Howzat for love and devotion! Diamond wedding couple spend anniversary serving tea to cricket spectators in Chesterfield

A couple who bonded over their love of cricket will spend their 60th wedding anniversary serving teas at a match in Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park.
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Arthur and Grace Wragg, who live in Bolsover, are keen followers of the sport which brought them together as teenagers in Palterton.

Cricket runs in the family, their grandson Ben is an opening batsman and occasional spin bowler for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, and his sister Laura played women’s cricket for Derbyshire before entering the world of work.

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Arthur and Grace are parents to Linda, Stuart and Susan and dote on their grandchildren Ben, Laura, Hannah, Paige and Eleanor.

Arthur and Grace Wragg celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on July 14.Arthur and Grace Wragg celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on July 14.
Arthur and Grace Wragg celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on July 14.

The couple’s diamond anniversary on July 14 coincides with Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s second team’s fixture at Chesterfield Cricket Club’s ground.

Grace, 79 said “Since county cricket returned to Queen’ s Park, we’ve been acting as volunteers to help with the catering for the players and also serve hot drinks and cake to the spectators, and we are pretty good at washing pots”.

"We are delaying our anniversary party until July 17 which we're having in the garden with all our family.”

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Romance blossomed for the couple, who both grew up in Palterton, when Grace used to help her aunt prepare teas at the village cricket club. Arthur, 81, said: “I was head over heels for her. One or two of my mates said that they would have liked to have taken Grace out and I said to myself that wasn't going to happen, it was going to be me.”

Arthur and Grace Wragg on their wedding day.Arthur and Grace Wragg on their wedding day.
Arthur and Grace Wragg on their wedding day.

But it was Grace who made the first move on a trip to Blackpool with her sister and friends at a time when Arthur was holidaying there with his family. She said: “We had a spare ticket for a show and asked Arthur if he'd like to come. We met there and we've been together ever since.”

The couple got engaged on Christmas Eve 1960 and married at Scarcliffe Parish Church, followed by a reception at Palterton Miners Welfare Club. Grace said: “We had a lovely salad tea and a wonderful three-tier cake. We even played bingo in the evening and I won five pounds.”

At 11pm on their wedding night Arthur and Grace boarded a train at Chesterfield for their fortnight’s honeymoon in Torquay. Grace said: “We travelled so far and then we were at a standstill. Someone came and said we’re going to be stood here for a couple of hours….we got there at 7am in the morning.”

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On their return from Torquay, the couple lived with Arthur’s parents for a few weeks. Grace said: “Arthur was in the police force at the time and we were being posted to Clay Cross. We got a flat there for a year or two and then we were at Buxton for a couple of years. In Buxton he was on a bike and had to go up all the hills. He would do four hours in the morning and then he’d be back on duty from 6pm until 10pm.”

Arthur and Grace Wragg were married at Scarcliffe Parish Church in 1962.Arthur and Grace Wragg were married at Scarcliffe Parish Church in 1962.
Arthur and Grace Wragg were married at Scarcliffe Parish Church in 1962.

The split shifts weren’t ideal when their first-born Linda came along so Arthur gave up his job as constable – but not before his cricketing skills had helped Derbyshire Police win trophies.

Arthur and Grace returned to north Derbyshire where he worked for the Britannic Insurance. They moved into their house half a century ago, relocating from a smaller property on the same road. Grace said: “We moved in in 1972, fortunately, because in 1993 there was a landslip and the other house was demolished.”

After 22 years in the insurance business Arthur became a self-employed market trader selling menswear such as shirts, cardigans and jumper in Bolsover, Mansfield, Worksop, Retford and Newark. Grace said: “I used to help him out with that – we both enjoyed it.”

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Arthur spent the remaining years of his working life at Bolsover Hospital driving patient transport ambulances.

Grace worked in Marks and Spencer in Mansfield after leaving Bolsover Girls School. She said: “At that time it was all counters and I was on the socks counter. I finished working there before we got married as I knew we were going to be moving. Because we were moving about it wasn't viable to find a job and then Linda came along three years after we married.....it’s been bringing up the children and looking after the grandchildren ever since.”

Cricket has been the couple’s main interest. Grace said: “Arthur was bowler and a batter – an all-rounder. If they wanted some runs at the end, his mates would always say 'cometh the hour, cometh the man' because he’d go and smash it and they’d win. He is well-known because he played in the Bassetlaw League, he’s played in the Over 50s for Derbyshire and was only just 50 when the team went to play at Exmouth in the final and they won."

Arthur continued playing cricket for teams in Bolsover and Chesterfield until he was 62.

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In one of Arthur’s final matches for Chesterfield he played alongside his grandson Ben and his son-in-law David.

Grace and Arthur have enjoyed many an adventurous holiday including a cricket tour to South Africa, a Caribbean cruise, a visit to Australia to see Arthur’s brother and a bus trip around Boston in America.

Old-time ballroom dancing is among their interests. Grace said: “We learned to do the waltz and such like at Palterton welfare and as the years progressed we tried to do some sequence dancing but I’m afraid that we’re forgetting the steps a bit.”

Their daughter Linda Slater said: “Mum and dad enjoy helping family and extended family with their DIY projects – that’s anything from painting and decorating to garden renovations. They are fondly known as The Ground Force Team.” Grace said: “We can mix concrete, we can build stone walls. We get a few health issues – but we’re doing extremely well and we’re very grateful.”