South Yorkshire Times – Thursday 5 April 1952

Matches Start This Week-End

Nipsy Boom Time Ahead

There is every sign of a boom in nipsy. At a meeting of the South Yorkshire Nipsy League on Sunday many of the 140 delegates were unable to get into the room and tellers had to force their way down the steps outside to count the votes!

Miners’ Arms, Wombwell, one of the new clubs, has had to declare a “closed shop,” the number of players registered with them having reached 103. The 22 clubs in the two divisions of the league are all anxiously awaiting the “off,” which is due this week-end.

Details of the opening matches were given in our last issue. At Sunday’s meeting Plough Inn, West Melton, withdrew and their fixtures were immediately taken over by Lundhill Tavern “B.” The Tavern will now have two teams in the competition.

Mr. J. Ford, of Miners’ Arms, Wombwell, and Mr. S. Humphries, of Cottage of Content, were elected to the Executive Committee in place of Mr. T. Davis and Mr. T. Scawthorpe, both of Monk Bretton. It was decided that delegate meetings throughout the season should be held on alternate weeks. The next meeting will be held at the Elephant and Castle, Tingle Bridge, on Sunday, April 20th.

Four members of the Barnsley and District Hospitals Comforts Committee attended the meeting, Mr. E. Fellows (President), Mr. E. Baxter (secretary), Mr. A. Cook (treasurer) and Mr. G. Loy (committee). All expressed appreciation of the work the league was doing for the comforts fund and the financial support already granted. On behalf of the league, chairman Foster accepted five medals which will be awarded to the individuals making up the team who win the hospital trophy.

Rockingham “A” were accepted into the Hospital Comforts Fund contest, making a total of 20 teams. Cottage of Content “A” agreed to meet them in a preliminary round on Sunday, May 4th, so that there will be 16 teams for the first round proper. Sunday, May 4th, was fixed as the closing date for entries for the individual championship and the preliminary round of four matches will be played on Saturday, May 24th.

Despite a biting wind which brought occasional flurries of snow, a crowd of nearly 200 attended a benefit match between Crown Inn, West Melton, and Cottage of Content, Brampton, on the Cottage ground on Sunday. Some 400 tickets had been sold for the benefit of a Cottage player, F. Law, who has been off work through injury for about 12 months. Cottage won easily by about 130.

In a five strikes long knock match, Jack Barker, of Cottage, beat J. Foulstone, of Cottage, hitting his nipsy 133 yards. Barker is holder of the league long knock.