Wandering Cricket Clubs | Nomads Cricket Club

I Zingari Cricket Club 1845	Gents of Worcestershire 1848	Incogniti Cricket Club 1861	Free Foresters Cricket Club 1856
Emeriti Cricket Club 1872	Wanderers Cricket Club 1873	Butterflies Cricket Club 1862	Harlequins Cricket Club 1852
Gents of Cheshire c.1850	Lords and Commons 1850	Stoics Cricket Club 1877	Band Of Brothers CC 1858
Yorkshire Gents CC 1863	Quidnuncs 1851	Bluemantles 1862	Gents of Leicestershire 1820/1868
Hampshire Hogs 1887	Northern Nomads 1892	Craven Gentlemen 1892	Borderers c.1892
Somerset Stagglers 1900	Devon Dumplings CC 1902	Berkshire Gentlemen 1895	Romany(Yorks) 1895/1902
Nomads Cricket Club 1903	Frogs Cricket Club 1903	Gents of Staffordshire 1904	Glamorgan Nomads 1904
Cornish Choughs CC 1906	Gents of Shropshire CC 1906	Dorset Rangers CC 1906	Sussex Martlets 1905
Gents of Essex 1907	Yellowhammers 1907″	Cryptics 1910	Invalids 1919
Gentlemen of Suffolk 1921	Gloucestershire Gipsies 1922	Durham Pilgrims 1922	Penguins 1923
Thames Valley Ramblers1921	Grasshoppers 1923	Stragglers of Asia 1925	South Wales Hunts 1926
Lincolnshire Gentlemen 1928	Jesters CC 1928	Romany 1929	Souwesters 1930
Buccaneers 1930	The Stage 1931	South Oxford Amateurs 1933	Wiltshire Queries 1933
Gaieties CC 1937	Flycatchers 1934	Arabs 1935	Woodpeckers 1936
Forty Club 1937	Bushmen 1942	Cricket Society XI 1949	Boffins 1949
Lord’s Taverners 1950	Almondbury Casuals 1952	Ravers Cricket Club 1954	Grannies 1956
Badgers Cricket club 1958	Privateers 1958	Saints 1959	Jack Frost XI 1961
Lord Gnomes XI 1963	Mandarins 1963 or 64	Old England 1968	Thames Valley Gents 1968
Heartaches 1973	Touring Theatres 1974	Weekenders 1970s	Fleet Street Strollers 1976
Captain Scott Invitation XI	Kensington 1982(1848)	Chelsea Arts Club 1984	Hetairoi 1980
Journeymen 1988	Harry Baldwin Occassionals‘ 1986	Sydenhurst Ramblers 1946	Magdalen CC 1944
Law Society 1929	Brighton Brunswick 1870	Paralytics	London Theatres 1957
Erratics CC 1934	Butler XI 1988	Spasmodics 1935	Nondescripts 1870s
Gents of Herefordshire 1850s	Paddington 1920	Moose 1979	Fleet Street Wanderers 1989
The Philanderers 1986	Eclectics CC	Phene Philanderers 1968	Fantasians CC 1981
Australia House	Temple Sheen Eccentrics CC 1960s	Chinghoppers CC 1932	London New Zealand CC 1951
London Erratics CC 1974	Gentlemen of Hampstead CC	Demijohns CC 1957	Gents of West London CC 1988
Cricketers Club of London 1974	Harrow Wayfarers CC 1957	Authors CC 1891/2012	Strollers CC 2002
Mallards CC 1970s	Wine Trade SC	East Herts Cavaliers CC	Fiddlers CC 1947
Pimlico Strollers 1987	Shopwyke Strollers CC	Warwickshire Imps CC 1925	Surrey Cryptics CC 1976
