A stunning memorial

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Although the official opening of the renovated Jubilee pavilion is not until OC Day on June 14, it is already in use, and on May 22 a small dinner was given by the school to those who were involved in the rebuilding.

Suffice to say that the interior is stunning, and for the first time we have a genuine cricket pavilion, right down to honours boards listing all school and OC cricket achievements back to 1866. The most stunning feature is the glass-fronted balcony.

Guy Waller gave a short speech on behalf of the school, to which David Bugge, as OCCC president, replied. John McDermott then gave a more lengthy but , as ever, entertaining speech which covered subjects ranging from the driving skills of the headmaster's wife to smoking in the pavilion during the 1950s.

Cricketer Cup tie to mark Jubilee opening

We are delighted to announce that Hailybury Hermits have very kindly agreed to cede home advantage for our first-round match in the 2009 Cricketer Cup on Sunday, June 14, allowing us to stage the game on Jubilee on OC Day, when the renovated pavilion will be officially opened.

Jubilee pavilion undergoes major work

We are delighted to announce that the £480,000 refurbishment of the Jubilee pavilion is now underway and expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2009 season.

The work started at the beginning of November and involves a complete renovation and extension of the building. For the first time since the 1960s the entire pavilion will be available for use.

The main change is that the entrance will be through the middle of the downstairs (where the umpires' room was) into a hall with new dressing-rooms leading off it. Upstairs is accessed by internal stairs into a landing with doors leading onto the balcony ahead. To the right the existing dining room will become a club room, while the other side will be converted into a big dining room. Partition doors will allow the dining area to be extended into the landing.

The stairs leading to the balcony at either end downstairs will be removed, meaning access will come via the building. The wooden balustrade, which has been at an inconvenient height ever since the dreadful 1988 refurbishment, will be replaced by glass. It promises to be spectacular.

The pavilion was built by the OCs in 1924 as a memorial to those who fell in the Great War, something that has been increasingly overlooked. This aspect is being restored with the building becoming a memorial to all Cranleighans who have died in wars. Honours boards will form a stunning part of the upstairs landing.

Outside there are plans being discussed to improve the landscaping between the pavilion and the main drive.

The work so far has been made possible by a remarkable donation of £300,000 from the Old Cranleighans. However, we still need to raise £180,000 to make this possible and the OCCC are embarking on a major fund-raising exercise starting now so that we can enjoy our amazing new cricket home in time for next season.

Pavilion returns to its proper use

The news that many former cricketers of the School had been waiting for came with the announcement that the Cranleigh School Sports Club (CSSS) have vacated the Jubilee pavilion.

While this does not guarantee that the building will return to being what it was and what it was intended to be, namely a full-time cricket pavilion, it does mean that the main obstacle to it being so appears to have been removed.

The OCCC and many within the School were disappointed when the building was handed over to the CSSS in 1988 leaving Cranleigh as one of the few major public schools without a dedicated cricket pavilion. Visitors to most other schools will be aware of the heritage and history contained in their own pavilions; there is nowhere at Cranleigh with any archives or photographs on display.

The future plans are still very much up in the air given that the barely six weeks elapsed between the decision to end the CSSS's tenure and their vacating the premises. A number of proposals are thought to be on the table, ranging from closing the building outside School games to maintaining a part-time bar on the first floor. Whether the OCCC will be able to use it during our annual week remains unknown.

The OCCC will be asking for permission to use the facilities, in return for which we would be offering to help restore the inside of the building to something more akin to a traditional cricket pavilion.

The building was erected in 1924 by Old Cranleighans as a memorial to all Cranleighans who fell in the Great War - one of the reasons for the unhappiness with the way it was subsequently used. The Jubilee field itself, comprising the Jubilee and Clare's Oak, was also donated to the School by the OCs in 1913 to mark the golden jubilee of the opening of the School in 1865 (yes, two years early but maths was never a strength of Cranleighans).