It is a matter of conjecture how influential the rail link was in attracting Oakworth villagers to the ground of the Keighley club: but I’ll wager that one or two did make that journey on Saturday 27^th July 1868.

The auspicious occasion was to see the Keighley Club take on the Australian aboriginal tourists in the 20^th match of their tour of the UK. The aborigines had been inspired to tour by the successes of the English tours to Australia in 1862/63 and 1863/64. Their team consisted of 13 genuine aborigines delighting in the names: Mullagh, Cuzens, Bullocky, Red Cap, Twopenny, Dick-a-dick, Peter, Charley, Mosquito, Jim Crow and Sundown. They gave entertaining displays of boomerang and spear throwing in addition to some excellent cricket as they won 14 of their 47-match programme. Their game with Keighley resulted in a draw after Keighley had set them a target of 164 runs to win but the visitors reached only 142 for 8. For Keighley T Waring scored 64 not out in their first innings score of 118 and J Dennison had match bowling figures of 9 for 81 in restricting the Aborigines to 101 in their first knock. The match featured over-arm bowling which had been legalized four years earlier in 1864.

The first official Australian tourists came to play Keighley in 1878 and on 29^th July eighteen Keighley hopefuls took on the might of the D W Gregory international stars including the famous Bannermans, the almost unplayable demon bowler Spofforth and Murdoch. The 3 day match ended in a convincing win for the tourists as first the Bannermans with their bats and then Spofforth with amazing match figures of 20 for 117 subdued the gallant locals by 7 wickets.

Scores        Keighley xviii    102 and 133    Australia     206 and 32 for 3

Two years later with batsmen now wearing new fangled batting pads, the Second Australians returned for another three-day game over the Whitsuntide Holiday. This time the Lawkholmers gained an honourable draw.

Scores        Keighley xviii    102 and 53      Australia     98 and 32 for 2

"Demon" Spofforth and Palmer dominated the bowling as did Murdoch with the bat.

In 1885, worshippers at Christ Church Oakworth, taken with the game, kept faith with the Victorian vision of England as God’s heaven on earth, and decided to form a team of players with the name of Oakworth Albion, a name much later also to be adopted by the village football club. The Albion or Church team used a field at Near Highfield, which is now a play area for the children of Sunhurst and Moor Drives. In that same year the Wesleyan Methodists also banded together to play on a ground in a farm field at Racemoor Lane very near to the present ground. Could it be that this is where the address of Cure Hill comes from since Wide Lane is probably the correct address of our club? The Methodists called their team Oakworth Brunswick, presumably after Prince Albert’s family lineage. The Wesleyans it seems were true blue royalists as they had also built their new school on Victoria Road in 1878.

The team name of Oakworth Brunswick gave way in 1886 to a new club name of Oakworth Clarence for whom John Berry recorded a score of 23 in the club’s win over the Board School by 27 runs. In addition to the Board School team the village boasted another under the title of Oakworth White Star although little is known about their origins or affiliations. The names of brothers Stephen and Joe Nicholls first appear in 1886. Stephen’s bowling abilities were to become widely recognized and he should be regarded as the village’s first real star player.

Results from the Keighley News show continuing action from the Clarence and White Star teams but the Albion club seems to have mysteriously disappeared.

During 1888 results were noted from the Clarence and there was emergence of a club called Oakworth. However, examination of the Oakworth names, among them Stephen Nicholls, definitely indicates this team was in fact Albion without the Albion label.

In 1892 the last of the name changes for the two teams took place and they became Oakworth Church C.C. and Oakworth Wesleyans C.C.

That season saw friendly games and a noteworthy couple of local derbies indicating perhaps relative strengths of village rivals. On 30^th July the Wesleyans met Slack Lane Baptist C.C. and accomplished a crushing victory. The Wesleyans notched up a respectable score of 51. The less experienced Baptists were outclassed as Elijah Attack (4 for 3) and Joe Moore (4 for 1) produced deadly bowling to dismiss them for only 4 runs! Two weeks later the two senior clubs met and this time the Church overcame the Wesleyans by 36 runs to 20. One week later still they took the Baptists scalps by 44 to 14.

Playing for points

Debuts E Attack, H Attack, Bill Bryan, J Moore, J Hargreaves

Nine Keighley centred cricket clubs constituted the Keighley & District League during the 1892 winter and the first League fixtures took place on Saturday 15^th April 1893. The League comprised the two Oakworth clubs and teams from Keighley St Peters, Eastwood Wesleyans, Upper Green & Utley Congregationalists, Keighley Friendly, Holy Trinity, Albert Street Baptists and Haworth Wesleyans; all church based teams! 1893 saw formation of the West Bradford Cricket League, including Ingrow Cricket Club.

The Wesleyans opened their League account at home against Eastwood Wesleyans, a match easily won by our lads. The scores were Oakworth 75 and Eastwood 41. Two further wins versus St Peters and Albert Street saw the Wesleyans joint top of the league with their rivals the Church team. However by mid-season the Wesleyan record had slipped and stood at 4 wins and 4 defeats. The Church team though remained unbeaten at the top looking every inch the inaugural Champions. The Church success owed much to the bowling of Stephen Nicholls and club captain Joe Brown. Saturday 1^st July 1893 brought together the two Oakworth clubs for the first league derby. As their respective league positions indicated, the unbeaten Church team started as favourites, but in local derbies the formbook means nothing. The Wesleyans batted first and totalled a modest 41 runs with J W Bryan top-scoring with 10. An obviously tense, close match resulted in the Church failing to meet their target as they in turn were bowled out for 40 runs. It was the narrowest of victories for the Wesleyans and the first league defeat for the Church. Or was it? The defeat was not received with good grace by the Church team who lodged an appeal with the league claiming that the scorebooks were wrong and that the result should have been a tie. The League Committee met to examine the appeal and later secretary Arthur Bartle confirmed that the original result would stand and therefore the Church team’s deposit was forfeit. If local rivalry needed any fuelling such an incident was bound to spice up future relations between the two Oakworth clubs!

Before significantly losing their penultimate match against Eastwood, the Church team took part in what must rank as one of the most unusual matches ever recorded in this area. On September 2^nd their home game against St Peters resulted in a narrow win for the home side by 1 run, in itself unusual but more notable for a match aggregate of only 13 runs. The Church had been well skittled for only 7 runs in 9 overs. However, Captain Joe Brown with 5 for 4 and Stephen Nicholls with 3 for 2 had the last laugh as the Keighley side were in turn dismissed for only 6 runs in 4.3 overs! A team of only 9 men obviously contributed to St Peters’ downfall. The whole match lasted only 81 balls for that magnificent aggregate score!

