It was an emotional day at The Common as we said goodbye to long-serving groundsman Pat Hall.
Pat prepared his final wicket for the club for the Thurlow Nunn East Anglian Premier League game against Great Witchingham on Saturday 6 September 2025.
The weather was kind and we were treated to a five-wicket win (scorecard: https://swardeston.play-cricket.com/website/results/6668075) for the Swardeston team over their Norfolk rivals which appropriately bookmarked more than 60 years of service by Pat to the club.
Ahead of the game players from both teams plus umpires and scorers lined up to form a guard of honour to salute Pat’s years of producing great wickets. Swardeston Chair Stuart Bartram said a few words in tribute as Witchingham prepared to bat.
After the game the club enjoyed a barbecue put on by Pat’s family which saw current club players, vice-presidents, officials and supporters joined by former players to help celebrate.
Pat joined Swardeston in 1957 and first started to help with ground maintenance when the team played at Keswick College. Early in the 1960s Swardeston Common was converted into a ground accommodating both cricket and football pitches.
The club moved to the ground in 1964 but it was not until 1965 they began playing there. At this point Pat’s role as club groundsman was born. In the early days the club had to play on coconut matting while Pat lead the huge job of establishing the square.
During the evening further tributes were paid by Chair Stuart Bartram, who also presented Pat with a gift from the club. Pat was also presented with a card and a collection of messages which had come in from those unable to attend the evening, other cricket clubs, organisations and leagues and many from former players around the world.
Club President Peter Thomas paid a personal, emotional tribute to Pat which covered not only more than 50 years of cricket but also a half-century of friendship.
Thank you to club members Dale Clarke and Simon Green for the photos.
