Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 11 December 1920
Denaby Main Cricket Club.
A Good Season and Better Prospects.
Debt and Duty.
Interesting Annual Meeting.
Mr H.C. Harrison presided, on Monday evening, at the annual meeting of the Denaby Main Cricket and Athletic Club, held in the Large Hall, Denaby Main. There was a good attendance.
The chairman said the club could look back upon last season with a good deal of satisfaction. The first team, in the senior section of the Doncaster League, ended level with Bullcroft Colliery at the head of the league, but were beaten in the test match.
They played 14 matches, won 9, lost one and drew three. In the Warde – Aldam Cup they met with one of those surprising disasters which were at the foundation of the glorious uncertainty of cricket.
The first team scored 1,306 runs for 128 wickets, an average of 24.8; against 2,270 for 180 wickets by their opponents, an average of 12.6.
With regard to friendly matches, the outstanding feature was the match with Derbyshire, in which Denaby, in spite of bad weather and a deplorable attendance, covered themselves with glory.
The Whitsuntide tour was a blissful affair, a week of delightful cricket in ideal cricket conditions. It would long remain a pleasant memory with the team.
The second team also had a creditable season, finishing third in the league with 18 points.
They scored 1306 runs for 128 wickets, an average 10.2, against 1167 for 137 by their opponents, an average of 8.5.
He thought that was an encouraging performance. Outside cricket, he understood that the bowling and lawn tennis teams had done well, though he had no details.
The Prospects.
Probably they would find the balance sheet not quite as pleasing as the playing records. There had been a good deal of non-recurring expenditure. They had a ground to which they could with complacency, invite any club in England. As the ground of a colliery club, it probably stood alone. The club had been exceptionally fortunate in the groundsman, and in the enthusiasm which had inspired many members, notably the cricket captain, Mr H.W.Smith, to work on the ground.
No horticulturalist had watched more anxiously over a favourite bloom than Mr Smith had watched over the ground. A good deal of this voluntary spadework was no doubt taken for granted. It was a habit to take cheerful and voluntary labour as a matter of course, but those members who stopped to think about it were, he was sure, grateful and appreciative. The club could not be run without a fund of enthusiasm as well as cash.
Tribute to Mr Smith
They were no doubt aware, the chairman continued, that this was the last annual meeting of the Denaby club, Mr H.W.Smith would attend, when he was about to leave them, in order, it was to be, to reap some of the benefit which he richly deserved. The Cricket Club would miss him sorely. He had been one of the prime movers in the cricket club. He had done no end of work, which would only be appreciated when he had gone. As they were to lose his services, it was incumbent on them to see that the club did not suffer unduly from the withdrawal of Mr Smith´s powerful assistance, but, would labour to continue the club’s successful career and keep it worthy of the remarkable efforts which be made by Mr Smith
The Task Ahead.
It was not the main purpose of that meeting to dwell upon the past, but to look forward and prepared a new and harmonious effort. They were out for progress, and they had immediately in front of them two facts -A considerable debt, and the admittance of the club into ahigher class of cricket, the Yorkshire Council.
They must make a very decided effort to maintain themselves as creditably as possible in this company; it was not sufficient to be satisfied with being somewhere in the Yorkshire Council table. They wanted to make their presence felt wherever they were. They had never been a club launched from Denaby, which had not made a splash of some sort (hear, hear). The club must depend on every member, and he hoped it would not depend in vain. A Bank Overdraft.
Introducing the balance sheet, the chairman, called attention to the gate receipts, £26.10s, a paltry sum which would have to be radically altered. The subscriptions amounted to £212.13s 6d. Canteen profits were £251 3s 10d. The total expenditure was £772.12s 7d and this had left a bank overdraft of £134 9s 5d. Wages and ground expenses amounted to £374 2s 2d and Tim expenses to £27 13s 9d. There were further current liabilities amounting to £417 19s 8d, and this, after deducting current and anticipated assets amounting to £257 10s 8d, increase the bank overdraft from £134 9s 5d to £295 8s. One of the items of the balance sheet was a lawn by the cricket club to the football club of £52.18s. The chairman pointed out that £374, more than half the season´s expenditure had been spent on the ground. The financial statement was adopted on the motion of Mr Wilkinson, seconded by Mr Dean.
Election of Officers.
Mr W.A.Chambers was re-elected president.
Mr H.W.Smith was unanimously elected a life member of the club, and only once previously conferred – on Mr G.S.Marples.
The following were re-elected vice presidents; Messrs. R. Williamson, H. Hulley, A. Robinson, G.L.Robinson, W.W. Wilkinson, G.H. Milnes, E. Bateson, E. Robinson, Dutton, H.C. Harrison, T. Jones and F. Allison. Mr W. Narroway was re-elected secretary, and Messrs H. Milnes, and G. Worthington, assistant secretaries. Mr S.R.Johnson was re-elected treasurer, Mr F.Vollans, was re-elected secretary of the bowling section, and the tennis section was left to appoint its own secretary, several members present declining nomination. Mr H.C. Harrison was appointed captain of the first team, and Mr W. Narroway vice captain.
Mr E Robinson was appointed captain of the second team, and Mr Tim Peters vice captain.
Mr W. Parks was appointed captain of the first bowling team, and Mr P. Philips vice captain. Mr F. Vollans was appointed captain of the second bowling team, and Mr T. Smith, vice captain.
Mr T. Geo was appointed captain of the tennis team, and Mr J.Shelton vice captain.
The general Committee were re-elected, with the addition of Messrs J. Jeffcote, E. Creswell and W. Astbury.