W. D. Reynolds, Esq.,
Fox Cottage,
Whitehill,
Bordon,
Hants
9th June 1977 - Strictly Confidential
Dear Bill,
I write to ask your personal advice, as Chairman of Brook, as to how you think the Committee might react to the following suggestion.
As you probably read in the back of the Rambler’s card, an uptodate version of which is enclosed for your interest, we are faced with a very strong probability that James Irvine, who owns a substantial chunk of Haslemere and Chiddingford, will give us back the Sydenhurst ground in August 1978.
He is bringing all his horses down from Newmarket and he is establishing stable with resident staff living above and is prepared to allow us to put in the footings of a new pavilion simultaneously facing south westwards to our old ground.
He wishes this information to be
‘Sub Judice’
until he has completed the purchase of an adjoining estate. He does not want
anybody to know about this purchase because a great deal of interest has been
expressed from other quarters. He currently owns the Sydenhurst
ground which has been in his family for years and he owns many of the houses in
Woolmer Hill is not an ideal
venue for Brook or the Ramblers for a number of obvious reasons. We have to share
the ground with any other
For many years after the second World War, Mike paid a small rent to retain our interest in Sydenhurst which he finally abandoned in the 1960’s.
It would be of advantage of both clubs to get this ground back again.
Money is still flowing into the memorial fund from the 156 letters which I have sent out. For instance, I have today sent Timmy another £15 from Richard Jefferson.
We have now collected more money than we need for the memorial score box. I realise your committee have other items of expenditure in mind but I am wondering whether it would be a misappropriation if the residue were paid into a contingency account until August 1978 so that we could have some capital to put towards another cause which would have been very close to Mike’s heart had he still been alive.
How do you think the Committee would react? Obviously we would have to canvas the idea very carefully without dishonouring my undertaking to James Irvine concerning confidentiality, until such time as his business is satisfactorily concluded.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Terry