Back row: Jock McKay, ??, Chandler, ??, ??, Ellis. Front row: Boden, Bown, Stenton, Burton, Swithinbank, Des Manning, ?? (Some people might remember Ken Bown who returned to Firth Park as a master - photo courtesy of Harold Burton). However, of Ken Bown, Bob Bates says "Ken Bown was already a master at the school when I started there in the very early 50s. Maybe there's a decade error in the text!" Who's right? Anyone know?
Cricket 1934 - 41
The school First Eleven was overseen by Mr Bailey, the Latin master, who I believe was a considerable cricketer in his time, although I never saw him play. The practice pitches were simply grass and not very reliable. The concrete wickets were laid about 1936: to start with, matting was used on the concrete, but it was soon decided that it was too much trouble to lay and then remove it, so it was abandoned.
When Spike Johnson joined the staff, he decided to organise a junior team, which first played in 1937 as the Under-14 team. In 1938 it became the Under-15 team; I imagine because this was the age limit for the junior teams in other schools and most of the team simply stayed for a second year. I was captain of the Under-15 team in 1938.
I continued to play with the First XI until I left in the summer of 1941 and I was captain in that year. It became more difficult to play schools further away during 1940 and 1941, because of the restrictions caused by the war. On the other hand, we played several matches against teams of convalescent patients from the military hospital which had been established at what is now Middlewood Hospital. It was at one of these marches at the hospital that I lost the School Captain's lapel badge (was it ever replaced, I wonder? It certainly wasn't during the war).
The match that stays firmly in my mind was against Nether Edge GS Under-15 in 1938. It had been arranged for the Saturday when Yorkshire started their match against the Australians at Bramall Lane. Of course, we all wanted to be there, but our own game couldn't be cancelled. We solved the problem by bowling out Nether Edge for 18, with Derrick Stenton taking 10 wickets for 9 runs, won by 10 wickets and were at Bramall Lane by the lunch interval .
On the final day, Tuesday, Yorkshire were in a very strong position and likely to become the first team to beat the Australians that year. Bramall Lane was packed. My father and I had admission to the pavilion for the first time ever. At lunchtime it started to rain and it rained for the rest of the day.
Our access to the pavilion was through Mr Wrigglesworth, a young crafts master, very tall, who was a fast bowler and played for Sheffield United CC (his bowling was far too fast for us, as we discovered in the Staff Match). He lent us his own Sheffield United CC membership card and his father's Yorkshire CC card.
Derrick Stenton's 10 for 9 on that Saturday must stand as one of the best school performances in a formal match. In 1941 Derrick was invited to the Yorkshire junior nets in Leeds. He made his career in sports education.
Someone who does not appear in 1941 photographs is Alan Elms. He came from a well-known Sheffield cricketing family and was an important member of the school team as a fast bowler and an adventurous batsman. He was vice-captain of cricket and vice-captain of the school, but left early to join the RAF and died while flying.
Harold Burton
The First 11 Soccer Team with Jock McKay on the left (photo courtesy of Harold Burton)
Charles Desmond Manning (Charlie or Des) centre left. He captained Sheffield Wednesday Schoolboys circa 38/39 and then went on to WW2 RAF 180 Squadron rear gunner Wellingtons & Mitchels. Afterwards he studied on a Sheffield teacher training course becoming Headmaster in the West Yorkshire area. Sadly Charles died in 1977 at the age of 51 (from Charles' son Mark Manning August 2005)
