Conisbrough Cricket Club Have Cleared a £385 Debt – Ground is Theirs:

December 1956

South Yorkshire Times December 1, 1956

Ground is Theirs:
Conisbrough Cricket Club Have Cleared a £385 Debt.

Emphasis at Conisbrough Cricket club’s annual meeting on Monday evening was on a topic which will be common to most – the shocking season in 1956. But there was another which has caused a great deal of pleasure: the club has cleared the last £50 of its £385 pounds ground debt and on a date to be decided in the New Year a celebration dinner dance is to be held. At that function this final debt will be repaid.

Income during the playing season was £130; from social and close season events £225, a factor which caused treasure Mr H Ellis to emphasise to members the importance of these events to the financial life of the club.

Only Qualifier

Only skipper Wilf Hepworth (average 26.22) qualified for the first division Doncaster League batting averages. M Blackburn had the top bowling average with 8.18. Second 11 batting figures were D Turner (20.25) and A Harrison (14.64) and bowling S Brandreth (7.88)

Chairman Mr HS Peet said remembering the unsatisfactory weather in the summer he could not compare this season with last. The first team had slipped a place in the league – but there was only half a season to look back on; the second team did not do so quite so well. “We shall not be the only club to be complaining, however.”

The more important factor to remember was that bad weather robbed the club a part of its income and all things considered they had done very well. He believed that subscriptions (£69.18s) were the highest the club had ever had. They were £18 higher than in the previous season. Mr Peet referred to various items on the balance sheet, and expressing his pleasure in the all-round result, thanked all who had helped in that result, notably the ladies.

Worst Ever

Cricket secretary Mr W Thomson said it was the worst playing season he had ever known. The first XI had 10 matches drawn because of bad weather and three or four others in which rain had interfered.

The general secretary Mr A J Chadwick, expressing a hope for better things in 1957, referred to an increase in junior membership – a very heartening factor.