By Mike Latham
Lune Road, Lancaster remains a splendid cricket ground and a
step inside gives an immediate feeling of space and history. Tom Alderson wrote
a detailed history of the Lancaster club, entitled Cricket by the Lune,
in 1984. Mr Alderson details the formation of the club in 1841 and dates the
first match at the Lune Road ground as 3 June 1882, Galgate the visitors.
In 1914 Lune Road staged its first, and only first-class
game when Lancashire took the Warwickshire fixture to Lancaster, an effort to stimulate
interest in the county club outside its traditional heartlands.
The Lune Road ground in more recent times
The Lancaster CC committee worked hard to ensure the
spectators were well catered for and the game was well attended, newspaper
reports suggesting 2,000 on the first day, 1,500 on the following two days, the
ground in splendid condition.
Played against a backdrop of the worsening international
situation, the peace and normality of life was soon to be shattered as three
days after the game had finished Britain declared war on Germany.
A timeless scene- the old castle and church on the hill overlooking Lune Road
Visiting journalists were mostly impressed by Lune Road,
though one placed emphasis on the ugly gasometers in the north-east corner, making
similarities with the Oval, the noise of the railway track that ran behind the
north end of the ground and of some of the boats on the river behind. Others
concentrated on the wonderful sight of the old castle and church on the hill
opposite, standing out clearly in the afternoon sun, while moving figures on
the turrets watched the action below.
Winning the toss and batting on the first day, when the
weather was glorious, Warwickshire amassed 335 for 9 with centuries of
contrasting styles by Willie Quaife and Charles Baker.
Charles Baker: vigorous and vicarious
Willie Quaife: careful and watchful
Coming together at 96-4, the pair added 150 for the fifth
wicket in only 125 minutes, the left-handed Baker (‘vigorous and vicarious’
according to one report) batting quite brilliantly for 103, while Quaife, initially
careful and watchful played the supporting role.
Quaife was on 46 when Baker was dismissed but went on to play
some fine shots, reaching his century with the last man, Frank Field, his
batting partner. Quaife’s first 50 had taken 150 minutes, his second just 70
and he was undefeated on 111 when the Warwickshire innings ended at 346 early
on the second day.
In reply Lancashire batted dismally against the Warwickshire
opening pair, captain Frank Foster and Percy Jeeves. The latter was slightly the
quicker of the two, breaking the ball back both ways while Foster’s left arm
swing caused no end of problems. Only the Lancashire captain, Albert Hornby,
who once defiantly hit Jeeves onto the railway line, provided much resistance,
undefeated on 37 as Lancashire meekly mustered 128 in an hour and
three-quarters. Nine of the ten wickets were bowled, Jeeves taking 6-51, Foster
4-58.
To the surprise of many spectators Foster elected not to
enforce the follow-on, his reasoning being that he and Jeeves were fatigued
after their strenuous bowling efforts while Field, a key member of the attack was
suffering from lumbago. Foster was also concerned that the weather forecast was
poor for that evening and night and, in the days of uncovered pitches, wanted
to avoid batting last on a potential ‘sticky dog’ on the Saturday.
Warwickshire reached 142-4 before rain brought a premature
close at 5pm, Baker again batting freely against his home-born county, his
undefeated 45 including one huge six into the Lune off Bill Huddleston. Baker’s
delightful, clean hitting was said to be a revelation and he was only denied a
second six into the river when the ball struck a telegraph pole.
Heavy overnight rain delayed the start on the Saturday by 45
minutes, the ground drying quickly but the uncovered pitch decidedly ‘sticky’
as Foster had predicted. Warwickshire, after declaring, quickly made inroads into
the home batting. Foster, again bowling brilliantly, captured the wickets of
William Tyldesley, Harry Makepeace, Jack Sharp and Johnnie Tyldesley to leave
Lancashire 50-4. Jeeves then came up with two more wickets, a vicious leg-break
to bowl James Heap, Hornby caught behind and at 61-6 the red rose was wilting
in the sun. Their target of 361 runs was
a forlorn task.
The headlines of the third day’s play
Only Ernest Tyldesley held up Warwickshire for long, batting
with ‘style, vigour and confidence’ and, briefly, he found support forthcoming
from wicketkeeper Harold Garnett to entertain the spectators.
Together the pair added 76 for the seventh wicket in only 35
minutes, before Garnett was caught at the wicket by Tiger Smith off Crowther
Charlesworth for 37. Tyldesley twice hit Charlesworth over the railway
embankment for six but after he was bowled by Cecil Hands for 74 the Lancashire’s
innings quickly subsided, play on the final day lasting only two-and-a-half
hours.
Taken overall, Lancashire’s first venture to the county town
for a first-class game was a decided success and the venture may well have been
repeated the following year had not the war intervened.
War casualties: Harold Garnett…
William Tyldesley…
and Percy Jeeves
Three of the players in the game- Lancashire’s Harold
Garnett and William Tyldesley and the Warwickshire professional Percy Jeeves
were to lose their lives in the conflict plus, doubtless, countless members of
the spectators who enjoyed three fine days of cricket unaware of the horrors
that would soon follow.
The fascinating story of Percy Jeeves is one I shall attempt
in a future blog.
Scores: Lancashire v Warwickshire, County Championship
at Lune Road, Lancaster, 30, 31 July, 1 Aug 1914. Warwickshire 346 (WG
Quaife 111*, CS Baker 103, JS Heap 4-62) and 142-4 dec beat Lancashire 128 (P
Jeeves 6-51, FR Foster 4-58) and 187 (GE Tyldesley 74, FR Foster 4-80) by 173
runs.
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