South Yorkshire Times September 16, 1950
Council Final
Yorkshire Council final “gate” at Wath was £51 16s. 6d. Approximately 1,100 spectators saw the game.
South Yorkshire Times September 9, 1950
Rotherham New Name On Yorkshire Council Trophy
Champions amass 154 for 2 : send Denaby on their way for 77
Denaby and Cadeby stayed at the wicket for ten minutes under two hours in what was for them a Yorkshire Council final serial in Saturday’s pleasant sunshine at Wath, and Rotherham, who had amassed 154 for the loss of Barnett, ex-Rawmarsh and ex-Swintonian, and V. S. White before tea, had no further calls to make on their batsmanship.
This was a celebration for Rotherham. It was their first Yorkshire Council final— and their first championship. For them the Scarborough Cup, for Denaby and Cadeby once more, the Reid Trophy.
Benevolent Greeting
After so many days of rain this sunshine gave benevolent greeting to a sizeable crowd. Indeed. before Rotherham were far on their way to this commanding position of 164 for 2, several latecomers had found no room for them on the forms and many more spent the last hour or so before tea standing round the perimeter.
Rotherham had their adventures, but though Cory and Downing were later to apply a most effective break, slowing the rate to 36 runs off 22 overs, the early part of the afternoon was never dull. Where prodigious hitting was out, Rotherham essayed many cheeky singles, so that though the scoreboard moved but gradually, the tempo was constantly maintained and there were repeated scamperings across this wicket upon which there had been no match since Yorkshire Colts were here a year ago.
Whitaker and Barnett, who put on a century first – wicket partnership at Barnsley a couple of weeks ago, were together for 77 on Saturday, and for 80 minutes, before Barnett ended his innings by lifting a ball to Cory, close in. Came V. S. White and he and Whitaker took the total to 140 before Denaby claimed their second and only further success by dismissing White for 30. He was bowled by Bullard, and Whitaker and Schofield were together when the compulsory suspension came at 154 for 2 after 166 minutes’ batting. Whitaker, who had scored 39 in his first two hours at the wicket, reached 52 not out, his 50 being achieved in 2 hours 35 minutes. If this sounds slow stuff it was assuredly not so, for the tall Rotherham skipper was always persistent and purposeful, always attractively on the move. White did an excellent job of work against a field which was always hostile (though not always quite so sure as it might have been, hence Rotherham’s several adventures, notably involving Whitaker and Barnett) and he often turned the ball most delightfully over a ring of fieldsman very much with an air which indicated that he was not to be fenced in.
Denaby’s innings was a strange sight for a Council final after such a splendid season, but they were, of course, by no means the first finalists to meet such a fate.
Wickets were lost to l.b.w. decisions (Ellis and Munden) and to catches (Cory, the two Wilks and Bullard). Richards was bowled—for a duck; so were Oakley (for 13), Downing (for 1) and Skipper George Allen (also for 1). And from 5 for 19 the board proceeded, inevitably as it seemed, through stages of 6 for 37, 7 for 72, 8 for 72, 9 for 74, to a total of 77, at which Skipper George was set to face ex-Mexborough “express” Bob Hydes, and this 37th over of the innings so Denaby gone there way to retain the “Reid” up) trophy for yet another year. Top scorer was J. T. Oakley with 13 and Hydes four wickets cost him 21 runs, Ellis’s 3-25 and Anderton’s 3-26.