

Their first season had around 25 matches and thanks to the work of secretary Tony Hughes, Corinthians were soon playing two games most weekends.

In more recent times, Corinthians became a travelling side with no home ground and so only played away fixtures.

For several years, the club had a fixture at Blenheim Palace on the Duke of Marlborough's lawn. They also played at Ashford in Kent for several seasons.

Their initial captain was Peter Wood who was in charge for several seasons.

Subsequent skippers have included Tony Maylin, Dave Turner, Dave Brown, stalwart Roger Coates and Mike Hughes.

Turner is the only Corinthians bowler to have claimed 100 wickets in a season, while Coates scored more than 1000 runs several times.

Bowlers to have taken hat-tricks include Dave Ives, Doug Martin and Dave Wrigley.

One of the original players, Jim Morris, donated a trophy for a single wicket competition in 1964 which carried on for more than two decades.

Coates is the only one man to have played every season - 45 in total - for the Corinthians.

He usually opened the batting, scoring a number of centuries, as well as being a medium pace and off-spin bowler.

Jim Felstead, a former player and club treasurer, said: "We had some good times and that's all we did at weekends in those days, play cricket and then go down the pub!"

A reunion took place on Saturday at the home of 2006 captain Mike Hughes in Letchworth GC.