Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 15 June 1894

Cricket and Smoking Concert at Denaby Main

On Saturday last a highly interesting cricket match, tea, and smoking concert was held at Denaby by the office staff employed by the Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries Limited, the details being arranged by a committee appointed for that purpose. As is well known, the office staff is divided into two departments, commercial and secretarial. Accordingly it was arranged between teams representing the two departments that a match should take place. Saturday, the 9th inst., was the day chosen, and the rival teams resorted to the Denaby cricket ground (which, with the Rossington-street School-room for the tea, etc., was kindly lent for the occasion), about four o’clock in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather was anything but favourable, making enjoyable cricket most impossible.

Mr. Bordon captained the Secretary’s team, and Mr. Normanton undertook that duty on behalf of the Commercial men. The latter team won the toss and elected to bat first, and after staying about an hour compiled 61 runs, Mr. F. Lawson and Mr. F. Fisher being most successful with the bat. Time was getting on, but the Secretary’s Department went in to bat at 5.45, and at the drawing of the stumps at 6.30 had made 33 runs for the loss of four wickets. Below is a full record of the score.

It was very unfortunate that the match thus ended in a draw. After the match the whole teams were photographed by Mr. Woodley. At seven o’clock an adjournment was made to the Rossington-street school, where an excellent knife and fork tea had been prepared by Mrs. Gregory, the tables being simply weighed down with the good things provided. After ample justice had been done, the cloths were removed, and Mr. Adderley was voted to the chair. Refreshments of every kind were provided, and all the other paraphernalia necessary to a smoking concert were in evidence.

An elaborate programme had been arranged, the first item of which was a pianoforte solo by Mr. Thos. Barron, after which the Chairman addressed the company and proposed the first toast on the list. He said it was the usual custom for the chairman of a gathering like that to inflict upon his hearers a long speech, but he intended to depart from that rule and make his remarks very brief. He should like to say on behalf of the committee that the main idea in promoting the gathering was that it was thought it would tend to the cultivation of good fellowship and kindly feeling. The staff at Denaby was now becoming very formidable in point of numbers, and so far as business was concerned they were all very well acquainted with each other, but socially many were almost complete strangers, and it was hoped an affair of this sort would bring them more together and help them to know each other better.

Several some of those present he only knew by sight, and he was very pleased to see them and improve his acquaintance with them. The idea was that the gathering that day proved a success, to make the affair an annual fixture. (Hear, hear.) So far as the cricket match was concerned it had been a success; the match had been very enjoyable, although it would have been a greater success if the weather had been more favourable and they had had time to play to a finish. He hoped they would enjoy themselves as much as possible that evening, because, being the first gathering, they were anxious that everything should go off well.

The excitement in anticipation of the feast had been brought to a high pitch, but he had not heard of anyone who in his wildest dreams ever imagined that they would sit down to such a spread as Mrs. Gregory and her assistants had so liberally provided for them, and he thought great credit, and also their hearty thanks, were due to Mrs. Gregory and those who had helped her for their very successful efforts. The committee had all through been well supported on all hands and by everyone, and he trusted all would thoroughly enjoy themselves. He had great pleasure in proposing the first toast, “Mrs. Gregory and assistants.” (Loud cheers.)

The toast was heartily drunk, and Mr. J. K. Bordon responded on behalf of Mrs. Gregory.

The programme was then proceeded with, details of which were as follows:—
Pianoforte solo: “Caliph of Bagdad,” Mr. T. Barron.
Song: “I’ll meet her when the sun goes down,” Mr. T. A. Evison.
Stump speech: “On the feline race,” Mr. F. Hartop.
Song, with banjo accompaniment, Mrs. Brady’s daughter.
Recitation: “The dream of Eugene Aram,” Mr. Emerson.
Song: “Where did you get that hat?” Mr. Hunt.
Violin solo: “Home, sweet home,” Mr. Moses Soar.
Violin solo: “The last rose of summer,” Mr. Soar.
Song: “Uncle Pete,” Mr. Evison.
Pianoforte solo: “Robin’s return,” Master Proggatt.
Song: “Pa and Ma,” Mr. J. K. Walker.
Song: “The minister boy,” Master H. Wilson.
Song, with banjo accompaniment: “The Tipperary christening,” Mr. Woodley.
Song: “Home, sweet home,” Mr. Evison.
Violin solo: “The blue bells of Scotland,” Mr. Soar.
Mr. Howes accompanied on the piano.

The whole of the programme was gone through with great gusto, each of the contributors being greeted with applause, and their efforts very highly appreciated. It would, therefore, be unfair to mention anyone specially.

In the middle of the proceedings the Chairman explained that advantage had been taken of that gathering to make a presentation to Mr. Jesse Hill upon his recent marriage. The present consisted of a handsome silver teapot supplied by the well-known firm of Messrs. Mappin and Webb, Sheffield.

Mr. J. Watkins made the presentation, and said that he was called upon to fulfil a duty to which he did not feel quite equal, but having been appointed by the committee for that purpose would do his best. He could only suppose that he was asked to make the presentation because he had the honour of being the senior clerk in the Secretary’s department. He had known Mr. Hill a good many years, and had always found him straightforward and obliging in every way. He had seen the other member of the staff go ahead in taking to himself a wife, whom everyone present knew to be a most estimable young lady. He felt sure that the very beautiful present which he had the pleasure of presenting to Mr. Hill would be held by him in the highest esteem, and he hoped that the recipient would always look upon it as a token of the respect and esteem in which he was held by the staff of Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries Limited. He had great pleasure in asking Mr. Hill to accept the beautiful silver teapot with their very best wishes for his future happiness and prosperity, and he hoped he would have a long life to enjoy it. (Cheers.)

Mr. Hill, in acknowledging the presentation, said he thought he might call them all his friends. It gave him very great pleasure indeed to have such an opportunity of thanking personally all those who had subscribed to make him so useful and beautiful a present on the occasion of his marriage. It was not a very handsome present, and one which both his wife and himself would always be proud of, not so much for its material value (and it was very handsome), but for its association with those who had given it, viz., those with whom he had been connected in business, some of whom he had known and respected for many years. He felt altogether unable to respond to the very able and enthusiastic manner in which they had made the presentation, and desired on behalf of his wife as well as himself to thank them all most sincerely for the present and good wishes for their future happiness and prosperity.

Mr. Woodley, on behalf of the commercial department, supported Mr. Watkins’s remarks, and said everything had already been touched upon, and he could only reiterate what had been said. Speaking, however, from reports he had heard, he was convinced that Mr. Hill had made a good choice, and he trusted that both Mr. and Mrs. Hill would live long and happily to enjoy the familiar beverage from the splendid teapot before them, which they would no doubt, with feelings of pleasure, show to their friends as a mark of the esteem in which he was held by them all.

Mr. Hill was greeted with loud cheers, those present singing, “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” over and over again as he accepted the present.

On the conclusion of the last item on the programme, Mr. Lawson proposed the toast, “The Denaby Main Cricket Club,” for the use of the ground and cricket material, which was drunk with enthusiasm, to which Mr. Fisher responded, and a very enjoyable evening was brought to a close with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”

Commercial v. Secretary’s Department

Result: Match drawn (time expired)