South Yorkshire Times, January 12, 1963.
Hopes of New President.
The Doncaster and district Cricket league will startthe 1963 season with experience at the helm, for their new President, unanimously elected at the annual meeting, is 67-year-old Mr Herbert Foster, of Low Road, Conisbrough.
A keen cricketer all his life, Mr Foster spent 20 seasons with Denaby, four with Mexborough and three with Conisbrough.
He had been president of the Denaby club for the past seven years and has attended almost every league meeting in 38 years.
“The real surprise came three weeks before their annual meeting,” Mr Foster told me this week, “when a meeting of the Emergency Committee decided to recommend my name alone.”
It is fitting that a man of his experience should have definite ideason howthe game should be played, especially as he is faced with two important and difficult problems in his position as President.
With regard to the much publicised “brighter cricket.” Mr Foster said: “I think the teams themselves can do a great deal to help the game become brighter. The captain of the side can himself give the players incentive to attack.”
He continued: “it isn’t a question of throwing the game away with wild play, but some players have their batting averages in mind rather than the game itself, and defend when attack should be foremost in their minds. Some bowlers too, expect the batsmen to get themselves out, and aim just outside the leg or off stump.
Up and Down Plan.
The President means to do all he can to improve the game and thinks that a new promotion and relegation system for the league could contribute in this respect.
“There certainly would be a bit more incentive with a three, three down system”, he said, and added: “this question of promotion and relegation has been discussed throughout the summer and has developed into quite a little row. However, I think we shalliron out something which is satisfactory for everyone.”
At present, the 49 clubs in the first division are divided up into four sections of equal standing. A previous proposal to have four divisions and a similar pattern to that of the football league, put forward at the annual meeting last month has been shelved and will be considered by the Emergency Committee.