October 1929
October 1929
October 1929
Pelton Fell Win the N.W.D. Bowls League
Pelton Fell Win the N.W.D. Bowls League
On 4th October 1929, the Chester-le-Street Chronicle reported on Pelton Fell's success in winning the North-West Durham Bowling League.
The League Cup was presented by Major Mangles, chairman of the North-West Durham League (and hon. secretary at Consett Park).
The article includes some interesting comments about Pelton Colliery, and also the etiquette of the game.
PELTON FELL BOWLING CLUB.SUCCESS IN N. W. D. BOWLS LEAGUE CELEBRATED.The bowling season ended happily at Pelton Fell on Saturday, when the local club, as winners of the North-West Durham league, entertained the rest of the League. In the afternoon a keen game of bowls was played and resulted in a win for the “Rest” by 129 shots to 109.After the game tea was served to a good gathering of members and visitors. This was presided over by Mr. M. H. Kellett, of the Mid Durham Coal Co., who have recently re-opened Pelton Colliery. Mr. Rose, the manager of the colliery, was also present.In the course of his speech Mr. Kellett spoke well of the Durham miners, and said his association with them, which extended over a lengthy period, had usually been pleasant. He himself started work at the early age of twelve. One thing Mr Kellett regretted was that the young miners of the present generation did not seem to be taking as much advantage of the facilities offered for study as in the previous generation, although there were still many highly desirable positions to be attained in the industry. Speaking of Pelton Colliery, Mr. Kellett said that although work had not yet been found for all the men in the village, he thought that many more would in the near future be absorbed. So far as welfare work was concerned, he had always been interested in it and was glad that the workers had now the opportunity to spend their leisure time more pleasantly than in the past. Mr Kellett then asked Major Mangles to present the League Cup to the winners.Major Mangles, chairman of the N.W. Durham League, on rising to make the presentation was given a rousing reception. The major stated that this was one of the pleasantest duties he had ever performed. It really gave him unbound pleasure to hand over the cup to the Pelton Fell Club; more so to them in fact than to his own club. Why? Because soon after the club was formed and became members of the N.W.D. League, a gloom was cast over the village through the probability of the closing down of the colliery, and although this did come to pass and threw practically all the men of the village out of work, the club still struggled on bravely, fulfilling their obligations, and played their games with a real bowling spirit. Such a friendliness existed amongst the bowling fraternity as was not apparent in other games. Always at the end of the game victor and vanquished shook each other by the hand and expressed their appreciation of having had a good and enjoyable game. Major Mangles said this spirit always prevailed in the Pelton Fell Club and no matter who the visitors might be a really homely welcome awaited them, and it afforded him the greatest possible pleasure in handing the cup over to Mr Pigg, the chairman of the club.In accepting the cup Mr Pigg thanked Major Mangles for all his kind remarks, and said the club had long looked forward to this day. The season had been very pleasant and successful in every respect and he was glad that Pelton Fell were the first club to wrest the cup from the Consett Park Club, who had won it every year since the league was formed.
The article continues with a list of winners of other NWD League competitions.
The Rink Competition was won by "Consett Park Club", but none of the players are named. They are, however, named in the Club's Seventh Annual Report:
R. W. Bell, R. Wilson, T. Dent, and A. Mangles (skip)
The report also shows that Consett Park finished sixth in the North-West Durham Bowls League in the 1929 season.
