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END OF SEASON REVIEW: 1875

With all the action completed for another year, leagues have been holding their annual meeting and handing out their awards. Metropolitan League champions Angel were rewarded for their success as Noah Sanders was named as Best Player and Isaac Webb as Best Pitcher, but there was controversy when Jacob Meaker missed out on the managerial award. Meaker, who is the only manager remaining in the league from the inaugural campaign in 1865, was overlooked in favour of Clapham’s Matthew Ingram who took the trophy for the second successive year, despite his team losing their title in a tiebreaker against Angel.

In the Middlesex County League, Edwin Taylor of champions Brentford was the clear choice for Best Pitcher but with his team having few outstanding hitters, the Best Player was Harry Pardoe of runners-up Edmonton. After winning the championship in the club’s first season, it was no surprise to see Brentford’s Amos Cochrane take the Best Manager award. Arthur Murnaghan of champions Rochester was Best Manager in the Kent County League, but his team missed out on the other awards as Dartford’s Frederick Barron took Best Player and Isaac Huntley of Maidstone took Best Pitcher. Indeed, Rochester had no player in the top three positions in the voting for either award, perhaps showing how much their success was a team effort rather than due to the performance of specific individuals.

In the Surrey County League, there was even less recognition for the champions Kingston as they took no awards at all. Wimbledon’s Edgar Nash was named Best Player, while runners-up Croydon took the other honours. Luke Robson was awarded Best Pitcher, while the managerial trophy went to Willie Thomas. There was a surprise in the Essex County League as Romford’s Roland Edwards took Best Manager despite his team finishing in the bottom half of the standings, and again the champions took none of the honours as Forest Gate were overlooked in every category. It was the Three Blackbirds of Leyton who took the other prizes, with Matthew Smith taking Best Player and Simeon Turner named as Best Pitcher.

Miles Platting and Salford dominated the voting the Manchester and District League, with Salford’s Henry Barton winning Best Pitcher for the third time in four years. Champions Miles Platting took Best Player courtesy of William Elmar, and also saw Harry Hunt take the managerial honour. In the Liverpool and District League, champions Liverpool St Patrick’s took Best Manager through Alfred Hancock and Best Pitcher with Harry Joyce, but missed out on the Best Player award which went to Harry Morrant of Sankey Brook. Lancashire County League winners Over Darwen also took two awards out of three, with Frank Burrows the Best Manager and Benjamin Stuckey as Best Pitcher. Runners-up Blackburn had the consolation of Stanley Willis being named Best Player.

David Oxley of Leeds was named Best Manager in the Leeds and Bradford League, a surprise to many given that Oliver Graham had led Dewsbury from last place a year ago to the championship this time around. Dewsbury did take Best Player as that award went to Ellis Demmer but missed out on the pitching award which was given to Halifax man John Kelly. In the Sheffield and District League, Mark Guiney of champions Doncaster took Best Pitcher for a third successive year, while Alfred Murray of strugglers Holmes Tail was a surprise choice for Best Player. Harold Drage took Best Manager for leading Doncaster to their second title in three years.

The two outstanding clubs in the Birmingham and District League, Dudley Castle and Birmingham Main Line, shared the awards there with Dudley’s Ezra Rowe winning Best Player and Arthur Jukes of Main Line taking Best Pitcher. Henry Burward took Best Manager after taking Dudley to the championship. The first awards in the Bristol and District League saw Avon’s Martin Hart win Best Manager, despite just missing out on the championship. Indeed, champions Arno’s Castle took none of the honours as Weston super Mare won both of the other prizes, John Ingram named as Best Pitcher and Daniel Burgess winning Best Player.

Derby and Nottingham League champions Ilkeston only took the Best Manager awards, with Herbert Wilson getting the votes. Their two title rivals earned the other trophies, as Allan Beaten of Old Basford was named Best Pitcher and Derby Union man Josiah Farquhar was named Best Player. The pattern was the same in the Leicester and Northampton League, with the inaugural Best Manager prize going to Ernest Brown of champions Leicester South Fields but the other honours going elsewhere. Best Pitcher was Percival Savage of St Margaret’s Pasture, while Reginald Boot to Best Player despite his Loughborough team having a disappointing first campaign overall.

In Scotland, Glasgow and District League champions Burgh of Partick took Best Player courtesy of Hugh Young, as well as Best Manager through George Speake. They missed out on Best Pitcher however, as Bruce Fraser of Airdrie added that award to the ones he won in the Scottish Counties Championship and the International Series. Kenneth Morris of champions Dunfermline was Best Manager in the East of Scotland League, while Dunfermline also took Best Pitcher through Francis Kemp. Their Fife rivals Kirkcaldy took the Best Player award however, as James Harris edged out Dunfermline’s Malcolm Wheeler in the voting.

