GUTTSTA WICKED HISTORY!
updated 14 March, 2007
1984 - 1988
Guttsta Wicked Cricket Club was founded at a meeting in the local brewery Guttsta Bryggeri in 1989. Cricket had, however, been played locally since 1984. It all began with an annual get-together when Steve Thomas from Wiltshire, England came on yearly visits to Guttsta. The first players in 1984 were a group of pals (mostly football players) that invited friends, acquaintances and relatives to participate in the local "village match". After the "match" everyone then went down to the local brewery where they enjoyed a barbecue on the loading bay.
1989
This was the year we decided to start a cricket club and the name "Guttsta Wicked Cricket Club" was born. We decided at our first club meeting that our first "goal" would be to travel to England during 1992 to play against Steve Thomas' local club. We played our first official match against Mariestad CC in August 1989. We also played against Spånga United CC. In October 1989 GWCC took the initiative to the building of the Swedish Cricket Association -"Svenskt Cricket Förbund" (SCF) by inviting the existing clubs to a meeting at Guttsta brewery.
1990
During the spring of 1990 GWCC visited Gothenburg to play a match against Göteborg CC. We also participated in the Nordic Cup where we, amongst others, played Sentrum CC from Oslo, Norway. We played our first "home matches" at Zigenarbacken in nearby Köping against Mariestad CC and Spånga United CC. We even played a return match against Mariestad CC. At a meeting in Gothenburg the Swedish Cricket Association's regulations where laid down and the first board of directors was formed, GWCC being represented by Staffan Lageson. At this meeting it was also decided that 1991 would see the formation of the first Cricket Championship in Sweden to be called "Allsvenskan" and that it was to be divided up into two geographical groups: North and South.
1991
The first ever cricket championship in Sweden was underway and GWCC started the season with a new team captain, Kel Markham. Kel originates from Australia and was then - and is even now - probably the greatest cricket tactician ever seen in Swedish cricket. The first championship match GWCC played took place in the rain and mud at Märsta (near Stockholm) against Sigtuna CC the first weekend in May. At that time we did not have a home ground and consequently our home matches were played at Rostagärde in Örebro.
1992
This was somewhat of an "off season" as regards league cricket for GWCC as we were fully concentrated on preparations for our trip to England. This was also the year we inaugurated our current home ground at Broskolan in Kolsva. Steve Thomas was given the honour of cutting the red tape at the opening ceremony. Our ground was given the name "Guttsta Cricket Park" (GCP). In July of that year we embarked on our England tour where we played three games against Winsley, Bath and Bath Exiles.
1993
Our trip to England 1992 paid off and back in Sweden we ended up winning our group after losing only one match (the first match of the season) which was against Mariestad CC. GWCC's captain Kel Markham was honoured with the captaincy of the Swedish national team at a national training session in Kolsva during June of that year. Kel led the national team to its first victory at a tournament in Berlin. In the quarter final of the Swedish Championships we beat the double Swedish Champions Pakistan CC from Stockholm. In the semi-finals we met Spånga United CC, the team that had impressed most during that year. GWCC played its best ever match and knocked out Spånga United CC. The season was rounded off by winning the Championship, the final taking place at Torslanda in Gothenburg against Landskrona/Helsingborg CC.
1994
GWCC took part in a televised competition "Vikingaspelet" - The Viking games - with a three man team. The competition was broadcast by TV21. GWCC arranged an umpire conference and also took part in a TV programme "Sommarnöje", broadcast by TV2 in Sweden with Per-Erik Nordqvist hosting the show. This lead to our participation in the ECF Club Champions Cup which took place on Corfu, Greece, for which we had qualified by winning the Swedish Championship in 1993. During the summer we were visited by the national radio program "Stormvarning" on Swedish Radio P3 and took part in a one hour live broadcast from our cricket ground.
