Baseball: Grandfather was a baseball catcher

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Sporting prowess is obviously in the Beresford family. Peter Beresford who, as a boy, played for Derby Boys and Derby County amateurs, has written in to tell Bygones about his grandfather, W Beresford, who was catcher for Ley’s renowned cup-winning baseball team back in 1897.

It is amazing that the wartime baseball game at the Rams’s ground continues to surface every few years – amazing in the respect that it refers to the very beginnings of the Rams via baseball and the baseball ground.

I have a great interest as my grandfather also featured in the baseball team photograph of the winners of the English Cup in 1897. His name is W Berresford (the spelling should be a single r)

Those in the photograph were – back row, L to R: D Allsop) (captain and 1st base), J Evans (reserve) , J Reidenbach (pitcher), J W Robinson (3rd base), E Booth (centre field).

Middle row: Steve Bloomer (second base), H Gordon Ley (vice president), Francis Ley (president), H M Gray (vice president), Alex Langlands (secretary), T. Prestby (left field).

Front row: J Mellors (short stop), J Saxton (right field), W Beresford (catcher).

The winners each received an inscribed medal, featuring the Buck in the Park emblem with crossed baseball bats beneath.

My grandfather’s funeral tribute, carried by a local newspaper in February 1911, states that he was, for many years, landlord of the Hilton Arms, on Osmaston Road, Derby (subsequently known as Crilly’s).

He was popularly known as Sandy and was a well-known figure in sporting circles. He was a capital exponent of most outdoor games.

The tribute also states that he shared, with Steve Bloomer, the honour of holding medals for cricket, football and baseball.

In fact, Steve Bloomer was among the funeral bearers. The others were D Mallin, J Hallam, A Stokes, T Radford and J Mallin.

Like George Quinton, I can remember seeing my first football game at the Baseball Ground when Aston Villa came to play. My recollection is of being sat on one of the restraining barriers so that I could see over the crowd.

Two blokes came in crashing dustbin lids and shouting “come on, the Rams”, but were soon relieved of them by a steward.

Jack Stamps played and he could really shoot with tremendous power, sometimes into the crowd at the Normanton end, where we were.

I also recall seeing Jack Lee’s home debut (after he was signed from Leicester), scoring four goals at centre-forward.

I remember, at the age of eight, seeing the Derby County 1946 FA Cup-winning team, arriving by bus at the Blue Peter, Alvaston, showing off their trophy.

It must have spurred me on as, having subsequently played in the Shelton Lock school team and the New Allenton Tech team, I was fortunate to play for Derby Boys alongside Taylor, Smallwood, Baines, Bates, Clarke, Hopkins, Griffiths, Newberry, Parry, Byatt, Hampston and Richmond.

At the same time and after I left school, I also played for a local team, the Venturers, which had many successes, eventually winning section of the Derby Senior League.

Meanwhile, I had joined Derby County FC as an amateur with Pete Holborn and Ken Dodgeson, where we stayed until Harry Storer came along and moved us and others to make room for his own choices. Such is football!

In subsequent years, quite by coincidence, I played against Jack Stamps when he turned out for Burton Albion in the Bass Charity Cup Final.

He had just recovered after a year’s injury and I thought how nimble, and tough, he was for such a giant of a man.

Needless to say we – Derby Corinthians – lost by 7-2.

I have many fond memories of the Baseball Ground as a Rams’ supporter, watching players like Kevin Hector, Roy McFarland, Dave Mackay, Colin Todd, Willie Carlin and Archie Gemmell, during the Clough-Taylor era. It leaves you with wonderful thoughts about football.

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This article is from the Derby Evening Telegraph and is reproduced online here.