A glance at the expenditure column in the treasurer, James K. Marsland’s cash book for 1878, denotes an entry of “£3.00 for ground rent, 1876 & 1877”. Before anyone is thinking of alerting the fraud squad for misleading information surrounding the exact year of our clubs formation, we have at our disposal the minutes of the first ever committee meeting, when the clubs official inception took place.

Presumably, although we cannot be sure, a gathering of friends on a casual basis was using the ground in question, and not under the guise of Mottram Cricket Club and upon the formation of M.C.C it was deemed prudent to pay the landowner his dues.

As our current chairman Sid has already mentioned, the donations totalling over £19

Were gratefully received, and worthy of mention is Lord Tollemache’s gift of £5.00. Chairman Joshua A. Hirst and his merry men soon had to purchase some playing equipment. With no expense spared, 2 bats, 4 balls, along with some batting gloves and leg guards set the club back £3. 9 shillings. Repairs to the tent and “other repairs” totalled 8 shillings and sixpence.

A healthy profit of £12 14s 6d was carried forward to 1879.

It became clear that the club could not solely rely on donations forever and so in the winter of 1879 a concert was held in the schoolroom with the “Lyric Minstrels” providing the entertainment. The club must have been delighted with the proceeds of £6 19s 6d. However, the pro’s fees soon swallowed up this princely sum as Jimmy Robinson, poached from Tintwistle, was paid £9 and 8 shillings for his season’s efforts!

Obviously not much of a batsman, he managed only 94 runs at an average of 13.42, but fared better as a bowler, taking 51 wickets with each one costing only 3.52 runs. He took 5 wickets in a match on 5 occasions. Amateur John Postles actually took more wickets than the pro this season with a haul of 54, including one amazing performance against Copley Mill, when he bagged 7 for 8!

It is little wonder that the ball outshone the bat, as evidently, the club did not possess a roller until 1882, for which they paid £4.00.

Robinson had been retained as pro until this year but there was to be a gap of nine years before another was employed. Were Mottram feeling the pinch or was it a case of consolidating club funds in readiness for some major outlay?

Indeed it was.

The grand sum of £17 10s was paid to Lancashire Felt Cricket Club for a pavilion, roller and flagpole.

J Storer was paid £5 6d for the removal and re fixing of this building, and six panes of glass were purchased, at a cost of 7s 6d. How times have changed.

Moles were rearing their ugly little heads, just as they are today. Mr J Wearing was paid 1 shilling and sixpence for dealing with the pesky burrowers.

In 1891, it was decided to employ the services once more, of a pro. Henry Ridgeway was paid half of what his predecessor Robinson had drawn nine years before, and clearly Mottram were tightening their belts.

In 1894, Mottram became founder members of the Glossop & District Cricket League where they were to remain until 1999.

There were to be no more pros, but a bowling feat by our B Goddard (no details) was felt worthy enough to have been telegrammed to the Glossop Chronicle, setting the club back 7½d!

By the turn of the century, with Queen Victoria still on the throne and not a motorcar in sight, (at least not in Mottram anyway) the club was about to undertake the biggest project of their short history.

Land had been made available just off Hyde Road and the club decided to “up sticks” from their old pitch on Broadbottom Road and re locate to pastures new. The whole mammoth operation cost the combined sum of £88 10s 6½d *

H Broadbent received £64 for the laying and draining of the square and outfield. Messrs Timperley, Goddard, & Wilson were paid £9 6s 6d for the “carting of ashes,” which would have been used as the base for the square. F. Hall billed the club for animal bone dust costing 15 shillings, this being used as a fertiliser

Last but not least, J. Roberts needed £7 14s 9½d for the transport and re location of the pavilion.

Mottram were to return to Broadbottom Road in 1915 and have resided there ever since.

 How brave and dedicated those early pioneers of Mottram Cricket Club must have been to even contemplate such tasks, but through their ingenuity, forethought and resourcefulness they had well and truly laid the foundations for years to come. 
                                                             
John Birch

Footnote: 

*A similar project in 1985, without of course the movement of our clubhouse to have to contend with, cost the club £22,000. If we were to undertake the same scheme again, the price would be more than double this figure. That’s inflation for you.