The ironies of the fixture list then decreed that the Church’s final fixture was to be the return match with the Wesleyans! In the event the Church also needed to win to claim at least a share of the Championship with Haworth Wesleyans. The match ended in a convincing revenge win for the Church as their bowlers restricted the Wesleyans to a meagre 19 runs in reply to their own 52 score (S Nicholls 18), Haworth also duly won their last game to set up a play-off with the Oakworth Church C.C. for the title. The Championship trophy had been purchased by public donation, the leading donor being Sir Isaac Holden with £2 and 2 shillings; ironically he was Oakworth’s leading Wesleyan!

History records that on 23^rd September 1893 the Oakworth Church C.C. became the first Keighley & District League Champions as they soundly defeated the Haworth Wesleyans by six wickets. The twin star bowlers Stephen Nicholls (4 for 21) and Joe Brown with 5 for 21 including a superb first ever hat-trick proved far too good for the opposition. Indeed Brown actually outshone Nicholls to take the League’s bowling prize, which he received along with the League Championship trophy from the League secretary, Despite the obvious disappointment of finishing their first ever league season in the shadow of their League Champion rivals the Wesleyans could draw consolation from holding their own.

The pioneering squad of Wesleyans who brought League cricket to Oakworth in 1893 comprised: JW (Bill) Bryan, Joe Moore, Joe Nicholls, J Hargreaves, Elijah Attack, Horace Attack, F Moore, W Shaw, W Jones, John Berry, M Hartley, H Hartley, G Page, A Cockroft, A Sharp, G Hudson & D Berry.

The 1894 season was to be run in two sections (A & B) the winners of each would meet for the overall Championship. Unfortunately, 7 of the Wesleyans 16 matches went unreported. The other nine were all won and this time the Wesleyans finished top of their Section A. The bowling of J Moore was of major importance and Bill Bryan set a new club record individual high score of 39 not out in the match with Upper Green & Utley. The ubiquitous Stephen Nicholls decided this year to turn out with the Wesleyan XI. For the Wesleyan club the season also produced one outstanding result on 5^th May when Worth Wesleyans were reduced to 5 all out in reply to Oakworth’s 46. Moore with 6 for 3 was the main destroyer. He was ably backed-up by Nicholls with 3 for 2. The Worth side contributed seven ducks to what is still, over a century later the lowest total recorded against an Oakworth first team.

Keighley Rovers Old, who qualified to meet Oakworth Wesleyans in the final at Ingrow on 8th September 1894, won section B of the league. In the final The Rovers made 65, with J Moore taking 3 for 23 and Bill Bryan 2 for 10. The Wesleyans, bidding to retain the Championship for the village, replied with only 43 runs. Rovers Old T Leighton was Oaks destroyer with 15 runs and 5 for 19. W J Slater was the only Oakworth batter to reach double figures, as the club finished their superb second season as Runners Up. The after match supper was held at Blakey’s Refreshment Rooms where Mr. N W Schofield awarded the league prizes.

Debut: William Adams

In 1895, a year which witnessed the birth of the Craven Leagues under the auspices of the Craven Cricket Union, the Wesleyans lost in a KDL semi-final play-off with Cross Roads St James to finish joint third in the Championship. It is evident that the club again had a good season as witnessed by two scores in excess of 100 for the first time. 112 runs were scored against Lees Wesleyans and 139 against Oxenhope Parish Church. Both matches however finished as draws as the Wesleyans left insufficient time to bowl out the opposition. There was however a further five missing results and the Sports Editor of the Keighley News was moved to pen this lament at the time.

“To attempt to keep pace with the progress of the multitudinous leagues which have lately sprung into existence were to spend one’s strength for nought, since the process of extracting information from honorary secretaries is almost as unsatisfactory as labouring to purloin butter from a dog’s throat"

Perhaps the seven shillings & sixpence League Fees were dwelling on the mind for 1895!

Happily for the village if not the Wesleyans, the Church team, with Stephen Nicholls once again back in their ranks, returned to 1893 form to win their section and ultimately they defeated Cross Roads by 8 runs to regain their Championship.

The first three league seasons had proved to be enormously successful for the village with 2 Championships and a Runners Up spot, an indication of the sporting dominance of the village at that time. Oakworth Wesleyans opted to join the new Craven League competition for the 1896 season, including former Church Captain Joe Brown for the first time. This accession to the new League was seen as a step to "senior" higher quality cricket and the club also decided to provide League cricket for its up-and-comers by entering a Second XI in the "junior" status Keighley & District League. Oxenhope YMCA's W Baxter amply demonstrated that higher quality with 33 not out and 6 for 13, the most devastating match double against Oaks to date and the first time Oakworth had lost a match by over 100 runs, albeit to the Champions.

Debut: Joe Brown,  Farewell: John Berry

Back to Keighley

Debut: Edmund Feather

This new league was however not seemingly to Oakworth liking and they reverted to junior status in the Keighley & District League to rejoin their Church rivals for the 1897 campaign. The Second XI did not fulfil any League matches. The local derby matches against the Slack Lane Baptists produced a tense May draw with the Wesleyans needing only 2 to win with 4 wickets in hand when stumps were drawn. In July the Wesleyans triumphed by 6 wickets. Oxenhope's G Crabtree was the first of our opponents to take 7 Oakworth wickets with 7 for 14 in our 25 all out. Bill Bryan and Elijah Attack remained our leading batsmen.

The Champions were recorded as Oxenhope Church, who went on to beat The Rest by 2 runs in the annual end of season match. Mr. J W Hartley from Oakworth presented the medals.

Boer War

There was only Sunday school league cricket (including the Slack Lane Baptists) in 1898 due to the worsening situation in the war with the Boers in South Africa.

First fifty

Debuts: E Berry, B Sugden

The Wesleyan club tried again in 1899 with the Junior League, this time a Craven variety. Wesley Place provided Oaks with an opportunity to defend a score of only 27 on 6^th May and this they managed, bowling them out for 22 (W Adams 6 for 18). It remains the lowest total ever defended by Oakworth. On 29^th July that year Oakworth batsman Elijah Attack made a little piece of history by scoring the club’s first ever half-century with 54 not out versus Bingley & Gilstead Primitives. The last season of the 19^th Century also featured an increasing number of excellent bowling performances notably from G Hudson, J Charlesworth and spinner William Adams. Hudson's 7 for 4 vs Haworth PC eclipsed J W Bryan's record, which had stood since 1893. Charlesworth's 7 for 7 against Bingley & Gilstead Prims ensured their score of 13 entered Oakworth's records as the lowest recorded in the Craven League. C Wildman of Haworth Methodists claimed 8 for 21, at the time the first eight-timer for our opponents, to help his club secure a League double over our lads and the Championship.

Oakworth tried their hand at Cup cricket. A 1st round loss by 8 wickets at the hands of Keighley Congs in the Craven Cricket Union Cup ensured the tilt was short lived.

