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Cricket Clubhouse in Shanghai 1939

Now here is a decent clubhouse befitting the gentlemen of the Leisure. Steps leading down from the bar for the batsmen to wander down on their way out to the wicket, bar properly stocked and waitered as well as decent seats to watch the proceedings from. I can just see the likes of the Jag, Latex, Loose and Mouse sitting in the club house, blazered up, guffawing at the proceedings on the field whilst they suck on a big fat cigars and snap their fingers at the waiter to bring over another rather large gin and tonic.

The two teams in the photo are my company Swire (Taikoo) and HSBC (Wayfoong). For just over 60 years they played an annual fixture in Shanghai until 1949 which to this day probably still makes it one of the longest running local cricket fixtures. Also the first annual rugby match between these two “Hongs” was played in 1912. So guess what….. as next year is 2012 it is time to mark the centenary of their first rugby game with both a rugby and cricket match between the latest generation of Taikoo and Wayfoong including what will need to be a few ringers (any Marco Polo Club members out there?).

I have also been given a lengthy press article from 1914 which gives a detailed history of the first 50 years of Shanghai cricket. When I get the time I’ll transcribe it and post it. I could not help noticing that a certain Major Turner was also a prominent figure in the early years of cricket in Shanghai, another Turner between the Wars and a Turner after the 2nd World War so clearly there has been a Shrek or two before Basher #1

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It seems that the first all Chinese cricket match took place in 1901 between the Rest of China and the politically incorrectly named SCC “Coolies”…… although unfortunately the article does not provide clarity as to whether the SCC Coolies were the forerunners of the Hot Dogs. One suspects they might have been.

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