Handle with care

posted by John Winn

In a posting I made in December, under the heading 'Swaledale dries up' I suggested that my research into cricket in that lovely dale seemed to have come to an end with the almost certain conclusion that 1966 marked the last season of the league of that name's existence. Such is still my belief but I have in my temporary possession two scorebooks which have filled in gaps in my knowledge of the league's member clubs and given me insight into the kind of cricket that was played in the league.

The two scorebooks have been loaned to me by Barningham CC, members of the league until transferring to the Darlington and District League in 1964. Barningham* is a small village lying between Richmond and Barnard Castle and I am grateful to Sid Lowes, an old rival on the cricket field, for taking the trouble to dig out the two books and to an old work colleague and cricket team mate, Terry Yarrow, for acting as the conduit between Sid and me in the transfer of the books

Barningham cricket ground

One of the books is in a particularly fragile condition having lost its covers and is marked 1st XI Swaledale League 1962 but was not, when first used, the property of Barningham CC, for the first match recorded is between Ravensworth and Hutton Magna on the 12th May 1962, or at least half recorded for the details of Ravensworth's innings are missing, and it is clear that the book began life as the property of Ravensworth and covers that club's matches until the end of July when on the 28th they were involved in a play off for the title with Barningham at the ground of Forcett Park. Barningham batted first and made 64 to which Ravensworth replied with just 13, extras top scorer with 6 and one F Watson taking five for one and that one came off his fifth over. The next entry is for a match played in June 1967 between Barningham and Gainford, who were not members of the league. Were Ravensworth so disgusted with their lamentable showing in the play off that they left the book recording the horrors they suffered at the hand and arm of F Watson that they left the evidence at the scene of the crime? Whatever the case the book seems to have become the property of Barningham but after the Gainford match is not used again until 1979 by which time Barningham's opponents include Raby Castle, Middleton Tyas and Cockerton, all members of the Darlington and District league, then and now.

Raby Castle cricket ground

The other book is in much better condition, its covers intact and appears to have been used by the Barningham scorer for seasons 1958, 59 and 60, indeed the same neat handwriting in pencil has recorded runs and wickets for the three years. This book was particularly useful to me in my research because I had no record of the league for 1960. In that year the league appears to have had only six clubs, Barningham, Gilling West, Scorton, Forcett Park, Hutton Magna and the Darlington work's team Brown's who played at Catterick. The paucity of league fixtures was supplemented by
 a number of cup competitions, the Roxby Surtees, the Christie, the Maude and the League Cup. In addition Barningham appeared to have played friendlies against Dalton Young Farmers, who had been members of the league for a short time in the early 50s, Friesian CC, the SOS Stragglers and the 4th Training Regiment based at Catterick.

Gilling West

Going through the books the thing that most strikes one is the prevalence of low scores. The two books record the scores of seventy matches in which on only twelve occasions did teams reach three figures.  As Sid says, bat first, get sixty or seventy and you had a good chance of winning. Given that some of the grounds were very small one can only wince at the state of the wickets, of if as in the blogger's case you were a seam bowler, lick one's lips.

*For a picture of Barningham's team in 1950 go to barninghamvillage.co.uk and click on old pictures