Graham's souvenir of a cricketing century
The passing decades have seen Graham Southorn's venerable cricket bat mature to a hue of dark gold.
And who knows what glories it saw as it stroked sixes and fours on Shropshire's cricket pitches in the halcyon days before Britain was scarred forever by world war?
Not that he has ever played with it himself. It came to him years ago in a leather cricket bag which belonged to a foremost local cricketer of yesteryear, one W H Griffiths.
Also in the bag bearing Griffiths's initials are pads, boots, a ball, and other items including a booklet on the laws of cricket, a sun hat, and a cricket cap, believed to be in the colours of Madeley Cricket Club, for whom Griffiths played all those years ago.
Taken together it is a little time warp collection evocative of a sporting era of around 100 years ago. Graham, from Broseley, said: "It was given to me around 20 years ago by Bill Dickenson, who had the antique shop in Ironbridge."
He added: "W H Griffiths was a top-class cricketer. He came from Madeley and I think he was quite old when he finished. It's his full personal kit. I don't know much about Madeley Cricket Club, but I think the cap is in their colours."
The bat is in excellent condition, and the rubber grip has not perished at all. It was made by Gunn & Moore of Nottingham. On the reverse is handwritten a date – either June 15, 1914, or June 13, 1914, and also what looks like the number 26.
June 13, 1914, was the date of a match between Madeley and Broseley in which Griffiths was second in the batting order for Madeley and trapped lbw for 26 runs.
The match result was a draw. As it happened, opening bat for Broseley that day was Harry Southorn, Graham's grandfather, who was caught out for 30.
Can anybody tell us more about W H Griffiths? Does anyone have a picture of him? Contact Toby Neal at (01952) 241458 or at tneal@shropshirestar.co.uk.
