Minor Counties Championship 1909

13 Welsh county’s first decade in first-class cricket. The Yorkshire-born amateur had made his debut for the Welsh county in 1900 at the age of 26 in their match against the MCC at Cardiff Arms Park. This was Arthur’s first summer in the Welsh capital having moved from the north- east of England to set up a timber importing business at Cardiff Docks, and he subsequently proved himself to be a capable batsman and off-spinner at both club and county level, striking 66 against the MCC on his Glamorgan debut. He had previously played for West Hartlepool CC following a few years working in the London Docks. Both his business and cricketing interests in South Wales significantly took off with Arthur captaining Cardiff CC between 1906 and 1909. He proved himself to be a capable leader at club level, and given his experience of Minor County cricket his name appeared on the short-list of candidates for the captaincy of Glamorgan as Jack Brain went into semi-retirement. The Club’s preferred choice was Guy Thackeray, the young batsman from Cardiff CC, who was a Lieutenant in the Army and, besides a fine pedigree as a cricketer, was seen to be a natural-born leader. However, during the winter of 1906/07 Thackeray was posted to North America, and Brain was persuaded to stay on for one more year. At the end of the season, Gibson was duly appointed as his replacement for 1908, but it proved to only be a one-year appointment as the businessman struggled to find sufficient time to devote to his new duties, and the 34 year-old subsequently handed over the reins of the Welsh county to Tom Whittington, a solicitor from Neath. Despite having to stand down as captain, Gibson remained actively involved with the Club serving on the committee – onto which he had been elected in 1904 – until 1932 and in the years following the Great War, the Yorkshireman proved to be a key figure in the affairs of Glamorgan CCC as they strove for recognition in the first-class world following their elevation into the County Championship for 1921. That summer Gibson accepted the duties of Honorary Secretary and he remained in post for the next ten years. They proved to be difficult times and on more than one occasion, when gate receipts were insufficient to meet the expenditure and pay the professionals, Gibson’s fine relationship with the Club’s bank manager, based at Cardiff Docks, became invaluable and got the Club out of a pickle. But by the winter of 1932/33 the Club’s debt had reached an all-time high, and fearing the worst for the Club, he tendered his resignation. Indeed, there were serious doubts about the future of Glamorgan CCC, but his good friends and colleagues in the business world at Cardiff Docks, Johnnie Clay and Maurice Turnbull, took over as Treasurer and Secretary respectively, and saved the Club from the brink of bankruptcy, besides subsequently turning the Club into a viable concern. R J Mee – Staffordshire 1905-1909 (born 25 September 1867; died 6 February 1941) Robert John "Jack" Mee played 41 Championship matches for Staffordshire for five seasons from 1905 to 1909. A right arm fast bowler, he took 168 wickets at an average of 14.44 in that time. His best season was Staffordshire's inaugural Championship winning season of 1906 when he took 54 wickets. His best match performance came in 1908 at Blackburn, when he took 8-26 in the first innings against Lancashire 2nd XI. He took 10 wickets in a match twice, once against Lancashire and once against Bedfordshire at Uttoxeter in 1905. Jack was born on the 25th September 1867 in Shelford, Nottinghamshire and died at the same place on the 6th February 1941. He represented his home county of Nottinghamshire 1887 until 1896, also playing a total of 41 first class matches taking 133 wickets at an average of 24.11. After leaving Nottinghamshire, he took to becoming a 'league pro' playing for Accrington and Church in the Lancashire League and Burslem and Norton in The North Staffordshire League. Rev R H Moss – Bedfordshire 1901-1909 (born 24 February 1868; died 19 March 1956) Played 48 matches for Bedfordshire between 1901 and 1909. He was initially a right-arm fast bowler but by the time he played for Bedfordshire he is reported as bowling at little over medium pace. He took 87 wickets at 20.82 for the county, with a best innings bowling performance being 7 wickets for 31 runs against Staffordshire at the Victoria Road, Stoke-on- Trent in 1902. On 5 occasions he took five or more wickets in an innings but never ten in a match. A good slip fielder he held 31 catches. A right-hand batsman, he scored 810 runs at an