MONTHLY ROUND-UP: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1875
A dramatic end to the 1875 league season has resulted in the second International Series between England and Scotland being postponed by a week, despite the best efforts of all the leagues to ensure that their competitions were completed by the end of October.
LONDON AND SOUTH-EAST
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE
The chief cause of the delay to the International Series was the need for a three-way tiebreaker in the Metropolitan League, after the campaign came to an end with several teams ruing missed chances. October had begun with Angel fractionally ahead of champions Clapham and Peckham and the Old Westminsters just a little further behind, and Angel facing two games against Greenwich to begin the month. They were only able to share those games and a week later were beaten again , and when Clapham also lost Peckham suddenly found themselves in first place having won at Hackney. When Peckham won their next game against the Old Westminsters, the Westminsters were officially eliminated and with Angel and Clapham both winning, they sat a fraction behind Peckham with two games left to play, while Peckham had only one. Fascinatingly, Angel and Clapham were to meet a week later and it was champions Clapham who came out on top, having tied the game at 2-2 in the eighth and won it with a run in the tenth. Peckham would have guaranteed themselves at worst a tiebreaker with victory at Kensington, but saw an early lead disappear and a sixth-inning collapse sent them to an 8-4 defeat.
Clapham were now clear favourites, as victory at the Royal Artillery Barracks in their final game would complete a successful title defence. Defeat would leave them tied with Peckham and give Angel the chance to make it a three-way tie by beating Putney. In the event, that is exactly what happened as Clapham crashed 5-2, while Angel saved the game late on and defeated Putney 2-1 in eleven innings. The league enforced the same rules as had been used when there was previously a three-way tie six years ago, with two extra games to be needed. In order to only delay the International Series by one week, the first of these had to be played on a Wednesday. Records in the meetings between the three teams were used to set the schedule and were very close, with Peckham winning four of seven games against their two rivals, Angel taking three from six and Clapham three from seven. With marginally the best winning percentage, Peckham were awarded a bye to the second game while Angel would face Clapham in the first.
As Clapham had won two of three against Angel, they were awarded home advantage, much to the fury of Angel, who claimed that their better overall record against Clapham and Peckham should have seen them play at home. The league would not be swayed however, and Angel travelled to Clapham feeling somewhat aggrieved. The game was a close, tight battle between pitchers Isaac Webb of Angel and Arthur Fletcher of Clapham, and it was Webb who proved to be nearly untouchable. Clapham were only able to record a single hit against him, and in the fourth inning Angel outfielder Arthur Murcott produced a home run with a man on base to score two and give Angel what would prove to be the only runs of the game. Angel therefore moved through to face Peckham and having taken two from three during the year, this time they were awarded home advantage. In the second game, Peckham made a fine start and led 3-0 after three innings, but Angel reduced the margin with two in the fourth and then in the sixth, three successive hits saw them add two more and take a 4-3 lead. Peckham hit back to tie the game in the seventh, but with two out and two runners on base in the eighth it was pitcher Isaac Webb who produced with the bat as his hit gave Angel the lead again at 5-4. Peckham moved the possible tying run to third base with two out in the ninth, but Webb composed himself to retire outfielder Joe Preece and secure the championship for Angel.
They take their first crown having previously lost one tiebreaker and come within a game of forcing another, and become the seventh different champions in the league’s eleven-year history. The extended end to the season may prove to be important for the future of the competition as well, with some teams who were uncertain on the issue of allowing payments to players believed to be leaning towards voting in favour in an attempt to prevent another campaign running into November. Clapham in particular were believed to be undecided and may now support the idea when a vote is held in the coming weeks.
