MILESTONES
1887 or 1888
1st recorded cricket match in Vancouver at Cambie Street grounds between Vancouver side and Victoria. Cambie Street grounds located at Dunsmuir and Cambie, the site of the old Greyhound Station. Other Vancouver grounds where cricket was played included City Hall, Cambie @ 12th, George Black's Hotel at Hastings and Main.
1887
Vancouver Cricket Club formed - home ground probably George Black's Hotel at Main and Hastings.
1889An Act to Incorporate the Brockton Point Athletic Club passed in the legislature April 6, 1889.
Whereas a Petition has been presented by Thomas Dunn, G. R. T. Garrioch, A. St. George Hamersley, James Cooper Keith, Charles Rand, Thomas Stevenson, Campbell Sweeny, Robert Garnet Tatlow, an M. B. Wilkinson all of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, for an Act to constitute them a body corporate for the promotion of athletics and the physical improvement of the members of the corporation, and to acquire lands and to do all other acts and things necessary for the purposes aforesaid;
And Whereas it is expedient to grant the prayer of the said petition:
Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advise and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:-
1. Thomas Dunn, G.R.T. Garrioch, A. St. George Hamersley, James Cooper Keith, Charles Rand, Thomas Stevenson, Campbell Sweeny, Robert Garnet Tatlow, and M. B. Wilkinson, all of Vancouver, gentlemen, and members of the association hereby incorporated, and all who shall hereafter become members, thereof, are hereby constituted a body corporate under the name of "The Brockton Point Athletic Club," for the promotion of athletics and for the physical improvement of its members.
2. The association by this Act incorporated, shall have power to make rules and regulations and by-laws for the guidance of its members and the carrying out of its objects, which rules, regulations, and by laws shall be the constitution of the said corporation, and the said corporation may form time to time alter, add to, and repeal by-laws to carry into effect the objects of the association; such constitution and by-laws, and all alteration thereof, shall be invalid until approved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council; and before any action, matter, or proceeding before any Court or arbitration, person or persons, having power to hear evidence, a copy of such constitution and of any by-laws purporting to be certified under the hand of the Provincial Secretary as having been approved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, shall be presumptive evidence of such constitution and by-laws and of the approval thereof. Said corporation shall have power to make contracts for the purpose of the club, to sue and be sued in the corporate name, and to hold real and personal property by ownership, lease or otherwise, of the actual value of twenty thousand dollars, and shall be governed and conducted in accordance with the said constitution and by-laws.
3. Upon the passing of this Act, all property, real and personal, belonging to or held in trust for the association hereby and incorporated, shall vest in and belong to the said corporation, and the said corporation shall be accountable for all the debts, engagements, and liabilities of the Brockton Point Athletic Club.
4. No member of the corporation shall be liable in his person or separate estate for the debts of the corporation, unless he shall have made himself personally liable therefore.
1890
April 21, 1890 City of Vancouver leases 10 acres in Stanley Park to the Brockton Point Athletic Club
1890 - 92
Brockton Point - Stanley Park ground clearing activities began by Jerry Rogers.
1893
Mr. Sweeney, President of Brockton Point Athletic Club borrows $10,000 at 5% on bond of indeterminable length, payments of $ 605.25 p.a. on the interest at 5% p.a. on the unpaid balance.
Brockton Point Recreation Grounds c. 1900
Burrard Cricket Club formed. Home ground unknown. Stanley Park only used for representative matches. See Article titled "Control of Sports Facilities in Early Vancouver…1880 to 1913".
1913
Up to 1913 cricket was played in BC under the auspices of
the Pacific Coast League, which was the equivalent of the
Premier League in current parlance and a 2nd tier of cricket
was played in Vancouver which was called the Vancouver
and District League. In 1913 the Vancouver and district
portions of the 2 leagues amalgamated to form the British
Columbia Mainland Cricket League. (BCMCL.) The
Pacific Coast League was the predecessor to the British
Columbia Cricket Association.
The second event of significance occurring in 1913 was that the Brockton Point grounds were returned to the City due to non-payment of rent and the City provided Mr. Sweeney, and the Brockton Point Athletic Association with a Release.
1914
1st year of competition for the BCMCL - accounts vary whether there were 6 or 7 teams. We suggest 6 founding members:
Vancouver Cricket Club formed in 1887
Brockton Point Cricket Club formed in 1914
Burrard Cricket Club formed in 1905
Coquitlam
New Westminster
Public Schools.
1916 WW1
From the "Burrard Story, 50 years of club cricket 1905 1954": "…only 3 teams remained in the league". Burrard, Brockton Point and Vancouver cricket clubs " … and the three clubs, in rotation, took on the job of keeping the Brockton ground in shape, a community effort." And invited military teams to play without subscription.
1918
The following well worn photo of the 1918 BCMCL winning BPCC team states that the average age of the players was 43 years.
1920
From BCMCL 1920 schedule Vancouver Archives.
Most if not all cricket games in the City were played at Upper Brockton or at the Oval. Between 1920 and 1938. Lower Brockton brought into the field rotation.
1926
Memorial South built by cricketer Hal Streight, article found in "Cricket, 50 Years of the Game in Vancouver - 1889 to 1939."
1939
From The Empires Game in Vancouver, 1889- 1938 Vancouver Archives
1938 Season
First Division
Aurora A
Bank of Commerce
Brockton Point A
North Shore A
Point Grey A
University of B.C.
Second Division
Army and Navy
B.C. Electric
Brockton Point B
Burrard
North Shore B
Point Grey B
Vancouver Juniors
(no Vancouver cricket club)
6 grounds for cricket in Vancouver. 3 grounds at Brockton Point, Lower and Upper Brockton and the Brockton Oval.
1939 - 1945
Grounds at Brockton Point in Stanley Park used as a military staging area due to proximity to HMS discovery.
1943
From the BC Mainland Cricket League 1988 schedule.
WW II "As a result of the war, only 6 clubs continued to operate." We know from their histories 2 of the clubs were Brockton and Burrard. The 4 other cricket clubs were Pro Rec, Varsity, Vancouver Rowing Club , Vancouver cricket club and 2 teams from the services. The tradition of playing only 1st division games at Upper Brockton was continued with tier 2 teams such as Burrard and Vancouver having their games restricted to Lower Brockton. In Division one you had Rowing Club and Brockton and 2 armed forces teams. In Division 2 the 4 remaining teams from the BCMCL.
1946
Post war the Oval fell out of use for cricket and was taken over by soccer and rugby. The league kept with the early traditions of relegating tier 2 teams to Lower Brockton.
Missing from among the teams going into WW II were Aurora and Bank of Commerce , amalgamated by Brockton point; Burrard 1 relegated to Tier 2 and Point Grey.
Among the Tier 2 teams Army and Navy and B.C. Electric did not survive the tumult of WWII.
1951 Brockton Grounds Map
1954
British Empire Games and Balaclava Park is introduced into the field rotation of Vancouver Cricket.
