Lives in Cricket No 52 - Schooled in Cricket (2nd edition)

77 A cricket school is founded Johnny’s son Robin writes: “The first nets were built in 1946 and just had one lane. The old nets look like a big greenhouse with tomato plants growing. While Dad was playing in Somerset Uncle Sam Lawrence used to make use of the nets when they were not being used. I remember one year when we came back from Somerset, Uncle Sam was rearing some young chickens in the cricket school dressing rooms. When Dad applied for planning permission for the first lot of nets he could not get permission. He could only get permission to build a greenhouse, so he decided to get round the problem by building a very big greenhouse. He opened the second lot of nets in 1961 which were two-lane; this building was built with mainly recycled materials. Window frames were made by Dad from recycled wood and the glass to go in them came out of the Leeds trams which stopped running in about 1959-60. The roof was made out of reject Bison concrete beams from the firm which used to be based in Stourton. Funnily enough they had a very nice works cricket ground where Uncle Sam Lawrence used to be groundsman. The walls were built out of recycled stone which Dad had acquired over the years. The floor was made out of reclaimed oak wooden blocks which came out of the Lewis's store in Leeds. A photograph from 1970 gives you some idea of the cricket nets built in 1961, where we had our wedding reception. The batting end was to the right of the photograph.” shed in the country, being an all glass structure thus giving the maximum amount of light. When John has finished his first-class season with Somerset he returns home and next day the winter season commences. “The shed is opened up, young players arrive in the evening when work is done and there they enjoy a few sandwiches