The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1888-05-25 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

WHIT MONDAY AT MAESTEG.  " Maesteg of all places in the world" was the remark when I expressed my determination to go out of the beaten track and break away from "home rule ; " to turn my back upon the racing attractions of Cheltenham and Clyne-valley, and spend my Whit-Monday elsewhere. Once my mind made up, I departed per the mid-day train te see what was to be seen at the town in the hills. From previous experience I knew there were many "old stagers," who were to be depended upon to cater for the amusement of the public, and that they were possessed of enough of the Mark Tapley spirit, to prevent their being greatly down on their luck if they did not draw the multitude. But they did attract the latter, yet, as every one knows the times at Maesteg are bad, abnormally so, and the bulk of the spectat3rs stood on the ridge which overlooks the cricket field, and thus saved the gate money. It was of course not remunerative to the enterprising folk who had organised a pro. gramme sufficiently lowg to wile away a summer's afternoon, but they had recompense of knowing that they had not been indifferent to the wants of the people who desired to be amused, and at a trifling cost on a public holiday. On the field there was a good sprinkling of the young and middle aged folks; with a few of the grey-beards who gave countenance to the pleasures of the juniors. About two o'clock a cricket match was begun the competitors being a selection from the local Club, and a team formed from members of the Dramatic Society. The latter were not such adepts at the grand old English game as their , opponents and they had to suffer defeat • only to win later their laurels on the stage, in the performance of the exciting three-act drama of "Simon Lee, or the murder of the Fivefield copse." I did not stay to witness the thrilling incidents and situations of the piece, fearing that my sensitive and imaginative mind should be unduly exercised in a rehearsal of the exciting drama after the curtain had fallen, and Morpheus had laid his hand upon me. But to return to the cricket match; and I must here observe that the expert cricketers were called the Old English team, on account of their wearing stove-pipe hats, which were much affected by the Sussex Players, the Gentlemen of England, and other crack teams in the past century; though tabooed in these years of Grace. A pot hat is not the kind of gear to go a batting with, but the revival of such an appendage would surely go far to increase the trade of Christie, and Lincoln and Bennett. If the wearers were rather heavily handicapped by such head gear, the contending players were equally hampered by the grotesque costumes they wore, such as clown, pantaloon, and nigger attire. The game of course needs but little description ; time was of the essence of the contract, and the stove pipes took the bat first, with the knowledge that stumps would be drawn at four o'clock to make way for the rustic sports. J. Morgan, E. Grey, T. Cusse, and J. Sutton made the most of the pile of 72, on the Old English side; and the corps drantatique were best represented by F. G. Davies, who scored the biggest half of the 45 runs; once he had a narrow escape of being run out, but the bails happened to be down. The most destructive bowling came from T. W. Morgan, four of the Old English going down off his bowling; and on the other side Hutchinson did the bulk of the work against the bat. I here subjoin the score:—