In the Beginning
Our club was founded in 1870. It was originally called St Johns as it was established by the choir of that church. The club was allotted a ground on the Lower Common, not far from the current location. Etherington CC, The Early Closing Association CC (playing Thursdays only!) and St Marys CC were other clubs playing on the Common at that time. Near the end of the century, a club in the area called "The Gentlemen of Putney", faded out, and St Johns decided to change its name to Putney CC.
Apparently there was quite an argument between the secretaries of St Johns and St Marys over the rights to adopt the title, but St Johns got there first and stuck to it.
In 1904 the 1st XI captain, also being a member of Surrey CCC, persuaded Jack Hobbs (later to become Sir Jack) to play for us occasionally while he was qualifying for the County. As reported in the Cricketer in 1942, in all cricket JB Hobbs scored 244 centuries, of which 197 were made in first class cricket. Among the 47 remaining centuries, he scored 110 whilst playing for Putney against Fulham Palace in 1904.
The First World War intervened in our history in 1915 when the ground was taken over by the local authority under the Defence of the Realm Regulations for use as allotments. It was not until 1923 that the ground was released, and it took a further two years to get the square re-laid and ready for the Club to start again. It would only be 16 years before the events of 1915 were repeated.
A great effort was made after the Second World War to get things going again. See the centenary page 2 for a first hand account.
The history of the Club after the war is a little better documented than before it, and so goes into reams! Highlights of the period would have to include the opening of the pavilion in 1959 (until then a tent was used as changing rooms – see b&w photo above – and the Spencer Arms served as a clubhouse), the appearances of Jim Laker after his first-class retirement, the benefit matches played on the Common against such notable sportsmen as Fulham FC, Chelsea FC, Surrey CCC and against showbiz personalities in the name of various charities.
The tours of Kent (later to become Sussex) began in 1966, the same year that we joined the Middlesex Colts Association and formed a colts section, which was to produce the backbone of the senior XIs for years to come. League cricket began in 1970, and we became a founder member of the new Slazenger Surrey League in 1975, of which we are still members to this day.
