South Yorkshire Times, August 4th, 1951
Richards Hit Five Successive Fours In One Over For Denaby
314 Runs for 13 Wickets In Duel With Elsecar At Tickhill Square
Denaby and Cadeby 158 for 3, Elsecar 156
Neither Denaby nor Elsecar covered themselves with glory on Saturday, though Denaby took honours with a seven-wickets win. Runs were in the main ponderously compiled, speculation was limited to Denaby’s ability to get the necessary runs in the time available. Elsecar worked hard for their 156. Denaby found run-getting something less than a hard task. Ike Baxter and Ernest Neville made solid the foundation for the Elsecar innings. Baxter relaxed his concentration but once and was out to a fine catch by Harry Newton at deep fine leg for 42. Arthur Ellis eclipsed this effort shortly after when, in almost the same position, he leaped high to bring off a fine two-handed catch to dismiss Knighton off Newton.
The latter bowled admirably and when a change brought on Jack Bullard, Denaby quickly broke the back of the Elsecar innings. Neville made 47 and was never completely subdued. He has at times a greater fluency than Baxter, and many of his boundary strokes on Saturday were made with disdainful ease.
There was little striking in the rest of the Elsecar innings and on reflection it seems bruises were accumulated more readily than runs. Forrest made a ball lift appreciably, but there was little in the wicket to offer encouragement to either pace or spin. Newton finished with seven wickets for 35 runs and the figures are in themselves a true reflection of his achievement.
The Denaby innings lacked an orthodox foundation, for both Ellis and Munden were quickly out. It was left to Joe Wilks, Dick Cory and Jim Richards to retrieve the position and a workmanlike job they made of it. There was a suggestion of the scoring rate being disturbingly reduced when Elsecar dropped their pace bowlers. Wilks and Richards mastered most of the bowling however, and completed an unbroken partnership of 77. Cory scored 48.
Wrightson’s last over was an exciting affair, Richards hit five successive fours off him to level the scores at 156, then Wilks hit the winning runs.