Centenary 1891-1991

Some Personal Recollections . . .

It is unfortunate that no records of the Club have survived except a Minute Book of the Annual General Meeting for 1936 onwards. The only item prior to this is a photograph of "Stockton" B XI taken in front of the old cricket pavilion at Norton in 1903: that team included Bert Salmon, brother of Walter and A.A.B.Walford (father of Edward, Michael and David), who was President of the Club when he died in 1946.

My early memories are of the 1930's when the Norton side had three Scottish Internationals in: Dr.Gibson, who travelled over from Kirkby Stephen every Saturday in his open Bentley, and the two Dickinsons, David, a surgeon and Jimmy, a doctor who is living in Nunthorpe; both were half backs.

My own playing days started in 1936 when I left school, and between then and the outbreak of the war there were two current Welsh Internationals in the side, Martyn Evans and Owain Rocyn-Jones, as well as three other Durham County players, including Bill Hay-Cooper, who also played for the North. It was a good Club side.

Mention must be made here of Walter Salmon, who must have been one of the longest active members of the Club as Player, Secretary, Treasurer and Umpire after his playing days ended. He also, in the 1930's, used to spend his Thursday afternoons as 'Groundsman'. He used to harness the horse to the large roller and give the pitch a good roll in preparation for the Saturday game (there were no paid groundsman at that time, except in the summer). When the war ended, the Club was re-started in the capable hands of Walter Salmon as Secretary and Treasurer. The Club side included current Internationals including my brother Michael (a non-playing holiday member !) who was the Captain of England in 1951, and John Balmer, who joined us when Bishop Auckland did not re-form after the war: John was Captain of Durham and when he left playing became a top-class Umpire who officiated at the Tokyo Olympics. John went South where he died in 1970. He has given enormous service to Norton, Durham County and Scotland as a Player and was certainly one of the best Umpires in the UK at the time of his death.

There are many names of those who helped the Club as Players and Officials: "Rummy" Sale (whose two sons played for the Club), Harry Barker, Mick Borgass, Jack Jemison (Club Captain and Captain of Durham when they won the County Championships in 1962). All these played also for Durham.

I hope that I have not forgotten too many others who served the Club during my playing days.

David Walford
31 January 1991