First ties

Debuts:  J W Whiting, Dan McParland

The twentieth century saw the Wesleyans hop back yet again to the Keighley & District League and this season brought their first tied match, with Wesley Place and 92 runs each (E Berry scored 40 for Oakworth). J Bartle of Haworth PC, one of the League's leading batsmen scored a mammoth 74 not out in a 132-7 total on 11^th August; the first individual half-century conceded by Oaks. E Berry topped the club batting averages whilst Charlesworth added to his growing reputation with some sterling efforts with the bat as well as with the ball. He went on to represent the Rest in the annual match against the Champions, Keighley West Lane.

United we stand

The winter of 1900-1901 was momentous if uncelebrated because most of the players of the Wesleyans C.C. and others grouped together to purchase the playing equipment and players tent from the Wesleyan Church and transformed themselves into Oakworth Cricket Club, independent of the Methodist Church. The new name, intended to represent the whole of the village, did not create conflict because the Church team had mysteriously regressed to junior status and incredibly it soon disappeared from the scene. Just why this was so is not totally clear, but I suspect that the continuous attempts to poach players and in particular Stephen Nicholls to join his older brother Joe at the Wesleyan Club had more than a little to do with it.

The 1901 season began with a declaration from the Keighley News that the new club at Oakworth had the makings of “a good village team”. The KN did take an interest in pre-season prospects of all the area’s clubs. The next few years would reveal if that prediction were to be accurate. The League hopping continued when the new club opted to re-join the Craven League this time with the big boys in the Senior Division (southern section).

Oakworth Cricket Club took to the field for the first time in their new guise in an away friendly warm-up match with Sunday School League side Lund Park. On 20^th April 1901 Captain J W Whiting and his lads soundly sent the opposition packing by 66 runs to 23. J Charlesworth (pictured above far left) and E Anderton (ex Church) did the damage each with 5 wickets for 11 runs and Vice-captain Dan McParland claimed 26 runs when Oakworth batted. The first league match one week later brought the club somewhat down to earth as they went down to an 11 run defeat by Silsden IIs by 47 runs to 36. Top-scorer this time was B Sugden with a more modest 14. McParland in fact also excelled with the ball returning what is still the most dominant bowing return of 5 for 1 in a 93 run victory over the Wesleyans from Haworth.

Debut: George Lee, Farewell : J Charlesworth

The great Cup Match

For the 1902 season the ground sported a new fence and seats and the committee decided that admission charges would have to be made. I wonder how long this remained club policy? An enlarged section of 9 teams commenced duty on 12^th April and included some sterling efforts in a limited number of appearances by Keighley player Arthur Lancaster. The one really bright note was the club’s progress to the Craven Union Cup semi-final thanks to a magnificent 79 not out by Lancaster in the previous round against Bradley. Oakworth had rattled up an astonishing unprecedented 195 to crush Bradley by 155 runs. Bradley in fact formally lodged a complaint about Oakworth’s inclusion of Lancaster. The League rejected this complaint, as Oakworth resident Lancaster was still an amateur. Oakworth lost the semi-final by the narrow margin of one wicket in the evening gloom to Keighley Congs. Little did they know that it would be well over half a century before the next step was made!

The Oakworth bowling was once again bolstered by none other than Stephen Nicholls, who continued to grab some of the headlines for his new club as he gathered 4 five-wicket hauls on his way to taking a club record 65 wickets at an average under six. His best performances were 7 for 10 versus Harden and a hat trick in that Cup match with Bradley. Dan McParland also contributed a great then record league score for Oakworth of 69 in a comfortable win over Haworth Wesleyans. He went on to take the club's batting prize with 138 runs from 10 knocks.

The Oakworth committee sensed that progress might be accelerated if they joined the stronger West Bradford League and their application was heard on 27 the September 1902. It was rejected along with that from Haworth Wesleyans.

Debuts: Stephen Nicholls, J Hey, Albert Wright; Farewell: Arthur Lancaster

St Anne's Year

Debut: H Lancaster

In 1903 Keighley club, St Annes emerged as Champions. St Annes humiliated Oakworth in the first match of the season when our boys were dismissed for only 12 total; however they did themselves lose 6 wickets in getting 13 needed for victory.

Hey's records

Debut: Hiram Hey

1904 was to prove a most successful season for Oakworth with over 1,000 runs scored for the first time. Pride of place in team performance was a 115 run tanning (1^st over 100 runs) for Keighley West Lane on 21^st May by our resurgent XI. The challenge for honours was really thwarted by Oxenhope Meths who sent us packing by a first recorded 10 wicket hammering (Oaks 55 all out).

The season was notable for the dominance of J Hey with bat and ball as he topped Oakworth batting and bowling averages. He set a club bowling record of 69 victims at an amazing average of 3.40. Seven times he took 5 or more wickets, twice taking 8, for only 4 runs against Eastburn (club record) and for 13 runs v Champions St Annes. At last the club had another star bowler to team up with the ageing Stephen Nicholls who was now in his 16^th season of local cricket. With the bat Hey totalled 165 runs at an average of 11 and had a season high personal score of 32. Both the Attacks and H Lancaster gave admirable support with run getting.

Wright stuff

The Craven Cricket Union, an umbrella organization, had constantly played around with the league composition as clubs jockeyed to gain entry to higher status leagues such as the West Bradford, as indeed Oakworth unsuccessfully attempted in 1902. In the winter of 1904-05 the Keighley & District League reformed and Oakworth once again decided to switch back to their original allegiance. This League hop was to prove one too many for Horace Attack, who hung up his boots after his 11^th season of League cricket. Hey and Nicholls failed to continue their brilliant 1904 form and only the consistent batting of Albert Wright gained attention as he won the League Batting Average Prize with 235 runs at 19.58.  H Lancaster, J Hey and Bill Bryan provided frequent support. Amazingly Albert's best performance was a relatively modest 36 against Cavendish Street, but 6 not out innings helped him to the coveted prize as the first Oakworthian to score over 200 runs in a season.

Debuts: Ellis Wilkinson, Percy Moore; Farewell: Horace Attack

Second best

A strong squad of players, but one without Elijah Attack who had joined his brother in retirement, produced an eight match unbeaten run to the end of 1906. It was one of Oakworth’s top ten all-time seasons thanks to the bowlers, amongst them Nicholls and Hey, who captured a record 107 wickets in their 11 match home programme. H Lancaster continued to give all round support. Lancaster and Berry represented The Rest but vice captain Bill Bryan’s form dipped alarmingly in what was to prove his last season with the club.

Debut: Norman Whitaker; Farewells: J W Bryan, H Lancaster

Seconds out

The predictions of further progress turned out to be fanciful indeed. For 1907 saw the club in dire straits as many players left the club for pastures new and the names of Hey, Nicholls, Lancaster and Bryan all failed to appear on the team sheet. Just why was this? Was it that they were brassed off with the constant switching from League to League? Hey, not surprisingly had joined West Bradford League club Ingrow to test his talents in the higher echelons.