1995
Hasse Person built sightscreens for GWCC which contributed to making Guttsta Cricket Park the best cricket ground in Sweden. GWCC is still the only club that has sightscreens in Sweden. During this year the Northern-Central district and the so called "Friendly" championships were formed and this is where the idea of a District team, known as "The Elks" was born. GWCC were given the honour of arranging the 1996 Swedish Championships Final which was to take place on 17 August 1996. During the winter leading up to 1996 intense planning for the final was carried out. During a training session in Örebro Tom Albinsson was named as a member of the eight man Swedish team which was to participate in the European indoor championships 1996.
1996
Tom Albinsson took part in the European Indoor Championship which was held at Lord's indoor school in London, England. As a part of our work leading up to the Swedish Championships Final (SM) we invited Jan Rydh (who originates from Kolsva) the head of the County of Västmanlands council to the final. In the lead up to the SM final we gave the ground at Kolsva a facelift by, among other things, repainting the clubhouse. The SM final on 17 August was played under a scorching sun with temperatures around 25° Celsius (approx. 80° Fahrenheit). The finalists were Mariestad CC and Malmo CC, and the scoring was broadcast live on the internet. The final was watched by over 250 spectators, the largest crowd ever for a cricket match in Sweden. The earlier record was somewhere around 30-40. To coincide with the final, GWCC had invited MCC coaches Rodney Cass and John Wilson and their presence helped the introduction of cricket into the schools of Kolsva and Köping. The District team "The Elks" went on its first three-match tour to Tunbridge Wells in England with five members of the team coming from GWCC. At a selection meeting for the national team in Mariestad Tom Albinsson was once again selected for the Indoor Championships which were held in Halmstad, Sweden 15-16 February 1997.
1997
GWCC was introduced on the internet. Tom Albinsson had been nominated for the Swedish indoor squad that played the European Indoor Championship that was held in Halmstad, Sweden. At the same time the European Cricket Federation held their AGM in Halmstad, which was covered by Staffan Lageson and Hans Persson from Guttsta. They handed over a videotape with clippings from our TV interviews and photos of our cricket ground to MCC representatives at the AGM. Our district was split in two this season and we were placed in the Mid-North district together with Gävle, Sundsvall and Umeå. We built a mobile training net (the first ever in Swedish cricket history) We sent Hasse Persson to represent our club at an umpire seminar in Stockholm, which was held by former Test match umpire Don Oslear. In June we were visited by the Turkish Parrots from England who played two games, one against us and one against the district team The Elks. We bought cricket caps with our new club logo.
1998
In April we were represented by six persons of the total 11 participants at an umpire seminar in Stockholm, once again held by Don Oslear. The club now no longer played in the Swedish championship after earlier disagreements, but in July we were visited by a French team, Saumur Strays. The Strays played two games at our ground, one against us and one against the district team The Elks. In September Michael Pye, player and umpire, died after a short illness.
1999
Jason Beer and Hasse Persson built Sweden's first concrete training pitch and Per-Erik Frid and Hasse Persson built Sweden's first score box. Guttsta organized a small tournament between Guttsta, Sundsvall and Stockholm Academics CC. We introduced a format that ensured everyone heavily participated in play: a two innings match with batting order reversed in the second innings. There some very close games, with one even being a tie! Guttsta unfortunately went winless with just a tie. The MCC visited us for our 10th birthday and beat Guttsta in an enjoyable match. The Tasmanian Masters arrived a few weeks later and several matches were held including mixed games.
2000
This was a quiet year for Guttsta with only a few in-house matches played, while trying to increase membership numbers. Jason Beer was elected to the Swedish Cricket Federation board in December for 2001.
2001
GWCC returned to the Swedish Championship. Guttsta went winless in the Championship whilst bringing on Swedish newcomers and youth and the club declined to continue in the Championships after 2001. Eighteen year old Tor Svensson represented Sweden in the European Championships held in Austria.
2002
GWCC made its debut on www.resultsvault.com, a full statistical database. Åke Nolemo was club captain. GWCC hosted SKK Helsinki (lost) and Uppsala CC (won) and continued to re-establish itself outside of the Swedish Championship by running several internal cricket events to encourage newcomers and youngsters.