West Norfolk CC	Southwell Rambers CC	Ancient Mariners CC 1925	Refreshers CC 1976
Arden Taverners CC	Beamers CC	Bunburrys CC 1986	Barmy Army CC 1995
Mogador Wanderers CC 1949	Fathers & Sprogs CC 1982	Serbian Sloggers CC 1984	Old Castletonians CC 1962
Waggoners CC 1987	Old Ashfordians 1928	Bohemians CC 1979	Goodwill Wanderers CC 1962
Dulwich Wanderers CC 1930	Roving Reporters 1973	RNVR CC 1946	VCC Belsize Village CC 1984
Uplands CC 1930	The Blues 1947	Tabard Pilgrims CC 1996	Nepotists CC 1980
Players & Jesters 1975	Gentlemen of Cambridge CC	Wormcasts CC 1984	Strokemakers CC
Leprechauns CC 1948	Thespids CC	French Barbarians CC 2015	York Wanderers CC 1947
Wessex Pilgrims CC 1977	Rioteers CC	Gents of England 1751/2015	Graces Cricket Club
Remnants CC 1980	De Flamingo’s CC	Hobgoblin Nomads CC 2010	Paddington Rabbits CC
Apothecaries & Artists CC	The Min CC 1982	Richmond Nomads CC 1946	The Sunday Seconds CC 2019
Kenya Kongonis CC 1927	Chiltern Warriors CC	Uganda Kobs CC	Nairobi Nomads CC(Charity)
Vienna Ocassionals CC 2020	Trojan Wanderers CC	Mid Sussex & Brighton Nomads CC	Salmagundi Gardeners CC
J B CC 2011	Future Legends 2015	Ramblers CC	Mpingwe 2014 CC
Carnegie CC 1955	Downsiders CC 1983	Chudley Ales CC 1975	Phoenix CC 2005
Paragon CC 1977	Outlaws CC 1947	Capricorn 1979	Carlton Sports CC 1928
Arcadian Casuals CC 1998	Forest Gate CC 2005	FM Arthur’s XI 1928	Ludlow Nomads CC 2016
Lichfield Nomads CC 1982	Nomads CC Wiltshire	Northumberland Nomads CC 1944	Alderton Wanderers CC
Warwickshire Imps CC 1925	Fulham Taveners CC	Soho Cricket Collective 2010	French House Soho CC
All Sorts CC	Highgate Irregulars CC	Hammer Bottom Butsers CC	Cheshire Cats CC
The TBT Toads CC 2010	Newport Gentlemen CC 1980s	Dorset Wanderers CC 1980	Crocodiles CC 1980
Dragons CC 1933	Ruislip Orientals CC	Lemmings CC 1997	Far From MCC CC 1998
Not the MCC CC 1984?	Hawks CC 1938	Bounders CC 1980s	The Spin Doctors CC
Strollers CC Surrey 2002	Wye Rustics CC 1930	Crusaders CC 1982	The Further Friars CC
Shepway Stragglers CC 1947	Top Knockers CC 2017	Butterlords CC	Kings Road S & CC 1954
Battersea Bandits CC 2010	Battersea Badgers CC	Unabombers CC	Thespian Thunderers CC
Flying Ducksmen CC	Plastics CC	Shakespear CC	The Village CC 2004
Wandering City Boys CC	The Borderers CC 1895	Wyncote Ramblers CC	Black Sheep CC 1989
Old Seagullians CC	Mighty Greys CC 1987	Burmington Bears CC	Lashings CC
Still Going Strong CC	Birmingham Unicorns CC	Danish Forty CC	Full Tossers CC 1986
Mighty Wanderers CC	North Harrow CC	White Walkers CC	Stags Cricket Club CC
Wandering Crows CC	Old Markonians CC	Knockers CC	Old Victorians CC