Each of the 3 previous seasons had seen over 1,000 runs scored but this year's aggregate fell to less than 700. Ever-present William Adams took 7 Sun Street wickets for only 14 runs in their innings of 27 and then saw our batters surrender with a score of 15 all out. Edmund Feather did manage 54 against the Wesleyans from Haworth as our only half-century. The situation was so bad that after nine seasons since its birth in 1896 a second XI could not be fielded, although they did manage friendly matches with Temple Street and Mytholmes Mission. A season to forget without doubt for President Mr. A L Haggas and all connected with the club.

Debut: Alfred Broadbent; Farewell: Dan McParland

Fallen Craven image

At a meeting on 7^th September the twenty years old Craven Cricket Union disbanded. The Craven concept had now completely fallen apart with the Skipton area clubs breaking away to form the Skipton & District League and therefore most of the Keighley area clubs remained in the Keighley & District League or opted to apply for the stronger West Bradford League. Just so with Oakworth who decided to remain with the KDL for 1908. They were to operate without batting record holder Dan McParland as he had joined the exodus to pastures new. Not surprisingly another miserable season followed and it was 20^th June before the first victory was recorded. Young Ellis Wilkinson was Oakworth leading scorer but he was the only batsman over 100 runs (137) at an average of just under 10, whilst Albert Wright and B Sugden both played their last matches for Oakworth this year.

The club probably didn’t know it but the first real golden age of Oakworth cricket was about to rise phoenix-like from the ashes of the two previous fruitless seasons.

Debut Willie Anderton; Farewells: Albert Wright, B Sugden

Unbeaten Champions

1908 captain Albert Wright was replaced by long-serving William Adams who started his career as the most successful Oakworth captain with an 11 run win against Keighley West Lane IIs in a yet again much altered KDL line up. Wright didn't appear for Oakworth again. After a season of sheer dominance Oakworth ran out comfortable League Champions, remaining unbeaten throughout the entire season. The Oakworth club’s first ever League Champions were: William Adams (Capt), Joe Brown (vice-captain), Herbert Moore, Hiram Hey, J W Pullan, Norman Whitaker, Ellis Wilkinson, Stephen Nicholls, Percy Moore, Andrew Coulton, Alfred Broadbent & John Whitaker.

New recruit from Ingrow St Johns J W Pullan led the batting with 106 runs to finish second in the league lists. In 3^rd place came Oakworth’s Alfred Broadbent (172 runs) who had a marvellous top score of 61 v Haworth Wesleyans. Herbert Moore emerged as a genuine successor to Nicholls and finished 3rd in the bowling lists with 27 wickets at only 4.03 runs. Captain William himself contributed 13 wickets (at 5.61 each) with devilish spin to also make the list in ninth place. A fact made all the more remarkable as William only had one eye.

Debut: Herbert Moore; Farewells: Joe Brown, E Berry

Hey again

Oakworth were very strong favourites to retain their hard won Championship in 1910. The change of real significance was the return from Ingrow to the Oakworth ranks of J Hey, effectively replacing former Church man Joe Brown. The club entered the newly inaugurated Charity Cup competition and was drawn against the Skipton & District League winners, Kildwick Parish Church. A ten-wicket defeat ended our progress at the first hurdle. The two Heys, Broadbent and Percy Moore made enough runs to stay in the hunt but once again excellent Oakworth bowling kept us right at the forefront in the hunt for honours. On 6^th August Heber Street batsmen folded to 26 all out and soon succumbed to Oakworth by a margin of 10 wickets; the first time Oaks had managed the feat. Oakworth needed to win their last two matches to again take the title and the first of these games was against Championship rivals Bingley An XI (Bingley third team).

Debut: Tom Smith

Top man Hey

Under the leadership of Alfred Broadbent, Oakworth, mysteriously without Norman Whitaker, were again amongst the pacesetters for 1911. In fact Alfred used only 13 players, the lowest in our history. Oakworth finished only 1 point adrift and their two defeats at the hands of the Morton club obviously determined the destiny of the league title. One new club record was set this year, a new high match aggregate of 302 runs in a 4 run Charity Cup defeat at the hands of the West Bradford League’s Ingrow club. J Hey and Herbert Moore dominated the bowling finishing first and second in the league bowling averages, Hey with 39 wickets at under 4 and Moore with 38 at just over 5. Just for good measure Hey also finished third in the league batting averages with 134 runs and rising batsman Tommy Smith ably backed him up with 126 runs to finish one place behind.

West Bradford 

The previous three amazing seasons had brought Oakworth a total of 29 victories from the 42 contests undertaken, a fact obviously not lost on the Committee who this time successfully applied to join the West Bradford League for the 1912 season. Tom Smith and Herbert Moore led the team in what was clearly a most difficult baptism in higher status cricket. Alfred Broadbent decided that entry to the new League was his signal to retire but the side was boosted by returns to the club for Norman Whitaker, and after a six-year absence Elijah Attack. It was to be late May before the first win was chalked up. The season ended with only 3 relatively narrow wins; a 1 run win over Keighley West Lane, a 2-wicket margin over Kildwick Parish Church and a 4 wicket result against neighbours Ingrow. Only Norman Whitaker and Hiram Hey enhanced their reputations as batsmen. Elijah Attack just pipped J Hey to become the first Oakworth player to bat 100 times for the First XI.

A Stoddart of Riddlesden just missed out on becoming the first to score the magical three figures against Oaks, when falling short by 1 run with an amazing record 99 in a 122 run defeat for our shell-shocked lads in May.

Debuts: Willie Pickles, A Hartley; Farewell: J Hey

Norman's conquest

The Committee, in looking at 1912 performances, must have been very disappointed after the three previous almost all-conquering seasons and they decided that victories really do go a long way to maintaining interest. They resolved not for the first time to return to the "junior" Keighley & District League. Wilkinson, the Heys and the Moores did not appear in 1913, possibly seeing the move as a retrograde step for the club.

However, over the last few years the young Norman Whitaker had been steadily developing as a promising all-rounder and on 17^th May 1913 his development was completed. Oakworth racked up their highest ever KDL score of 157 for 8 and Norman contributed a magnificent 70, also then a club record high individual score in league matches. Norman was superbly supported by George Lee, who also made 60 in that drubbing of Devonshire Mills (the wicket stand unfortunately not recorded but almost certainly the first Oaks century stand). Only Arthur Lancaster’s Cup score of 79 in 1902 being a higher score. Mills’ luckless batsmen were then skittled for only 27 runs and so helped produce another record for Oakworth; a winning margin of 130 runs.

