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The 1893 season
The close season saw a degree of relative quiet ascend on the town's
cricketers. Gone was the District from its name and the team played as Barry
Cricket Club.
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Elsewhere in the game there was some great debate on the merits of
rewarding (i.e. paying) players for their efforts against a background of
gambling on games (shades of match fixing today 122 years ago?).
Quite a long article in the Barry Dock News of April 14th showed that
good benefit years rarely raised £1000 (the equivalent would be about
£120,000 today) and that collections in crowds for exceptional performances
raised paltry sums by comparison. Indeed, such collection were frowned upon
by the writer as being completely undignified. The article concluded; "So long as we
can keep cricket and football pure from the contamination of gambling, so
long will there be no necessity to bribe the players. Because the cricketer
is transparently honest and invariably does the utmost for his own side he
ought to be the more highly valued".
The writer also commented that far more value was earned by the player
for the glory of taking a good haul of wickets or scoring a high score than
money could compensate for.
Which showed the dilemma of a game at the time, where a great chasm
existed between amateur and professional player. Pros of the time were
signified by the use of Mr. in scorebooks and on scorecards and it wasn't
unheard of for the amateur "Gentlemen" to have separate dressing
rooms from the professional "players".
How the professional viewed matters is not recorded but I'd imagine
they earned relatively scant payments for their efforts. At Barry, the game
was still strictly in its amateur phase.
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The season opened with some distinctly unseasonal weather on April
29th. Barry First XI entertained St James CC of Cardiff in some wintry
weather at the Buttrills and were well beaten by 16 runs.
The second XI fared better when hosting Barry Church at Thomas' Farm
Field, Barry, and won passing their hosts meagre total of 19 with just one
wicket in hand. Barry seconds batted out its innings scoring just 21 runs.
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In the First XI game W. Bowen was the scourge of Barry taking 6 for 8
from 10.2 overs. Even more meritous was the fact he bowled into a strong
wind. Only A.E. Smith of St James', back after a long illness, managed to hit
double figures, scoring 19. He also returned figures of 2 for 4. Barry kept
its best batters to the end, a tactic which failed and so undid the good work
of W. West and W.T. Llewellyn who shared eight wickets between them.
May 6th saw only the First XI play and another defeat occurred when
they visited nearby St. Andrew's and lose by three wickets. Again Barry's
efforts with the bat undid them and S. Rooney, who performed the hat-trick,
rolled Barry over taking a fine haul of 7 for 30. W.T. Llewellyn top scored
with 25 for Barry, but Rooney returned to heap more misery on the team by
scoring 22 of St. Andrew's winning score of 78 for 6.
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The following weekend saw First and second XI
teams in actions. Ely visited the Buttrills and chasing a score of 69 were
bowled out for 43. Lewis scored 25 for Barry. The seconds endured a big defeat
at Penarth. The Seasiders batted first scoring 98, whilst Barry could only
muster 57 in reply. J. Rutter top scored with 20 but T. Benson was destroyer in
chief as he took eight Barry wickets for only 24 runs.
More misery was sent Barry's way courtesy of
Penarth on May 20th. Barry first XI capitulated on a heavy Buttrills wicket for
just 14 runs. The Seasiders F.W .Morgan returned figures of seven overs, 7
wickets for just 3 runs, four of the overs being maidens! This devastating
spell brought a hat-trick (the second against Barry this season) while Binch,
the Penarth professional, took the remaining three wickets for nine runs conceded.
All ten Barry wickets were clean bowled which was also an unfortunate first for
the team.
The month ended with a visit to Cardiff Arms
Park and a defeat by Cardiff Seconds. WT Llewellyn took 6 wickets as Cardiff
scored a very healthy 136. Barry in contrast were skittled out for just 38 and
so lost by 98 runs. Only W.West reached double figures, scoring 13.
Barry's miserable run ended on June 3rd 1893
when the team visited Tondu, another team who the club have played many times
over the decades. Batting first Barry scored 70 all out with E. Davies scoring
19, G. Edwards 10 not out and Extras being awarded 11 valuable runs. Tondu
succumbed for only 53 but unfortunately the News carried no details of who took
the wickets.
The Second XI entertained the Congregational CC
at the Buttrills and bowled out their visitors for 18, Barry won easily and
finished its innings on 90 all out, with J. Cranston 22 and H.Jones 21,
top-scoring.
The good run of form in June continued with
Barry defeating visitors Charles Street CC by 25 runs. Skipper W. West top
scored with 24 but again, and this was not uncommon, the details of the bowling
analyses were not reported.
