South Yorkshire Times May 7, 1949

Frickley Were Entirely Convincing in Success at Wath

Wath’s feats this season have been noised abroad, and this complete reversal of form against Frickley must have sorely disappointed those of Saturday’s watchers who were seeing them for the first time.

For their 203 Frickley were at the wicket 145 minutes and rarely seemed as severe as they might have been on an attack which entirely lacked the command and variety it has hitherto shown.

Consistent Scoring

Indeed, it seemed that haste must be undignified on such a benign afternoon, and often a leisurely couple were allowed to suffice from a lordly cover-drive. But the fall of wickets offers the most complete reflection on Frickley’s domination, for the last five wickets produced only a handful of runs fewer than the opening five – 114 for 5, 203 all out.

Wath’s early success in dismissing Bacon for five and the score six lost some of its edge when 63 were on the board before the fall  of the second wicket. The third wicket, however, went a run later, 86 were up for the fourth and 114 for the fifth after 100 minutes at the wicket.

The excellent Temprell was entirely cavalier in his treatment of the bowling. He enjoyed every minute of his cricket and, remembering his 101 in 42 minutes a week earlier, Wath’s watchers must have been at once a little disappointed while yet elated when, with his personal score 39, the Doncaster policeman caught a popping ball with the top edge of his bat and returned a simple catch to Ray Cutts.

Temprell, (picture) who had an average in the fifties last season, has had two games with Yorkshire Colts and has been to the nets this season. As he retired to the pavilion a voice at my elbow said, “There goes the big feller!” But Frickley on Saturday were a team of “big fellers.” Liddle, with 37, Hall with 25, helped along the total and in further emphasis, the last two wickets added 42 runs at the rate of two a minute. There were clearly times when a change of tempo in the Wath attack might have brought reward, but as it was after Fieldsend and Cutts had each bowled eight overs, Peploe and Heaton were, for 23 overs, left to stem the scoring tide as best they could. On Saturday their best would not suffice. Fieldsend had 4 for 55. Heaton 4 for 44.

Frickley set an immediately hostile field and it was a mark of Wath’s subsequent discomfiture that of the 10 wickets four fell to catches, two—Darley and Heaton sen.–were stumped, Breislin was l.b.w. and Salkeld played on. Heaton sen., with 26, and Darley (17) were top scorers in Wath’s all out total of 76, Ward taking 5 for 29.

This was Wath’s first defeat in four Council fixtures this season. It was entirely complete