A DISPLAY about an historical form of girls’ cricket proved of particular interest to Bathurst’s Joyce Cranston when she was part of a recent visit to the village of Rockley.
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And that’s because she used to play that modified version of the game.
Ms Cranston was one of those aboard a Bathurst Branch of the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association bus trip to the quiet village south of Bathurst.
After morning tea in Stevens Park beside the Rockley Weir, the CPSA members visited the Rockley Mill and Stables Museum, where they heard stories about the mill and the people who settled in the village from local historian and Buddens B and B owner Tony Robertson.
Of special interest to Ms Cranston were the displays about the then-new Rockley Game for girls.
The girls’ cricket game – whose rules included no running between wickets and one run scored for each ball hit – was launched in about 1892 and was taken up with so much enthusiasm that it became known as the Rockley Game.
The Rockley Game spread rapidly through the Central West and by 1899, there were 700 girls playing in the Western Districts.
It continued to be played well into the 20th century.
“Joyce used to travel to Rockley when she was 16 to play the game along with a few other girlfriends from Bathurst,” CPSA member Kay Jones said.
A re-enactment of the game was held in Rockley late last year to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The young female players were dressed in skirts with sashes and hats to replicate the uniform in the 1890s and the umpires wore waistcoats and bowler hats.
The CPSA members also visited the Buddens B and B and Rockley Bank Tea Rooms.
“Arthur Budden built the now B and B as a general store in 1858 and later converted it into a branch of the AJS Bank,” Ms Jones said.
Members had lunch in the bank rooms and on the front verandah.
”To finish off the day at Rockley, Tony hopped on the bus and members were treated to a historical guided tour around Rockley before departing to Bathurst via Chifley Dam,” Ms Jones said.
The Bathurst Branch of the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association meets on the first Thursday of the month at 10am at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre. Everyone is welcome.
