Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

49 Chapter Six Swansea at war The summer of 1914 had begun for the cricketers of the Swansea club no differently to those years which had gone before. It seemed to be very much a case of business as normal as on the first Saturday in May, the town club staged a trial match at St. Helen’s before the following week they defeated Neath after a century from James Maxwell, their talented all-rounder who had previously played first-class cricket for Somerset, and who had been a regular for several summers in the Glamorgan side. In mid-May, the ground overlooking Swansea Bay witnessed a keenly fought match against Briton Ferry Town. At first Swansea’s batsmen were in trouble against the accurate off-cutters of Jack Johns, who caught and bowled Edgar Billings, the free-scoring wicketkeeper who played regularly for Glamorgan before Johns also caught Billy Bancroft. Swansea eventually mustered 139 but Briton Ferry’s hopes of victory were dashed towards the end of the home team’s innings as Eddie Bates, the ex-Yorkshire professional, badly dislocated a finger and departed the ground for medical attention. Without their crack batsman, they struggled against the nagging accuracy of spinner Harry Creber and the lively seam bowling of Maxwell, and they were bundled out for just 50 with the former claiming 5/18. James Maxwell.