Linthwaite Hall 1983

Memories

I am grateful to Bill Blackburn for the photograph below and a bit of history about the Huddersfield Merit and how the competition has changed over the hyears.

According to an article in the Colne Valley Guardian of 1918 there were 575 entries for the Huddersfield Merit. This was before the time when everyone had a car and to get to your venue you would probably have to travel by one or two trams.

When I was Competition Secretary in the 1982, so great was the entries for the Merit that we had to have a preliminary round to get down to 64, then two greens for intermediate rounds to get to the final 16.

Has the number of clubs, about 10 in Huddersfield alone, who run sponsored competitions with big money prizes detracted from the prestige of winning the merit?

I believe last year it was run as a one-day competition, as many of the other competitions organised by the Huddersfield League are.

Gone are the days when 200 plus spectators would turn up and pay a £1 for a programme to watch the final days.

Am I alone in thinking those days are gone forever,

The photograph below is of Finals Day at Linthwaite Hall in 1983 when John Aspinall beat Peter Leah.