Cricket Witness No 3 - The Daffodil Blooms

51 Team spirit maiden century, before the two local heroes, Emrys Davies and Trevor Every, each made attractive seventies. But the docility of the Stradey Park wicket was completely transformed by weekend rain, with Jack Mercer claiming a ten-wicket match haul as Worcestershire subsided to a heavy defeat. The venture to the Broadshoard in Cowbridge was less successful and, after four games during 1931 and 1932, the spin-friendly wicket was deemed unsuitable for first-class cricket. This decision followed an incident-packed match against Northamptonshire when, after rain had washed out the first day, Maurice Turnbull and his opposite number Vallance Jupp each declared their team’s first innings on reaching 50. They did so in a bid to make up for lost time and to set up a match, but unwittingly Maurice broke Law 54 which stated that after a declaration in a two-day match, the side batting second must occupy the crease for at least 100 minutes. Neither of the captains nor the two umpires were aware of this infringement until their attention was drawn to it after play by a journalist from the Press Association as the players and press gathered in The Bear Inn, the market town’s famous hostelry. The following morning, all of the national newspapers carried a front page story about the events at Cowbridge and the apparent illegal declaration. Maurice stood by his decision which had been A view of the press and refreshment facilities at Cowbridge for the Championship match against Essex in August 1931.