Last Friday saw the opening of the new English Restaurant «The Albion», situated at number 43 Odiel Street, the property of our personal friend Mr. William Alcock. In view of the many connections held by the said gentleman in this capital, and the choice quality of all that is served in the establishment, we do not doubt that a great success awaits the new restaurant «The Albion».
To such of our readers as have lately come out to Huelva, a word upon the proprietor may not be unwelcome. To the remainder he will require no introduction whatever.
Mr. William Jonathan Alcock is a native of Cork, and came into this province in 1888 in the service of the Rio Tinto Company Limited, engaged as head of the Groceries Department at the Company’s stores at Minas de Riotinto. It is a post that reads better in a ledger than in a paragraph; but we would observe that a man who has spent five years provisioning the largest mining establishment in Europe is unlikely to find himself at a loss when it comes to victualling a house in the Calle Odiel. The table set before us on Friday bore out that opinion handsomely.
He had not been long at the mines before the sporting fraternity of the Sierra took his measure. In May of 1889 he turned out for the English Club at Riotinto in the first game of cricket of which any account has reached the press of this province — a distinction we suspect he values rather less than his companions value it on his behalf.
In December of that year, when the British residents of this capital met at the Hotel Colón to give their loose arrangements a constitution, a set of books and a subscription, Mr. Alcock was among those present at the founding of the Huelva Recreation Club. He took no place upon the committee. Those who know him will not be surprised: his interest in a club has always begun at the touch-line and ended at the far goal.
His hour came on the 8th of March 1890, when the Recreation Club travelled to Seville to meet the club of that city at the Hipódromo de Tablada, and Mr. Alcock led the Huelva eleven on to the field as their captain. The result was a defeat by two goals to none. In justice to our men it should be recorded that they had never once played together as a side before that morning; that they had come off a four hours’ railway journey the same day; that they were made up in part of athletes from the British colony at Rio Tinto; and that the match was in the hands of a referee who was also the president of the opposing club. A Scotch newspaper which noticed the game allowed, with the charity of distance, that it was only fair to state the Huelva men had never played together before.
Three weeks afterwards, on the 7th of April, the Sevillians came down to Huelva for the return, before a company of some five hundred. They opened the scoring. They did not finish it. Huelva won by two goals to one, and the captain who had walked off at Tablada had his answer.
Mr. Alcock has since been a fixture in every side this town has put into the field — against Seville in February of last year, against the Rio Tinto men in May. In February of this present year he removed from the mines to this capital, with his wife, formerly Miss Virginia Bassadone of Gibraltar, whom he married at Cádiz in the spring of 1891.
It is not, on reflection, so long a journey from the Company’s provision stores to a house of one’s own. We wish him every success in it; and we note, without laboring the coincidence, that «The Albion» opened its doors within two days of the third anniversary of Tablada.
[A Huelva Gazette article adapted from original sources]