MIDDLESEX COUNTY LEAGUE
October began with Edmonton a game ahead in the Middlesex County League but having played two games more than Brentford, who were attempting to become only the second team to join an established league and win the championship at the first attempt. Brentford took control of the battle in the first week of the month when they won 4-0 against the Old Harrovians and Edmonton squandered a ninth-inning lead to lose 4-3 at Ealing, but the following week it was Brentford who faltered, crashing heavily 7-1 in a return meeting with the Harrovians. That left the clubs facing a meeting with one another in their next game, the last for Edmonton and one in which they knew victory would win the championship. Brentford had to win and on a tense afternoon, found the only run of the game in the tenth inning to keep the race alive.
Now it was Brentford with the advantage, knowing that victory over Tottenham in their final game would secure the title, but this time they were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline and found themselves in a tie with Edmonton, meaning an extra game was needed. Remarkably, Brentford had won all four meetings and so earned home advantage for the tiebreaker, and this time they took an early lead with a run in the first inning. A second was added in the third inning, and despite the fact that Brentford have not scored as many runs as most of their league rivals their pitching has been second to none, and so it proved again. Pitcher Edwin Taylor was near untouchable, and the two runs were too much for Edmonton to recover. Brentford completed a 2-0 victory to clinch the most unlikely of championships, given that they had begun life in the league by losing five of their first six games.
KENT COUNTY LEAGUE
Gravesend and Rochester came into October tied for first place in the Kent County League, but with Gravesend having three games to play and Rochester only one. Both teams opened the month with victories, results which eliminated Bexley Heath from contention and left a two-horse race. Champions Rochester were able to do nothing more and could only watch a week later as Gravesend travelled to Maidstone, in a game rescheduled from later in the month in order to give Rochester less time to wait in the event of a tiebreaker. As it happened, that was a good decision as three runs in the fifth gave Maidstone a 4-1 victory and made an extra game necessary. With the head-to-head meetings share two each, a coin toss would decide home advantage and as reigning champions Rochester were allowed to call, but their call was wrong and the extra game was played at Gravesend. As it turned out, that did not matter as Rochester scored three in the third and two more in the seventh, while pitcher Alfred Adnams recorded a seven-hit shutout to complete a 5-0 victory and secure a second successive title for his team.
SURREY COUNTY LEAGUE
Compared to many leagues, everything was simple in the Surrey County League this year as the weather was very kind in that part of the country. Remarkably, only three games were postponed all year and all were easily rescheduled when the teams were next to meet, meaning that the league finished on schedule in early October. Kingston came into October leading Croydon by one game with two to play, and both clubs won their first game of the month to end the faint championship hopes of both Wimbledon and last year’s winners Norwood. Croydon had to win their final game at Reigate and hope that Kingston faltered at last placed Richmond, but although they shut out Reigate for a 5-0 win, it was too much to hope for. Kingston overwhelmed Richmond by a score of 8-1, maintaining their one-game lead and succeeding Norwood as champions in the league’s second campaign.
ESSEX COUNTY LEAGUE
Forest Gate entered October with six games to play and a comfortable lead in the Essex County League, knowing that at most three wins would be needed to become the inaugural champions. The first of those wins came when they edged out the Three Blackbirds of Leyton in their first game of the month, leaving Barking as the only club with realistic hopes of catching up. A week later, Forest Gate faced two games against a West Ham team who have had an awful second half to the year, and victories in both would secure the title. However, they lost the first game 5-2 meaning that to be champions on that day, they would need to win the second and hope that Barking lost to the Blackbirds. A burst of scoring in the middle innings saw the Blackbirds overwhelm Barking 9-2 and meant that a win in their second game at West Ham would be enough for Forest Gate, and when that game went into extra innings at 2-2 news was already coming through that the championship could be secured there and then.
That knowledge perhaps made Forest Gate a little nervous, as they let slip one-run leads in the eleventh and twelfth innings, but then with darkness beginning to fall West Ham collapsed, giving up an astonishing ten runs as Forest Gate ran away with a 14-4 victory. It was as well that the championship was already won, as Forest Gate lost all of their three remaining games, the last of those against Barking reducing their final margin of victory to a single game. They will care little though, as they become the first champions of Essex.
