Hopton Mills Cricket Club (1895)

OriginsHopton Mills CC was formed in around 1895 as the ‘works team’ for the nearby Hopton Mills. The cricket club was a recreational facility for workers, and it paid a shilling a year to the company as a peppercorn rent.

Closure
Unfortunately, the first ‘Hopton Mills CC’ was soon shut down. This was because a local man affectionately known as ‘Uncle Dickie’ – a Mills employee (probable full name: Richard Wheatley) – was spending too much time in the club bar. The authorities at the mills were annoyed with this behaviour (it was affecting productivity!) and thus closed the club down as punishment. Today there are photos in the Woodbottom pavilion that relate to this fascinating period in the club’s history.