History of the Edward Stern Sports Ground

In the early 1920s the club played a lot of their games at Chertsey Rec, but it was time to try and secure a permanent home, as it was deemed the ground was not quite at the standard of the rigours of continuous cricket, an article at the time deemed it "dangerous and unsatisfactory, and that some neighbouring clubs declined to play there". 

A new ground had been long-desired but deemed unrealistic due to the amount required to buy the amount of land required.

In the off season of 1921 it was down to Club Secretary WH DuCros, with passion and quiet enthusiasm to set about securing the £500 needed to procure 5 acres of land from local Lt Col EW Bryan (a Chertsey CC Vice President) in the Gogmore area named Gogmore Meadow. Surely the Clubman of the Year of his day.

Mr DuCros persevered and had promises amounting to £380, amongst them Sir Edward Stern, a local philanthropist and the current residing President of the time following the club's merger with Gogmore Cricket Club around the turn of the century, who chipped in the greatest amount, £248 10s. Mr RH Savory, a prominent local figure, parts with £50, and Sir Donald McMaster and Sir Phillip Richardson, the present and likely MPs for Chertsey each donated £10 10s to the cause.

It was with these contributions along with funds raised from local businesses (TE Stevens & Sons, Waterers & Sons to name a few),and members subscriptions the princely sum of £438 13s was raised, enough to purchase the ground. 

The ground was put into trust, a law-abiding tradition that stands to this day. The first trustees were:

• Rev John Smith (Chairman) - it was a tradition for the local vicar to be a trustee
• Mr HB Wicks
• Mr LH Rider OBE
• Mr MP Hampshire
• Mr JA Allam
• & Mr WH DuCros (Secretary)