NORTH-WEST
MANCHESTER AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
Heading into October, the Manchester and District League race appeared to be straight forward, with champions Miles Platting leading Salford by three games and knowing that two wins from their remaining three games would be good enough. However, they started the month by losing narrowly 2-1 at Bury, allowing Salford to close the gap despite the postponement of their game against Moss Grove. A week later Miles Platting stumbled again, 1-0 at Bolton, and with Salford staging a ninth inning fightback to defeat Belle Vue 5-4 the race was really on. Miles Platting recovered to win their final scheduled game against Moss Grove 14-3, a result which gave Salford no room for error, but on the same afternoon they ground out a 2-1 victory at Rochdale to stay in the hunt.
Salford had three games to play, all on their own field, and had to win them all to force a tiebreaker. Wins over Stockport and Moss Grove putting them on the brink of doing so, and three seventh inning runs against Bolton in the final game completed a remarkable run which in all had seen them win their final seven games to force the tie. The extra game was scheduled to be played on the first Wednesday in November, an unsatisfactory date but one chosen in an attempt to avoid disrupting the International Series. The three-way tie in the Metropolitan League however rendered that irrelevant and the game was moved to the following Saturday, to the joy of those hoping to be able to watch. With the season’s meetings tied, champions Miles Platting called a coin toss correctly to earn home advantage and made the most of it with three runs in the first inning. Salford edged closer in the second, but the champions restored their three-run margin in the fourth and pitcher Hugh Shingler shut down Salford from that point on, earning a 4-1 win and a second successive championship for Miles Platting.
Following the conclusion of the season, the league held the much anticipate vote to determine the two newcomers to join the league as it turns professional for the 1876 season. Six applications were received, with the team from Ashton under Lyne clear favourites to take one of the available places. That expectation proved to be well founded as seven of the ten clubs supported their application, but the second place was much more closely fought. It came down to a fight between clubs from Glossop, Altrincham, and Swinton with Altrincham confident that they had enough support to succeed. However, when the votes were counted it was Glossop who had four votes to just three for Altrincham and Swinton, with the difference suspected to have been made by Stockport changing their minds at the last minute and voting for Glossop instead. The two new clubs will join the league officially in January, while next year’s schedule is expected to consist of forty-four games per team, four against each of the other eleven clubs. It is believed that one quarter of the schedule will be set for midweeks, on eleven Wednesdays during the summer, as the clubs experiment with the viability of regular midweek play.
LIVERPOOL AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
Perhaps the most uneventful end to the season came in the Liverpool and District League, where Liverpool St Patrick’s had already retained their title with some degree of comfort. In the end they won both of their remaining games to finish with a six-game margin at the top, while long-time chasers Sankey Brook lost all three in October to drop back to an even record, perhaps less than they deserved for a good season. Great Float and Wigan came through to end up as the closest challengers to Liverpool, with both ending their seasons by defeating Sankey to leave them tied for second place.
LANCASHIRE COUNTY LEAGUE
Blackburn entered October with a slim lead in the Lancashire County League and in a position where even victory over second-placed Over Darwen in their final game would leave them waiting and wondering whether they had done enough to take the title without a tiebreaker. As it happened, Darwen took that game by a score of 3-1 and with three more games to play, needed to win just two of them to be champions, or one to force a tiebreaker. In their next game, Darwen edged past last year’s champions Accrington, long since condemned to finish last this time, by a one-run margin and now needed just one more victory for the title. Their next game at Ribble was postponed, meaning that any tiebreaker would have to be delayed even longer, but that possibility was removed a week later when a return meeting with Accrington saw Darwen take a 3-0 win which meant that they could no longer be caught. Defeat in the rescheduled game at Ribble left them just a game ahead of Blackburn in the final standings but that mattered little, it was Blackburn who were left ruing the fact that having led for so long, they lost their final three games to give Darwen the chance to overtake them.
