The photograph of the Inter departmental cricket team featured earlier in the week created a good deal of interest.
Thanks to John Burns we now have details of the trophy which had eluded a Cumberland side until August 1966.
John has produced the popular Workington Iron and Steel Company Cumberland Group bulletin which features an account of that triumph.
The winning squad is pictured along with the team that won the local final and Structural’s triumph in the Inter Branch Cricket Cup was described as follows.
The only United Steel sporting trophy never to have been won by Cumberland made a triumphant first journey from Rotherham to Workington last week-end.
Our structural department team, ably led by Terry Morgan, followed their convincing victory in the local inter-departmental competition by making their second safari south in two years.
In August 1965 this same team had gained valuable experience when they had unsuccessfully competed against the other main branches at Scunthorpe.
This year, certainly older and probably wiser, they met two of the larger branches, and in both the semi-final and final, scored most competent victories.
It is said with some truth that Cumberland cricketers are always at a disadvantage against Yorkshire and Lincolnshire teams because there are, in our county, no flat fields big enough on which to mark out a 22-yard wicket.
This, together with the fact that we are used to playing on a sort of corrugated mud, caused captain Morgan to view the splendid sylvan sword at Brinsworth with some doubts.
“What’s that funny green stuff,” asked Sam Barclay, with a face two shades whiter than his cricket boots.
The semi-final against Appleby-Frodingham began in brilliant sunshine with Morgan winning the toss and electing to bat.
Gordon McCullough, who was to finish the day looking like the remains of Henry Cooper after six rounds with Muhammed Ali, and Jim Wood from Beckermet, whose bristling beetle brows belie his mild miner’s manners, opened confidently and soon had the scoreboard ticking steadily.
After McCullough was out for 14 there came some vigorous striking of the ball, particularly by Bill March (22, including one huge six over the sight screen) and Mike Quinn (who is built like a cross between Colin Milburn and Bessy Braddock but who was enjoying his birthday immensely) abd at the end of the 20th over Structural had reached the respectable total of 98 for 6.
During the Appleby-Frodingham innings some very tight bowling, splendid fielding and astute captaincy, combined to dismiss the Scunthorpe men for 58.
The wickets were pretty well shared amongst the Structural bowlers and Tom Straughton, bowling with terrific pace, clean bowled two batsmen with consecutive balls.
And so to the final against Fox’s, who had defeated head office in the other semi.
Again Terry Morgan did a Sobers and won the toss. The final proved to be an exciting match, with neither side able to make a big score.
McCullough, already with two damaged fingers, opened again and in the space of four overs had been hit in the eye, hit in the mouth, split his pants and scored 24 runs.
The other batsmen each made a contribution and some excellent running between the wickets drew appreciative applause from the spectators who were enjoying themselves as much as the players.
The Workington innings closed on 82 for 8. Not a big score, but useful enough.
Fox’s opened their innings briskly and had 30 runs on the board after just four overs. This was a good start but it had been against the less good bowlers and when Burns, Morgan, Straughton and Barclay came on to bowl the Stocksbridge batsmen found runs increasingly difficult to find.
It was largely this which led to a series of run-outs, and aided by four excellent catches behind the wicket by the bleeding McCullough, Fox’s were eventually all out for 64.
Much credit for this victory must go to skipper Morgan for the professional way he set his field and deployed his bowlers. The team spirit too was grand and there was no weak link.
Workington were good winners but credit to the other teams in the competition. All games were played in a friendly and sporting spirit.
The non-partisan spectators were relieved to discover that Cumbrians in fact do not play the game of cricket with the same “owt above grass” approach that they are supposed to have to football.
At a celebration dinner on the Saturday evening the A. J. Peech cricket cup and prizes were presented by Mr D. R. Ward Jones, general manager, ore mining branch and director of United Coke and Chemicals.
