January 2010
Yesterday's 'All Our Yesterdays' posting mentioned the first-ever postponement of a Sunday competition at the Griffin in it's 24-years-old history. That was in 1991 and that posting also referred to the time that a JCB was used to clear the green of snow so that the Stones Cup Final could go ahead.
So we know it was pre-1991 but what year was it when the JCB cleared snow from the Griffin green?
Martin Holt sent me a photo of the JCB on the green but it looks like this refers to a later snow-clearing session as The Examiner ran this story in January 2010 which doesn't mention the Stones Cup Final:
A battle against the elements tested the bowlers at the Griffin Inn to their utmost as they battled to get some games played. Saturday morning saw a stunning attempt at clearing the green of snow after some of the edges were uncovered by three members on Friday afternoon.
With only four volunteers turning up by 10.00am the club decided to seek help from a more powerful source and rang member Barry Tinker, who drives a JCB for Steve Slater Contractors, of Denby. After contacting Mr Slater, who gave Barry permission to help clear the green, the JCB made light work of shifting the eight-inch deep snow by noon. That just left the gutters to clear, leaving half a dozen or so members to enjoy some play.
The photo also brought out another reminder from Martin as he relates ....
"Seeing the picture always reminds me of the time someone from the Griffin contacted the Elland C&BC groundsman to see if he would use the club's mini tractor & plough to clear the green. The reply was if the Griffin members could go and dig him out of his house on the hills high above Halifax he would do his best."
So what year (between 1967-1991) did the first JCB clear the snow from the Griffin green?