All the traditions of English cricket down the lanes of Stoke Gabriel

The final venue in our summer trip around the cricket grounds of South Devon takes us to the J E Eastley Memorial Ground on Hoyle Lane, home of Stoke Gabriel CC.

Cricket arrived at Stoke Gabriel in 1975 when a piece of land outside the village was gifted by a local solicitor, J E Eastley to an embryonic group of enthusiasts.

Spying a social and cricketing resource, the ground has been transformed by that same group from a farmers field into a Lords by the Dart. This has been mainly under the guidance of local turf tzar and former player John Webber.

The ground is notoriously hard to find without sat nav but is well worth the effort once you’ve arrived through the lanes. Situated on a slight slope, the eye is drawn to expansive views across patchwork fields, The Daymark and beyond.

There is always a string of spectators, often cradling a drink and ambling around enjoying the setting as if the cricket is secondary.

Traditionally, batters have made themselves at home on the well prepared, sometimes easy-paced wickets and lightening outfield. Mature trees behind the bowlers arm at the far end can induce players into a false shot whilst attempting to clear them.

Bowlers trying to gain an advantage by harnessing the slope are easily dispatched agriculturally into the nearby disused quarry, where balls remain lost forever.

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The clubhouse and large patio have been developed into a complex of changing rooms, function room and bar. These facilities are used almost every day throughout the summer and are a tremendous resource for the village community all year round.

The patio is unusual in that it acts as a plateau on which to look down on the game. This has multiple uses as a BBQ area and a stage when bands are invited to perform after games.

In keeping with the traditional English feel, succulent meals and teas are provided by local volunteers from the village in a symbiotic arrangement of days gone by.

Behind the clubhouse is the car park and two fixed nets that are in constant use throughout the summer, allowing young people from the village to lose their summer holidays honing their reverse sweep.