Cricket has been played in Papakura since the 1850's, with records of a Papakura team going back to 1876. Papakura Cricket Club seemingly first came into being in 1930 and then again in 1948.
A number of years later, after talking to some youngsters, Gordon Spragg Snr placed an advertisement in the local paper calling for cricket enthusiasts to attend the 'Inaugural Meeting' of PCC. This meeting was to be held at the Bowling Pavilion on Green St, at 8pm Tuesday, the 15th of September 1959. After some discussion, it was decided to form Papakura CC. Peter Reilly was elected as President/Chairman, Kevin Barry as Secretary and Brian Agar to the position of Treasurer. Mr. Spragg Snr was made Patron, a role he held for many decades until his passing.
Though the Club had no money, grounds or players, the Club pressed on and raised enough funds, through a well-run fundraising to get things moving, and the Club became affiliated to the Franklin (now Counties) Cricket Association. Two teams were entered into the local competitions; one in A-Grade (Premier) and one in B-Grade.
Practices were initially held at Massey Park, which was also used by the Papakura Rugby Club, but the Club soon secured the lower field at McLennan Park. This proved unusable, as the field was "little more than a swamp". A temporary solution was found when the then-Principal of Papakura High School allowed games to be played there, in return for free coaching for his students.
This too proved a short-term solution as Ray Small organised the top field at McLennan Park to be made available for cricket; initially to be co-shared with the hockey club and, from 1961, with the soccer club. This sharing remains through to today.
The clubrooms for PCC were, at this time, off-grounds. In the beginning, the Club had to use local hotels/pubs for after-match occasions, but a premises on Old Wairoa Road became available, and this was a welcome addition for the Club, and was a great meeting place for Club members. The house was a target for beer-thirsty thieves however, and not even hiding the beer in a trap-door could prevent break-ins!
As welcome as this old house was, it was remote from the ground, so plans were drawn up in 1960 to erect a pavilion on the park. Jack Pickard oversaw the project, with a number of willing helpers. The new clubrooms were officially opened by the then-Mayor, Mr A. J. Campbell, who commented on the independent and self-reliant attitude of the Club members.
The pitches at McLennan Park have been a great source of pride for the Club, and were long recognised as the best in the District. Though the ground had a pitch in 1960, it was decided to replace these with Port Albert soil-based pitch in 1963. This was met with mixed success, as the pitches would often be unusable pre-Christmas, due to the softness of the ground.
As the Club grew to four teams, another pitch was needed. With the recent moving of the existing pitch to accommodate soccer, it was the perfect time to assess the problem underfoot. A chance conversation led to the laying of Red Hill clay onto the Port Albert soil, to make pitches that played very well. The new combination would be known as "Red Albert". Groundsman Glen Jones performed such a good task that he and the Club received a glowing recommendation from high above; the Club hosted a match between NZ U'23 and a Franklin Invitational XI, and when asked about the quality of the pitch, test bowler Bob Cunis replied "it's the best!”
The Junior Club of PCC was officially launched on the 27th of October 1973 when Norm Hill chaired the first ever meeting. A very popular meeting it was too, with over 200 parents in attendance. From this, a committee and team mangers were set up and subscriptions were set at $2.50 per season. In the first season 57 Juniors were on board at Papakura; by the 83/84 season this had expanded to 22 teams!
The clubrooms came in for an upgrade too, in 1974. The ceiling was recoated, masked lights installed, walls painted, kitchen revamped and a bar and servery installed, drapes made and hung, vinyl squabs for the seating made, the floor carpeted and new tables purchased. This is pretty much how the clubrooms are today. The refurbished pavilion was much admired, and was undoubtedly the best club facility in Franklin.
This season also saw another addition, one that seems odd today; artificial grass was laid on top off the existing concrete bases......replacing the lino that was previously there. Yes, they played non-grass pitch matches on lino!
The 25th Anniversary was held at the Papakura Rugby Clubrooms on Saturday 10th of March 1984. As the day was wet, all cricket was cancelled so celebrations had to wait until 6pm that night with a cocktail hour, that loosened many tongues. Dinner began at 8, and the speeches commenced at around 9pm. The night finished at 12:30, with all agreeing it had been a wonderful occasion. The next day was dedicated solely to antics on-field. Six teams were organised to play cricket all day, with the beer tent being the main focal point! The weekend came to a close with John Gilbert, then-Club Chairman, thanking Ralph du Faur and the organising committee for the splendid marking of the Clubs 25th Anniversary.
One thing of note; the book mentions that 'planning is well advanced for the replacement of the existing pavilion'. It was noted that the Council will advance the Club $50,000 to combine the current changing and clubrooms into one large changing area, with the new clubrooms to be built above this new structure. Whatever happened to this plan?
TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT DATES
1850's: Cricket first played in Papakura
1876: A Papakura team in existance
1930: First (?) Papakura Cricket Club
1948: Second (?) Papakura Cricket Club
15th September 1959: Founding and Inaugural Meeting of (third?) Papakura CC
1959/60: Affiliated with Franklin Cricket Association; home matches largely played at Papakura High School
1960: Moved to present-day home ground of McLennan Park; pavilion erected.
1963: Port Albert soil pitch laid
1967: Red Hill clay mixed with Port Albert soil, to make high-quality 'Red Albert' pitches
27th October 1973; Founding and Inaugural Meeting Of Papakura Junior Cricket
1974: Clubrooms renovated
10th and 11th March 1984; Club's 25th Anniversary Celebrations.