Bath Cricket Festival all set to go this week

The Bath Cricket Festival gets underway this coming Wednesday with a four-day championship match against Worcestershire, followed by a National Cricket League match on Sunday June 8th against Northamptonshire.

Preparations for the Bath Cricket Festival start almost before the previous year's programme is complete, and once again the Bath Area chairman Robert Appleyard and his hard working committee have worked tirelessly through the winter to try to ensure that everything is in place ready for the first day's play.

In addition to the preparations on the field at the Rec, the Bath Area Committee also arrange a busy programme of events off the field for cricket followers who stay in the city for the duration of the festival.

The events get underway on Tuesday June 3rd with a tour of the new Bath Spa Project that will include refreshments, followed on the opening evening of the festival by a General Knowledge Quiz.

After the close of play on Thursday a Cheese and Wine Party with invited dignitaries and the players will take place in the Friends of Bath Marquee.

The following day the Festival Dinner will take place at Bath Cricket Club, where Lord King, formerly Tom King, who was the Bridgwater M.P will be the guest speaker. The final event takes place on the Saturday evening when a Barbeque is planned.

Normally all of the events that have been arranged are well supported, and those who are intending to go along to any of those that have been arranged, in particular the dinner are advised to book in advance by telephoning 01823 313906.

The Somerset Wyverns will also be hosting a day on June 4th, when members and their guests will be able to make use of the facilities of their tent and partake of a buffet lunch.

The Bath Festival of fifty years ago has become part of the folk history of Somerset cricket after the first match of the week against Lancashire was completed inside one day. The match was deemed to be long serving player Bertie Buse's Benefit match so from both the players and the county perspective the game was disaster.

Brian Langford who was a seventeen year old off spinner from Bridgwater made his debut in the disastrous Lancashire match, and bowled tidily enough, but it was in the following match against Kent he made his name. Langford opened the bowling and almost single handed ran through the visitors to end with the remarkable figures of 41 overs, 12 maidens, 8 wickets for 96 runs.Second time around Kent also fell foul of the young of spinner who had figures of 6 for 60 and a match return of 14 for 156.

Brian Langford added a further 11 wickets from the third match at Bath against Leicestershire to end the festival with 26 wickets to his name.