Cricket's Ian Nunnington dies

[mikeG]

Link is not working.

In the early 50's my father regularly took me to watch Hallam C C at Sandygate. Names I can remember: Jack Lovell, Ike Lindley, Eric Mallaband, Watt-Smith, Pickering, Tupholme.

 

I lived in Crosspool and used to watch Hallam a few times a year. As the years progressed, regret to say I became more interested in playing snooker in the Plough opposite than in watching the cricket.

[CHAIRBOY]

Link is not working.

In the early 50's my father regularly took me to watch Hallam C C at Sandygate. Names I can remember: Jack Lovell, Ike Lindley, Eric Mallaband, Watt-Smith, Pickering, Tupholme.

 

Was Tom Wells opening the innings? Before cricket appeared on BBC2 on Sunday afternoons, the options were seeking a match at Hallam, Waterworks or Millhouses for something to do.

 

Thanks MobileB, glad to hear Dennis is okay. Slap and moustached then, he used to use glasses as fieldsmen on the bar to get across a coaching point. A very good-hearted man.

 

REDFYRE - as Robian says, your promotional history link isn't working. I have mention this late player before - Derreck (sp?) Gregory of Sheffield Waterworks whose multi-tasking was the backbone of that Crookes-based club. His son, John, later played for Sheffield United C.C. Such devotion and dedication seems thin on the ground nowadays?

[Redfyre]

Robian and Chairboy If that link isn't working it is my fault because I don't fully understand modern technology! Can I suggest you go into http://sheffieldhistory.co.uk/ and then once you are in go onto the sports link, and one of the items is about local cricket heroes. Hope it works that way!

[CHAIRBOY]

Robian and Chairboy If that link isn't working it is my fault because I don't fully understand modern technology! Can I suggest you go into http://sheffieldhistory.co.uk/ and then once you are in go onto the sports link, and one of the items is about local cricket heroes. Hope it works that way!

 

Yes, Redfyre, that's working, thanks.

[robian]

Redfyre - that's worked fine. A very interesting site, thanks.

 

Chairboy -The name Tom Wells does ring a bell. If memory serves (which isn't that often now) and I'm thinking of the right person, he wore glasses when batting. His opening partner would have been Brian(?) Pickering as I recollect a rather ample gentleman but nonetheless a good bat. I've been struggling with the name of the wicket keeper around that time. For some reason the name Burnett or Burdett keeps coming to me.

[CHAIRBOY]

Redfyre - that's worked fine. A very interesting site, thanks.

 

Chairboy -The name Tom Wells does ring a bell. If memory serves (which isn't that often now) and I'm thinking of the right person, he wore glasses when batting. His opening partner would have been Brian(?) Pickering as I recollect a rather ample gentleman but nonetheless a good bat. I've been struggling with the name of the wicket keeper around that time. For some reason the name Burnett or Burdett keeps coming to me.

 

Tom Wells, as well as the glasses I think he had a 'tache, very 50's. His daughter Wendy was in my class at Junior school.

I also remember another Hallam player, a Welshman/bowler called Gary Siberry, who subsequently moved to Shiregreen CC.

Your last query, well I can recall Ronnie Burnett captaining Yorkshire but I have played with a Burdett, Graham at Shiregreen CC. A quiet but much respected man and coach plus talented cricketer. He and Pat Flaherty coached the juniors in the 60's. I moved on as a student and I haven't been anywhere near the club since but they carried on their loyal work since. Ex-pupils of De La Salle GS will certainly know them well. Along with the late Ben Jessop, who fixed me up with a contact in The Netherlands, people such as these were the lifeblood of club cricket and would be difficult to replicate now.

Another name of similar respect that's sprung to mind, from the north of the city/Barnsley was that of Ike Baxter. I know he played and supported Whitley Hall CC but I think he originated from Elsecar? They are just wonderful people I doubt us seeing their like again?

[Redfyre]

No, Ike Baxter was an Ecclesfield product. He lived up The Wheel, and his home overlooked Whitley Hall's ground from the back. His father was a WHCC stalwart for years, and Ike's brothers, too. But Ike had a spell at Sheffield United and then was at Elsecar for some years. Indeed, he was a legend there. I remember his last match for Elsecar in 1963, when he captained them on the day they beat Wombwell to win the Yorkshire Council title. It was a memorable weekend for Ike, as I think his sister Connie was over from Australia. Anyway, Ike remained a leading figure at Whitley, and, indeed, since his death the club has renamed the ground Baxter's Field. Ike will never be forgotten, and I know that his son in law Des Childs is still a leading light at the club.