2003
GWCC hosted ice cricket near Riddarholmen in the centre of Stockholm. This created much publicity for the club around the world. During the season the club visited Helsinki to participate in a six-a-side tournament. The year was most significant for the tireless work of Jason Beer in driving internal cricket events, including regular training in Stockholm. Although 2003 was a difficult one, it was a milestone for Guttsta as the number of regular cricket events increased dramatically. Beer participated in 23 events and deservedly became the first Guttsta Club Champion.
2004
Jason Beer was again Club Champion in his last (for the time being!) season with the club. Paul Eade took over the captaincy and the club focused on being a social/recreational "village" club, fostering the spirit of cricket. It was appropriate that this year saw us host the famous Rain Men CC from England, a very entertaining game being won by Guttsta. Later in the season we hosted, and lost to Buckhorn Weston CC from England, a game significant for the large number of young players fielded by Guttsta. GWCC was mentioned for the first time in the "cricketers' bible", the Wisden Cricketers' Almanac.
2005
The season stretched from 4 April to 9 October. We again hosted Rain Men in a game drawn after rain interruptions. In October, with unseasonably warm weather, we visited Finspång Gunners for the historic first ever match hosted by this side, founded by Guttsta member Mike Cheeseman. Guttsta also renewed acquaintance with the British Commonwealth Association (BCA) with a friendly game in Stockholm. Paul Eade was Club Champion.
2006
Our address on the web changed to the current site, thanks to the work of club member Joseph Menezes. A very enjoyable triangular tournament between Guttsta, Finspång Gunners and BCA was held over the course of the summer. BCA and Guttsta qualified for the final, with BCA running out comfortable winners. Joseph Menezes was Club Champion. Long-standing member and groundsman Hasse Persson continued tireless work to improve the ground and prepared good-quality grass pitches for the games instead of using a plastic Flicx pitch. Regular training events prospered in both Stockholm and Västerås.
2007
The year's highlight was undoubtedly the Midnight Cup, in which we played against two English visiting sides, Mighty Wanderers CC and Salix CC, in a triangular tournament. Mighty Wanderers ran out deserved winners, and although Guttsta finished in third place, the competition was a triumph for the club. Not only was it hugely enjoyable, but it provided us with a firm economic foundation for the year ahead. We also played matches against BCA and Finspång Gunners. Joseph Menezes was Club Champion. Training continued to take place both in Stockholm and Västerås. The development of Kolsva Cricket Park continued with - thanks to Hasse Persson and Per-Erik Frid - the building of a toilet facility!
2008
This was a season of steady progress with several exciting matches. Guttsta travelled twice to Uppsala to play both Uppsala CK and Uppsala CC. The latter team were also our guests for the Midnight Cup, along with BCA, who we also played in a friendly match in September. During 2008 Guttsta fielded players from Sweden, Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand and the USA. Off the field, Hasse Persson built two new portable sightscreens. In Stockholm, training moved to the Södermalm area of the city, where a good court for practice was found. Training also continued indoors during the winter, with popular sessions at Farsta fire station’s sports hall. Joseph Menezes was club champion for the third successive year.
2009
Guttsta’s 20th anniversary year proved to be a successful one. Mighty Wanderers returned for the Midnight Cup, which was also contested by Guttsta WCC and a Guttsta 20 Year Jubilee XI, the latter including several former Guttsta players. In a tightly-contested tournament, each side won one match, and Mighty Wanderers were declared winners by a narrow margin on net run rate.
Guttsta also played matches against Uppsala, BCA, Stockholm Academic Cricket Society (SACS) and Göteborg CC.
In July Guttsta members Paul Eade and Clive Sutehall visited Lord’s cricket ground in England, where they presented radio commentator Mark Church with a Guttsta WCC cap in recognition of his frequent mentions of Guttsta on his BBC Radio London Surrey CCC commentaries.
