The 1891 Season
With our 1890 season notes ending in 1891 with the formation of the untied Cadoxton-Barry United Cricket Club. The newly formed club was at pains to explain itself to existing and potential members that it did not in any want to be seen as snobbish in any form or manner and so exclude any potential payers and members.
The News of February 20th was asked to point out to its readers that
“The club named will be com-posed of members from all classes of the public, the question of social distinction being entirely disregarded in the selection of players.
This fact is pointed out in consequence of an impression which has got abroad that working men would not be permitted to join the united club on the contrary, the committee are anxious that the club should be largely composed of working men, and no suitable application for admission as member will be rejected. The club has been singularly fortunate in obtaining the services of Mr R. G. Morris as captain, Mr W. M. Douglas as vice-captain, and Mr E. T. Williams (Barry Board School) as secretary, and by the combined influence of these gentlemen, aided by the hearty co-operation of the members, there is every reason to hope that the united club is about entering upon a prosperous career.”
As the season progressed Morris was little heard of and surpassed in the captaincy by Higman. In addition and somewhat confusingly at times both Barry (Dock) CC and Cadoxton CC existed in addition to the District team and had their own players, several of whom played for the District XI too! W. West, a future Barry captain, was then turning out for Barry Dock. To confuse matters further, the Barry Dock News at times chose to call Cadoxton by the name Cadoxton-Barry! However, and of great help, the News printed the District United team’s First XI fixture list was as follows:
The non-District team Cadoxton-Barry team also played at Brock field, Cadoxton, near the Three Bells pub and not at the nearby Witchill.
May 9th-Cardiff Conservative Working Men's - Home
May 16th Cardiff 2nd XI - Home
May 23rd St. Mary's - Away (Cardiff)
May 30th Rhymney -Home
June 6th Penarth - Away
June 13th Mackintosh - Home
June 20th St. Paul's - Away (Cardiff)
June 27th Cardiff University - Home
July 4th Mackintosh - Away (Cardiff)
July 11th St. Paul's - Home
July 25th Cardiff University - Away
Aug. 1st Taff Vale - Away (Cardiff)
Aug. 3rd Rhymney – Away
Aug 8th Penarth- Home
Aug 15th St. Mary’s - Home
22nd—Taff Vale - Home
29th—Cardiff Conservative Working Men's -Away
Sept. 5th.-Cardiff 2nd - Away
The new District XI (for ease, I’ll refer to them as Barry from this point onwards) opened its campaign on Saturday May 9th with a home match at the Witchill Grounds against Cardiff Conservative Working Men’s CC before a good crowd.
The News continued “Amongst those present were Dr O'DonnelI, Mr F. E. Aitkin and Mr Powell. Barry won the toss, and went in first, W. Williams scoring a capital 22, with Douglas not out for 17, and R. G. Morris (captain) out for 12. Higman and Pomeroy also contributed six each in good form.
On changing positions Higman and W. Williams proved fatal bowlers, the home team eventually winning by 71 runs to 52.”
The growing strength of the Barry club was reflected with the formation of a Wednesday XI which opened its account on Wednesday May 13th against Wharton CC of Cardiff at the Witchill. The match ended in a thumping 89 run and six wicket win for Barry. The News stated that “ each member of the home team who had an innings batted well; and Waters and Chalmers were very successful with the bowling.” H. Waters top scored with 31 not out in a score of 118 for 4 and then took 6 of the Wharton wickets with Chalmers the other four.
The formation of this team, reflected late Victorian changes to working practices in Britain. Leisure time was becoming embedded in the working week and if you were lucky enough, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons were free as were Sunday, but on no account were ball sports tolerated on a widely respected Sabbath.
Barry gained a winning draw against Cardiff Seconds on May 16th. Barry scored 114 for 3 and at the close the Cardiff team had held out for the draw scoring 75 for 7. Higman “contributed a magnificently played 56 (not out), including seven 4's and B. T. Pomeroy 32, including one 5 and two 4's”.
May 23rd saw Barry make the trip to Cardiff Arms Park to play hosts St. Mary’s before another good crowd who witnessed a 40 run Barry win. Barry hit 79 for 9, Extras top-scored with 12 whilst opener T. Jones managed 11. St Mary’s capitulated for just 39, with B.T. Pomeroy , who’d kept wicket and taken a stumping the previous week, capturing five wickets.
