When Fergie Suter played cricket for Darwen

By Mike Latham

Essential Lockdown viewing was The English Game on Netflix, tracing the story of Glaswegian stonemason Fergie Suter who came south to play for Darwen FC in 1878, effectively becoming association football’s first professional player. Suter later moved, controversially, to Darwen’s bitter rivals Blackburn Rovers, playing in four FA Cup Finals during the 1880s, three on the winning side.

Barley Bank in 1891 (BM 506-8, to the west of Mills)- a former Football League ground and once home to the old Darwen CC

Darwen FC at the time shared their Barley Bank ground with Darwen Cricket Club, but the latter sadly went defunct after their 1895 AGM, citing a lack of support and increasing liabilities, then standing at £137. The football club, early members of the Football League for eight seasons, including two in the top-flight, moved grounds to The Anchor in 1899.

Fergie Suter, Darwen and Blackburn Rovers footballer

Cricket was revived in Darwen in the early 1900s and a local league set up, which soon had ten member clubs. One of those was Darwen Etrurians CC, first season in 1902, who had ambitious plans to become the town’s premier club, providing they could secure a suitable ground.

Barley Bank, left vacant, described as ‘neither use nor ornament’ but at least the only reasonably flat piece of land in the area was considered before another site known as ‘Birch Hall Meadows’ was secured. After moving up to the North East Lancashire League, the club joined the Ribblesdale Cricket League in 1909.

By now Fergie Suter was landlord of the Millstone Hotel on Bridge Street in the town, his son Fergus Alexander, a clerk at a wallpaper manufacturer, a promising cricketer. Suter junior first played for the Etrurians in 1908 at the age of 15 and when the club changed its name, dropping the Etrurians tag to become simply Darwen CC he was one of the main bowlers.

Somerset Cricketers 1882-1914 by Stephen Hill (Halsgrove, 2016)

As well as viewing series on Netflix, cricket reading has been a great way of passing the last year. By chance two books arrived on the same day- the simply wonderful Somerset Cricketers 1882-1914 by Stephen Hill, a monumental labour of love and a rather more modest production, but interesting none the less, A Statistical History of Darwen Cricket Club by David Bonner. David was a fine cricketer for the club but now lives in South Wales, where he umpires.

David Bonner’s Darwen book (Amazon)

You know how it is when you’re reading several books at the same time- sometimes facts and names get jumbled together. When I was looking at Stephen Hill’s outstandingly researched book a name came to mind- Jimmy Maxwell. The name rang a bell. There was a J Maxwell, an early pro for Darwen. I set out to find out more.

Maxwell, we find was the 173^rd player to represent Somerset, born Taunton in 1883, the tenth child of a travelling draper, Thomas and his wife Sarah. He attended Taunton School, a leading light in the cricket team, a fierce hitter and hostile fast bowler, and graduated to the Somerset side, playing ten first-class games between 1906 and 1908.

Jimmy Maxwell in 1906

On the face of it he didn’t do badly in a struggling side, notable performances including batting at ten and hitting an aggressive, unbeaten 67 against Gloucestershire at Bath, taking seven wickets, including Test batsmen JT Tyldesley and AC MacLaren in a match against Lancashire at Aigburth.

The St Helens ground of Swansea CC in more recent times

In 1907 Maxwell moved to Swansea where he was a popular cricket professional, and later became a stalwart of the Glamorganshire county side that then played in the Minor Counties, playing 52 games. He scored three centuries for his adopted county, averaged 26 with the bat, took 165 wickets at a shade under 14.

During the war he moved back to Taunton, in 1917 joining the Royal Garrison Artillery until the war was over. ‘Jimmy Maxwell’s career as a professional cricketer had come to an end,’ we are told in Stephen Hill’s book. ‘He focused instead on his business interests and the less onerous demands of club cricket. He died in Taunton on 27 December 1967 at the age of eighty-four.’

Which just goes to show however meticulously researched the book- and this, believe me is meticulous- there’s always something more you can find out.  In listing the Darwen club’s professionals, David Bonner had triggered something.

Sure enough, further research revealed that, let down by a proposed move for a Bedfordshire player, Frank Pestell, Darwen CC advertised for a professional in early 1920.

The Darwen CC advert for a professional

Jimmy Maxwell must have seen the advert for, on 15 March, the local newspaper revealed: “NEW PRO. FOR DARWEN CRICKET CLUB. Darwen Cricket Club on Saturday signed professional and coach J Maxwell, of Taunton. For seven years he was professional for Swansea and played for Glamorganshire County in every match during that period. He also played for Somerset against Lancashire and Yorkshire. Having served in the Army, his last batting average was in 1914, when he averaged 66 runs. He is a fast right-arm bowler.”

Maxwell teamed up with Fergie Suter junior, the latter having also returned home from war service, also in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Sadly, his father, Fergie senior had passed away in Blackpool during 1916 after suffering ill health for several years.

Darwen CC’s Birch Hall ground

The Ribblesdale League had three newcomers, Skipton, Blackpool and Read, the latter having re-formed after the war, losing Cherry Tree and Blackburn Railway Clerks who both competed in the 1919 season. The other member clubs were Whalley, Barrow (a village near Clitheroe, not Barrow-in-Furness), Settle, Clitheroe, Chorley and Burnley St Andrew’s.

Darwen finished mid-table, Maxwell often the main contributor to a batting line-up that often failed to function. In an early game, for example he made 36 out of an all-out total of 56 against Ribblesdale Wanderers. He combined with Suter to bowl out Read for 85 at Birch Hall, Maxwell 4-6, Suter 5-16, but in reply Darwen were dismissed for 82. After a desperately wet Spring the grounds in East Lancashire were still soaking by June, the Darwen square described as ‘spongy’ and not suiting a fast-bowling professional. But on a fast pitch at Stanley Park in June, Maxwell showed his mettle, taking 5-16 against Blackpool.

An advert for Burnley St Andrew’s against Darwen (including Maxwell) in 1920

In his final appearance at Birch Hall he made a brisk 31 against Whalley. Just as he had been at Swansea Maxwell was described as a popular pro and was re-engaged for the following season.

But Maxwell’s stay at Darwen was to prove a brief one. In January 1921 there was a brief report under the heading: “DARWEN PRO. UNABLE TO PLAY NEXT SEASON.”

J Maxwell, the Glamorganshire County cricketer, who was professional to Darwen CC in the Ribblesdale League last season, and was re-engaged, has notified the club that owing to illness he will be unable to play this summer.

The club’s balance sheet showed that there was a loss on the 1920 season of £66, the professional and groundsman paid £238 between them at a time when the average wage in the UK was around £160.

Darwen replaced Maxwell with a local pro, Johnny Pollard of Accrington, who was the paid man at Birch Hall for six out of the next seven seasons. Suter junior, meanwhile, faded from the scene and moved down south, his death recorded in Middlesex in 1959, aged 67.