Info sought on cricketers
I’M hoping Bugle readers can help me with a request.
I’m researching material for a Who’s Who of Worcestershire cricketers which I’m writing, my criteria though is that they played just one Championship game for us.
There are a handful of players whom I’m struggling to find information about and in some cases a picture of them. They all have strong Black Country links and played cricket locally for Dudley, Stourbridge or Old Hill.
Naturally, I have contacted the respective clubs, however, material from the old club at Dudley seems hard to come by for obvious reasons. The players in question are: Charles Percy Blewitt – he played for Worcestershire in 1912, and was a well-known name at Dudley CC. He was nicknamed ‘The Dudley Jessop’ after the fast scoring, heavy hitter of the day, Gilbert Jessop from Gloucestershire. He was a big name in local mining.
William Norman Hartill – he played for Worcestershire in 1935. His Birmingham League club was Dudley and he lived in Rowley Regis.
J.G. (Jim) Higginson – he played for Worcestershire in 1912 and his club in the Birmingham League was Stourbridge. He became a schoolmaster.
George Thomas Mills – He played for Worcestershire in 1953 and for Stourbridge in the Birmingham League. He also became a teacher.
Kenneth Mitchell – he played for Worcestershire in 1946 and for Old Hill in the Birmingham League.
Harry Southall – he played for Worcestershire in 1907 and Birmingham League for Stourbridge. He worked as a clerk in an ironworks and his father ran the Bush Inn in Brierley Hill.
Dudley
Thomas Stringer – played for Worcestershire in 1909 and was ‘pro’ at Dudley in 1906.
John William Wilkinson – he played for Worcestershire in 1927. He lived and worked in Dudley as a woodworker and then worked in a rolling mill.
He toured with Dudley Wayfarers, was scorer for Warwickshire CCC and collapsed and died during a game there.
If you can help, please contact me by email – timajones405@aol.com or by phone on 07890 138682