Mexborough and Swinton Times April 6, 1928

To Carry On.
Denaby and the Midland League.
Help From the Workmen.

The question, shall Denaby United remain in the Midland League competition? was answered at a meeting of the workmen of the Denaby and Cadel collieries in the Welfare Institute on Sunday morning. The men then agreed to have an extra halfpenny a week stopped at the pithead.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. T. Hill, vice-chairman of the local Welfare Fund Trustees, supported by Mr. W. Still (manager, Denaby colliery), Mr. R. Young (manager, Cadeby colliery), Mr. W. Wilkinson (under manager, Cadeby colliery).

Mr. Hill said they had been called together to decide what further assistance they could give to sport at Denaby. The Welfare Fund Trustees were as badly off as the rest and could not give any further help. When the Institute was built the committee took over the assets of the cricket club, which included the profitable canteen; and by the loss of that the club had had a struggle. During the dispute the first appeal was made for extra funds and was responded to: but the allocation of £510 had been exceeded.

The trustees met that morning and came to the conclusion that if the men would agree to an extra stoppage, the trustees would disburse the allocation as follows: football club 60 per cent., cricket club 30 per cent, bowls 10 per cent. Mr. Hill did not want to see the district lose its Midland League and Yorkshire Council teams; he wanted to see them thrive.

Denaby was not as bad as some people made it appear—not so bad as a Scarboro’ newspaper made out:

As Others See It.

‘The ground at Tickhill Square has a kind of horror for many of the players in the Midland League to-day, and Denaby itself is far from a pleasant locality to visit—such a place, in fact, that a team delays its arrival there until the last possible moment and leaves by the first train or ‘bus. Therefore many clubs, in view of the applicants to the League, would not be sorry to see the end of this one. . , . . I have paid innumerable visits to this anything but salubrious locality on all kinds of dismal days, but I feel sure the passing of the Midland League club there would be regretted by many of those associated with the League in the old days.”

Denaby had a hospital and baths of their own, which few other urban townships had. Providing an extra stoppage was agreed to there would be about £50 left over; and as there were several junior clubs in the district that might produce promising players, the £50 would be shared out to encourage those clubs. An allocation committee had been formed of the following representatives of each section: institute, football and cricket two representatives each; bowls and tennis one each

Mr. W. Wilkinson (treasurer, cricket section), said no man in the district would like to see the Midland League club withdraw from the competition, but they could not carry on without further assistance and with that further assistance they could only just carry on. The club could not always depend on transfers; during this season not one player had been transferred. In 1923/24 £353 and in 1925-28 £700, were the incomes from transfer fees.

Several questions were asked and a vote was then taken on the following:

No stoppage 11 men; men living in Mexborough and district to support their own club 15. These proposals were easily defeated by a big vote in favour of extra halfpenny per week stoppage.

When Yorkshire Council cricket was first introduced at Denaby both the cricket and football club were in good positions and had enthusiastic helpers; during the last two years those helpers have left the district. The cricket club have managed to carry on but the football club have not received the support they should have had. The “gates” have been very low, sometimes lower than the wage bill.