​“It’s been life changing,” says Jimmy Perchard, standing amid caps, photos, and trinkets from clubs around the world, from the United States to Vanuatu, that line the walls of his Jersey clubhouse. If you mention 2005 to cricket fans, many will recall one of the greatest Ashes summers ever, yet for Jimmy that year marked something even more personal: a dream realized, a cricket ground at the end of his garden in St Martin. “When everything’s coming alive—trees blooming, grass growing, the mower humming—you can smell that freshly cut grass, and there’s nothing to beat it. I don’t think money can buy that,” he says.
Jimmy Perchard has tended the ground since its opening in 2005. His cricket journey began in 1977 when a group of island farmers played friendly matches during the busy summer, dreaming aloud after a pint about having their own ground. “We used to go for a pint afterward and say, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have our own cricket ground?’” he recalls.
With planning permission secured in 2003, Jimmy carved a pitch in his field and bowled the first ball two years later. “Sometimes you’ve just got to stick your neck out,” he reflects. “I’m in a very fortunate position. I own the field beside my house, and applying for planning was about turning a dream into reality.” The Farmers Cricket Ground drew inspiration from the English grounds they had visited on tours—Goodwood, Arundel, Wormsley—and began humbly, transforming into something of an obsession for Jimmy. “We started with a small Portakabin and no pavilion, so we changed in the car and brewed tea in the Portakabin,” he says. Over time, planning permission enabled major development: a proper boundary, fencing, and sightscreens. The crew found supporters and sponsorship, and the ground gradually grew, with continual updates added year after year.
Two decades after former England captain Mike Gatting opened Farmers Field, the club lifted an international trophy, becoming the first Jersey club to win the European Cricket League, a 10-over competition featuring top clubs from across Europe. In the final, the Jersey side from St Martin—home to a population of roughly 4,000—defeated Roma of Italy, a city with about 2.75 million residents, by 42 runs. It was also at this ground that the island’s national team qualified for the World Cup Global Qualifiers for the first time, beating the Italian national side. For Jimmy, the moment carried extra weight because his son, Charles Perchard, has gone on to become a long-serving captain of the national side. The journey from a couple of farmers’ games to a beacon of Jersey cricket is a testament to vision, persistence, and a little bit of daring—and the Ground remains a living tribute to a dream realized in a small parish that continues to grow, nurture talent, and celebrate the love of the game.