ROLL OF HONOUR
Metropolitan League: Angel Islington (1st title)
Manchester and District League: Miles Platting Works (2nd title)
Leeds and Bradford League: Dewsbury Canal (1st title)
Liverpool and District League: Liverpool St Patrick’s (5th title)
Glasgow and District League: Burgh of Partick (3rd title)
Middlesex County League: Brentford Grand Junction (1st title)
Sheffield and District League: Doncaster Northern (2nd title)
Birmingham and District League: Dudley Castle (1st title)
East of Scotland League: Dunfermline Canmore (2nd title)
Kent County League: Rochester Riverbank (2nd title)
Derby and Nottingham League: Ilkeston Rutland (1st title)
Lancashire County League: Over Darwen (1st title)
Surrey County League: Kingston Fairfield (1st title)
Bristol and District League: Arno’s Castle (1st title)
Essex County League: Forest Gate (1st title)
Leicester and Northampton League: Leicester South Fields (1st title)
Oxford University Championship: New College (1st title)
Cambridge University Championship: Gonville and Caius College (2nd title)
International Series: England (2nd title)
County Championship: Staffordshire (1st title)
Scottish Counties Championship: Lanarkshire (1st title)
Varsity Series: University of Oxford (4th title)

The very final acts of the 1875 season were the votes to decide the new clubs to be admitted to the Birmingham and District and Kent County Leagues, and both proved to be somewhat controversial. In Birmingham, eight clubs applied for membership and the vote was very fractured, with the current clubs voting largely based on geography. The bids from Cannock and Kidderminster earned just one vote apiece while Stourbridge and Lichfield had no support at all, leaving a five-way fight between Bilston, Coventry, Handsworth, Smethwick and Wednesbury. When the votes were all tallied, Smethwick had two votes and the other four clubs each had three, meaning that a second ballot was going to be required. Four spare votes were available from the eliminated bids, assuming that no club who supported one of the final four changed their minds. Of the four extra votes, two went to Wednesbury, meaning that they topped the ballot with a total of five. One each went to Bilston and Handsworth, eliminating Coventry and meaning that there was still a tie.
A third ballot between Bilston and Handsworth resulted in the vote still tied at four votes each, with the assumption being that the Birmingham clubs were voting for nearby Handsworth and the Black Country clubs supporting their closer neighbour, Bilston. The league then committee then announced that they would make the final decision, and they would give the place to Bilston. The Birmingham clubs were angered by this and accused West Bromwich, the closest club to Handsworth, of having been paid to vote for Bilston. It should be made clear that there is absolutely no evidence to support this allegation, but it does appear to confirm that the allegedly secret ballot did indeed go as suspected.

In Kent, the big question was whether the County League would expand beyond the western half of the county. Seven clubs from the east applied for membership compared to just four from the west, although there was believed to be little support for any of those applications except for that of Canterbury-based military team ‘The Buffs’, the team of the army’s infantry regiment known by that name and garrisoned in the city. They were expected by many to take one of the two places, alongside clear favourites Tunbridge Wells. In the event, Tunbridge Wells did top the ballot with six votes from the eight current members, but The Buffs were edged out four votes to three by a club from Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. It is not known with any certainty how the clubs voted, but The Buffs’ fellow army club the Royal Engineers have suggested that they were trying to persuade their near neighbours Rochester to vote in favour of the Canterbury club, without success.

The Buffs reacted with fury to the decision, questioning what point there is in attempting to join a supposed ‘county’ league if its clubs will not admit any team from the eastern half of Kent, even preferring a water crossing to the Isle of Sheppey twice a year over travelling to Canterbury. They suggested that they will invite the other applicants from the eastern half of the county to form their own competition, with no time to do so for the 1876 season but more than enough opportunity to launch in 1877.

Both the Birmingham and Kent competitions are expected to follow a thirty-six game season, identical to the format used currently in the Leeds and Bradford League and up to this year by the Manchester and District League. We now know the identities of all the new clubs joining established leagues for next season, while it has been confirmed that once again there will be three new leagues next year. The Tyne and Wear League will cover the north-east of England, while the Yorkshire County League will cover the North and East Ridings of that large county. In Scotland, the North Caledonian League will extend from Perth and Dundee up to Aberdeen. All will feature six clubs initially.

We also know that four leagues will permit players to be paid and admission fees to be charged next season, as the Metropolitan League has joined the competitions in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds & Bradford in doing so. After a heated debate, the twelve member clubs voted narrowly seven to five in favour. The decision may have long reaching implications for the Old Westminsters and the Royal Artillery Barracks, both of whom fear being asked to vacate the school and military facilities which they currently use by authorities opposed to professional sports.