West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club
West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club (WC&TCC) is a cricket club based in the village of West Chiltington in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.
The club runs three adult league sides and plays 1st and 2nd XI cricket at the West Chiltington Recreation Ground; their 1st XI and 2nd XI play in the Sussex Premier County League. The original West Chiltington Cricket Club (WCCC) was established in 1921 and for many years, enjoyed playing cricket against local sides. As the turn of the century approached, WCCC and the dormant Thakeham CC merged to create a more viable and competitive player base. This allowed the newly merged club to really challenge and be competitive in the old West Sussex League (WSL) whilst still offering more friendly traditional Sunday cricket. A new badge incorporating a windmill was designed and the club colours of Green & Gold first appeared on shirts. In 2008, WC&TCC was welcomed into the Sussex Invitation Cricket League (SICL) representing a new stage of the Club's playing development and new challenges.
History
Both the former clubs played friendly cricket for many years; WCCC subsequently joined the Sussex Championship League (later to be renamed the West Sussex Cricket League). At time of merger at the West Chiltington CC AGM in 2000, WCCC was a WSL Division Two side with many players of their small squad living in Thakeham. In 2006, the Club celebrated being crowned champions of the WSL First Division for the first time and in the following season, the Club created a second Saturday XI which entered SICL Division Four.
In 2007, the Club hosted a testimonial match for the then Sussex CCC opening batsman Richard Montgomerie. The weather was kind and comfortably the largest crowd to ever watch WC&TCC play saw a Sussex CCC XI squeak home narrowly. The day raised funds for an excellent & loyal Sussex cricketer. The Club was awarded the ECB ClubMark accreditation in 2007 for the first time and recognised as a Sussex Focus Club in 2008. In the same season, the Club also joined the Sussex Invitation Cricket League.
In 2009, three brand new nets were constructed near the tennis courts to accelerate both colts' and adult progression. These were opened in May by Murray Goodwin, Sussex CCC's beneficiary of that year. The Club also recruited its first overseas players in 2009 and their 2nd XI were promoted for the first time.
In 2010, covers were purchased and at the start of 2011, sightscreens were erected to further enhance playing facilities. A year later, Horsham District Council announced it had approved developer's plans to build on part of Sussex Mushrooms in Thakeham village. Part of the proposal was a new Thakeham cricket square and a pavilion. The Committee of the merged cricket club announced that it had no plans to de-merge and wished to use the Thakeham pitch to run 3rd XI and colts' sides.
The 2011 season was at that stage, the most successful in the merged Club's short history. The 1st and 2nd XI both won their respective West Sussex Invitation League divisions and the Under 12s won the Club's first ever colts' trophy - Sussex Junior Cricket Festival Shield Winners in the final against Crawley. In 2012, the Club launched a 3rd XI which played at Amberley CC and an appeal to secure funds to renovate their pavilion. At the end of August, the 1st XI were again crowned champions - this time in Division Two - and were promoted to Division 1 - just one division below Sussex county standard. The 2nds ended the season unbeaten in all competitions, finishing runners up in Division Six and were again also promoted. In their first season, competing in Division Ten, the 3rd XI finished fourth with a strong second half of the season.
In 2013, the 1sts achieved fourth place in their first season in Division 1, the 2nd XI were promoted for the third successive season and the 3rds also went up. In 2014, the most significant event off the pitch since merger occurred with the opening of a brand new sports' pavilion. The design was heralded by opposition players and local residents as completely in keeping with the surroundings and it was formally opened by local MP Nick Herbert on 17 June. The new building is used by cricketers, footballers and the croquet club. The majority of colts' training was moved to Friday nights in an effort to bring the majority of sides together and generate additional funds for the new pavilion. Friday nights were roundly praised as a huge success and have continued till this day although the U16s train with the adults on Thursdays.
The adult sides consolidated in 2014 before an astonishing 2015 unfolded. Four colts' sides won trophies before the 1st XI finally clinched promotion to the County League at the third attempt at the end of August. The championship was clinched in the last game when their home match with second placed Littlehampton was abandoned. They achieved this with largely the same side which played in 2014 and no overseas player.
In 2016, the club entered the Sussex Premier County League with two overseas Indian players and an experienced club coach Tim van Noort. This year has also finally seen the start of development at Thakeham which includes the construction of the new cricket pitch.
Honours (as a merged club)
West Sussex Invitation League Division One Champions 2015
(Former) West Sussex League Division One Champions 2006
West Sussex Invitation League Division Two Champions 2012
West Sussex Invitation League Division Three Champions 2011
West Sussex Invitation League Division Seven Champions 2011
Sussex Junior Festival U16 Shield Joint Winners 2015
Sussex Junior Festival U12 Shield Winners 2011, 2015
(Former) West Sussex League Division One Runners Up 2003, 2005
(Former) West Sussex League Division Two Runners Up 2002
West Sussex Invitation League Division Six Runners Up 2012
West Sussex Invitation League Division Three (Res) Runners Up 2009
Sussex Junior Festival U16s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival U14s Shield Runners Up 2007
Sussex Junior Festival U13s Shield Runners Up 2011
Sussex Junior Festival U12s Shield Runners Up 2008, 2009
Sussex Junior Festival U11s Shield Runners Up 2014
Records
Lowest score made against WC&T: 38 all out by Middleton Academy against the 3rd XI on 9 May 2015
Lowest score made by WC&T: 50 all out by the Sunday side at Ditchling on 11 September 2005
Highest score against WC&T: 325-6 made by Arundel 3rd XI against the 3rd XI on 19 May 2012
Highest score by WC&T: 413-4 - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Recreation Ground on 26 May 2007
Biggest margin of defeat: 211 runs - Sunday side vs Falling Leaves at Arundel on 13 August 2006
Biggest margin of victory: 326 runs - 2nd XI vs Pulborough 3rd XI at the West Chiltington Rec. on 26 May 2007
Number of ten wicket victories: Seven vs. Amberley (2002), Ifield 3rd XI (2004), Bury & West Burton (2009), Ansty (2010), Scaynes Hill (2012), Billingshurst 3rd XI (2013) and Stirlands 2nd XI (2016)
Number of ten wicket defeats: Four vs. Bury & West Burton (2003), Worthing Foresters (2004), Milland (2008) and Scaynes Hill (2008)
Record individual score: 
Brian Chambers - 198* vs Brighton Insurance at the West Chiltington Rec. on 14 May 2005
Record partnership for any wicket: Luke Tolson & Reuben Taylor - 281* vs Preston Nomads U16s at home in the SJCF Bowl on 15 August 2016
Youngest player to play adult cricket: Tom Chambers - 10 years and 197 days playing for the 1st XI at St Matthias on 3 September 2005
Best individual bowling figures: 
James Chaloner - 10-3-17-8 vs. Ocean away on 27 July 2002
Most hundreds: - 
Rob Llewellyn [RIP] - Seventeen
Most five-wicket hauls: - James Chaloner - Twenty Two