Alas the News carried no report of the scheduled fixture at home to Rhymney for May 30th.In Barry’s early days, Penarth was never a happy hunting ground so the favourable draw gained on June 6th was something of a highlight, the Seasiders having been in existence for some time before their neighbours from west, along the coast.
Barry declared at 104 for 7, with skipper RG Morris scoring an unbeaten 41 to delight the crowd and D.C. Davies batting ninth, scoring a breezy 23. Penarth never really got going and despite containing the likes of their professional Binch and F.W. Morgan settled for a draw with their innings closed at 74 for 6
The visit of Mackintosh to the Witchill on June 13th was brought to an early conclusion when the heavens opened causing the abandonment of the fixture with Barry’s score at 50 for 1, Pomeroy having scored 22.
The Wednesday team played its second game of the season against Boyle’s CC on June 17th on a new ground in the area, the Birch Field, Old Village, Cadoxton. The News continued “Through the efforts of the Wednesday men a good wicket had been formed for the occasion, and the result proved a magnificent victory for the Cadoxton team by 132 runs and 10 wickets. B. T. Pomeroy, going in first, scored 78 runs not out; followed by J. Masters, who figured 51 not out. The visiting team was entirely disposed of for the modest total of ten.” 10 all out and Masters who had a really good day, took six wickets!
The excellent form shown by the club resulted in an unbeaten June but only one more game was played Barry defeating St. Paul’s in the away fixture on June 20th. St Paul’s batted first scoring 82 all out , Barry passing their score comfortably and finishing on 133 for 9, F. Ingram finishing 38 not out.
The scheduled home game against Cardiff University for June 27th fell by the wayside as the News takes up :
“The secretary of the District Club (Mr E. T. Williams) wrote to the University on Wednesday morning inquiring the time when they might be expected to arrive at Cadoxton, but received no reply until Saturday morning, when a letter was sent, stating that the University were quite unable to get up a representative team owing to Mr Pullen and the officers having left Cardiff for the vacation. The home club were put to considerable inconvenience and expense, as they had taken a great deal of trouble in preparing a wicket, and think it would redound more to the credit of the officers of the University Club if, before entering on their vacation, they would have the manliness to cancel those fixtures which they did not intend to fulfil.” Which was undoubtedly a Victorian way of saying that the Barry team were seriously unimpressed by the no-show of their visitors!
Barry’s return versus Mackintosh at the Tynycoed Ground, Cardiff, on July 4th was played without any interruption by rain and ended in a winning draw for the visitors. Barry declared its innings with its highest score of the season to date, 143 for 8 and in reply Mackintosh finished hanging on at 83 for 8.
W. Williams (5 for 38) and W. M. Douglas (3 for 22) bowled exceedingly well for Barry whilst W. Williams also scored 43 before becoming one of Bancroft’s five victims.
July 11th brought St. Paul’s to the Witchill and a first defeat of the season for Barry who slumped to 40 all out, skipper Morris top-scoring with an unbeaten 10.
Which, funnily enough was the winning margin, as despite some good bowling from E.T. Williams and W.M. Douglas, who shred all ten wicket, Williams taking six, the visitors finished on 50 all out.
Without a game scheduled for July 18th and the game versus Cardiff University being cancelled due to the non-appearance of the Academics earlier in the season the Barry team didn’t return to action until August 1st.
However, the Cadoxton- Barry team managed to find itself in some simply scandalous behaviour following its second XI fixture with St. Martin’s in Cardiff on July 25th. So incensed were the hosts that the following letter appeared in the News of July 31st.
SERIOUS COMPLAINTS AGAINST BARRY CRICKETERS.
“Nothing, we think, displays the inherent qualities of a true gentleman better than good behaviour while in company of strangers.
Even young men from Barry may sometimes show that they possess these essential attributes, but this fact, it would seem to us, they utterly overlooked on Saturday last. Judging from a letter which we have this week received from a gentleman well-known and respected at Cardiff, we learn that members of a cricket team representing the Cadoxton-Barry 2nd eleven misconducted them- selves in a most wanton and undignified manner on Saturday afternoon last after the match which they played with a team selected from the St. Martin's Club, Roath.
