Mexborough and Swinton Times September 30 1938

Setbacks and Rallies in Council Final

Auty and, Bayes Redeem Batting Failure

The Earl of Scarborough’s Cup has come to Mexborough. First offered in 1893, the trophy has been held by many of Yorkshire’s greatest Clubs; and on Saturday Mexborough qualified to have their name added to the long and honourable list by soundly scotching Scholes.

A large band of Mexborough supporters rallied on the Wath Athletic ground for the memorable occasion —though not so many as expected—and they had twenty times the value of their entrance money in thrills, surprises and entertaining cricket.

It was no game for the nervous and the ailing. That first hour of Mexborough’s batting would have proved fatal and no inquest would have been deemed necessary. It is difficult to know what caused that early rout. The bowling was, of course, exceptionally good and the wicket was in the bowlers’ favour to the last blade of grass. But many times this season we have seen Mexborough overcome similarly strong opposition. The opening batsmen have just patiently entrenched themselves and then made the runs later. On Saturday, however, the woeful collapse set in. Newton, Slack, Wall and Brown all trooped in and out, while Ralph Burkinshaw stayed confidently put. Then Burkinshaw went wrong. And the Mexborough supporters figuratively saw the Earl of Scarborough’s Cup pressed down and flowing over with a particularly bitter

Then Auty and Hayes appeared. Not for them sack-cloth and ashes. They were laughing cavaliers in graceful, nonchalant cloaks and bore glistening blades. It is a pity Franz Halls is no more with us. He had a pretty brush for that sort of thing.

Auty started the heavy work of staying the rot, and he gave us as good an innings as he has ever produced. Perhaps he felt very much at home on the Wath wicket, for he belonged to that club until this season. Anyhow, he checked the rush of the Scholes bowlers, and gave a superb and varied exhibition of stroke play. His footwork was delightfully sure and neat, and the power of his defensive strokes was a feature of the game.

It was a tantalising moment when he fell victim to a rather absurd and treacherous slow ball from Smedley. After he had given us so much first-class stuff it was painful to see him dislodged by a ball to be found in schoolboy cricket.

Bayes played a correctly unexcited and incalculably valuable innings. He took his own time in getting his runs, and brought on bowling changes. . He was not to be hurried, but he began to hit strongly towards the end when he knew disaster was averted.

Bayes, too, left in an exasperating way. There was some confusion about to run or not to run. They ran. And we knew again the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Despite these nerve-racking moments Mexborough won. Their total of 129 was hopelessly beyond the reach of the Scholes batsmen against the deadly Vickers and Eric Rawlin.

Vickers, who took 5 wickets for 13 runs, has never been in such superlative form. He was marvellously fast, always accurate, and get every bit of “devil” out of the wicket. Rawlin came out with 4 for 26—a typical performance by a bowler who has headed the Yorkshire Council bowling averages already and is strong in the running this season for the same distinction. Against these two Scholes were impotent and finished at 61.

Another feature of the game to be mentioned is the fielding of Auty. Scholes had shown the crowd what a vigilant and expert field could do, but they had no individual to-equal Auty. In the slips and in the gully he did astonishing things. Burkinshaw and Slack also brought off exceptionally difficult catches.

I had some talk with supporters of the Scholes club during the tea interval. They were very well content with the game as far as it had progressed and all of them thought that victory was easily within their grasp.

They had a complaint. They couldn’t make out why the management of the Yorkshire Council had chosen the Wath Athletic ground for the final. Not only was the journey from Scholes long and complicated, but it cost each of them 4s.

They wanted to know why the ground on which the final was to be played should not have been placed conveniently midway between Mexborough and Scholes.

I saw some of these visitors after the game. They had forgotten their complaints and had time only to talk of the great game they had seen.

One of them amused me by insisting against all my scholarship that Eric Rawlin had not played for Yorkshire. He gave me to understand with a great warmth of tone that the Mexborough captain had played only for Middlesex.

The truth of the matter is our Scholes friend was confusing Eric with his father, who, of course, was a famous Middlesex pro in his day.