Barry then travelled to Ely for a fixture on
June 17th and a welcome 39 run followed. Tom Wilson top scored for Barry in its
innings of 78 with 20 not out. In reply WT Llewellyn bowled impressively to
return 6 for 19 as Ely were bowled out for 39.
The month ended with the first of a series of
challenge matches between club Chairman Dr Livingstone's XI and Barry player Mr
W.T. Llewellyn's XI, both teams being comprised of many existing Barry players.
The first game, played unusually on a Wednesday (June 21st), ended in a win for
Llewellyn's team by 15 runs.
July opened with a fine away win against
Broadway Wesleyans, the fixture again being played at Cardiff Arms Park. The
Wesleyans totalled 55 but W. West and D. Williams both bowled very well
returning analyses of 4 for 16 and 3 for 8 respectively. Barry finished its
innings all out on 87. W. West enjoyed a fine afternoon scoring 23, while
extras made up 21 of the total.
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Three days later on July 4th, the Buttrills
again hosted a friendly between the teams of Livingstone and Llewellyn, the
latter's team again achieving victory by 10 runs and 7 wickets! The
Livingstone XI mustered 33, and Swain took 5 for 17, Llewellyn 5 for 12 .
Llewellyn's team then scored 43 for 5, Swain completing a good day by scoring
21.
July 22nd saw Cardiff Seconds travel to
Barry for its return fixture and this time Barry provided sterner opposition
than they did in June. Cardiff batted first scoring 56 all out, Buicci top
scored with 21 and Llewellyn's fine season with the ball continued as he took
6 for 21. Cardiff's total proved just large enough as Barry could only make
51 and so lost by 5 runs. T .Lewis top scored for Barry hitting 21.
Penarth were proving to be a real thorn in
Barry's side and the First Xi were again beaten heavily in the away re-match
between the teams. The home team won decisively by 75 runs (and 3 wickets.
batting Barry again failed to cope with F.W. Morgan who took 5 for 21 as
Barry fell to 48 all out, as core Penarth passed with some ease as they
finished on 123 for 7, E. Parkinson scored a rare half century for those early days of local cricket finishing with
52 for Penarth.
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The
First XI won on August 26th at home to Tondu and then away to Cardiff
Wesleyans on September 2nd. The Second XI, which really hadn't seen much
action through the season also lost out to Holton (Barry Dock CC) in a low
scoring game on August 19th. The Tondu match was of interest as it gave Barry
its best win of the season.
The
visitors sent down a string XI to the Buttrills but they were comprehensively
defeated. Tondu were bowled out for just 29, the partnership of Llewellyn (6
for 14) and West (3 for 11) doing the damage. Barry passed its target with
the loss of just two wickets and then went onto compile a score of 132,
easily a season's best. R. Fountain, with 66, was Barry 's top-scorer .
Cricket
was not everyone's cup of tea and certainly when played on a Sunday as this
un-named correspondent wrote in a letter to the News on September 1st.
Sir,
I am distinctly a
Sabbatarian, and I am grieved to the quick of the heart when I discover any
tendency on the part of a slippery Christian public to err from this path of
rectitude and devotion.
Last Sunday
afternoon I, by chance, happened to walk into sight of that portion of
Cadoxton Moors which is approached from the subway at Weston Bridge. On the
green in front of me I saw a crowd of boys playing cricket, and I am informed
that they continued to indulge in the game for at least two or three hours.
During the whole of this time not a policeman hoved into sight, and not a
word of rebuke was offered to the mischievous boys who thus desecrated the
Lord's Day. Had I my way I should have let the "cat" fly upon them,
for I consider that boys who must have seven days to indulge in games which
may be innocent enough during the week should be mightily flogged at the
hands of those who preach and practice the divine injunction—" Remember
the Sabbath Day to keep it holy"
A harsh reaction from the writer perhaps, but late Victorian values
were renowned for their sternness.
Cricket activity ceased on September 6th when Mr. Llewellyn's team
outdid Dr. Livingstone's XI by 12 runs to complete a 3-0 series win. The
season was officially wound up on Friday September 8th when a special meeting
at the Barry Hotel was held, Mr. W. West (captain), presiding. The meeting
was called as the Barry Rugby Football Club has asked to use the ground for
its 1893-94 season games and paying £4 for the privilege. After a lively and
spirited discussion, the motion was passed and this was to have its own
serious repercussions for the club the next season.
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