18/07/2026
A tribute to Carol Mitchell, Blackstone Stoolball Club Member for 75 years - RIP
These stoolball memories have been put together by players of the 1960’s through to today. A real team effort for Carol's final innings at her funeral on Thurs 9th July 2026.
In recent years, Blackstone Stoolball Club celebrated its’ 100th year anniversary. Carol was a collector of anything to do with stoolball and it's history, as her nephew, found out when the family recently cleared boxes and boxes of stoolball memorabilia from her home in Blackstone.
Amongst the memorabilia, was a record book detailing AGM's and Secretaries meetings back to 1946. At an AGM meeting in October 1948, it was noted ‘the committee meeting was a happy occasion as the then President, Lady Davidson, of Terrys Cross, had made a sumptuous tea party, enjoyed by all’.
We remember back to the 1960's and 70's when the team hired a coach to transport players, husbands and children to away fixtures, collecting everyone along the way and usually stopping off at The Eight Bells public house on their way home to celebrate victories. Or when Jacqui M would drive the team minibus, squeezing everyone in like sardines.
Also noted in the AGM records of 1974 were the Club Averages, where Carol received the batting award AND the best fielder award. Maybe Jacqui M was off having a baby that year? The players of those days, recall Carol batted mid to low down and was able to hold her own, allowing the better batsman to get back to scoring the runs.
In 1987, Central Sussex Stoolball Division introduced ‘The Silver Plate Trophy’ award. It was a trophy awarded for outstanding service across the Central League. Carol was awarded this trophy in 1997 and she shares it with many great names before and after. The trophy continues to be presented annually to this day.
After her playing days were over, Carol would promote stoolball at every opportunity at village fairs and fetes. She would collect anything suitable as a raffle prize from magazines or jumble sales for our match day raffles! During the 1990’s, Carol was our designated 'team' representative attending events the team couldn’t go to, such as meetings and end of year trophy presentation evenings, as we all had young children.
She always stayed to the end of a tournament, so would happily hold everyone’s raffle tickets if they had to leave early. She also took on the role of providing the annual teams averages, wickets, runs and catches, and all this without the aid of a computer! As the Stoolball Club scorer, she would always have constructive feedback to give the Blackstone team after a losing game. Although it could sometimes be frank, we knew it was always good advice, coming from her heart.
As a resident of Blackstone her entire life, Carol represented the village on the Playing Field Committee for many years and finally stood down around 2021. During these years she always wore 2 hats, a resident hat and then a stoolball hat, so we could always count on her vote for stoolball.
Carol’s husband, would be tasked, by Carol, with making the match wickets, a folding score table and at least 2 scoreboards, all still being used today. In addition, he would make mini stoolball bats or a mini stoolball wicket ornament gift for any Blackstone player on their wedding day.
At our annual jumble sale, Carol would provide the cake stand with her favourite recipes. She would put things aside for the 'silent auction' part of the jumble sale, items that you could maybe get a few pounds for, rather than 50p. She would have the locals bidding against each other, to gain the best price. At the end of the day, her husband would arrive with his empty car, ready to be packed full with anything Carol deemed ‘too good to throw away’!
On Blackstone Tournament days, Carol would arrive with all her trays, sandwich plates and covers and of course her home-made cakes and sandwiches. Not forgetting the raffle prizes she had been collecting all year. 🤭
The team’s younger generation would increase, year on year, and Carol would very generously bring birthday gifts for all the stoolball kids.
I hope she would be proud of how the Blackstone team have recently stepped up and taken on many roles within the Central Sussex Stoolball Division Committee, in a bid to keep stoolball alive.
Finally, our analogy of Carol, if she was a stick of rock, she would have had Blackstone Stoolball Club written right through the middle.
Rest in peace Carol