YORKSHIRE
LEEDS AND BRADFORD LEAGUE
For months there has been no more than a game between Dewsbury and Leeds Central in the race to become the new champions of the Leeds and Bradford League, with Dewsbury a fraction ahead going into October having played one game fewer. Both were struggling for form as nerves seemed to be taking over and that pattern continued at the beginning of the month, as both suffered heavy home defeats. A week later Dewsbury slipped past Bowling by a narrow 2-1 margin, but Leeds matched them with a 4-1 victory at Batley to remain right on their shoulder. Both won their next game as well, before Dewsbury defeated Huddersfield 4-2 in their match in hand and took a one game lead with two to play. The two had been scheduled to meet next on a Wednesday afternoon, but that match was switched with their planned final games so that their meeting could take place on a Saturday with more people able to attend.
It appeared that they would head to that final game tied when Leeds overwhelmed Bradford and Dewsbury trailed late on at Hunslet, but Dewsbury found three runs in the final two innings to take the win 4-3 and maintain their lead in the standings. In the final game at Leeds, the home team had to win to force a tiebreaker and they scored four in the fourth inning to take control. Dewsbury could only find a single run in response and an additional game was required. As in Manchester, this had initially been scheduled for Wednesday but was moved to Saturday when the International Series was confirmed to be delayed by a week. That game too was played in Leeds, as they had won all four meetings during the year, but this time it was Dewsbury who took control early on. They scored runs regularly in the early innings and by the sixth led 5-0, while pitcher David Jackman did not even allow Leeds a hit until the eighth. When that hit came Leeds turned it into a run, but could do no more and Dewsbury held on for a 5-1 victory. They take the championship in only their second season in the league, an achievement all the more remarkable given that they finished tenth and last in their debut campaign last year.
SHEFFIELD AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
There was another close finish in the Sheffield and District League, where Doncaster headed into October fractionally ahead of Barnsley with four games to play, Barnsley having only three. That position changed on the first Saturday of the month however, as Barnsley recorded a 3-1 win over Sheffield while Doncaster crashed to a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to lowly Holmes Tail. It was now Barnsley who were fractionally ahead, with Doncaster facing two tough games at Hallamshire the following week. Barnsley won their own game with Holmes Tail on that day, meaning that Doncaster really needed to win both games, and an immense effort took them to victories by the narrowest of margins, 1-0 in the first game and 2-1 in the second.
That left the two teams tied with one game remaining, and by chance that game was between the two contenders, meaning that there could be no tiebreaker and the winner of the final game would be champions. The game at Doncaster was close early on, with the home team finally breaking the scoreless tie with a run in the fifth inning. Once Doncaster were ahead though, Barnsley crumbled. They could do little against pitcher Mark Guiney and Doncaster’s batters found their form in some style, recording seven more runs over the next three innings to open an overwhelming 8-0 lead. That would be the final score, and Doncaster took the championship for the second time, having also finished on top of the standings two years ago.
The league has also confirmed the two new clubs who will join the competition next year, with the club from Chesterfield elected unanimously by the six current members. The second place was expected to see the vote split on a geographic basis, with the three Sheffield clubs likely to support the bid from Owlerton and the clubs from the smaller towns likely to back Worksop’s bid. In the event, Worksop did gain three votes as expected but Owlerton had only two, with one going to another club from the Sheffield area, Nether Hallam. It is not known which club supported them but it appears that the vote of the Sheffield clubs was split, allowing Worksop to be elected by a single vote. No announcement has yet been made about the schedule, but with obvious split into two geographic groups of four, it may be that the clubs follow those in Middlesex by reducing their season from thirty game to twenty-eight.
