Exclusive: Cricket society in crisis over ‘lost’ £14,000

Wombwell Cricket Lovers’ Society, based in Barnsley and due to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, has been struggling since it was discovered that £14,000 was missing from its accounts following the death of treasurer David Musgrave.

The deficit came to light in 2007 shortly after the death of Mr Musgrave, who was well respected in the Yorkshire cricket community.

The society, which regularly attracts high profile speakers from the game, began to look into the accounts and a financial crisis erupted when it emerged a total of £14,119 was missing.

The missing money included funds that had been set aside for one of the society’s Christmas dinners.

The discovery prompted a series of emergency committee meetings, one of which was attended by Mr Musgrave’s son Dominic, a committee member.

Subsequently a possible solution appeared in connection with the planned sale of a property owned by with Mr Musgrave and his widow Pat.

On May 3, 2007, law firm, Dransfield, Hodgkinson and Lofthouse – now known as Pennine Law following a merger – wrote to the society with an undertaking that it would pay the society the missing money from the net proceeds of the sale of the house.

A copy of this letter, seen by the Yorkshire Post, said: “We understand that Mr Musgrave was the treasurer of Wombwell Cricket Society and shortly prior to his demise was in the process of transferring the society’s money from one account to another, a total of £14,119.30.

“As you will be aware no paperwork has turned up regarding the transferring of this money and we are asked to write to you in order to give our undertaking that upon completion of the sale of the above property we are to pay the sum of £14,119.30 from the net sale proceeds, unless the monies are located prior to the sale, upon which they will have to be paid to the society.”

It is not clear who instructed that firm to write the letter. But it coincided with a downturn in the property market and the matter has dragged on, committee members loaning the society money to ensure survival.

In addition the solicitors now acting for Mrs Musgrave, Howard and Co, wrote to the society late last year denying she had any liability for the outstanding money. The letter also said she was not aware such an undertaking had been provided by a law firm.

Both firms involved said they could not comment and Mrs Musgrave was unavailable for comment.

The loss has hit the society hard it has had to turn down requests for grants to help fund young players on trips abroad, including one from current Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale in early 2007.

Chairman James Greenfield said: “Since then we have been able to continue our activities with the help of contributions from members. Wombwell has always been a bit more than a cricket meeting society. We have maintained, since the mid-1950s a strong programme of coaching for young players.

“If we had our money situation sorted we could do much more ambitious things with these kids.”

The society has now called an emergency general meeting on Tuesday to alert members of the full details and plot a way ahead.