Merit post mortem

Memories

Prompted by the disappointing number of entries for the recent Huddersfield Merit, Bill Blackburn recalls a time when entry lists over 400 were common.

Next year will be 50 years since Linthwaite Hall WMC celebrated one of its most successful years on the bowling front. It was the year that four of its first team players won four individual trophies. David Bradford won the Colne Valley Merit, Bill Blackburn the Parks Merit, Billy Pigford the Works League handicap and Lewis Thornton the Yorkshire Websters handicap.

The Colne Valley and Works are still played for today. The Websters was taken over by Hill’s Supplies. The Parks Merit, now defunct, was a part of the Summer Entertainments programme arranged by Huddersfield Borough Council.

During the war when people were unable to go on holidays, the council arranged for a programme of events to take part across the district. One was an annual bowling competition held in Greenhead Park which attracted between 400 and 500 competitors. Preliminary rounds were bowled on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 15 up until the final 16 was arrived at. So popular was the event that for the final a temporary stand was erected between the two greens, the final was always played on the bottom green, for my efforts that day I received a cup and £20.

One of the most popular events were a series of concerts held in the newly constructed open air theatre in Greenhead Park where permanent seating was set out for about 100 spectators, others sat on the grass bank to be entertained. Talent shows were organised by Mr. George Whitwam. At the same time a Canadian impresario named Carrol Levis was scouring the country looking for new talent for his weekly radio show (before TV was popular). He was probably the forerunner to Hughie Green and Simon Cowell.

A 1945 Examiner news cutting I have described one of the contestants who went on to perform at the Empire Theatre in Leeds as follows

"Enid Jagger, a 12-year-old schoolgirl from Quarmby delighted the audience as she rhumbaed and wriggled in her interpretation of Carmen Miranda.’’ 

In December 1954 Enid and I got married. Carmen Miranda was a well-known American actress usually cast in musicals.