Berne Cricket Club- the early days

It is a long time since 1977, when the Berne Cricket Club began. In those days, getting people to play at all was a full-time job, since this often involved getting teams to play against, not just the eleven to play for Bern. Geneva already had that problem, for though a club had existed there for many years, they had to seek far and wide for opposition. So the deal was struck with David Barmes of Geneva: if I could get a team together in Bern, Geneva would donate their matting to help get us started. Sadly I can find no details of it now, but towards the end of that 1977 season the first Bern v. Geneva game was played at Marzilimoos, with Geneva giving us a good hiding, as well as their matting.

The inaugural gathering of Berne Cricket Club was over a quarter of a century ago, so forgive me if am a little hazy on some points. I know it took place at Marzilimoos with us all lolling about on the grass on a perfect summer’s day, like a scene from Brideshead Revisited. There was a single-wicket competition beforehand, with a dozen or so taking part. Though I am heartily grateful to them all, I can only remember a few names with any certainty now: Louis Adhihetty, our star all-rounder, who kindly proposed me as captain; Peter (now Archdeacon) Hawker who counselled against election of a committee (too much bureaucracy); Keith Hewlett, who had obtained the ground through his links with Bern Hockey club; and the improbably named Micky Finn from Freiburg (in Germany) whose reaction to the proposal for my captaincy was "wouldn't it be better to have someone who really knows about cricket?". The first BCC treasurer – Keith Hewlett was the first secretary, succeeded after a couple of years by Chandroo Lalvani.

The following year, John McKenzie was posted to the Australian Embassy in Bern and was soon devoting his considerable energy to the club, becoming its first Chairman. It was John more than anyone who was responsible for our transition into a real ‘grown-up’ club. He co-ordinated the writing of the Club constitution (based on the Finland Cricket Association), he kept wicket, opened the batting, and got our finances into a healthy state thanks to the very successful fundraising ‘Gambling Evenings’. With his diplomatic ties, John built up the patrons of the club from the ambassadors of the cricket playing counties, a tradition that we maintain to this day.

John was not only active on cricket in Bern but was also instrumental in the founding of the Swiss Cricket Association. It was John who convened and chaired the SCA inaugural meeting at the Australian Embassy in Alpenstrasse, Bern in February 1980 (or was it 1979?). This was attended by representatives of the relatively small number of clubs active in Switzerland at that time. I can remember with certainty that Geneva (Roger Johnson) and Cern (Bill Blair) were represented; I am pretty sure that Basel (Jack Aston) and the old Zürich club were also there, but I cannot be certain. Were there others? (Zuoz Old Boys? Baden?) There must be a record of the meeting somewhere but all I can remember with any certainty is the outcome, the election of the first SCA committee.

Peter MacLaverty March 2009