It appears from the letter before us that some time ago, when the boys composing the St. Martin's team played a match with the Barry 2nds at Barry, they were hospitably entertained to a meat tea at the Barry Hotel after the game, and, appreciating the kindness then shown by the Barry Club, the members of the St. Martin's Club determined that when the return match was played they would show their Barry friends their practical appreciation of such thoughtfulness. Accordingly, after the match on Saturday both teams sat down to an inviting tea at the expense of the Rev H. W. North.
During the tea, however, some of the Barry players behaved disgracefully, and, notwithstanding the frequent entreaties and admonitions of the captain of the team, their conduct grew more shameful still, the rowdyism at length being displayed to such an extent that pieces of meat, were flung by members indiscriminately at each other.
This disgraceful scene, we are sorry to state, occurred in the vestry room of a place of worship, and ladies who kindly volunteered to wait upon the players were obliged to leave the room utterly disgusted with the conduct of the Barry boys. We are sorry to make public allusion to these facts, but we do so in order to show that the local press (and, indeed, the general public) do not for a moment countenance such unwarranted behaviour.
The credit of local cricket and football lies in the hands of the representative teams, and we hope the players will always bear in mind that the dignity of our national pastimes must at all hazards be religiously sustained.”
Again, while reading this letter and the other items in any of this paper’s issues of the time, the emphasis of maintaining standards in this corner of the Empire and elsewhere, was paramount, even though the soldiers and imperial builders created Merry Hell for queen and country throughout the globe. Only in Victorian Britain.
The break hadn’t helped Barry and they were easily between by Taff Vale on August 1st at the Arms Park by the margin of 72 runs and three wickets. For Vale, they had a veritable demon bowler in their ranks, one E. Rees who returned figures of 8 for just 3 runs, Barry slipping to 66 all out in response to Vale’s 133 for 7 but it was noted that “It is only right to remark that scarcely half the proper team was present for Barry and Cadoxton, the remainder being substitutes.”
The Wednesday team recorded what was to be a very rare win at Penarth on August 4th Barry winning by 32 runs after Penarth, who included the club professional Binch in its ranks, were dismissed for 37 in reply to Barry’s modest score of 69 all out. Binch was ignominiously dismissed first ball for the proverbial “duck egg”!
The Seasiders gained a modicum of revenge at the Witchill on August 8th comfortably having the better performance in a win for Penarth, who included no fewer than three professionals, Binch being accompanied by Donovan who hit 32 and W. Heskith. Interestingly Charlie Kirby, later to become a familiar name in Barry ranks played for the visitors who scored 80 after bowling Barry out for 59, of which Pomeroy scored an excellent 44.
August 15th brought a return to winning ways when Barry beat St. Mary’s by 11 runs. The match was notable for the meagre aggregate total of 49 runs being scored by both teams, the Barry innings contributing 30 of that. Not one of the 22 batsmen reached double figures and the best of the bowlers were S. Mary’s Dorotich who took 6 wickets while local rugby player Garnett took 6 for 5 for Barry, all of his victims being clean bowled.
The return fixture against works team Taff Vale (Railways Company) wasn’t played through rain on August 22nd which allowed some of the Barry team to feature in a hastily arranged match between the Cadoxton-Barry and Barry Docks teams at the Mirch fields grounds on that Saturday, the outfield and pitch being described as being very slippery (and no doubt ruined after this fixture!). The game ended in a draw with B.T. Pomeroy and H. Waters performing a “yeoman service” for Cadoxton.
A visit to Cardiff Arms Park brought August’s cricket to an end and a welcome win of the Cardiff Conservatives Workmen’s team. The Cons scored 69, Cullen hitting 32 and carrying his bat, while Pomeroy, the pick of the Barry batsmen during 1891 hit 58 including 3 boundaries as Barry finished on 72 for 7.
Just two games remained. September 5th saw Cardiff seconds winning by 40 runs before the season ended on Wednesday September 9th when the Cadoxton Theatre Royal Company were entertained at the Witchill and beat their under-strength hosts by 26 runs having scored 59 runs to Barry’s 33 all out.