MIDLANDS AND SOUTH-WEST
BIRMINGHAM AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
Dudley Castle took a commanding lead into October needing only two wins from their remaining five games to win the Birmingham and District League, with Birmingham Main Line the only team who could catch them. One of those two wins arrived immediately, in extra innings at outgoing champions West Bromwich, but Main Line kept a little pressure on with victory at Edgbaston. A week later, Dudley knew that beating the Old Wulfrunians at home would secure the crown but try as they might, they could not find a single run and lost 3-0 despite outhitting the Wulfrunians ten to nine. It didn’t matter however, as later that evening they received news that Main Line had let slip a late lead and fallen to a 4-2 defeat against West Bromwich, meaning that they could no longer catch up. As it turned out, Dudley were fortunate that Main Line had lost that game. The new champions were beaten at Aston a week later, before falling 1-0 at Main Line when the top two faced one another. They also lost their final game at home to Small Heath, leaving them only one game ahead in the final standings, but in truth had done all the hard work earlier and may have played differently in those final games had they needed to. The rest of the league will have to improve to challenge the top two next year, as only Dudley and Main Line were able to record winning records this year.
BRISTOL AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
The first championship of the Bristol and District League came down to a fascinating race between Arno’s Castle, Avon Gorge and Weston super Mare. The three had gone into October with Arno’s leading the way by a fraction from Weston, and Avon one game off the pace in third place. The month opened with a day of great tension as all three were involved in tight games, Avon winning 1-0 at Swindon and Arno’s doing likewise at Bristol Easton, but taking fifteen innings to do so. Weston faced an even longer battle at Bath, heading into extra innings tied at 2-2 and then seeing the game conclude in near darkness when Bath finally found the winning run in the nineteenth. All three won a week later, maintaining a one game advantage in the standings for Arno’s Castle. Weston now had just one game to play, against Arno’s Castle, while the other contenders had two and would meet one another in the final game of the season.
Weston produced a fine performance to earn a 6-0 victory at Arno’s, but in a cruel twist of fate found that the result was meaningless when Avon edged past Bristol Easton 2-1. That meant that while all three had eighteen wins to their name, the fact that Arno’s and Avon were to meet the following week actually eliminated Weston from the race, as they had no more games to play and one of their rivals was sure to reach nineteen wins. In the winner-takes-all final game, Avon had home advantage but it was Arno’s who started strongly, scoring two in the first and another in the third to lead 3-0. Avon hit back with one in the sixth, but in the eighth their hopes of a comeback were dashed when the visitors restored their three-run lead. Arno’s closed out a 4-1 victory and take the inaugural championship after a wonderful race.
DERBY AND NOTTINGHAM LEAGUE
There was another close three-horse race in the Derby and Nottingham League, with Derby Union and reigning champions Old Basford trailing Ilkeston by one game with two to play for each club as October began. Ilkeston’s first game of the month away at Sherwood was postponed, while Derby fell to a 5-2 defeat at Trent Bridge, handing a chance to champions Basford to put pressure on their rivals. They took the opportunity by defeating Midland Loco 4-1, moving within a fraction of Ilkeston and leaving Derby all but out of the running. Ilkeston were not feeling the pressure however, and they returned to action a week later with a 5-1 win over Trent Bridge, a result which meant that Basford had to beat Derby to keep the race alive. In the final match for both clubs, Derby pitcher Isaac Heath kept Basford off the board all afternoon and saw his teammates score six unanswered runs, a result which was terminal to Basford’s hopes of retaining the title and all too late for Derby. Those teams would finish tied for second place, while Ilkeston ended up just a game ahead after they lost a relatively meaningless rearranged game 2-1 at Sherwood.
LEICESTER AND NORTHAMPTON LEAGUE
The inaugural season of the Leicester and District League saw Leicester South Field enter October on the brink of becoming the first champions, leading Wellingborough by three games with three to play and needing just one win or a Wellingborough loss to secure the crown. They would not have to wait long, as on the first Saturday of the month they recorded a 3-1 success against Peterborough, rendering irrelevant Wellingborough’s extra-innings win over Northampton. As it happened, the final standings ended up making the race look much more one-sided than it had been in reality, as Leicester won their final two games while Wellingborough lost theirs, including a 5-2 Leicester win when the two met in their final game. Having played so well for much of the year, Wellingborough actually lost six of their final seven games but Leicester were deserving champions.
