Page 532 - Reading Mercury

The same sentence greeted the bumping of the mayor and Mayoress, Supt. Goddard
and the heaviest aldermen and councillors upon whom hands could be laid. Dr. Ward
stood by with his stethoscope handy in case anyone should be overcome by the
method of impressing the boundary marks upon the minds by way of the bodies. The
schoolboys’ turn came later when they saw their schoolmaster bumped.
After each post had been properly observed a brass plaque was affixed, signalling
that the bounds had been beaten in 1929 while Councillor Whaley was Mayor. At
many of the posts short speeches were made and Ald. W.T. Martin took advantage of
the occasion to tell the children all about the ceremony and to express the hope that
the youngsters would grow into councillors in time to come. To express their
appreciation the listeners thoroughly bumped the alderman on a post. At one part the
Embrook had to be crossed and a boy was held up by his heels and his head ducked
into the water. On many posts girls were placed and kissed, there being considerable
competition on the part of the males to perform this part of the ceremony.
It was too much to expect the beating party to cover the whole of the twelve miles
over which the boundary extended, so the party was split into three. The first, led by
Mr. F.W. Stokes and with Mr. H.W. Grummett as guide, went from Toutley through
Bear Wood—where the fern and other growth was at times higher than the heads of
the beaters—skirting Barkham and out to the Finchampstead Road, near Hand Post
Corner. Here they were met by a second party which had started from London Road,
near The Plough, under the direction of Mr. A.E. Hall, and with the borough surveyor
(Mr. C.W. Marks) as path-finder. They had worked southwards until they reached the
railway at Waterloo crossing, and continued by the line to the footbridge at the bottom
of Langborough where they turned left and followed the Embrook to Woodcree Farm
and thence to Hand Post Corner. The third party took the boundary from Toutley to
The Plough, Mr. Harold Watts being the leader and Mr. R. Hunt having the map.
Their journey was north of the town and they had to pass through the Embrook on
their way.
Alderman P. Sale was the organiser of the ceremony of the beating of the bounds.
He appeared in hunting kit and, mounted on a horse, accompanied the party from
Toutley to Hand Post Corner. “It is some years since I have been on a horse and I feel
jolly sore,” he told a “Mercury” representative. “The whole thing was carried through
in perfect temper and a thoroughly sporting spirit. We gave all the people, especially
the ladies, a good bumping, and I don’t think they will forget it for the rest of their
lives,” he added.
Comic Cricket
There was a cricket match in costume on the Wokingham cricket ground, the teams
being the ladies of the Wokingham Lawn Tennis Club and the members of the
Wokingham Cricket Club. The cricket club appeared on paper to be a strong team as
A.P.F. Chapman was in the unusual position of being reserve. They were
handicapped, however, by having to bat with various “utensils,” ranging from a beer
bottle to a frying pan, and bowl with the wrong arm. The ladies batted first, and after a
somewhat strenuous innings, in which there were the minimum number of “faults,”
managed to score 65. The opening pair for the cricket club, a pair of twins, had to be
wheeled to the wicket, and there were cries of dismay when one was given “out.” The
methods of the players, although being very entertaining, were rather unorthodox, as
several players had to be got out several times before they would leave. Other
batsmen would insist on taking the ball with them, and on these occasion scenes
reminiscent of a Rugby football match would ensue, the batsmen being tackled in true
Rugby manner. One member of the cricket-club’s side used an umbrella as a bat and

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