Farewell Elijah Attack

Champions and a double

Clearly the squad still had potential and the Committee again approached William Adams to lead the team. William led them to that fabulous unbeaten Championship in 1909 and if anyone could bring out the best from the talented team William could. He persuaded most of the previous year’s absentees (and Alfred Broadbent) to return so optimism was high. Defeats in the first 2 games did little to support the thesis despite great bowling from Willie Pickles and the Moores. A crushing victory over Bingley Hill Street on 27^th June, the club’s 8th in the next nine games saw Oakworth hit the top and never look back. 15 matches, including the last 10 in a row, were won with only 3 lost and the club’s second Championship was secured with 30 points.

Oakworth’s 1914 League Champions were: Willie Adams (captain) George Lee (vice-captain) Norman Whitaker, Hiram Hey, Willie Pickles, Tommy Smith, Ellis Wilkinson, Allan Wigglesworth, Alfred Broadbent, F Hymas, Percy and Herbert Moore.

Continued brilliance from Norman Whitaker, tremendous support from Broadbent, Wilkinson and Percy Moore and Pickles fine bowling all contributed to taking the title. Whitaker produced yet another milestone in the club’s history on 29^th August when he became the first Oakworth player to perform the double (50 runs & 5 wickets in a match). He followed his 54 out of a team total of 114 with the taking of 7 Haworth Baptist wickets for only 17 runs. Norman racked up 61 wickets (3.67) during the year and finished fourth in the League bowling list to add to his 5^th in the batting. Alf Broadbent was runner up in the League batting (18.27) whilst Tom Smith was 3^rd with his bowling (3.40).

The minutes of the Committee meeting of 10^th September show the comments that the club organize a celebratory tea (for the Championship) with the added note and that we beg the tea as before! No mention of lemonade though!

Back to back Champions

The Oakworth club went into the 1915 campaign with tremendous confidence although an altogether different campaign on the fields of Flanders was occupying the thoughts of most. Unfortunately J Hey would not be able to continue his brilliant career; he passed away during the winter to leave the Oakworth club numbed at his loss. His all round ability had been a major factor in Oakworth’s earlier dominance. On 19^th January 1915 the Committee voted a subscription to provide a commemorative medal for Hey’s relations.

The KDL decided to continue despite the background of the Great War and 11 teams made up the league including both Oakworth and Oakworth IIs. The Seconds as you would expect were duly crushed twice (6 & 9 wkts) on the way to yet another tremendous season. The club’s first hat trick in a league match went to Herbert Moore in a return of 5 wickets for 1 run against Long Lee. Whitaker again excelled with both bat and ball and he received backing from Hiram Hey, George Lee and H Keighley. 17 wins, 1 draw and only 2 defeats had led to Oakworth’s finest ever season to date. William Adams magic had worked yet again bringing a third Championship in only seven seasons under his captaincy with runs/wkt dominance over opponents by a massive 65%. To cap off the season Norman Whitaker became the first Oakworthian to pass 1,000 runs in a career in his 95^th innings, a remarkable achievement.

The 1915 team, which won the club's 3rd Championship, was: Willie Adams (Capt) George Lee (vice-capt) Norman Whitaker, Hiram Hey, H Keighley, Ellis Wilkinson, F Brown, Alfred Broadbent, Percy and Herbert Moore, A Hartley & F Beverley.

The celebrations were held at the Mechanics with dancing to the Oakworth Orchestra (Philharmonic?). The League trophy was presented by Secretary Mr. Dickie Bird (I didn’t realize he was that old!) to a beaming Willie Adams after earlier the team had lost the traditional end of season game to the Rest.

The second 25 years (1918 to 1943)

Restart and an amazing record for Lister

The First World War had one major effect on Oakworth Cricket Club in that the double Championship winning team was denied the chance of a hat trick of successes, but thankfully none of the players were lost in action. However the re-formation of the club after the armistice did bring the return of William Adams and several of those players who had achieved so much for the village. The club had a new President Mr. E Harrison who succeeded Mr. A L Haggas who had held that post since 1907. Willie Anderton was now club secretary and James Woodward carried on as Treasurer. Stephen Nicholls now chaired the general committee. The club re-entered the KDL and as in 1915 both First XI and Second XI were admitted. Wicket-keeper George Lee was to captain the Firsts and Willie Anderton the Seconds. The first team players pool still contained the brilliant Norman Whitaker, A Hartley, Alf Broadbent, Percy Moore, Tom Smith, Stephen Nicholls (in his 31^st season) and Ellis Wilkinson from the pre-war days. Newcomers were a new young swing bowler wonderfully named Prince Edward Stobbs, F Metcalfe, R Tuley, E Dickinson, F Rushworth and P Hull.

The first match between the First XI and the Second XI on 10^th May resulted in a tie (53 runs each) and by all accounts the First XI was extremely lucky at that! The First XI had lost their first five batsmen for only 12 runs and only the middle order saved their blushes despite Willie Anderton's 4 for 5 for the 2nds. Whitaker’s bowling was as good as ever and on 31^st May he equalled his own club First XI record by taking a second 9-timer (this time for 9 against Haworth Baptists). Eight of the nine of Norman’s victims were remarkably clean bowled! The young Prince also showed his pedigree with 6 for 36 against ultimate Champions Heber Street and an even better 7 for 16 versus Sun Street Mission.

Debut: Prince Stobbs; Farewells: Stephen Nicholls, Alfred Broadbent, Ellis Wilkinson, Percy Moore

Perhaps the most momentous achievement fell to for the 2nd XI and young left-hander Lister Brown, who rattled up the club’s first ever century with 101 not out (out of 154 for 9) against Sun Street who were beaten by 97 runs. Just to rub salt in the Sun Street wounds Lister also took 5 for 19 to record a superb historic first and still the best match double for the Seconds. That first Oakworth century score equalled the KDL record set a few years earlier by Colledge of Cross Roads and was worth 235 on today’s pitches. Oaks previous highest individual score was 38 by Hiram Hey in 1906 so Lister's effort was also the first fifty! Lister’s superb match winning innings would also remain the most dominant (65.6% of the team total) for 10 years

Princely consistency

Only Prince Stobbs produced any consistency in a very new line-up, now bereft of four pre-war veterans. His best performance was 8 for 29 against Oxenhope Parish Church.

Debuts: L Brown, Sam Brown, S Redman, J Stobbs, S Humphries

The following year saw the growing league split into two sections. Sadly the name of Norman Whitaker did not appear in any of the club’s games that year. Willie Pickles with 8 for 21 and Lister Brown with 45 against Bingley Baptists saw Oakworth through to the Keighley Charity Cup semi-final for the first time. Unfortunately they lost by 7 runs to Sutton Church at neutral Riddlesden. Another score of 45 by Tom Smith out of 58-2 at Sun Street was 77.6% of the score and still remains the highest % achieved in a League match (for scores of 40 or more).

