1980's Champion of Champions
Updated: Oct 4
Memories
With the recent updates on the 2026 Huddersfield Champion of Champions prompting Bill Blackburn to recall the differences in the version of that competition from 40 years ago.
I don't think the aura of winning the competition is the same as 40 years ago, and certainly not the attendance on finals day.
Here is a copy of who we used to invite as a comparison to this year’s event. This is what it would have been like 40 odd years ago when I was Competition Secretary.
The Merit winners from Huddersfield, Halifax, Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Skipton,
West Riding, Barkers Sports (Spring), William Stones (Bass North), Mirfield Merit, Yorks Merit, Colne Valley Merit, Cockroft Handicap, Conservative Merit, and Liberal Merit.
One year, when struggling to get the 16 required it was suggested we invite the Huddersfield Ladies Merit winner, but we opted instead to invite the (male) Junior Merit winner.
40 years ago was the 1980's, not the 1960's :) In it's 80 years of playing, as far as I know, a lady has been invited twice, Doris Dunning (Ladies Merit winner) played in 1998 at Milnsbridge and lost to 16 in R1 to Richard Mozley, Elaine Lunn declined the invitation in 1999 and it has never been offered again