Ushaw Moor Memories

ALLAN DUNN

Allan Dunn was born in July 1945 and attended Ushaw Moor County School before going to the new Ushaw Moor Secondary Modern School in early April 1959. I remember his friendship, as well as his sporting pursuits, but the reason for his nickname ‘Jocker’ is unclear to me. I am almost sure that he had a brother called Douglas.

Allan played at left back in the     Modern School team and although his positioning was a little faulty at times –his calm temperament was [sometimes!] an asset when our defence was under pressure. He always attempted to play to the rules of football, which contrasts with the professional game. Professional defenders often tug shirts to hold players back and to be honest they look rather pathetic when they do that. Allan also played cricket and I recall that one day our schoolmaster Harry Barlow invited both of us to open the innings for Brancepeth Cricket Club, even though we were both only 14 or15 years old at the time!

When Allan left school he went to work for an employer in Durham City, together with Alan Burns. Sometime later he bought their employer out - although I am not sure whether that made him managing director or an entrepreneur.

Let me start with some details of a 1936 local derby. Ushaw Moor travelled the short journey to Esh Winning on 09/05/1936 to play the hosts. The scorecard for the game is as follows:

Esh Winning:
J Rowlands run out 5
T Kirk  run out 10
G Turnbull bowled C Sargeant  1
C Grey caught C Sargeant bowled J Sargeant  22
T Dove bowled R Wilson 31
S Willis bowled R Wilson 0
F Hallam bowled R Wilson 1
S Crosby caught Hope bowled Spikings 2
H Grey caught Gibson bowled R Wilson 11
R Pinkney lbw bowled Spikings 4
T Rowan not out 0
Extras 10
Total 97
Ushaw Moor:
R Hope bowled C Grey 23
J Ross bowled Hallam 1
J Sargeant lbw bowled Hallam 11
J J Gibson caught H Grey bowled C Grey  21
J Rodgers caught Willis bowled Dove 6
C Sargeant caught Turnbull bowled C Grey 10
J F Spikings not out 5
W Seed not out 1
Extras 20
Total 98 for 6 wickets
Ushaw Moor won by four wickets

Batting can be dangerous and in about 1940, during a Friday night cup game against Annfield Plain, Harry Gillespie lost sight of a delivery in the sun and he was quite badly injured, or as Norman Hope reported some years later, ‘ Harry was very ill’.

This is a bit of a mixture, being a list of some of the Ushaw Moor traders in the year 1914 and a request for information about an Ushaw Moor cricketer.
I suppose lists can be a bit boring for the general reader but, if your family have lived in the area for generations and you are into family history, they are potentially useful.
Here is the 1914 list: