Whit Monday Sports at St Albans

From the Herts Advertiser,

 27th May 1893

 

Old News

St Albans

Bernards Heath

 

The twenty-fifth annual sports held under the auspices of the St Albans Cricket Club took place as usual on Whit Monday, the venue again being a meadow at Bernard’s-heath, which Mr J Reynolds kindly placed at the disposal of the committee. … Fortunately the rain held off, and during the greater part of the day the sun shone with great brilliancy; the consequence being that some five thousand persons from all parts of the country wended their way to the sports …

People named in the article are listed below

 

ST ALBANS CRICKET CLUB
Registered by the Amateur Athletic Association as an approved Club
THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL
ATHLETIC SPORTS
Under the Rules of the A.A.A. and N.C.U.
Will be held, by permit from the London Centre, N.C.U.
N WHIT MONDAY, MAY 22nd, 1892,
IN A MEADOW NEAR BERNARD’S HEATH
(Kindly lent by J Reynolds, Esq.)
PROGRAMME:– … ...

[Advert Herts Advertiser 6th May 1893]

F W Barnes, St Peters CC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
G C Barnes, Committee
H W Barnes, St Peters CC, Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
C R Barrance, 3rd in 100 Yards Handicap (under 12)
T Bartlett, Essex Beagles, 3rd in Three Mile Handicap (Open)
H W Bennett, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)
J Blair, Handicapper for open bicycle events
F Blanks, Committee, Superintended the course
A Braithwaite, 120 Yards Handicap (absentee)
C C Braithwaite, Committee
F Brown, Uxbridge CC, One & Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
F J Bulling, Stoke Newington H, 2nd in Three Mile Handicap (Open)
C M Callow, Civil Service, 3rd in Two Miles Walking Handicap (Open)
T Channing, Conductor of CETS Prize Band
G H Clamp, Highgate H, 4th in Two Miles Walking Handicap (Open)
B Clover, 100 Yards Handicap (under 12)
F E Coxall, Commercial CC, 120 Yards Handicap
W Cryer, Highgate H, 1st in Two Miles Walking Handicap (Open)
A H Debenham, Committee, Handicapper for club and local cycle event
E P Debenham, Hon Secretary, Starter, Clerk of the course
Ernest Dixon, Committee
J E Dixon, Handicapper for walking race
E C Dolby, Crouch End H, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
A J Edmonton, Edmonton CC, 5th in Two Miles Walking Handicap (Open)
Alderman Fisk, President (& Mayor)
Mrs Fisk, Mayoress, Presented prizes
F W Freshwater, Committee
A F Gardner, Handicapper for open running events
C E Glover, Sun CC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open), 2nd in Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
T Griffith, Referee for walking race
C F Griffiths, West London CC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
E W Hitchcock, 2nd in One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)
G W Hopkins, 120 Yards Handicap (absentee)
W E Jago, 100 Yards Handicap (under 12)
Albert Johnstone, Stanville FC, 2nd in One Mile Handicap, 120 Yards Handicap
Ketterer, One Mile Handicap
A J Mann, Globe CC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
T Marks, Committee, Clerk of the course
F Mathews, Committee
C W Miskin, Committee
L B Myers, Committee
L J Myers, Committee
H Parkins, 120 Yards Handicap (absentee)
W H Phillips, Assistant Hon Secretary, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)
A J Potton, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)
A Powell, Stanville FC, 3rd in One Mile Handicap
E Rees, Globe CC, 1st in One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
F E Reynolds, Committee
J Reynolds, Made field available
J Richardson, 2nd in 100 Yards Handicap (under 12)
C C Sharpe, 1st in 100 Yards Handicap (under 12)
E N Sharpe, St Albans FC, 1st in 120 Yards Handicap
J W Sharpe, Committee, Captain & Secretary of the St Albans FC, 120 Yards Handicap
P Sharpe, 200 yards Handicap for Boys 12-15
Horace Slade, Committee
W Smith, 3rd in One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)
R B Spanswick, 1st in 200 yards Handicap for Boys 12-15
H J Streatfield, Herne Hill H, Three Mile Handicap (Open)
O Tusting, 3rd in 200 yards Handicap for Boys 12-15
Earl of Verulam, Patron
J Walker, Ariel CC, One & Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
W Warby, Verulam FC, 1st in One Mile Handicap
A L Webb, University CHCC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open), 3rd in Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
S Welsford, Noel Park FC, 2nd in Two Miles Walking Handicap (Open)
G R White, Committee, Verulam CC, One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open), 1st in Three Mile Bicycle Handicap (Open)
H White, St Peters H, 1st in Three Mile Handicap (Open)
W H Wroot, 2nd in 200 yards Handicap for Boys 12-15
A C Wroot, Commercial CC, 2nd in 120 Yards Handicap
W Young, 1st in One Mile Bicycle Handicap (Local)

Note: This was the last Athletic Sports held on the Heath. The following year the 26th Sports were held at Clarence Park on August Bank Holiday.


Introductory text of account in The Field (27 May 1893) referring to the new athletic and cricket ground being provided by Sir J. B. Maple.


A Photograph of the Appropriate Committee

 

I was very kindly given this very faded and dirty photograph (image circa quarto sheet of paper size) mounted on a fragile piece of card - and with printed titles, to see if I could rescue anything from the wreckage!

The image to the left is a raw scan, and it is just possible to make some of the figures out - while the background (trees???) is unidentifiable.

The image below is the best one can do as the amount of noise means reconstructing a complete image would be impossible if the aim was to recognise every face!

 

From the 1891 census: Age 1891 Address 1891 Occupation
George Charles Barnes

37

Verulam Road Banker's Clerk
Alex F Blanks 50 Lattimore Road Grocer
Jonah Constable 42 Lattimore Road Hay Binder
Albert Herbert Debenham 42 St Peter's Street Solicitor
Edward Percy Debenham 32 St Peter's Street Solicitor
Francis W Freshwater 47 London Road Merchant
R Freshwater      
Tom Griffiths      
T Marks 29 London Road Hotel Keeper's Assistant
Frank Matthews 39 Grimston Road Clerk
Christopher W Miskin 31 Verulam Road Builder's Manager
Lancelot James Myers 51 Holywell Hill Dental Surgeon
Frank Ernest Reynolds 22 Heath Farm  
Arthur John Reynolds 20 Heath Farm  
Jacob Reynolds 55 Heath Farm Farmer
John William

Sharpe

18 St Peters Street Clerk
Horace Slade 40 Hawthorne, Hatfield Road Hat Manufacturer
     
July 2013   Photograph added