SCOTLAND
GLASGOW AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
There was little to play for in Scotland in October as both leagues were already decided, and Glasgow and District League champions Burgh of Partick were beaten in both of their remaining games having already secured the crown. With the other five clubs having losing records, the race was between the two newcomers Airdrie and Tail o’ the Bank to finish second, after impressive debut campaigns for both. They would meet in the first week of the month and it was Airdrie who recorded a 4-0 away win in their final game of the year. That meant that Tail needed to win both of their remaining games to share second but having won at Partick, they crashed 5-3 at Tollcross in a game rescheduled several times due to rain. That left Airdrie alone in second, three games behind Partick and wondering what might have been had they not slumped to seven defeats in eight games through May and June.
EAST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUE
The East of Scotland League saw each team enter October with just one game left to play and Dunfermline having already secured a second successive championship as they led Arthur’s Seat by two games. In their final game of the year, Arthur’s Seat edge to a 2-1 win at Kirkcaldy which earned them second place in their own right, as a Kirkcaldy win would have left the two tied for second. Dunfermline were defeated by the same score at The Grange, which meant that the final margin at the top of the standings was just a single game. With Arthur’s Seat having lost the title in tiebreaking games in each of the previous two years, the Edinburgh club now have the unfortunate distinction of finishing second, one game behind the champions, for three successive seasons.
With the final league games being concluded on the first Saturday in November, the International Series can finally get underway with England looking to retain the title they won in a deciding third game in the inaugural series last year. They will host the first game this year, with Scotland hosting the second. Should a third be required, a coin will be tossed for home advantage with England as reigning champions allowed to call. The delay to the series led to a suggestion that the second game might be played in midweek to prevent a possible decider being as late as the final Saturday in November, but Scotland refused to give up their home Saturday game and so every game will be played at the weekend as last year. England are once again the favourites to win, but many feel that the Scottish team is stronger this year than last. This year’s squads will be made up of the following players.
ENGLAND
Pitchers: Sidney Fisher (Tottenham), Alexander Barter (Sheffield), Nicholas Ford (Angel), Isaiah Harper (Sherwood), Wilfred Wellington (Commercial Dock)
Catchers: Andrew Clarke (Stockport), William Thornton (Clapham)
Infielders: Harry Pardoe (Edmonton), Thomas Wakely (Hackney), Noah Sanders (Angel), Ellis Demmer (Dewsbury), Stanley Willis (Blackburn)
Outfielders: Timothy Berry (Greenwich), Ezra Rowe (Dudley), Percival Bennett (Bexley Heath), Roland Lloyd (Greenwich), Frank Page (Edmonton), Levi Taylor (Halifax), Dennis Dunning (Clapham), William Elmar (Miles Platting)
SCOTLAND
Pitchers: Bruce Fraser (Airdrie), John Byrne (White Cart), Alexander McAulay (Tail o’ the Bank), Alan McKay (Burgh of Partick), Philip Trist (Govan)
Catchers: John Christie (Bath), Oliver Milne (Burgh of Partick)
Infielders: George Baxter (Airdrie), Gordon Rankin (Kirkcaldy), Gordon Reeves (Arthur’s Seat), Andrew Taggart (Kirkcaldy), Hugh Young (Burgh of Partick), Eric Speechley (The Grange)
Outfielders: James Harris (Kirkcaldy), Fraser Cash (Haymarket), Walter Challinor (Tollcross), John Erskine (Arthur’s Seat), Malcolm Wheeler (Dunfermline), John Cunningham (Tollcross), Roderick Dalziel (Govan)