Over the course of British Cricket history many Wandering clubs have come and gone. Some became Wanderers with the loss of their original ground while others went from Wanderers to securing their current ground and some of these still kept their original description “Wanderers, Nomads, Ramblers” in the club name. Others failed when no new officers of the club could be found as incumbent men retired or died.

Some Wandering Clubs find excellent homes after many decades of Wandering. Hampshire Hogs CC 1877 settled at Wheely Down Warnford in 1966. Pelicans CC 1964 settled at Nag’s Head Meadow Great Missenden and added the name 1996. Armadillos CC 1987 settled in 2009 at the historic Sheffield Park ground. There are more like this.There some mainly Wandering clubs that do however hire a regular home ground for some ‘home’ games.

Among those that seem to have disappeared are- Concert Artistes CC, The Ducks CC, Carmelites CC, Caterpillars CC, Putney Eccentrics CC, Acenarians CC, Lazarusians CC(Peter O’Toole’s XI), Hampstead Itinerants CC, Dragonflies CC, Hampstead Mercenaries CC, Fencibles CC, Pratlers CC, Thames Valley Gentlemen CC, El Vino’s CC(Reg Hayter’s XI) and many others.

There have also been wandering sides raised by notable men from varying backgrounds like Sir Julian Cahn, Bertie Joel XI, Vic Lewis XI, Tom Pugh’s XI, etc which thrived in their lifetime.

Many Cricket & Sports Clubs have been founded by the Old Boys of Schools and Alumni of Universities and Oxbridge Colleges and oftern ‘wandered’ initially. Some have developed into substantial sports clubs with the Cricket sections competing in League Cricket such as Old Haberdashers, Old Merchant Taylors, Old Hamptonians, Old Tiffinians. Others have wandered for a long time with a cricket week at the school and an annual tour. In particular Eton Ramblers wandered for a century and others like Harrow Wanderers & Stowe Templars still ‘wander. However these Old Boys clubs have a regular home base at the school. Despite their associated names, Rovers, Ramblers, Hermits, Pilgrims etc only a few play away matches except in Cricketer Cup and Cricketer Trophy competition matches. So none of these clubs are genuine ‘Wandering Clubs’ though the Old Boys themselves form a substantial proportion of those playing ‘Wandering Cricket’.

In recent decades there has been a steady growth in seniors or veterans cricket. Many of these teams are just an appendage of an established local clubs even though they sometimes give themselves different names often with a ‘wandering’ ring to them. Others develop into an independent veteran Wandering Club like Old Markonians out of Harlow Vets. County Seniors cricket is now well established at over 50s, over 60s and over 70s with national competitions. In one sense all these County Senior sides are Wandering clubs with no fixed abode. However with the exception of Over 70s 3rd XIs they all play limited over cricket in National and or Regional Competitions which is not what Wandering Cricket clubs traditionally do. ECB Over 50s, Over 60/70s.

There is also a category of clubs of no fixed abode but who hire a ground for home fixtures, eg Strongroom CC. Likewise there are similar clubs who hire regularly several home grounds. There are clubs also of no fixed abode who play in mid week evening leagues, 20/20 and Last Man Stands.

If we have missed out a current Wandering Club please let us know and we will update the list. There are some Wandering clubs which are definitely active as they appear in other clubs fixtures lists and in Conference handbooks but do not seem to have a Facebook/Instagram Page, Twitter nor a Website. There is a slight Southern and definite England bias to this list.

Many of the London Gentlemen’s Clubs have cricket teams which wander such as East India, RAC, Saville, Carlton, Groucho and more. Parliament has its own Wandering Club Lords & Commons CC founded 1849. Indeed may pubs and wine bars have nurtured wandering cricket clubs which thrive for a period the most renown being El Vino’s CC. The Royal Opera House has a cricket team as does the ENO.

There are, of course, some clubs that still play only Friendly Time/Declaration cricket which is in the spirit of most Wandering Cricket but with a ground of their own are definitely not Wandering Cricket Clubs e.g. Hurlingham Club, Hampshire Hogs, Southbank , Broadhalfpenny Brigands, Royal Household and more.

In 2000 The Cricketer magazine organized a Festival of Wandering Cricket Clubs which was very successful. It had some eccentricities in its invitation list including a non wandering club and excluding some famous and ancient wandering clubs. One evening at the festival Dinner the Stage CC put on an entertainment which was repeated at a PCA event at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2019 South Oxfordshire Amateurs CC staged a Mini Wandering Cricket Clubs Festival involving SOA, Devon Dumplings, Nomads, Frogs, Gaieties and Melbourne XXIX Club.

Hot Press a Wandering Cricket Association (WCA) is in formation striving to promote and support Wandering cricket throughout the United Kingdom. If anyone has any more news of this venture do let us know

Links mostly go to clubs’ website but also Facebook or Instagram Page, sometimes to a Twitter account. At the time of original publication the links are correct but clubs do change or close websites . Apologies if you click on a broken link. Let us know and we will sort it out.

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