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• Frank Farr

Local cricket matches were played regularly during the summer months
There were a number of teams, East Budleigh, Lord Clinton’s XI, Sir John Kennaway’s team, Lord Coldridge’s eleven and many more village teams played at Bicton Park.

Mr Pidgeon, the baker from East Budleigh, would be there with his van loaded with tea, soft drinks, cakes, scones and plenty of jam and cream.
Tea was 2d (1p) a cup, jam buns and cream 2d, and plain buns 1d.

In those days there were 240d in the pound. You could buy an off-the-peg man’s suit for 30s (£1.50) and a made-to-measure suit for £2. A new bicycle would cost £3 19s 6d (£3.97) and a new eight-horsepower Ford car about £100.

Lord Clinton would spend many hours watching play from the pavilion, which, although it has since been repaired, is still there.

Mr Hart, of Budleigh Buses, often took teams to away matches in a 20-seater bus. His buses also went from Otterton to Exmouth with a return fare of 5d (2p) for the under-14s and 10d (4p) for adults. He would take parcels too, for 2d (1p) or 4d (2p). Those buses ran for some time after the war.

Steam tractors used to go from farm to farm “reed-combing” to make thatch for farm houses and cottages, this being part of the farm tenants’ agreement with the Clinton estate.

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