The club is formed out of the Crown Public House in Highfield. There is already a Highfield Hotel cricket side playing out of the Public House on the main road so the club starts life as the Crown. Chas Shand is the Landlord and through his friends in the trade can arrange fixtures. Pete Scott is the most experienced cricketer and assumes the captaincy of a keen,eager and very inexperienced group of young men. The first game is played against the Highfield Hotel at the nearby Riverside Park then boasting 3 cricket squares complete with score huts. The team is Pete Scott, his dad Les, Tony Osborne, Andy Burns, James Newell, Dave Reddington, Chas Shand, Mark Holloway and Clive Tonks. The eleventh man remains a mystery but it is known that Petes' brother Tony played for the opposition. The game was won by 5 wickets but no record was kept of any performances. Subsequent games followed with fixtures against the Cricketers (Eastleigh) played at Fleming Park and a first trip to Exbury, where we would play many times. Other players to make their debuts during this time are Malcolm Terry, Rob Burns, Tony Scott, Keith Sealey, Dennis Tanner, Andy Biggs, Richard Moxham and Duncan Pratley.

The fixture list is increased to include Camelot and the Obelisk (Woolston). The club also enters a side in the Whitbread 6 a side competition. Other players to make their debuts are Chris Mansfield, Barry Barker, Steve Williams, Neil Garvey, J.Hagger, A.Templeton and Mr Brewer.

The club buys a scorebook and a semblance of records begin. Very few dates, catches and wicket partnerships are recorded until Petes girlfriend Debbie and new player Neil Campone get their hands on the scorebook later in the season. The first recorded game is against B.C.C and the Crown are dismissed for 85. The first recorded side is P.Scott, J.Newell, T.Osborne, C.Mansfield, D.Reddington, M.Terry, B.Barker, D.Pratley, A.Burns, R.Burns and M.Holloway. B.C.C are then restricted to 81/7 from their 30 overs. J.Newell top scores with 26 and T.Osborne takes 3/7 to become the clubs first record holders! The next game against Sturminster sets two unwelcome records. First we concede 237 and are then skittled for 47. This lowest score record only lasts for one game though as Riverside dismiss us for 42. C.Mansfield takes T.Osbornes bowling record with 5/67. We then bowl a team out for the first time as Abbey National are dismissed for 55. J.Newell also betters his own batting record with 31. P.Scott then breaks the bowling record with 5/11 in a 107 run victory against Obelisk who are dismissed for a record 40. Our 147 is our highest recorded score to date. P.Scott then adds the batting record to his bowling effort with 66 against the Lamp & Mantle in a club record 166 and increases it to 69 against the L.S.U where he and C.Mansfield set a 2 nd wicket partnership of 32. P.Scott and J.Hagger also set the mark for the 7 th wicket with a stand of 32. The clubs next game against Unigate sees the first recorded wicket partnership with P.Scott and J.Newell adding 69 for the 1 st wicket. In the next game v C.F.L. J.Newell and C.Mansfield put on 57 for the 3 rd wicket.

JUL (4) v Unigate, first recorded game with a date. (7) v Highfield Hotel. A.Burns and D.Pratley set 5 th wicket record with 30. M.Holloway and D.Reddington set 8 th wicket record with 29.(11) M.Akhtar & P.Whitehorn debut. Lowest team score 21 v Exbury. Steve Taylor plays for opposition. (21) v Exbury, Steve Taylor 119 scores first century against the club. J.Newell takes P.Scotts bowling record with 6/57 including wicket of Taylor. G.Randall and R.Burns set 10 th wicket record with 15.

AUG (18) v Exbury. J.Newell and D.Tanner set 4 th wicket record with 63. (25) v Park Inn. N.Campone debut. P.Scott increases own batting record to 75. Club record score 249. P.Scott and J.Newell better their own 1 st wicket record, putting on 113. S.Williams and M.Terry set 6 th wicket partnership with 45.

SEP (22) v Park Inn. A.Templeton and S.Williams set 9 th wicket record with 34.

Seasons end; P.Scott with 580 runs and 31 wickets becomes club record holder in both fields. J.Newell becomes the first recipient of the player of the year.

A full list of over 30 friendlies is booked for the upcoming season, mostly on Sundays with some evenings thrown in.The Highfield Hotel side who have been playing in the Parks league have disbanded so we decide to change our name to Highfield Cricket Club.

APR (27) v Park Inn. P.Scott breaks batting record with 106. P.Scott and M.Terry set 4 th wicket partnership of 74. Park Inn are dismissed for 37 to beat the record by 3 runs. T.Yendle debut.

MAY (4) v C.F.L. S.Whent debut.

JUN (1) v L.S.U. M.McAuliffe 103* scores the second ton against Highfield. T.Scott and N.Campone break 5 th wicket record with 37. (5) v L.S.U. D.Makepeace and P.Ladkin debuts. (8) v Bitterne Conservatives. M.Terry and D.Makepeace break 10 th wicket record with stand of 30. (15) v Camelot. John Colborne 103 scores the third ton against Highfield. (22) v Highfield Hotel. K.Trott debut. (29) v Portswood Police. T.Osborne and N.Campone break 5 th wicket record with stand of 47.

JUL (6) v Park Inn. N.Campone and T.Osborne break 8 th wicket record with stand of 49. (8) v Portswood Police. First game at Studland Rd an Oasis in the middle of Millbrook. (13) P.Scott and J.Newell break their own first wicket record with a stand of 118. P.Scott scores his 2 nd century and breaks his own record with 117. (15) Tony Sims plays for the Echo reporters against Highfield on the now defunct pitch 3 at the Parks. He scores 10 and takes 1/25 off 4 overs. (31) v Cunard S.Angel debut.

AUG (6) v Abbey National P.Scott and T.Osborne break the 2 nd wicket record with a stand of 45. (10) v University Academics T.Osborne and D.Makepeace break the 7 th wicket record with a stand of 78. T.Osborne and R.Burns break the 9 th wicket record with a stand of 44. (31) v University Academics. Julian Breese scores the fourth ton against Highfield.

SEP (5-7) Tour to Abergevenny. Friday game against Pen-y-fal is played at Abergevenney CC where Glamorgan play when they are in town. One of the few spectators is Mr Nash, father of Malcolm who once got hit for 6 sixes by Sir Garfield Sobers. We are also allowed to use the electronic scoreboard. The Sunday game, also against Pen-y-fal is played at the local mental hospital. In the pre warm up Football game Dave Makepeace breaks his arm. Because of the amount of drink he has consumed the Hospital refuse to anaesthetise him.

Seasons End. Pete Scott has broken his own batting record with 965 runs in the season. Neil Campone breaks the bowling record with 44 wickets. Overall record. Pld 29 W14 D1 L14