South Yorkshire Times, July 28th 1933
Damp Squibs
A Milder Night at Hampden Road
A big crowd at Hampden Road on Monday evening had a change of medicine, and did not find it particularly exhilarating. Pointless Darfield almost succeeded where such formidables as Wath and Swinton had failed. Mexboro’, trying once more the method of giving their hitters first go, were for once disappointed. The squibs did not go off. In dire contrast to the proceedings of a week earlier, 4 wickets fell for 37, and the rate of scoring was reduced to a modest run a minute for the time being.
Darfield brought in Laurie Burkinshaw and Colin Kilner from Mitchell Main, and Laurie. opening the bowling from the football end, made the first breach, persuading Tibbles to cut a ball into the hands of backward point. Thereafter Jim Allen largely directed the proceedings. He bowled the two leading hitters of the evening, Ellis Robinson and Tom Clayton, got an appeal answered in his favour against Will Dawson, and saw Laurie Wilks nicely taken in the deep off a big hit. He completed the work of eight profitable overs by bowling Dick Probert, and when he retired and Arthur Carr took over, Mexboro’ had scored only 70 and lost 6 wickets. Carr carried on the good work, and Machin was the fourth Mexboro’ batsman to have his stumps hit. Ralph Burkinshaw once more had to be sheet anchor, and the best partnership of the innings was that between him and Ernest Mountford, which yielded an invaluable 36 at a critical point. Finally, we had the quaint spectacle of David Brown and George Williams, as last wicket pair, frantically stealing singles to add a jot or two more to a moderate total. Allen’s 5 wickets cost him only 46 runs, which is not a bad return to a fast bowler in evening league cricket. Ralph Burkinshaw, who is batting as consistently as ever this season, alone tackled the bowling with a bat without holes to it, and stayed 75 minutes for his 43, which was a necessarily restrained and discriminating effort. Discrimination was a minus quality in most of the batting. These “free batsmen” must learn to pick ’em out”
The Darfield fielding was keen but not sprightly. Still, they had not a great deal to do, as it happened. Darfield missed their chance of causing a minor sensation, and breaking their duck in this competition, by unenterprising batting. From the moment Ellis Robinson decided to bowl his leg spinners round the wicket they were in the toils, and struggling for runs like men playing the final day of a test match. Colin Kilner stayed for well over an hour and contributed only 34. It was left to Carr and Routledge to make things a little lively in the last few overs, and they certainly showed that both Robinson and Probert—who bowled unchanged—could be hit. Robinson at once became innocuous when he reverted to fast, over-the wicket bowling. The Mexboro’ fielding again had flaws in it, and Wilf Dawson could not get the ball to stick behind the wickets. Burkinshaw and Kilner both had lives before nine runs were scored—though Laurie’s was a difficult chance in the slips which his brother made a gallant effort to take. Robinson had 21 runs hit off three overs when he rammed his fast bowling: the previous seven overs of leg theory yielded only 22. Probert bowled with commendable steadiness throughout and had bad luck. He should have had Kilner, and Burkinshaw in one over when the total stood at 40. Still, it proved an instance of all’s well that ends well, from Mexboro’s point of view.
Scores: MEXBORO’ DARFIELD
Tibbles c Wintersgill b Burkinshaw 12 Burkinshaw c Williams b Probert 16
Burkinshaw c Carr b Burkinshaw 43 Kilner c Wilks b Robinson 34
Robinson b Allen 1
Dawson lbw b Allen 5 Routledge not out 29
Clayton b Allen 2 Wintersgill b Probert 0
Wilks c Kilner b Allen 19 Carr not out 27
Probert b Allen 1 Extras 8
Machin b Carr 8 Total (for 3 wickets) 114
Mountford c Holland b Carr 16
Brown not out 15
Williams not out 3
Extras 9
Total (for 9 wickets) 134