As for Shiregreen, I do believe that both Graham Burdett and Pat Flaherty are still associated with Shiregreen, and, as you would expect from two of Ben Jessop's old boys, they are doing great work with the juniors. Ben Jessop, of course, did a tremendous job in getting the Junior League started, and he persuaded his son in law Ivan Priestley to serve as secretary and treasurer.

Places like Whitley and Shiregreen were always good grounds to be at in the old days, and I suppose that a lot of people still get pleasure from watching the modern teams.

Just at present, they are building a new pavilion at Whitley.

[CHAIRBOY]

Thanks Redfyre for that informative thread especially about Ike Baxter and family. Apart from one factual query/correction, I know you will share the 'legendary' term associated with Ike. I was unaware of the ground being named in his honour.

I was a little dismayed when I saw the damage done to Oughtibridge CC as a result of the 2007 floods. Maybe you can embellish upon a few names there I offer but can remember players in the 60's such as Terry Whitham, Tony Kay and Arthur Johnson - the latter having a link with Yorkshire via a Berger Paints sponsorship? Most of these grounds mentioned were hostile places to visit with plenty of 'earache' from the boundary edge watchers! I found Yorkshire League venues less hostile.

 

Long gone are the days of Friday's Star when many of the cricket and hockey X1s for the following day or Sunday, were listed in the sports pages.

[Redfyre]

Oughtibridge, I am sorry to say, was not one of the clubs I saw much of in the days when I was doing the rounds of the grounds, for my patch was more the Ecclesfield-Shiregreen-Thorncliffe-Elsecar area, although I had occasional excursions to other places. Naturally, I wasn't restricted to YC matches, and I often went to see Sheffield United when they still played at Bramall Lane (old George Pope was still playing then!), and Collegiate. Indeed, I continued to be a fairly regular spectator at United's games after the move to Bawtry Road --and my wife and I still get there during the summer months. It was always good to be among some of the old United lads, people like Bruce Oakes, Eric Burgin, Bill Cummins, etc. Even now, whenever you go to a YL match at Bawtry Road, you invariably meet up with someone from the distant past. For instance, one week when we went old Jack Bland had organised an Aston Hall re-union...and a parade of half-forgotten faces appeared on the pavilion balcony!

I still remember a lot of the 'old' school with great affection, and when I raised the subject of a few tributes on SF and History it was in the hope that some old timers would be prompted to share a few memories and pictures. One name that has just come into my mind is that of Amos Gledhill, who was connected with Whitley Hall 40 years ago or more. I can't say I ever saw him play, for he was a veteran-plus when I first knew him, but he was good company, and typical of the sort of people who were around in cricket in those days. Another great worker was Bill Childs, who was connected with Mortomley, and the Sheffield League had an abundance of great workers for the game.

I hope some of these people will get a mention on the history site, too!

Re Oughtibridge, I think a lot of people were devastated by the effect of the floods, and it was good that something was done to raise funds for them and for Shiregreen and Wath. Jack Bland did a lot to get things going re the fund raising and the spcial match, and that reminds me that Jack probably knows as much about Oughtibridge in the old days as anybody --for he played there.

The newspapers, of course, are not too bothered about League cricket in the way they once were, though I think the part of the media that is very neglectful of local cricket in South Yorkshire is Radio Sheffield. They simply do not want to know, and don't realise what a good thing it would be for them as well as for local cricket if they got involved. Radio Leeds leaves them standing!

[CHAIRBOY]

Redfyre - "Radio Leeds leaves them standing!"

 

Going back to the days of the scoring book, pre-technology, I used to be Don Mosey's statistician for the old Radio 2 coverage of games. I mention this because he also used a man from Radio Leeds called Jack Wainwright who was also a keen Rugby League man. Jack's no longer with us but I wondered if you knew him? This was about the time when Dick Williamson was covering games for the Sheffield press. I became more interested post 1980, in watching/reporting on County cricket.

I am by no means an authority on Oughtibridge cricket but it would be remiss of me not to mention Ray Gott who had a son called Barry who played to a good standard. Certain names are synonymous with clubs and think of Oughtibridge, the Gott's should be on one's list. Names appear in my head these days from the strangest of tangents!

City Surveyors - I immediately think of Shutt, Mettam and Smith (spin bowler). Given the diocese you mentioned, I would be surprised if you didn't know a sound opening bat called Trevor Cottam? Then I switch to a couple of bowlers in John Moore(s?) and Jim Sorsby from the 60's. Staying with Shiregreen - they seemed to attract a number of footballers viz. Ernest Jackson, Ivor Seemley, Andy Burgin, Harold Wilcockson and it was hard, running between wickets with them! Cortonwood was another club that played in that previous cluster of teams.

I think it's time for a change of bowling at my end!