Stoics unwanted day of fame: Stoddart's 485
The Stoics CC was founded in 1877 to play midweek cricket mostly against the stronger sides in London and the home counties, though the club is probably best known for a turkey shoot at Hampstead in 1886. That was when Andrew Stoddart smashed 485 against us, still a record score in club cricket.
At this time declarations were not permitted by the Laws, and Middlesex batsman Stoddart spent almost the whole day peppering the sloping Lymington Road ground with 64 fours, three fives and an eight. Hampstead ended up with 813, leaving the Stoics with no time to bat.
The match was one of an increasing number of farcical club afternoons that led up to a change of Law 14 in 1889, when declarations were at last permitted. By then the first class game had been brought into disrepute on several occasions by counties sacrificing wickets to close the innings quickly while the fielding side tried NOT to take wickets. Surrey versus Sussex at the Oval in 1887 was a notorious example.
On August 4, 1986, to celebrate the centenary of the Stoddart match, Stoics played Hampstead again at Lymington Road, though a Stoics suggestion that the 1886 rules should apply was politely declined. Stoics batted first, and the future Victoria left-hander Warren Ayres, 20, a struck a fine century to set up a declaration and victory on a gloomy rain-hit day. The occasion received London television news coverage, and a notable spectator was Keith Miller, the former Australia all-rounder. Miller, 66, sat by himself on a boundary bench and told passers-by that he had come to watch a piece of cricket history, declining all invitations to join the throng in the pavilion.
Stoddart might have played occasionally for the Stoics after his history-making innings because he was made president of the club in 1897, the year his England career ended. Perhaps the honour simply recognised his association as an eminent opponent; it was position he held for 10 years.
If Stoddart did get a game with the Stoics, he might have been the club's first international. Current vice-president Raman Subba Row seems to be most recent England player, and a list of Australian Test players feature Adam Gilchrist, Dav Whatmore and Julian Wiener. Other internationals include John Nagenda (East Africa in the 1975 World Cup) and Trevor Gripper, of Zimbabwe. Stoics CC can boast a long list of future, present or past County Championship players -- and Sheffield Shield -- to represent the club through the ages.
No history of the Stoics CC would be complete without a mention of Gerald Plumbly, the former chief vet to the Queen's stables at Buckingham Palace. His great love was cricket, and Gerald served the Stoics for more than 70 years in capacities from player to administrator and president until his death in 2010 at the age of 95.