Made in Huddersfield

Posted by Tony Hutton

Reading the book reviews in the Winter Edition of 'The Cricket Statistician' I came across one headed 'Born in Bolton'. This is a recent book by Geoff Ogden on first class cricketers born in Bolton which the reviewer, Richard Lawrence, compares with a previous volume written on the many cricketers produced by Reading, which included both Peter May and Alec Bedser.

Bolton certainly has an impressive list which includes such names as Dick Barlow from the distant past and Haseeb Hameed very much of the present. Also listed are such well known names as Charlie Hallows, Mike Watkinson, Bill Farrimond, Frank Tyson, Walter Brearley, Dick Tyldesley and Roy Tattersall. The side would undoubtedly be captained by the one and only Jack Bond.

At the end of his review Mr Lawrence wondered what other towns have similar claims to fame for the production of great cricketing names. There is only one real answer, which I conveyed by e-mail fairly rapidly, as Huddersfield must stand supreme in this regard. Not only the great triumvirate of Hirst, Rhodes and Haigh, who stand out from the past, but almost a full team of England Test players, with perhaps one whose career was cut short by injury making up what would be an unbeatable eleven.

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Part of the memorial to Hirst, Rhodes and Haigh at Fartown, Huddersfield.

Hirst and Rhodes, whose records speak for themselves, were of course products of the Kirkheaton club whereas Haigh played for Armitage Bridge. Haigh, despite being in the shadow of the two great men, was a fine all rounder in his own right. His bowling figures were particularly outstanding. Another pre-war hero was Percy Holmes famous opening partner of Herbert Sutcliffe who shared in the record first wicket partnership of 555. A trio of pace bowlers of post war vintage would be provided by Alec Coxon, Ron Aspinall and Ryan Sidebottom. Aspinall, the only non Test player listed had his first class career ended early by injury but like Coxon, spent many years as a successful league professional in the north east.

Percy Holmes & Wilfred Rhodes at Scarborough 1927.

Coxon had just one Test Match for England when he allegedly had a serious falling out with Denis Compton in the England dressing room. Ryan Sidebottom had a more prolonged career with England as well as with Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. The odd man out could be Eddie Leadbeater, a leg spin bowler who gave many years of service to the Almondbury club and rather fortuitously played for England on a tour of India, when the leading players were absent.

The team is completed by three post-war batsmen Willie Watson, Ken Taylor and Chris Balderstone. Watson and Balderstone, like Percy Holmes, both played for Paddock whereas Ken Taylor started as a very young teenager with Primrose Hill. Watson, a double international who played soccer mainly with Sunderland, had the longest Test career and achieved fame with a match saving century in partnership with Trevor Bailey in the Lord's Test match of 1953 against Australia.

Ken Taylor was another soccer player, as a centre half with Huddersfield Town, who opened the batting with Brian Stott for Yorkshire when their running between wickets was outstanding. He played only fleetingly for England but had an outstanding career with Yorkshire, where his athletic ability in the field also stood out. It was a pleasure to meet him and his wife at a Norfolk Minor Counties match only a couple of years ago.

Chris Balderstone, with a couple of caps for England, was a more than useful batsman who blossomed after moving to Leicestershire. He too was a footballer with the unusual distinction of playing county cricket at Chesterfield during the day before playing football at Doncaster in the evening.

No doubt I have missed out a few others but this eleven would undoubtedly give any side a very good game. One who should certainly be added is Roy Booth, from Marsden, who was an

admirable wicket keeper for Yorkshire and Worcestershire.

His deputy could be Geoff Hodgson from Kirkheaton, who played just one game for both Yorkshire and Lancashire, another wicket keeper who suffered due to the consistency of Jimmy Binks.