Golden Age Part 1 By Mick Bailey

By the 1890’s English cricket was firmly established throughout the country in what was considered to be the start of the ‘golden age’, one that continued until a catastrophic World War would claim nearly a million British and Empire men in mindless slaughter, including thousands of cricketers from all standards of the game and a notable former President of Barrow South End Cricket Club. Colonel M.V.Hilton. Colonel Hilton who died aged 59 in the trenches from a grenade on the 20th October 1915 is remembered with honour at Le Touret Military Cemetery, Richebourg-L’avoue.

W.G. Graces star appeal continued, albeit as he approached his half century in the late 1890’s,he was still a formidable player and prodigious all-rounder who set the national scene in what was a ‘glamorous’ era for all those who played and the thousands that watched the game.

With more leisure time, the working classes in the late Victorian era knew how to have fun and enjoy themselves making up for the harsh realities of social and working conditions in which pleasures were either nonexistent or at best a very rare option only a few years earlier.

It would be Industry, the Church and later the Adult School that would provide the guidance in bringing this class together for the benefit of all to the game locally and nationally.

Barrow South End was formed from the old members of Barrow Victoria and was named primarily, as several players were employees of the Black and Drivers Hosiery factory that started business in the mid 1880s in the south of the village, South End being a term that prevailed in many rural and town settings.

Industry provided many teams in the Charnwood area at this time especially in the textile and shoe business trades, bringing employees in work together in a social atmosphere, encouraging team spirit and camaraderie, breaking down barriers, bridging class and religion as a key unifier and providing keen local competition against other works team’s with the prestige of that team being reported in the newspapers during the season. For the larger business’s supporting the ‘name’ offered ‘small’ financial support in funding extremely basic equipment and in a few cases rent for fields. Thankfully Barrow landowners benefitted local sport in the main and the organisations worked closely to foster good relationships over many years for a pepper corn rent or for free.

The Church teams and later Adult Schools would provide both friendly and competitive fixtures to many village folk and by the early 1900’s there were at least 4 and even 5 teams occasionally playing on Saturday afternoons including Barrow South End plus a team at special times representing Barrow-upon-Soar made up of players from all the village sides.

Away travel much improved by the railways and the location of grounds close by enabled games to be played over a four hour period starting as late as 3.30pm due to a workers morning shift not finishing till 1.00pm. Pony and trap, walking, cycling were all still common means of ‘transport ‘in the villages, only a tiny few of the well to do owned a motor car and the after match ‘entertainment’ meant many players especially members of the South End team failed to return until the early hours on Sunday, many on foot!!.

The Nationwide Adult school movement founded by the Quaker’s when, seeing thousands of illiterate people walking about the streets, decided they should all be taught their ‘ABC’. A branch of this movement was started in the village in 1897 and according to a news article of the time, were ‘firstly to get hold of the man who never went to a place of worship, and by good fellowship lead him to see that he had a part to play in improving not only his own condition but that of his neighbour’. Founder members of the Barrow Adult School movement included R.H. Bennett and W. Heseldine, who both played Cricket and their sons would follow turning out for the Adult, Church, South End and village teams bringing a cohesive influence on promoting not only the integration of the working classes but to encourage the youth of the day to be actively involved in sport. To that end for many years it was extremely successful.

Highlights of the 1891 season recorded a Barrow select team versus ‘Eleven Lovett’s’ and ended in an easy win for the Lovett family captained by South Ender J.T for which Josiah played an admirable innings of 46 ably backed by Horace, Isaac and Uriah with J.T scoring 4. Yates Lovett took 8 wickets for 14 runs in dismissing the strong village team for just 35. The Lovett’s winning by 53 runs.

Fixtures against works team’s Flemings Co and Dakin’s Shoe Works, with games played against Hathern Church of England, Mountsorrel Christ Church and Quorn Wesleyans alongside the annual encounters against Barkby, Anstey, Hoton and Sutton Bonington provided a full fixture card of friendly cricket for the season.

Charlie Black a renowned fast bowler and son of the co-owner Henry Black (Black and Drivers) was a key player for the South End team, he also turned out for Loughborough Town, Quorn Hunt, Sutton Bonington, Gentlemen of Leicestershire, captained his own team in the annual Loughborough Festival week for many years and supported and played for other local teams in charitable pursuits. Charlie will be the subject of a separate profile at a later date. He would feature for Barrow on and off for well over 30 years.

Black became the first recorded South Ender to perform the hat trick against Dakin’s Works finishing with 5 wickets for 7 runs. One can safely say that pitches were predominately ‘unstable’ for batting back then, anyone scoring just double figures on a regular basis in village cricket would be given ‘Grace’ like status and under the weekly’ Rolls of Honour’ the bowlers would command three to four times copy space of their achievements than the batters.

Tommy Towle (T.P.) the founder of Towles Hosiery Company in Loughborough and Sileby was also an active South End player and administrator at this time and later lived at Strancliffe Hall in the village, his son William H. followed in his footsteps.

In order to provide the essential funding for the South End Club, concerts were held and in one such recorded ‘in the Board Schools, by a number of ladies and gentlemen from Leicester and Loughborough. There was a large audience, who testified their appreciation of the excellent manner in which the various items were executed by frequent and hearty applause. Overture, ‘Maritana’ Mr. J.R.Elliott; song, ‘The fairy’, Miss Addison; song ‘The maid and the magpie’, Mr. J.T.Lovett; mimicry entertainment, Mr.S.R.Frankoli; sleight of hand entertainment, Professor Jesmyn; comic song,’Loves old sweet song’, Mr. Macintosh’ etc, etc....

 J.R. Elliott an accountant at Black and Drivers later to become treasurer and captain of the South End team was one of the leading voices in the founding of the North Leicestershire Cricket League (NLCL) in the fall of 1895.

Next month’s ‘Caught in time’ will focus on the formation of the NLCL highlighting the teams and controversies that beset those early years of league cricket.

Mick Bailey

May 2010