Today, there will be some townsfolk who do not know that cricket was once played on the King’s Head Meadow, the traditional home of Wymondham Town Football Club.

The photo, taken on the meadow ninety years ago next month, shows Norman Brighton, the town club’s fearsome fast bowler, steaming in against John Nichols’s XI. At the time, Nichols was the county coach and the visitors featured a number of Norfolk players and also included 16-year-old W.J. “Bill” Edrich, who would become a cricketing legend with England and Middlesex, together with his brother Geoffrey, who would go on to play for Lancashire.

Totalling only 44, Wymondham were beaten convincingly, but in the opposition’s 103-5 declared the young Brighton took four wickets for only seven runs in ten overs – a feat which earned him some games for the county the following season.

Cricket had been played on the meadow since at least 1856 and from 1883 when Wymondham District FC was formed, later Wymondham Town FC, cricket and football were played there according to their seasons. However, in 1958 the cricket club moved to Browick Road Recreation Ground and it was never the same again. Eventually the club amalgamated with Great Melton to form Great Melton and Wymondham CC, but in 1990 the club became just Great Melton CC with matches being played at Melton Park – and Wymondham no longer boasted a town cricket club.

However, it’s worth remembering that the year the club moved to Browick Rec they won the Kimberley Cup there with Norman Brighton still playing his part. In fact, the club won the Kimberley Cup seven times between 1955 and 1963. We know what happened to the town club, but I wonder what happened to the cup?