Thursday, March 10, 2005

100 years ago: Bridlington had entered into full possession of its new electric lighting works, and the town in the evening was lit up with the new form of illumination. The opening ceremony was performed by the Mayor, who had evinced deep interest in the scheme, and it passed off with "the utmost satisfaction". For a town the size and population of Bridlington, such an undertaking, involving as it did an expenditure of nearly £27,000, equal to one-third of the borough's rateable value, was of the greatest importance, and the result of its working was being awaited with great interest.

50 years ago: Mr Nobody had a plea for the cricket clubs of York, to let their grounds to schools in midweek during the following season, if they weren't doing so already, an appeal passed on from the secretary of the Northern Cricket Society. At the request of the MCC Advisory Youth Council, many clubs in the area over the past few years had lent their ground to school in midweek. There were still clubs who had no play on their grounds from Saturday to Saturday, and the council were hoping they might consider "adopting" a school before the beginning of the season in May. The secretary had attended St Peter's School, and his conversation with the columnist had aroused some memories with his tales of the matches of the late 1920s, including the Eccentrics team "which certainly lived up to its name". To gain a cap, a player had to achieve an unusual distinction. Ducks, bad bowling and poor fielding were to be desired; to get a century or perform well in the field meant one lost the Eccentrics' cap. The secretary told Mr Nobody how he joined the Eccentrics team: "I got my cap for missing three catches in a match."

25 years ago: Monty Python's "hilarious" Life of Brian moved into its third week at the ABC cinema in York. It was proving to be one of the most popular films in York for quite some time, "thanks, no doubt, in no little part to those bigoted and blinkered people who are intent on criticising something they haven't seen", according to the Evening Press film critic, who had been "reliably informed" that the pickets, who had braved appalling weather for two weeks to dissuade people from going to the film, had vanished.

Updated: 08:39 Thursday, March 10, 2005