Tuesday, July 30 1957

BEFORE what must have been one of the best finals in the competition in years, Chelston’s young side had their tails up after beating Barton in last week’s Brockman Cup final. They were keyed-up to complete the double and, when they had scored exactly 100 for the loss of only one wicket in their 20 overs, it looked very much as though they would do it.

There was only one answer for Barton batsmen and they made it. After a slow start they opened their shoulders. Bill Parsons thus got the winning four on the first ball of the last over.

With Griff Norman in hospital, and Bill Cassells having hurt his back at work the day before, Barton were short of bowlers. They did not improve matters by slack fielding at some stages of the Chelston innings, which was a triumph for teenagers Paul Hawkins and John Horrill.

Bill Landen fell prey to Mills’ catch off the fifth ball of Ernie Knapman’s opening over and Chelston were one for one – a staggering start. 

Then Hawkins and Horrill batted consistently well against the unchanged bowling of Knapman and Parsons for not out scores of 44 and 51 respectively, each including four fours.

At the halfway mark the innings had only produced 31 runs, but the century total was a difficult target for Barton with ground mist swirling around the wickets and the light fading fast.

For Barton, Brian Bolt played a first-class innings of 37 before being bowled by John Bartlett. He and Maurice Garrett (20 before being run out) brightened up a slow start after Roy Horswell’s wicket had gone to a catch by wicket-keeping captain Dave Mitchell off John Bradley with the Barton opener on 11.

Phil Corrick was caught by Hawkins off Bartlett for three and it was left to Parsons (bowled by Malcolm Smalley at 17) and Knapman (15no) to produce the winning runs.

Skipper Mills carried his bat for half a dozen in the last few balls of the match as Barton totalled 113 for five.

Knapman’s analysis on a fast-scoring pitch had been one for 38. Bradley (1-36), Smalley (1-56) and Bartlett (2-17) were the Chelston bowlers who just could not keep runs down low enough this time.