Nomads Cricket Club was founded in the Autumn of 1903
Nomads Cricket Club was founded in 1903 as Hampstead Nomads. Always a wandering club, with no connection to Hampstead C.C, the original members (seventeen) lived in Hampstead or St. John's Wood and most of them had attended the former Peterborough Lodge Preparatory School. As a result the club quorum for the AGM was 17 and this became an onerous number to find once the AGM was split from the annual dinner in early 80s. The origina members were mostly either graduates of Oxford or Cambridge Universities or members of the Architectural profession hence the club colours chosen were Oxford Blue, Cambridge Blue and Old Gold. In yesteryear there was a long annual tour of Cambridge Colleges with many of the tour players recruited from the local hostelries by the industrious secretary Sidney Caulfield including many later famous cricketers.There was a long standing connection with the architectural profession.
The First World War accounted for over 50% of the club’s membership and resumption was delayed until 1922. The following year, 1923, the name Hampstead, now without meaning, was dropped. Sidney Caulfield played in the first game and he was the club's secretary for half a century and then President. He was a fine slow left arm bowler and then a very eccentric umpire. His memory is toasted at the club's annual dinner.
In the 1920s Prince Duleepsinhji played for Nomads. Hallam 'Granny' Alston played against Nomads and Duleep in the early 1920's in the Channel Islands. He subsequently played for thirty years for the club in the 50s, 60s and 70s playing his last Nomads game in his mid seventies in 1983. 'Granny' (so called for predilection to drink tea rather than beer when on
tour) took over 1,100 wickets and scored over 8,000 runs.In 1953 he scored 1136 runs and took 135 wickets. In the 50s Pat Mean scored a lot of runs at electric pace with prodigious power in his shots. In 1953 he hit 1175 runs.
In 1953 the club celebrated its Golden Jubilee with a week of cricket at The Hurlingham Club fully reported in the London Evening Press, a season of 77 matches played.
 
Nomads at 1953 Sidney Caulfield with hat Nomads at Hurlingham Jubille Cricket Week Warburg wedding
For the 1970 season a former Cambridge Heavy Weight Boxing Blue Ian Crombie was appointed club skipper on account of his light blue sweater which was supposed to put fear in the hearts of the opposition. This was the club’s last formal link with Oxford and Cambridge Universities a link revived with a match at Fenners in Summer 2002.
More recently both Tony Whiteway and Michael Blumberg have scored over 10,000 runs for the club, Tony Whiteway at much the more impressive average.
In 1978 he hit 1447 runs at an average of 90.43. Sadly, Tony suffered a stroke, indeed several strokes in summer 1997 although he hit a 50 at BarnesCC between 'strokes', In the late ‘70s Richard Kershaw introduced via the former Radbourne Motors off Holland Park Avenue a string of cricketers from Dominica , Stafford Etienne, Lennie and ‘Rasta’ Ernie Lecointe who played with great success. As a result the word Bacchanal as used in Dominica patois, has passed into Nomads language to greet an extravagantly played boundary shot. Stafford hit 1366 runs in 1983. In the late 70s Mike Ghersie skippered the club with great success as then did the two 'Docs', David Fermont and Mike Wilkins.
In 1986 Tim Bourke, hit a record individual score for the Nomads, 176 not out, against Indian Gymkhana. The next highest is 171 by Andy Hill at Abinger in 2002,167 by James While at Hurlingham 2004 then 156 runs by Gerald Eiloart and 155 by Andy Brown. The club's highest recent score was made in India, 358 v Udaipur XI, in a match lost. The lowest since WW2 is 14 v Beaconsfield. The late Michael Penn who played reported that Nomads had reached 8 without loss before collapsing. In 1989 Nomads chased 318 to win at Brook in an afternoon match.
Nomads & President's XI Eightieth anniversary Match at Maori
In 1984 Michael Blumberg took 8-64 against Ditchling and in 1991 Roger Kinsella 8-17 against Hampshire Mercenaries but the best bowling figures were recorded in 1951 against Chelmsford-16.3-7-13-10 by G Cruwys Williams. Michael Wilkins was the club’s most successful bowler through the late 70s and 80s. Blumberg, Wilkins, Tony Smiley, Tony Clark and the late Ossie Gooding have all taken over 60 wickets in a season but in 1911 FC Boully took 61 wickets at a mere 8.50. In 1932 LF Matthews took the last 3 wickets in the last over and in the next match took a hatrick. He later became President of the club.
Over the years the club has had many members from Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. Two of the club's most successful captains in recent years have been Kiwis-Tim Bourke and Steve Hambleton. Before them John Nagenda from Uganda was a mercurial skipper and leading personality in the club and because of him many cricketers from East Africa have been members. Both he and Sam Walusimbi, another Nomad, played for East Africa in ICC World Cups. Their 1976 World Cup team colleague Ramesh Sethi hit a century for Nomads in 1993 in our 90th year cricket week.
Playing in the 2003 ICC World Cup was Aravinda de Silva who played for Nomads as a teenager as did Ajay Jadeja another World Cup performer. Jack Hyams is our oldest playing member at 86, he has scored more runs ( over 121,000) than any other cricketer, ever !.
Recently Nomads have encapsulated Virgin XI and Cricket World XI thus increasing fixtures and players. The club celebrated its centenary in 2003 including a tied match with MCC. Last season the club beat Cross Arrows at Lord’s and played on tour in Kenya, Uganda, Spain, Slovenia and France,19 matches in total.
Npmads at Taj Mahal Centenary Tour January 2003 Nomads & MCC at Shenley Centenary Match August 2003
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