Underwood Miners Welfare Cricket Club

A village cricket club in the Nottinghamshire coalfield that has played at Underwood since 1894, on the Church Lane ground beside the Miners' Welfare. Among its old players are the Nottinghamshire opener Charlie Harris, one of six county professionals of 1936 from mining backgrounds, and the England bowler and international umpire Suzanne Redfern.

The mining history in this record

Underwood is a coal-mining village near Eastwood. Its cricket club began playing in 1894, and its ground on Church Lane lies next to the Miners' Welfare; the club still carries the Welfare's name. It is one of the Nottinghamshire colliery grounds the county cricket historian Peter Wynne-Thomas found still in use in 1998, when he counted twenty-three.

The village's best-known cricketer is Charlie Harris, born in Underwood in 1908 (1907 by one account), who joined the Trent Bridge ground staff in 1925, won his county cap in 1931 and from 1932 opened the batting with Walter Keeton in a partnership that made 45 century opening stands. In 1936 he was one of six Nottinghamshire players on winter pay, with Harold Larwood and Bill Voce among them, who came from mining backgrounds. His brother Ken went on to play for Warwickshire, Alan Gill of Underwood played 53 times for Nottinghamshire between 1960 and 1965, and Cyril Poole played for Nottinghamshire and in three Tests for England.

People

Charlie Harris (Charles Bowmar Harris, 1908–1954), Nottinghamshire opening batsman, born in Underwood. Ken Harris, his brother, of Warwickshire. Alan Gill (1940–2024) and Cyril Poole of Nottinghamshire. Suzanne Redfern, England bowler and international umpire.

Legacy today

The club celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2019. Its most distinguished recent product is Suzanne Redfern, who opened the bowling for the second XI in the early 1990s, played six Tests and fifteen one-day internationals for England between 1995 and 1999, became the first woman to have both played and officiated at a Cricket World Cup, and was appointed MBE. The village sign carries an image of the wickets. The club has said that village cricket has declined with shift and weekend working, and by 2023 it fielded a Sunday side while Riddings CC's development team played Saturdays on the Church Lane ground.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each tagged with how solidly it's grounded and attached to the source(s) that support it. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Cricket is still played at Underwood Miners Welfare ground; the club commenced playing in 1894 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2019; the Church Lane ground is adjacent to the Miners Welfare. (documented fact) ^1,2
• Charles Bowmar Harris was born in Underwood on 6 December 1908, joined the Trent Bridge ground staff for 1925, was capped by Nottinghamshire in 1931 and with Walter Keeton made 45 century opening stands. (documented fact) ³
• In 1936 six Nottinghamshire players on winter pay, Charlie Harris, Walter Keeton, Harold Larwood, Bill Voce, Arthur Staples and Arthur Wheat, had mining backgrounds. (documented fact) ⁴
• Suzanne Redfern opened the bowling for Underwood's second XI in the early 1990s, then played six Tests and fifteen ODIs for England between 1995 and 1999, and became the first woman to have played and officiated at a Cricket World Cup. (contemporary account) ²
• In 1998 Peter Wynne-Thomas identified twenty-three colliery grounds in Nottinghamshire where cricket was still played. (documented fact) ¹

Regions

Nottinghamshire

Sources

1. (secondary) Shout Down the Shaft for a Fast Bowler — Mining Heritage
2. (secondary) Underwood Miners Welfare Cricket Club (club website, archived 1 January 2024) — Underwood Miners Welfare Cricket Club
3. (secondary) Charlie Harris — Trent Bridge (Nottinghamshire CCC)
4. (secondary) The strike that forged a cricketing generation (Jon Gemmell, 4 May 2026) — Morning Star

Record created: 19 September 2026 · Last researched: 19 September 2026