Conisborough Notes – Cricket, Football, Bicycle Mania, Miners Demonstration

May 1898

South Yorkshire Times May 13, 1898

Conisborough Notes

Ivanhoe writes:

Conisborough Cricket Club

The Conisborough Cricket Club opened their season’s fixtures by the meeting with Swinton in Mexborough and District league match at Swinton on Saturday, and I am sorry to say, they got a very bad beating. Come, my brave Conisborough cricketers, pull yourself together, and just shows that you have not forgotten how to win a match altogether. It is getting quite monstrous, recording defeat after defeat, as we had to do last season. Give Hickleton Main a good thrashing tomorrow, and then we will forgive your defeat last week.

Conisborough Football

I am very pleased to see that our Conisborough football enthusiasts are going to make an attempt to resuscitate the old football club. A meeting for that purpose is to be held on Saturday night, May 14 at the Red Lion Hotel. I do hope they will be successful in their efforts, and that next winter Conisborough will be able to turn out a team able to compete with any minor team in the district. I remember only two years ago where the splendid little Taylor ran away with the South Yorkshire League. We do the same again?

Bicycle Mania

Like most other places, Conisborough has fairly caught the “bicycle mania.” You cannot walk many yards down a street without hearing the tinkle, tinkle of the bicycle bell, and a very fair number of the riders belong to the sex called “fair.” I must say the lady rider, for gracefulness of Riley, can give the gentleman rightly points and a good beating. Watch the lady rider as she wheels along. She sits in an upright a natural position and everybody can see she is enjoying a ride.

Then watch the gentleman rider, he sits astride a machine and grasps two handle bars which are about 2 inches lower than they should be, consequently his body is cramped up until it forms nearly a semicircle.

I see Mr A Laughton has for sale, in addition to bicycles, a pair of roller skates. I see Mr Laughton himself practising with them, and my opinion is that they would be fine exercise on a good level piece of road, but in Conisborough they will be a failure.

Miners Demonstration

The annual demonstration of the South Yorkshire miners will take place at Sheffield on Monday, June 20. The Cadeby Main miners intend to turn up in full force, and make as good a show as possible. There were engaged to accompany them the Barnsley Temperance Brass Band.

I’ve always understood that one of the chief articles in the Miner’s Creed was to support home industries, and that being so I should like to know why they go to Barnsley to engage a brass band, when we have one in Conisborough? The leader of the Conisborough band tells me that they have never been asked even to tender this year. Still when another local election comes on we shall have the old. Cry trotted out about supporting home industries