Greatest Moment

Hosting the Australian Tourists in 1878.

Local Hero

Derek Gledhill – longtime official and ‘Mr Elland’.

Bizarre Fact

In 1880 Elland CC played a fixture against a team of cricketing clowns.

Club in Numbers

2 - Number of times Elland have won the Huddersfield League ‘double double’. In 1979 and 1989 both the First and Second XIs finished the season as league and cup winners.

3d - Cost of admittance to Yorkshire Council cricket fixtures for men in the early nineteenth century.

Pies, Beer and Raincoats

Elland - well known for quarrying, paving stones, Gannex raincoats and the fourteenth-century 'Feud' that took place between families in the town - possesses a rich cricketing heritage.

The club, which formerly, and briefly, existed as Providence Independent Sunday School CC, was formed in 1860.

One of its early encounters was against local rivals Brighouse: 'The Brighouse umpire game too many lbw decisions against the Elland team with the result that he was chased off the field but he managed to escape to a safe place. The game was stopped and the Elland Committee complained because their pies and beer had not been bought!'

Hull to Hullen Edge

In its early years, the club played at Elland Lane (the other side of town from its current site).

They were founding members of the Yorkshire Cricket Council and thus took on the likes of Hull CC. (At one such fixture, around the turn of the century, women were admitted to the ground free of charge, while men had to pay 3d).

In 1876 Elland moved to Hullen Edge Road, and in 1926 the club decided to join the Huddersfield League (a 'happy day for local cricket,' according to one observer).

Today, the ground is in tip-top shape. Club secretary Derek Gledhill explains: 'There's a slight slope from side to side but it's a big playing area and a big square - there is a choice of 16 strips. We have got a full-time groundsman and the fact that we get a Yorkshire 2nd XI game each year is testimony to the quality of the arena.'

Sir John and the Aussies

Two events dominate the history of Elland CC (or Elland Cricket, Athletic and Bowling Club, as it is formally known).

The first took place in 1887 when the Hullen Edge ground, plus the nearby recreation field, was given as a gift to the townspeople by Sir John Savile (in celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee). Forty-five years later, on 1 September 1932, Elland CC bought the Hullen Edge Road from the Savile Estate for £1,000.

In the years following, Elland cleared off its debts and gained a sizeable membership. In 1957, the club proposed that on matchdays, league clubs should substitute ground collections for fixed-rate admission charges.

This issue was the subject of much debate, but in the end Elland's motion was passed, although clubs retained the option to operate either system.

The second memorable event occurred in June 1878 when Hullen Edge played host to a never-to-be-forgotten fixture between the '18 of Elland' and the first Australian tourists (who included Messrs Spofforth, Bannerman, Gregory and Boyle in their ranks).

Thomas Tong turned out for the home side and, as the Halifax Courier said, 'he could recall vividly the three-day match…which attracted excellent attendances including hundreds from Halifax and Huddersfield.

His most outstanding recollection of the match was facing the fearsome Australian bowler, "Demon" Spofforth, in the second innings when the Ellanders were facing an uphill battle.

After scoring a single, Mr Tong was struck in the face by a rising ball from the Demon and sustained a broken nose. Pluckily, he continued batting, adding another single, before being caught by Murdoch.

During the second innings, Spofforth took 10 wickets for 35 runs and the Australians won the match easily with scores of 90 and 85 to 29 and 66.'

It should also be noted that Aussie bowler Boyle took seven wickets in eight balls during one sequence in the match. (In 1886, Elland played another tourist side - the Parsees from India - and were defeated again).

Shooting and Tennis

There are other key dates in the history of the ground:

1889: First bowling green laid.

1891: Running track built around the perimeter of the ground.

1899: New pavilion built.

1905: Players' wives were asked to 'manage the tea and eatables department'.

1907: Arthur Naylor became professional and groundsman.

1914: Committee resigns over its decision to ban professional shooting matches due to the gamblers they were attracting; annual athletics meetings ceased with the outbreak of war.

1915: First tennis courts constructed.

1921: The former wooden chapel at Ripon army camp was bought for use as a tea room and dressing rooms.

1956: Women allowed in the bar for the first time.

1957: Ex-Yorkshire and England bowler Bill Bowes opens games room (now the pool room).

1977: Red Rum opens the Baines Hall (which replaced the 1921 building).

1985: Ealandians FC first use the adjacent football pitch.

In 1951, a representative of the Huddersfield League argued that, 'the Elland club has probably the finest amenities of any club in the league…delightfully positioned and well conducted.' Today, these remarks still hold good.
In recent years Hullen Edge has hosted Yorkshire 1st XI and 2nd XI fixtures, and throughout its history, Elland CC have won more than their fair share of silverware.