South Yorkshire Times, July 14th 1933
Fight To Finish
Palpitations At Hampden Road
Only Six In It
Mexboro’ and Brampton gave us the cream of the evening league game at Hampden Road on Monday evening. The match finished with a huge six over the Bank Street boundary, and that typified the spirit of a match in which each side had exactly 31 overs and four balls, and scored an aggregate of runs with a margin of only six between them. Two more bulls and Mexboro’, with an eye on the championship. suffered many palpitations before the game was won.
The game started, as it finished, with shocks. In three overs Tibbles and Machin were out and Mexboro’s total was one. Tibbles pulled Hesketh’s second ball—and the second of the match—square to leg and was nicely caught by Dale. In Hesketh’s second over Ted Hickling made one of his brilliant catches, standing close up. and Charlie Machin joined Tibbles among the “blobsters.”
During the next hour the Brampton men kept goal brilliantly. The ball was inclined to kick, and the fieldsmen agilely combined self-protection with run-saving. They certainly gave nothing away. Wilks, worthily promoted in the order following his match-winning effort against Wath. hit lustily—the batsmen on Monday were not afraid to give the ball air—and another well-judged catch was taken to make it 3 wickets down for 16 runs. Not forgetting, all this time. that Brampton were without Smith, Evans. Denton and one or two other regulars. Evans, we regret to hear, may not be available any more this season, owing to pressure of work. Burkinshaw was driven to distraction, and at the end of 23 minutes had scored 7 of a total of 23. Hardly Evening League pace, but with the bowling a bit about itself. and the fielding deadly, what was one to do?
A gentleman fielding at backward cover-point twice hit the stumps with consecutive returns, and when the batsmen made for a second run with this player on the ball, there was a perturbed chorus of “Whom!” from the crowd. Mr. Cover-point was Mark Crook. returned from his exciting travels with a football team on the continent. Burkinshaw made 18 in the next 20 minutes, but only two in the following ten minutes. During a gallant 40 minutes Dick Probert, called into willing service from Denaby. helped Ralph to cull the game round to the extent of 59 runs for the partnership. Then Crook was called up to exercise his talents of marksmanship at the Bank Street end. He seemed—l may have been mistaken —a little diffident about it, but as he promptly took the wickets of Probert and Brown in his first over, the former to a splendid running catch by third man. I felt that modesty might be overdone. Thus Mexboro’ were “in it” once more, for 75 for 5 with not much more than half an hour to go looked like a sample of another kind of “modesty.” But again, the hour found the man. George Williams rose to the occasion splendidly, drove, cut and slashed in manner classic and unconventional, and saw the total positively whiz round to 115 while Burkinshaw looked on and wondered whether he’d get the other five or so for his fifty. He didn’t, because as soon as George trusted (!) him once more at the bowling end, Ralph whipped one round to deep square leg and was caught a la Tibbles.
A little earlier—at to be precise—Rain hit one a bit her in the same direction and landed the first six of the match. Bnrkinshaw’s innings was the one that took the collapse out of Mexboro’ and a good deal of the fire out of Brampton. His innings was invaluable. Crook’s 2 wickets cost 18 runs, a brief but profitable intervention: and when he wasn’t bowling, he was catching people in various parts of the field. Hesketh took 3 for 36, Incidentally, the Brampton bowlers sent up some bad length stuff during the 90 minutes that got rather lightly, due to the fact that the Mexboro’ batsmen were not in “leg-side form.” A compliment is due to Brampton on the best fielding display I have seen them give. Let them keep that tip and they’ll find the Yorkshire Council path a deal less thorny. The Brampton innings opened with an eventful over from Bob White. Hickling contrived to get eight runs and to be bowled during its course. It lasted nine balls, the umpire thrice no-balling the bowler. Jack Crowcroft and Billy Davis then settled down in the manner of men who would demonstrate that there was nothing in this Mexboro’ attack, anyhow. They tried no fancy tricks. but they kept the score moving; till Probert took over from White at 40 and with his first ball dismissed Crowcroft. It was brilliant hit of work, too: a one-handed acceptance of a hot return. Archie Taylor followed at 48, and his dismissal was another feat of note. The ball had “six” written on it all the way to the football field boundary, but Williams—making a perfect night out of it! —stood with one foot over the line. and the other legitimately in play, and made the catch with both hangs outstretched over his head. Even Mexboro’ had caught the catching craze—though they managed to drop some, too, just for old time’s sake. After that something of the peace of even descended on the ground. comparatively speaking, for a while. Amos Hill went into partnership with Davis, and Mexboro’ had nothing to shout about till the total had enjoyed a hoist of sixty runs. A good timber of these were swept round the corner by Hill. armed with a bat apparently made of elastic. When he got himself run out Brampton had about half an hour to go and wanted nearly 40 runs in the time. They were, in fact, “sitting pretty,” at the rate of progress they were then making.
But this match could not escape fireworks for long. About ten minutes later the total had crawled no further than 113. At 108 there were six brave Brampton lads to come; quarter of an hour later the score was 113—and then there were three. The cause of it all was George Williams again, with Probert as accomplice. The latter returned for another spell, and took a wicket, with his second ball this time. Williams gave Day a rest at the other end and bowled Dale. got Crook caught in finished fashion behind the wickets; and put a brake on the scoring. The game was won and lost during that spell. With a quarter hour to go Brampton’s job of getting 30 runs looked pretty hefty. Still, the Leyland-Davis combination was ominous tor Mexboro’. and Leyland quickly showed his spirit. Then Williams bowled him, Probert knocked back Davie’s stump the first time he attempted the “authentic” evening league game, and the struggle became not merely exciting but intense. Time expired in the normal course of events, not from heart failure—but the Mexboro’ ration of deliveries had to be made up. The last man to the wickets was Haigh. recently promoted to the Brampton senior team for defensive dourness. He promptly swept a lovely carpet drive to extra cover for two, then hit a glorious six—and the match was over with Brampton just six runs short. Davis played a very good innings, short only of a little forcefulness. Williams took three wickets for runs. and did all the other things we have mentioned. Probert took 4 for28. Wilf. Dawson resumed his old “profession” of wicket-keeping aa if he had been playing for the county throughout the season. He yielded two byes only. No wonder the shortsighted were asking who the new stumper was! The best match of the season at Hampden Road.
Scores.
MEXBORO’: Tibbles c Dale b Hesketh 0. Burkinshaw c Dale b Crowcroft 48, Machin c Nicklin b Hesketh 0, Wilks c Hill b Leyland 6, Probert c Haigh b Crook 25. Brown b Crook 0. Williams c Crook b Hesketh, 32, Dawson c Crook B Leyland 11. White not out 2. Day not out 6 extras 13: total (for 8 wickets). 143
BRAMPTON: Hickling b White 8 Crowcroft c and b Probert 14. Davis b Probert 43. Taylor c Williams b Probert 6 A Hill run out 32. Nutter b Probert 0 Dale b Williams 3 Crook c Dawson b Williams 0. Leyland b Williams 6 Hesketh not out 9, Haigh not out 8, extras 8, total (for 9 wickets) 137