Mexborough and Swinton Times December 13, 1929

Obituary

Mr. G. F. Shaw, An Old Swinton Player.

The death occurred with startling suddenness on Monday morning of George Fred Shaw, at 56, Crossland Street Swinton,              –

Shaw had just finished his breakfast when he collapsed and died. He appeared in normal health during the week-end, and attended a sister’s wedding on Saturday.

Mr. Shaw was 48, and belonged to an old Swinton family who for many years were associated with district sport. Mr. Shaw’s-own association goes back over 40 years, and through this, chiefly on the cricket field, he has been well known in South Yorkshire for many years. He commenced playing with Swinton as a youth and continued until after the war. Since then he been on the list of umpires and received appointments in the Yorkshire Council.

In addition he was one of the members of the original Swinton hockey team and was a sound player. During the war he served in the Devonshire Regiment and the R.A.S.C. He will be missed by the Swinton Club.

Shaw joined the Swinton Cricket team as a youth in 1900 and played till the war brought a cessation of the game (the accompanying reproduction is  from an old group photograph of one all the pre-war teams of which he was a member). He was always a consistent, reliable player, though perhaps there are no particularly startling feats to recall. One of his strong points was his ability to play with ease that awkward ball that is the dread of so many batsmen, the one pitched on the leg stump.

He, with Harry Rigby and George Woods, were the defensive trio of the hockey team inaugurated in 1906, and Shaw is regarded as one of the best hockey backs Swinton ever produced.

For six years Mr. Shaw was secretary of the Swinton branch of the Stove-grate Workers’ Union. Mr. Shaw was a moulder employed at Hattersley’s foundry, Swinton.

He leaves a widow and a family of four girls, the eldest 18 years old, and one boy aged 14.