Calf Fallow Cricket Team – c1934. Photograph courtesy of Mr Don Taylor 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Calf Fallow Cricket Team – c1934. Photograph courtesy of Mr Don Taylor
Bob Irwin – both my parents (Ken and Jean Sheraton) were members of the Cricket Club Social Section for most of their lives – and me too during the 1980s – but I do recall being roped into helping out with making the teas for the cricket teams one day in the early 1970s by my mother. I don’t remember much about the experience except for one thing. When all was eaten and washing up done, I was presented with a cup of milky tea, the smell of which knocked me nauseous. Being a shy child, I pretended to drink it, all the time wondering why it had been assumed I would enjoy such a thing. I still can’t stand the smell of a cup of tea but people say I do make a lovely cup of tea. I find I must do this at arms length however. Heh.
It was nice to meet up with you Gran after all those years, the last time we met was in Bristol where we were both working for the Rio Tinto Company, Both Gran and I served our apprenticeships as Template Makers at Head Wrightsons Stockton Forge where our Foreman was Harry Thompson the Norton criceter, also in the Template loft was Harry Wilson the League Referee. When you look back at the number of sportsmen that came out of Stockton Forge it is endless, Dickie Spooner and Alan Townsend, Gus Williamson, all County Cricketers, countless footballers. So you can see the Interdepartmental sports were keenly contested, local criceters such as Norman Toulson Thornaby CC Billy Robson Stockton CC wicket keeper, Tommy Reese, Billingham and South Bank Iron man, plus others too numerous to mention, great days to be a young man at the Forge.
The scorers name at Norton was Jimmy Everett he lived on Blue Hall. I too used to work the scoreboard in 1963/4
Can’t help you on that one Gran. We didn’t meet up before a match. I would collect the numbers from just inside the pavilion doors and after that was that he would shout across with an up to date set of numbers. One of the Lipthorpes had a house next door to the Malleable Club. The house is no longer there as the club took it over to allow the extensions to be carried out. The other one had a house on the road that leads upto Fairfield Road where the library is. I think the road he lived in on the r/h side towards Fairfield was Oxbridge Ave/Road. It’s the road which would lead you into Ashmores club.
Just trying to emphasise what a popular job it was for the kids in those days, especially going into the tearoom and asking for your tea. Yes, just that bit older but we did go for similar things. Remember talking to Benny Brown re. Blakeston Lane and the things we got up to. No criminality, just youthful fun but, not knowing each other in those days, they were just similar.
Wonder if Bob can remember the name of the long time scorer in those days, I think he was called Everett,I have forgotten his first name, might have been Charlie. He was a bachelor and worked at I.C.I. May be of interest to Anon that Benny and I met up in The Horse and Jockey on his recent visit,we had not seen each other for 40 years but it was just like yesterday! Also met up with Bob Dickens,first time in about 30 years. To the enquirer about info on Jimmy Lipthorpe, he worked on the next drawing board to me at Head Wrightson Stockton Forge, and around about 1960 Camerons Brewery put up the money for Jim and his brother to take over the Fiesta when it was converted from the Moderne Cinema. Parking would be allowed over the road at the Newlands Pub, Jim up until then had a small dance band playing mainly around venues in Co.Durham, his brother also played in the band and he became the accountant for the Fiesta management,he appears on this site on some photos of Stockton Sec rugby teams,think his name was Keith.Last time I saw Jim in those days he lived in the vicinity of Greensbeck Rd. Hartburn
Ken Sheraton would have worked on the scoreboard before you Bob, he would of been about eighty-two years old now.
I used to do the job on the scoreboard. You had to be there early (early bird catches the worm) type of thing. This was because you had to compete with other boys of a similar age. There were steps upto the scoreboard and you sat and waited for instruction from the scorers who were placed in the pavilion where there was an upstairs and they sat in a room with a dormer window in it which was nearto the scoreboard. The best part of the job was that you got a free afternoon tea.
As Calf Fallow is the name of the road leading on from Norton’s Station Road, I am interested to know of any connections with the very near ‘Norton Cricket Club’ – anyone? c1934 my father was approximately 5 years old and I do know that, as a child (probably older than age 5 I suppose), he used to keep the score correct on the scoreboard for men like these at Norton Cricket ground.
The man kneeling on the left is my father Fred Taylor and the man with the bat is George Malloy,I remember as a boy going to watch them playing and the fielders had to dodge the cow pats when chasing the ball.