Debuts: A J Hartley, John Preston, Arthur Pickles; Farewell: Hiram Hey

Nine for Preston

Prince Stobbs had left Oakworth for nearby Fell Lane after only one match. That club won both First & Second XI competitions in 1922 with Stobbs finishing high in both average lists. The discovery of yet another new Oaks bowling talent by the name of John Preston however promised better things to come. He hit the local headlines with a third achievement of the 9-wickets haul for Oakworth. He took 9 for 19 to bowl out Morton for 54 but amazingly the batsmen failed to capitalize and were dismissed for 45!

Haworth West End Baptists typified our poor season, successfully defending a score of only 25 thanks to Butler's 6 for 9. John Preston grabbed 7 for 12 and that should have been enough but even he couldn't prevent what is still a record today. Bingley Parish Church gained all 4 points from the Oaks largely due to the efforts of J Stephenson who managed 13 wickets for 28 runs, his best a new opponent record of 8 for 17 at Wide Lane. That record lasted only 3 weeks as Fell Lane's T Ward notched 8 for 10 in a 103 thrashing for our beleaguered boys. A tilt at the Cup only brought a 105 run walloping by the Methodists from Haworth, so no respite there!

Debut5: W Melrose; Farewell Willie Pickles

No skipper, no reports

The real low point came on 28^th April when Bingley Parish Church’s Stephenson with 3 for 4 and Turnbull with 6 for 1 humiliated the club by dismissing the team for our record low total of only 7 runs in reply to an impressive 132 for 4. Turnbull's magnificent bowling backed up his batting contribution of 57 runs as the first ever '50 and 5' double against Oaks. Strangely the club had no regular captain in 1923 as the responsibility was shared amongst a number of players. A J Hartley achieved second place in the league batting averages thanks to six not-out scores on the way to a total of 113 runs at just under 19, his highest score being only 24!

The 1923 season saw many scores not recorded by the Keighley News. Not surprisingly the League Secretary complained bitterly of having received only 117 of 161 required!

Debut: George Preston

Stobbs returned in 1924 thinking perhaps that cricket involved more than chasing medals. A skipper was needed and Prince got the vote but he needed to use a record 28 players to try and find the right combination. He almost single-handedly carried the team with five 5-wicket hauls and his first and only half-century in April against the Post Office team. Stobbs chalked up 69 wickets for the season to equal the club record set in 1904 by the late J Hey. He achieved 13^th place in the league averages with 5.18. His best bowling was in a defeat by his former club Fell Lane when he took 8 for 53. Even more impressively he made fourth place in the league batting lists with 170 runs from 15 innings. The Champions were Oxenhope Church who lost only 3 matches, two of them to Oakworth.

The surprising success of the First XI was not however matched by the Second XI. On May 24^th the previous season’s First XI debacle at Bingley paled into insignificance as the Second XI were shot out for the not-so-princely score of TWO by Fell Lane IIs. There were nine ducks recorded and Fell Lane bowler Greenwood had the magical figures of 6 wickets for None ! Not surprisingly the match aggregate of 5 runs was a new record. Despite this disgrace the season was easily the club’s best since the War and 1925 could be looked forward to with eagerness. Oxenhope 2nds A Waterhouse pushed the two-year old opponents batting dominance record to 66.0% with 68 from a winning 103.

Debut: E Mace; Farewell: William Adams

Season's end brought to a close the wonderful cricketing career of William Adams. His last match, his 155th for Oakworth was in a win over Victoria Park Wesleyans on 13^th September.

The twin bowling demons Stobbs and Preston continued to cause most of the KDL's clubs problems during 1925 but the club slipped to 6^th place in the league. A disappointing conclusion after the previous season’s near miss, with a low point on 20^th June when the side was bundled out by the Post Office team for 12 runs. Lister Brown made the batting averages with 172 runs at 14.33 but no one produced any scores of note. Stobbs again came up with the goods and John Preston improved noticeably actually outgunning Stobbs by taking 61 wickets.

Debut: P Laycock; Farewell: Norman Whitaker

Not for the first time the Second XI outshone their seniors as they took the Second Division title for the first time in our history. This Championship was achieved with a little luck as for some unreported reason Fell Lane IIs team results were ignored when six points clear of Oakworth. The youngsters in the Second XI worked hard to achieve a 10 match unbeaten run at the end of the season. Peacock, Anderton and Barber excelled with the bat whilst Ruddock (53 wickets) and skipper Willie Anderton (52 wickets) kept up the pressure with the ball.

Cup shock

The misery of the slump and general strike did not appear to distract the locals from their cricket and some turnaround in the club’s fortunes did in fact materialize. Stobbs continued to take great numbers of wickets, 64 this year, and Preston again provided superb support with another 52. Preston in fact finished fourth in the league averages to Stobbs 10^th. Batsman A J Hartley startled a lot of pundits with an impressively dominant knock of 71 out of a winning total of 109 against Alice St Prims in the Anderson Cup. Three weeks later Prims gained revenge by 63 runs when bowler W Emmott took 8 for 16!

Debuts: E Hargreaves, G Whitaker; Farewells: George Lee, A Hartley, W Melrose, J Stobbs

1927 witnessed a return to the form of two years previous as Batters Tommy Smith and A J both performed well, Hartley totalling 178 runs and Smith 120. Stobbs again led the bowlers with 67 wickets at only 4.80 each, which still earned him only eighth place in the average list! For the club it was another runners-up spot behind Champions Newtown.

Farewells: Lister Brown, Willie Anderton

unremarkable

1928 wasn't remarkable for Oaks performances but Keighley IIIs Harold Holmes obviously enjoyed our company when he took 12 of our wickets for 25 over the two matches. Prince Stobbs had left to try his hand at Lawkholme Lane. A new promising batsman S Redman came to the fore with 183 runs for the year and John Preston received help with taking wickets from another up and coming all-rounder Arthur Pickles

Debut: Bill Hough; Farewell: Herbert Moore

George's prize  

Arthur Pickles and John Preston secured their first (only) fifties in a second unremarkable season. The Second XI leading batter George Preston took the Division’s batting prize with 176 runs. George's prize could fairly be attributed to one magnificent innings when he pushed the dominance record for the 2nds to 68.3% with his 82 out of 120 v Turkey Mills.

Debuts        J Ritson, C Bailey, F Berry

Ritson follows

For the first time for some years the club had no-one in either the league batting or bowling averages, although for the second year in a row the Seconds provided the Batting Prize winner, this time J Ritson (169 runs at 18.7 average). One new record was set though, that of a new high match aggregate of 313 runs with St Mary’s.

