Huddersfield memories from 1984
- Memories
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Memories
Saturday issues of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner were always a must-read for local bowlers with Peter Muff's collection of stories featuring for many years as the record of all that was happening in the local (and national) bowling circles. This copy is typical of the range of stories that Peter produced.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner Saturday 23 June 1984
IT SHOULD be a cracker of a day at Netherton Conservative Club tomorrow — the last stepping stone for Yorkshire players en route to Blackpool It’s the county area Final of the Yorkshire Bank / Daily Express Crown King tournament and three qualifiers will move on to the Final day at the Waterloo Hotel a fortnight today when they’ll be chasing a first prize of £1250.
Yorkshire had four qualifiers in the Final last year and they thought they’d have the same number this time That’s why there are 16 competitors on the Netherton card Unfortunately however they’ve only got three which means that they’ve had to divide tomorrow’s card into two halves — with one qualifier having to win three games in the top one and two qualifiers going through after only two games in the bottom one.
And there have been complications nationally with the organisers having to draw up an oddly numbered field of 33 for Blackpool! There was a record entry of 3450 for the competition and because they wanted to give each county a fair representation there was no way they could lop one of that number to the traditional 32.
Look at the county entries (with their allocated places in the final) and you’ll see what I mean Cheshire 300 (3) Cumbria 75 (1) Derbyshire 260 (2) Greater Manchester 324 (3) Lancashire 110 (1) Merseyside 202 (2) North Lancashire and Fylde 302 (3) North Midlands 112 (1) Potteries 189 (2) Shropshire 182 (2) South Yorkshire 200 (2) Staffordshire 169 (2) Warwick and Worcester 460 (4) Wales 204 (2) and Yorkshire 361 (3.)
Longwood were due to provide three of Huddersfield’s quartet at Netherton tomorrow through Roger Crowther (who’s already appeared once in the final day at Blackpool), John Wright and Ashley Daykin but the latter of course won’t be there because he broke a leg playing football last Sunday.
Huddersfield’s other representative is Linthwaite Hall’s Billy Pigford. He’s not been in the news as much as Crowther and Wright but he did win the Huddersfield Works League Handicap a few years ago and he’s had a fair amount of experience with his club’s Subscription Cup team.
Certainly he’s not overawed by appearing among a group of bowlers who include current Yorkshire champion Robert Hitchen and a crop of county men “The Waterloo? I’d like to go there very much” he says “I suppose it’s what everyone wants to do — to bowl on that green on the final day of one competition or another. You always have a chance if you are ‘on’ on the day. If you’re ‘on’ you’re lucky” he philosophises “If you aren’t you aren’t going to win anything are you?”
One interesting name on the list is that of Bill Anderton now with Keighley Bowling Club but once a member of the Crosland Moor Liberal Club side. He was due to meet young Daykin in the first round but now he’ll get a bye before meeting the winner of the game between Hitchen and Graham Blenkinsop the Ossett Flying Horse representative who reached the quarter-final stage of the Mirfield Merit last Sunday. Anderton also used to play at the Griffin Inn during the winter months and down in their record books as the first winner of the “Examiner” Rosebowl Trophy in 1971 They still talk there of his remarkable quarter-final game against Fred Whitehead in the competition. He won 31-27 after trailing 18-2 and 22-7
Hang gliding could well be a safer bet!
SPRINGWOOD captain Gordon Taylor (pictured) celebrated his team’s Yorkshire Cup victory over Spen Victoria last Saturday night as an X-ray patient in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary after being hit by another bowler’s strike. Yorkshire county player Terry Kilburn struck in another game on the green at the same time and his wood crashed into Taylor’s left ankle
The X-ray fortunately showed that nothing was broken although his ankle was severely bruised Taylor hobbled through the rest of his game in pain — and he went from a 16-6 advantage to a 21-18 defeat as a result of it all “ I’m going to take up stock car racing or hang gliding ” he said when the trauma of it all had been diluted a few days after the incident “It must be safer!’’
The incident happened ironically after the British Crown Green Bowling Association had put — for the first time — a warning about striking in bold print in their 1984 handbook.
“All players are warned to take necessary precautions before striking at an end to eliminate the possibility of causing injury to other players referees measurers and - spectators by being struck by a bowl or a jack” it says. It might not be a bad idea to emphasise the message at county and district level And better still of course for players to heed it.
Springwood’s nine-point win over Spen Victoria was highlighted by Peter Jackson’s 21-8 success over former Yorkshire Merit winner and Embassy Champions Trophy winner Nigel Cranston — and they’ll have a chance to show their prowess again in the third round when they meet Morton House.
DORIS SEALE the Hove Edge and Almondbury Liberal player who won the All-England Ladies’ Merit last year has just landed a county title. She won the Yorkshire Parks Ladies’ Hyman Morris Trophy with a 21-16 success over Janette Patterson who plays with Holmfield (Halifax) and Crosland Moor Liberal in the final at Shroggs Park.
Her reward for a long day — she had to win seven rounds in a field of 128 and play went on for 12 hours — a cheque for £35 Doris (pictured incidentally will be in the Yorkshire County Parks Ladies’ team who meet The Wirral at Hove Edge a week tomorrow Last year’s Waterloo Ladies Handicap winner Mary Farmer (Cowcliffe) and former Huddersfield Ladies’ Merit winner Suzanne Howarth are also in the
THERE was an interesting Drayton Cup match down for decision today Kirkheaton Cricket and Bowling Club and Kirkheaton Conservative Club were meeting each other at Waterloo and they’re saying that this could be the first time that these two village rivals have met in a Huddersfield League match
HUDDERSFIELD competition secretary Bill Blackburn says that the new St Andrew’s Motors four-man team event looks like being a winner It will have a top prize of at least £250 — and possibly more — depending on the entries. But please note he says that the address on the club entry sheets is his old one His new one is 14 Lawrence Road Marsh “It’ll save a lot of problems if the entries come to the right house’’ he says
POSTSCRIPT to the Hilda England Trophy sponsor Kenneth Turner of the Ford Inn Holmfirth was so delighted with the day that he came up with two extra prizes after it was all over A bottle of champagne for winner Elaine Lunn and a bottle of sherry for runner-up Nita Inman And next year I’m told it’ll be champagne and whisky
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