Alistair Potter is one of the key figures in the Club's History. The son of John A. Potter, who was President until 1929, Alistair was instrumental in carrying out his father's wish that the Club should have long term security of tenure of the ground. It was he who was responsible for granting a 99 year lease at a nominal rent.
He first played cricket on the ground as a schoolboy in 1899; he played occasionally in later years when in the area, bowling high flighted leg breaks. He played a very active part in local government, being a member of the old Bexley Urban District Council for many years . He was Chairman of the UDC in 1934 when Bexley Woods and Hall Place were bought for the enjoyment of the public.
In 1937, when Bexley became a Borough, he was elected its first Mayor, despite having argued in council that the change to Borough status was a wasteful extravagance!. He is shown here in the mayoral robe. In a pleasant gesture his friend Percy Waistell, who was Chairman of the cricket club at the time, presented a mace to the new Borough.
Alistair's sister Winifred was a pioneer of women's cricket in the area. She captained a team of Bexley ladies before the First World War; they played regularly for several seasons, against local opposition.
On Alistair' death in 1951 his sons John and Jeremy inherited the ground lease. As they live outside the area they have not been able to take much part in the club's activities. but they have maintained a friendly interaction in the club's welfare. Jeremy played cricket for the club in l940 and vividly remembers fielding with the Battle of Britain being fought out overhead; the players took refuge in the pavilion when things became too hectic, although it is not obvious that the flimsy wooden building would have given any protection.
After coming down from Oxford he scored a very good century for the club against Sidcup shortly after the War. John is a distingui1hed neurologist; he retired from the John Radcliffe Hospital at Oxford a couple of years ago.