Debut: Harold Buffet;

Farewell S Humphries

New pavilion

1931 continued the run of mediocre seasons to four in a year badly disrupted by the weather. J Ritson did lead a fine 119-run win over Keighley III with a welcome 56. Captain at last John Preston could do very little about the 8 matches, which ended as draws of which 5 were interrupted by the weather.

Debut : Harold Barber; Farewell: E Hargreaves

The Committee, now chaired by Willie Hodgson, had recognized the heady days of 1926 with 32 clubs in the League had gone and they concluded that their future must finally lie in the much stronger West Bradford League despite the mediocre season. The application was again accepted and the club smartened up facilities with the acquisition of a new pavilion and score-box during the winter months of 1931-32. Little did they know that their momentous decision to move up in class might very nearly destroy the club!

Gone West

After 16 consecutive seasons and a total of 492 matches in the Keighley & District League the Oakworth club’s new venture was greeted with a welcoming dose of foul weather and the first fixture against Riddlesden was washed out completely. The following week’s game met the same fate although opponents Morton Banks (also newly elected to the WBL) did manage an innings of 95 before the heavens opened. At the third time of asking it soon became clear that Oakworth were in for a rough ride in their chosen new home. Long time rivals Haworth Wesleyans skittled the club for only 24 (W Gould 5 for 7) and then knocked them off with only one wicket down. If the point needed any further underlining the other Haworth rivals from the Parish Church welcomed the newcomers with a massive score of 237 (Pickles 80) to which our lads could only reply with a humble 57 (J Ratcliffe 7 for 36). Not only was this the first time Oakworth had conceded over 200 runs but the 180 run defeat remains to this day as the club’s worst when batting second. The third Haworth club, the Baptists, didn't spare the rod either when they inflicted a 104 run defeat on our shell-shocked team. Oakworth made three figures on only one occasion, 109 in a draw with Haworth Wesleyans.

In the wettest season for years, John Preston received all round help from K Holmes, who topped his season with 42 runs and 5 for 41in ensuring a late season victory by 6 wickets over Oxenhope Methodists.

Wooden spoon

The promising K Holmes stayed only to see a first match bashing by Morton Banks and then departed forever. Prince Stobbs had returned from Keighley to the fold for his 14^th season and he helped the club achieve another tied match, against the re-named Oxenhope Methodists with 6 wickets for 32. Sutton’s G Shuttleworth was not the only opposition bowler to roll-over our lads but his return was by far the best with 9 for 17 at Wide Lane in June. July saw a 124 run hammering from Ingrow and in September Sutton did the double with a 131 run victory.

The realization that the club had won only one game (against Crossflatts by 21 runs in July) and drawn three (two rain ruined) must have been extremely hard to swallow for President E J Rouse and the whole club membership. It was Oakworth’s worst season to date with only 5 points gained from a possible 36 in a year dominated by bowlers. Even the new high match aggregate of 372 in a 60 run defeat by Haworth Methodists in September could not lift the gloom. Newcomer J W Metcalfe added 132 runs to P Laycock's 144 but like Holmes he opted to move on after just the one season. New blood was undoubtedly wanted.

The spoon again

A narrow ten runs win against Morton Banks augured well as the Prince returned 7 for 40 on 21^st April. W Paul of Devonshire Street Congs rattled our lads with 39 runs and 6 for 28 but we did manage a 1-wicket win. Harry Adams a young batsman with an impeccable Oakworth pedigree made his debut on 5^th May in the white heat of the Meths derby. He started with a duck. On 7^th July Ingrow again gave us a drubbing this time by 153 runs but two weeks later Oakworth rattled up their first ever 200 score with 207 against Cross Roads. This match produced terrific bowling from Harold Barber (8 for 11) as the opposition crashed to a 154 run defeat by our lads. Former Captain William Adams son Harry chipped in a first WBL fifty runs (58) to our total from the number 10 berth. He was shepherded by the experienced Prince Stobbs (47) in a cracking 9^th wicket stand (not recorded), which allowed Harry to show all his attacking stroke-play. The return match defeat against Devonshire Street couldn't be laid at John Preston's door as he took 4 for 32 and added 47 not out with the bat.

Debuts: Harry Adams

The 200 milestone in the club’s history was overshadowed as the last 4 matches were lost and the club agonizingly finished rock bottom of the league for the second season in succession. Double the previous season’s points were harvested but to no avail, the rot continued to set in, with the exciting exception of Harry Adams, whose amazing debut year brought him 122 runs from 8 innings at an average over 15. In contrast the Haworth Methodists received their first West Bradford Championship, having been members of the League since 1916.

No wins

By 1935, brittle batting was clearly the root cause of the club now becoming regarded as the perennial whipping boys of the league. But even two reasonable batting displays (196 against Haworth Church and 106 against the Baptists) could not prevent the disasters of the previous two seasons being compounded by an unwelcome third consecutive wooden spoon. The aforementioned games didn’t produce a win and neither did any of Oakworth’s others in the truly barren 1935 season. In each and every innings the opposing team bowled out Oakworth. The season was perhaps summed up by a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of unfancied Devonshire Street Congs, who scored the 13 runs necessary without loss to surpass Oakworth’s miserly 12 run total in June. Another 10-wicket loss to Haworth Methodists after being dismissed for 35 further underlined the weakness in the batting line-up.

The only cause for Oakworth celebration was P Laycock's 63 in the drawn Haworth PC match; it was the highest innings by a First XI player since the peerless Norman Whitaker's 70, 22 years earlier in 1913. One other to celebrate was J Pighills of Haworth Parish Church whose 61 out of 98 for 4 was our first opponent to dominate with over 60% of their total. Harry Adams continued to progress and finished leading scorer with 148 runs, but another young player of whom much was expected, Jack Lancaster, struggled to adapt to First XI standards, although it was evident it was only a matter of time before he would make the grade.

Harold Barber's record haul

Whilst General Franco was slugging it out with the Republicans in Spain, the Oakworth lads doggedly fought on to get out of the basement they had occupied for the last three years. A poor start in this respect obviously did not dampen their already soaked spirits and a five match-winning streak in July and August signalled the end of Oakworth’s reign at the bottom. This renaissance could fairly be attributed to one new batsman: 28 year-old Arthur Lockwood. A string of medium high scores from Arthur seemed to be making all the difference to the beleaguered batting line-up. His debut season was topped by a super 2^nd highest ever innings of 67 in a 45 run walloping of Denholme, but one performance of supreme excellence outshone all of Arthur’s individual efforts. Harold Barber continued to prove a real handful for a lot of the league’s batsmen. None more so than those of the Methodists from Oxenhope who were limited to a total of only 40 by Barber whose figures of 9 wickets for 5 runs still remain the best ever by an Oakworth bowler. He went one better than his illustrious predecessor, Norman Whitaker, whose record he overtook, Barber clean bowled all his victims!

