Cricket  

Sunderland CC (London) was formed in the late seventies by Branch legend Phil Parsons.  Some thirty years later the team is still going strong although one or two players are now a bit long in the tooth!   More than 150 have turned out over the years and this number included 1973 Cup Final sub David Young, a more than useful cricketer and great company to boot.

We play competitive but social cricket around the Greater London area on occasional weekends throughout the summer. Games are usually 30, 35 or 40 overs per side, depending on the weather or the average age of our squad!  We also enjoy two great tours: to Steeple Langford CC near Salisbury (Wiltshire) in early June, then we round off our season over the August Bank Holiday weekend as the guests of Nowton CC in Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk), competing in a tournament involving the home side, ourselves and Elephant Wanderers (Birmingham) CC.

The team continues to maintain its proud tradition of welcoming players regardless of ability and we have always played with a mix of the good, the bad and yes, the downright ugly. League cricketers happily rub shoulders with novices and all players are given the chance to contribute to the team effort whether it be with bat or ball.

These days, the size of our squad is diminishing as players retire, return ‘home’ or get married. So we’re very keen to welcome new players to the fold. And surely there can be few better ways to wile away a hot summer afternoon in the outdoors, not to mention spend the evening in a local pub in the company of fellow Sunderland fans reflecting on the game and catching up on all that close season gossip?

So, if you’d like to join us for a game, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. All equipment is provided - all you’ll need is a pair of cricket whites to go with a white top so that, in the event of a heavy defeat, we can console ourselves that at least we looked the part. '  Younger' members would be particularly welcome and you can be assured that we will provide all kit as required under the youth guidelines of the ECB, most notably a batting helmet.   

We’re keen to continue as we always have done, selecting the team from within the London Branch membership, but we’re also happy to welcome the odd ‘guest’ if it helps us to fulfil our fixture list in the spirit intended. 

So, if you fancy a game, please get in touch with the Club Captain, John Howey (telephone: 020 8361 1293, or e-mail: johnhowey73@aol.com  

The Nowton Twenty/20 Tour - 2008

After years of 35 or 40 over tour matches, the decision was taken to spice up the 2008 August Bank Holiday event. A four team Twenty/20 tournament was conceived with the hosts Nowton CC providing two sides, ourselves and Elephant Wanderers CC from Birmingham in competition.

With coloured clothing and a DJ to add to the atmosphere, there were two matches each day and the action was relentless and reached fever pitch when news of Djibril Cisse's winner at Spurs was greeted with a roar from the clubhouse. Read more

The Twenty/20 squad resplendent  in navy blue (right)                          

Back: Neil Campbell, Andy Nichol, Tony Jones, Steve Trow, David Trout, Ian Hamilton, John Howey

Front: John McGirr, Luke Marson, Ben Bradshaw, Geoff Lambton, Dermot Lewis