On Friday 24 May 2024, the Annual General Meeting of the Kent Cricket Heritage Trust was held at the Spitfire Ground, at close of play after the first day of Kent’s championship match against Essex. The report from the chair summed up a year of steady progress for the work of the Trust.
“I am pleased to say that this year my report can be rather more optimistic and upbeat than last year’s, although there is still a very long way to go. We have had a successful year in many respects and our plans for the future have made some progress, albeit slowly.
“For us, the most important step forward is the planning for our Heritage Hub. A working party of Ian Phipps, Howard Milton, Nimmo Reid and I have put together a specification for our proposed building, and an initial architect’s plan has been submitted to us. The plan is to position it at the Nackington Road end, either between the Ames Stand and the scoreboard, roughly behind the bowler’s arm, or behind the Ames Stand near the Blythe Memorial. Our preferred position is one that overlooks the playing area, so that the building can also be used as a camera position. This, however, depends on the club participating in the costs of building a second storey, which is still a matter for discussion. However, we have already had interest from Canterbury City Council and the local MP, Rosie Duffield, who realise that a museum and learning centre at the Spitfire Ground would be a significant benefit to the whole city. With the backing of the authorities, we hope that fund raising for the project will be much easier.
“Last summer, for the first time, we introduced a programme of ground tours which were successful enough for us to continue with them this season and into the future. We need to give the tours more publicity, but all the people who took part rated them highly. Our thanks in particular go to tour guides Sam Hurn and Steve Tindall who have given a great deal of time and effort to the project, meaning that Ian Phipps and I are not left holding the fort very often. This year we are trying to introduce teatime talks in the pavilion as an added extra, which we hope will quickly overcome a few teething problems to be a permanent part of each championship home game.
“Our collection has increased over the past twelve months, with many splendid donations from a variety of Kent stalwarts, but the item that excited me most was the gift of four photo albums, as well as letters and press cuttings, from the grandsons of Cuthbert ‘Pinky’ Burnup, one of the heroes of our first Championship title in 1906. Ric Burnup, who lives in Australia, contacted us by email a few months ago, with the result that he and his brother donated these very interesting, very rare and very crumbly albums to the club, just for the cost of postage. I think that a booklet, at the very least, on this treasure trove, will appear in due course.
“Speaking of booklets, we are still in the preliminary stages of producing our first publications, which should be launched early next year. We also have the task of updating Lord Harris’s History of Kent county Cricket Club, with a new appendix continuing the story over the past two decades up to the present day. Howard Milton continues to produce “Inside Edge”, our regular newsletter, and we hope you have all visited our website (kcht.co.uk), and seen us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X (@kcht). There is also an Instagram account (@kentcricketheritagetrust), and our blog (kentcricketheritagetrust.wordpress.com). We are finding many ways of getting our message across.
“Financially, as you will see from the accounts, we are still in a strong position. Our membership numbers have stayed steady at around 100 members, and we have sufficient funds to continue expanding our activities.
“The bigger picture, currently revolving around the possibility of the ECB selling off the Hundred franchises and what this will mean to the county structure of domestic cricket, is something we can only watch with interest, satisfaction or unalloyed horror, depending on your point of view. Nevertheless, however things turn out, the importance of the heritage of cricket all over the country, but especially here in Kent, will not be diminished. Ignoring the past is a sure method of messing up the future.
“Finally, I would like to thank all my fellow committee members for their great efforts, cheerfully rendered, over the past year. We are always looking for new volunteers, so please feel free to put your name forward.”
Jonathan Rice, Chairman, on behalf of the Trustees.
Perhaps the most important issue in ensuring the future health of the Trust, and the rich treasures of Kentish cricket that it preserves and displays, is that of finding enough volunteers to achieve the things we are aiming to do. Remember, membership of the Trust is available for a minimum donation of just £10 a year, and anybody who wants to play a more active role in our efforts, should please contact either our Heritage Officer, Ian Phipps at heritage@kcht.co.uk, or our Chair, Jo Rice at chair@kcht.co.uk.