Back to the bottom

The club’s hopes for 1937 must have been higher than for many of the preceding ones but they were soon to be cruelly dashed as they learned that Barber was to join the old enemy across the valley; Haworth Methodists. The bowling attack clearly was severely reduced in potency, as only Harry Adams was able to give much backing to veterans Stobbs and Preston. Indeed Adams it was in the first match of the year who took his second hat trick on the way to a magnificent return of 8 wickets for 9 runs when dismissing Haworth Baptists for 29. His joy was short-lived as F Ward responded for the Baptists with another hat trick to leave our lads despondent on a score of 24 all out.

Arthur Lockwood who accepted the captaincy found the going significantly tougher than last year and his highest knock proved to be a modest 31 against Sutton. Sutton had earlier inflicted a ten-wickets defeat on us after we were shot out for 18 by League-leading bowler Harold Gill who had amazingly dominant figures of 8 for 1. Even Oxenhope Meths gained revenge for ’36 thanks to Mudd’s crushing 8 for 9. A tied game against Knowle Park was the club’s only real success (74 each) as they dropped inexorably back to the cellar position. A grand total of 4 points, but no wins were marginally, thanks to the rain, better than the disaster of 1935, but for the fourth time in five years the club collected the booby prize.

The loss of Barber had indeed proved impossible to recover from, but one small chink of light shone through with the First XI debut of a lad who would eventually become one of the club’s leading players. He was Cyril Pegg and he signalled the shape of things to come by taking 4 Long Lee wickets for 10 runs in the away match in July.

Arthur's year

Arthur Lockwood started 1938 as if he was going to single-handedly drag Oakworth off the bottom. In the second match at Haworth PC he contributed a first ever First XI Century (104 not out) to a terrific 3-wicket win after chasing a good Haworth score of 178. Arthur’s new high had after 25 years overtaken Norman Whitaker’s 70 from 1913. The Keighley News carried Arthur’s picture and the Oakworth C.C. followers revelled in his glory and they might have dared to think the impossible. Arthur continued his one-man crusade with a knock of 64 in the next match and 84 in the one after that. A total of 252 runs in three consecutive innings and it was the first time anyone had scored three consecutive half-centuries. Unfortunately both these games were lost but it was clear that the club was emerging from the hell of the last five years. The young and very promising Jack Lancaster was now able to give Arthur support with the batting. Bill Hough achieved with both bat and ball. Stobbs in his 19^th season could still knock ‘em over as he showed with 8 for 34 against St Johns and John Preston went one better with his second tally of 9 wickets with 9 for 28 versus Cross Roads.

Once again not to be outdone the Second XI had a taste of the sweet things as Jack Walbank took 9 Ingrow IIs wickets for 49, only the second occasion for a Second XI player. Arthur Lockwood’s Herculean efforts deservedly brought him the League batting prize, the Oakworth club’s first since 1905, with an average of 34.40 from his record 344 runs.

Wartime cricket 

20 years of loyal service to firstly Oakworth and secondly to the League as delegate was appropriately rewarded with elevation to League Vice-President for Prince Stobbs in 1939.

Arthur Lockwood showed Denholme his mettle with 61 runs but even he didn't dominate, as did E Rushworth of Crossflatts who managed 62.8% (76 runs) of their 121 total.

The matches on 2^nd September were all postponed with the announcement that Adolf Hitler had invaded Poland and that a general mobilization would follow. However after receiving advice from the Ministry of Defence the league duly ordered the completion of the programme one week later. It would take more than a War to stop the West Bradford League!

Record margin Debuts         Edwin Greenwood, Frank Woodward

Whilst the western world was doing its best to blow each other to pieces local clubs faced the dilemma of whether to continue. Many opted not to, but with 15 others Oakworth took to the field for 1940. As the year wore on the club as all others was hit by call up of players but managed to complete the fixtures.

The highlights were obviously the setting of the club’s first 400 run aggregate and a new highest to date team score. In a match against Haworth Methodists and despite Shackleton’s fine bowling (he took 9 Oakworth wickets for 54) Oakworth rattled up a formidable score of 202 which included a second consecutive half-century for newcomer Edwin Greenwood. The cross-valley rivals and R Place (80) in particular not for the first time rubbed our noses in it passing their target with only 3 wickets down for a new aggregate record of 405 runs. The new high team score came in the previous match when Arthur Boardman and Edwin Greenwood both with eighties combined to take the Oakworth record to 244. Opponents Prince Smith & Stells reply of only 65 resulted in Oakworth’s highest ever winning margin of 179 runs.

On 13^th July A Greenwood of Bingley Parish Church struck the first recorded century against Oakworth, his 111 no leading his team to an emphatic 154 run win.

The call up of troops for the Second World War took its toll on all the club’s playing strengths and the League duly suspended activities until the cessation of hostilities. Unfortunately the club’s 50th anniversary in 1942 would not take place during a playing season.

The third 25 years (1941 to 1967)

Safely back

For the third time in the Oakworth club’s short history the reformation of the team began this time in 1946 after the Second World War. It is of worth to record the efforts of that enthusiastic band of people who maintained the club’s existence through those terrible days of 1941 to 1945. President E J Rouse, First team bowler and club secretary John Preston, Treasurer Willie Hodgson and Chairman Arthur Brooksbank along with many of the pre-war players such as Prince Stobbs, Arthur Lockwood, Harry Adams and Arthur Pickles deserve our gratitude for preserving the club for 5 long years, when commitment could so easily have waned. The playing squad retained fortunately the services of those mentioned plus youngsters Cyril Pegg, Bill Hough and Edwin Greenwood. Alvin Laycock and Jack Scarborough were recruited to embark on a campaign with bat and ball thankfully instead of gun and bayonet on April 27^th 1946 against Ingrow St Johns.

A fifteen-team single division where each team played each other only once was the order of the day and Oakworth started in real style winning their first three matches quite comfortably. Preston and Stobbs turned out only when required as the main bowling responsibilities now rested with Pegg, Laycock and Hough. The Second team produced another young batting prospect in Duncan Bower who topped the Second XI league averages. Arthur Lockwood, having lost five years at his peak, really began to again make his presence felt, finishing second in the league lists with an average of 25.28 from 177 runs in 12 innings. Edwin Greenwood in his second season backed him up admirably in sixth place, ending his year with a 50 in the last match against Ingrow, which was easily won by a first 10 wickets margin in the WBL. Bill Hough took 38 wickets to claim 8^th place in the bowling lists. All in all, it was a satisfactory restart behind League Champions Haworth Methodists, who had dominated War-time cricket in the area.

Oakworth were blasted from the Cup by N Gillson, whose 98 (from 150) produced a Haworth 8-wicket win. The knock remains the most dominant (65.33%) against Oaks in a Cup match.