Villa History Queries and General Information

[cdbearsfan]

Wasn't sure what thread to put this in so started a new one, instead. Thought as well it might be an idea to have a more general Villa history thread where, perhaps, younger fans or new recruits can find out more about the club.

Anyway, my question. When did we stop playing cricket? Are there any league tables from when we played and did we win any trophies?

[PeterWithesShin]

Some people may not know that we are the reigning National League of Baseball of Great Britain champioms.

[cdbearsfan]

I'd like us to become a multi-sport team again. Surely if we have about twenty sports on the go even we are bound to win a trophy, eventually? I noticed the other day that Forest have a team in the British Netball League.

[Godfrey Brian]

Some people may not know that we are the reigning National League of Baseball of Great Britain champioms.

Thanks for this PWS. I'd not seen this photo before and had assumed that the baseball team was composed of different players to the football team. There are many Villa greats in this photograph - brilliant.

[MorrisNielson]

Anyway, my question. When did we stop playing cricket? Are there any league tables from when we played and did we win any trophies?

Looks like the cricket section ran from 1872 to 1876. Note the club would play cricket against Aston Unity annually for many years. This is what Jack Hughes stated regarding the cricket club:

Extract from ‘Saturday Night’ dated 22nd April 1893, written by ‘By One of ‘Em’ (assumed Jack Hughes):
“Meanwhile, in 1872, a cricket club was inaugurated in connection with the Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel, situated at the Villa Cross, Handsworth. A number of the members of the young men’s Bible Class associated with the Sunday school made up their minds to become adherents of the bat and ball pastime. Practice was commenced in the Wretham Road, all matches being played on private fields or on the Aston Park match ground. The original Villans took very kindly to the summer sport, and the organisation flourished, being able to hold its own with most of the clubs played, which included such then well-known teams as Summer Hill, St. Mary’s, Victoria Cross, Handsworth 2nd, and Birmingham 2nd. In 1874 the club took private ground in Fentham Road, Birchfields, which was reserved for cricket only. The annual subscription was £1, and there were about 30 members.”

Extract from ‘Saturday Night’ dated 29th April 1893:
“Meanwhile the football fever had fairly caught on among the Villans, and the cricket section was having a rather a bad time. In so languishing a condition was the summer department that in 1876 it was only with the greatest difficulty that the fixtures were fulfilled. It was no uncommon thing for the luckless captain of the cricket division to be wandering wildly round on Friday night and Saturday morning in search of half a dozen substitutes to complete the eleven.
This summer of 1876 was almost exclusively taken up for football practice. Hitherto the team had not been successful on the field, and there was a general desire on part of the members to make a step to the front in the following winter. Under the careful energetic coaching of their new captain, the players therefore threw themselves into the work of preparation with hearty enthusiasm and spirit. All kinds of athletic exercise were freely resorted to, such as jumping, running, throwing the hammer and gymnastics. A lot of hard work was perseveringly got through by the old Villains, the self denial practised in order to achieve this end speaking volumes for the resolve and earnestness of the members.”

[cdbearsfan]

Thanks for that. Sounds like we prioritised football then and cricket fell by the wayside as a result. Probably for the best.

If we went down the European route of having our founding date as when the sports team started rather than just the footballing departmen, we could claim to have been founded in 1872, then.