b'Wilton is making progress. Also, it says thattheir years dropped from them and they were young Sheepridge have arranged to start practising whileagain. awaiting a reply. The newspaper account explains that the teams The match actually took place on Wednesday,had agreed on a method of scoring that removed the July 27th, and the next day the Huddersfield Dailyneed to run:Examiner carried the headline Sheepridge VeteransIf you hit a ball and a fielder stopped it you Victory with a photograph of the Sheepridge teamhad scored one. If the ball went past the and a detailed account of the match. fielder you were two up, and if it went under The account starts with a worthy exhortation tothe ropes and into the crowd you had future historians: three. A four, a boundary in the true sense Huddersfield, Wednesday night.Thisof the word, was achieved when the ball has been a great day for Sheepridge.went over the ropes. The method of scoring Historians who, at some future time, maysix was not clear. turn their attention to the record of theCanon Whorlow was out after making a careful village, will have failed signally in their dutyten; he was no sooner replaced than Sam Boothroyd if they neglect to write of the great matchwas out, bowled Job Johnson who was sending that took place on Wednesday, July 27,down deceptive underhands at the other end.1927, between the Bishop Wilton VeteranSheepridge went on to score 111 and at 5.40 Cricketers and the Sheepridge VeteranHarry Bramley and James Johnson opened the Cricketers. A similar responsibility will restbatting for Bishop Wilton with only eight of the upon Bishop Wilton historians. Sheepridge side able to field. The account continues: The match eventually finished with a win for It began to rain as the big blue and white coachSheepridge, Bishop Wilton having scored 75. Tea from Fartown started on the Leeds Road, andfollowed at the Fleece Inn where there was a vote of the sky became steadily blacker all the way tocondolence for the relatives of the Rev. G. H. Stock York, where the rain fell in a steady deluge, andand arrangements were made for the return match to then stopped suddenly while the party, whichbe played at the Fartown ground. numbered twenty-one in all, took lunch in aThe Sheepridge team left Bishop Wilton at about restaurant in Davygate. 7.40 p.m. amid cheers and hat-waving and they On arriving in Bishop Wilton: returned home to be greeted by cheering friends and The inhabitants had turned out, almost to a man,neighbours who had stayed up to wait for them.to welcome the visitors by the village green. EvenThe return match took place at Fartown on the Press photographers were lying in wait. ForWednesday 24th August and a report appeared the it appeared that the match had been advertisedvery next day in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner as extensively in the district. Special buses labelledan epic encounter between venerable stalwarts who Bishop Wilton Cricket Match were arriving. were eager to prove that enthusiasm and spirit could Then the rain began again, and came down withtriumph over years. such vigour that the less optimistic shook theirThe Bishop Wilton visitors to Fartown were said heads and spoke gloomily of wash-outs. to be in good spirits on arrival in spite of the fact that The two teams and the larger proportion ofseveral members of the team had been lost during their respective supporters went to shelter ina visit to a brewery earlier in the day, and were only the village inn whence, in due course,camefound after a diligent search by the rest of the eleven.the sound of community singing. It takes moreAn improved method of scoring had been devised than a drop of rain, said one man, to upset thewhereby pegs driven into the ground showed how far young ones. the ball had to be driven to count one, two, or three The game had been timed to commence atruns. three oclock. A few minutes after that time theThe match got underway with James Johnson and rain had stopped. At a quarter past a crowd ofHarry Bramley opening the batting for Bishop Wilton, considerable dimensions was gathering aroundthe same pair as in the first match. David Dodds for the ropes that surrounded the pitch, it was aSheepridge bowled deadly underhands which hardly field, carefully arranged for the occasion. At half- left the ground and Bishop Wilton only managed to past three the match began. make 18 with the loss of four men. It was left to Job Shepridge won the toss and batted first. DespiteJohnson (James brother) and Quarton Adamson, a concerns about his health, Cannon Whorlow went tosturdy farmer, to push the score up to 60. But with the wicket with fellow team member Sam Boothroyd.their loss there was something like a collapse. Once James Johnson opened the bowling for Bishopagain the Bishop Wilton tail failed to wag the dog and Wilton. The match got underway and the weight ofthe whole side were out for 75.BULLETIN 10 157'