Author's book tells of how cricket legend 'gave Leamington Victoria Park'

Former cricketer and umpire Stephen Baldwin has written and published John Wisden a Steadfast Friend.

By 1850 Wisden was arguably the best player in the world.

He then proved himself to be an able leader of cricketers both on and off the field, developing William Clarke’s model of a touring team of professional cricketers, creating the United England Eleven.

In Stephen’s book, In September, 1847 George Parr (Notts & England) visited Leamington as a member of William Clarke’s itinerant All England XI.

He liked what he saw and returned in December to select some land on which to create a cricket ground. The land he chose was the open space around what is now Adelaide Rd.

The following March John Wisden (Sussex and England) came up from his home in Hove to enter in to a partnership with Parr to establish and manage a major cricket ground and a club to play on it.

In 1848 Parr & Wisden brought together a team of players to represent the town and, in their first season, they beat MCC home and away.

John Wisden was personally involved in getting the ground ‘up and running’.

“He is recorded as resident in Mrs Williams Lodging House, just off the High Street, and, later, the 1851 census lists him as a guest at William Croft’s bakery in Abbots Street.

“The 1850s witnessed a rapid expansion in professional level cricket, with both George Parr and John Wisden very much involved.

“When Wm Clarke ‘expelled’ John Wisden from his All England XI, Wisden set-up an alternative United England XI. After Clarke’s death in 1856, Parr took over the leadership of the AEE leaving the Leamington partners as the leaders of much of the professional level cricket in England. “They established the Cricketers’ Fund Friendly Society (mutual health insurance), leading their respective elevens in an annual Whit Monday match at Lord’s to raise funds for it.

"In the autumn of 1859 the partners led ‘The English XI’ on a first ever English tour, to Canada and USA.

“By 1863 Parr was busy arranging and leading winter tours to Australia and much of Wisden’s time was being taken up with his expanding business interests (the first Almanack appeared the following year) and so the partners surrendered their lease.

"The ground continued to be a major cricket venue, for a number of years, managed by local people.

"In 1890 the council took over the space, naming it Victoria Park.

Stephen’s book traces John Wisden’s life, and the influences upon it, from his days as an enthusiastic ‘helper’ at William Lillywhite’s cricket school near his home to his status as a ‘father figure’ to professional cricketers in the 1870s and 1880s.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, or simply Wisden, colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the UK.

John Wisden is renowned through the Almanack, but the man behind the famous annual is much less well known.

Although there have been a few books in recent years that have looked at Wisden and his Almanack, Stephen’s book focuses on the man himself and his playing career.

Copies of the book (priced £25 and p&p paid) can be bought from [email protected]