County Cricketers At Denaby – Denaby & District 242 for 3 Derbyshire 132 for 5

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday, 23 July 1904

County Cricketers At Denaby

Visit Of A Derbyshire Team

The kindness of Mr. G. S. Marples, of Sheffield, in bringing a team of Derbyshire cricketers to Denaby on Thursday will be remembered for many a long day to come, and memories of the match will be all the pleasanter because the fine exhibition given by the Denaby and District batsmen against first-class bowlers, well known on the county grounds of cricketing England. The visitors arrived at Mexboro’ station about mid-day, and were driven to Denaby in carriages, partaking of lunch before starting the game, so that the play would not be split up by two intervals.

The home team consisted of C. Bury (captain), P. Bury, G. L. Robinson, A. Robinson, P. Knowles, W. Smith, F. Butler, W. Scott, G. Hardy, and Barker, all of Denaby; W. P. Turner, Mexboro’; F. Turner, Swinton; A. Jagger, Mitchell Main; A. Hoyle, Sprotboro’; and C. F. Power, Wath. W. Nicholson, Mexboro’, who had been chosen to play, found himself unable to accept the invitation through injury in the cricket field last week.

The strength of the visitors can at once be seen by glancing at the following names, eight of the players being members of the Derbyshire County cricket team. They were:—G. S. Marples (captain), C. A. Ollivier, W. Williams, Needham, Humphries, Warren, Bestwick, Morton, J. Wilson, Cadman, and T. Forester.

At the start the Denaby cricket field certainly presented an unusually animated appearance, being thronged with enthusiasts for miles around, the attendance swelling to between three and four thousand as the afternoon wore on. The wicket was in fine running order.

At Denaby and District secured first occupancy, A. Robinson and W. P. Turner (Mexboro’) were the opening pair of batsmen, and were opposed by Bestwick and Warren, the bowling cracks to whom Derbyshire owe largely many of their victories.

Both were dead on the wickets, but the batsmen, particularly Turner, shaped with plenty of confidence. The pair making such a good start that 46 was telegraphed before the first wicket fell, when Robinson was snapped at the wicket by Bestwick, for 24.

His innings was a bit streaky, and contained two or three mishits, besides an uncaught chance, but for all that he made a good show, and helped to lay the foundation stone of what was to follow.

A. Hoyle, the Sprotboro’ batsman, filled the vacancy, but a running catch by the doughty Ollivier sent him back for a cipher, and the score board showed 51 for two wickets when G. L. Robinson joined Turner.

A Great Partnership.

Little did the spectators think these two would defy the pick of the Derbyshire bowling for about two hours, and yet this is exactly what happened, both men playing so well that bowling changes were repeatedly and unavailingly rung on. Bestwick, Ollivier, Morton, Cadman, Forester, Wilson, and Marples all put the cart before the horse, the pair added no less than 160 runs before Turner was finally caught and bowled by Warren, with his individual score of only a bare run off the century, the aggregate standing at 211 for three wickets.

To miss the honour of scoring a hundred against county bowling is indeed hard luck, and the writer (who, by the way, is not connected with the “Mexboro’ Times”) can only wish the batsman who, off his last scoring stroke, could have easily run three instead of two, had he only known how near he was to the coveted century.

The Mexboro’ captain’s innings was marked with a particularly fine all-round hitting, earlier soundness on the leg side giving place to equal cutting skill later. The only real chance, if a possible case of stumping, and a couple of mishits through the slips are excepted, was a hot one to Marples at mid-on, but the fielder dropped it like a hot potato.

At 89 an appeal for obstruction was negatived, and Turner jumped under the “boundary” with a couple of grand fours to the off boundary. When he retired, G. L. Robinson stood at 86, and the coming of the Swintonian Turner saw his safely reach his hundred, after a display beautified with all the characteristics of his well-known skill. True, when only 11, a unanimous appeal for caught at wicket was answered in his favour, and he showed such appreciation as to sail comfortably past the century, standing at 106 not out when the innings was declared closed, with the score 212 for three wickets.

Naturally, the Derbyshire bowlers had poor figures, and to W. P. Turner and G. L. Robinson must be accorded the chief honours of the day. Turner’s 99 took two hours and 25 minutes, and Robinson got his runs in a few minutes less. The innings altogether took two hours and 40 minutes, so that the rate of scoring all through was commendable.

The Derbyshire fielding was very slack at times, but the players seemed to funk stooping to ground balls in the rough out-field. In this respect Denaby set a much better example in the closing stages of the match, but county men are not partial to bumps from kicking balls. The way two but three eluded Ollivierre at deep third man fairly made the crowd laugh.