A vanishing breed: Huw Turbervill considers the fate of the East Suffolk scene he left behind 21 years ago...

Since leaving Ipswich, and the East Anglian Daily Times, for the bright lights of Fleet Street in 1998, grisly news has reached me of one club after another biting the dust

When I was a lad I had nightmares about a BBC film called Threads, depicting a nuclear attack on Britain. It never happened thankfully, but that apocalyptic scenario was replaced by another – the destruction of my beloved East Suffolk club cricket scene.

Since leaving Ipswich, and The East Anglian Daily Times, for the bright lights of Fleet Street in 1998, grisly news has reached me of one club after another biting the dust. It’s been Apocalypse Now. It’s been a story of the odd club going super, others folding or struggling, and enough combining to interest the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

So Ipswich used to have Copdock CC, and Old Ipswichians: they merged, and are flourishing, the biggest club in the region, with East Anglian Premier League status. Browns and Tattingstone merged; Achilles folded (though their youth section joined another club); as did Bourne Vale; Ipswich & East Suffolk are troubled as they have concerns about their future in the public Chantry Park; and St Margarets survived.

As the Spice Girls once sang, two became one in Felixstowe, 20 minutes down the A14, as the town team and Corinthians combined. Just down the A12 from Ipswich, Waldringfield are battling hard due to a lack of funds, while Kesgrave are well-run.

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Back on the East Suffolk Railway Line, Woodbridge is big and lovely, and it used to have two clubs, one named after the town and affiliated to the state school, Farlingaye, and the other, Deben Valley, to the private school. They merged, but struggled to find or afford pitches in the town itself, and now play eight miles away, at Campsea Ashe. They flirted with extinction but are now having a renaissance, planning to run two teams not one next year. There is also Melton St Audry’s, just outside Woodbridge, and they have flourishing junior and women’s sections. It’s all about facilities you see – they own their own.

As do Easton. They are in the Wickham Market area, and because they own their own ground, have a clubhouse and can sell their own beer, they are doing well, and have attracted players from a number of other clubs, especially Woodbridge. It’s that same story nationally: one or two ‘superclubs’ expanding, sometimes at the expense of others. Nearby is Sudbourne Hall, a lovely ground. They survive.

Next down the line is Saxmundham, doing quite well. Leiston (near Sizewell Power Station) have gone however, and Aldeburgh has not had a club in my memory – bizarrely, when you consider the wealth of this popular seaside town (although there are a lot of second homes there). Framlingham has also bitten the dust, despite having two schools in the town, the private College, and Thomas Mills. They have pitches aplenty but not enough players.

Yoxford are ailing despite their lovely ground. Halesworth, ludicrously, folded a decade ago. Worlingworth are doing well, but Southwold are fighting for their future, despite having a glorious venue with the sea in view and Adnams on tap.

That is 24 clubs reduced to 15, by my calculations, in the 21 years I have been away... That is considerable change, and I am genuinely scared how they will change again in the next 20.

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