Greatest Moment

1937 – the merger between Ebenezer and Wesleyan chapels to form Northowram Methodists CC.

Local Hero

A.Butterworth – skippered the club to Parish Cup success in 1965 and the league title in 1966.

Bizarre Fact

The club changed its name to Hedge Top after a fall-out with the local Methodist authorities in 1952.

Smart and Well Groomed

Hedge Top Lane is a smart, well-kept and well-appointed venue. It is situated immediately next door to Northowram Fields' home ground.

There are many appealing features of the ground: the well-groomed square, the flat, expansive outfield, the handsome scorebox (built in 1998), and the attractive bushes and flowers just to the right of the pavilion. Club spokesman Dave Torney said: 'At its best, our wicket is an excellent batting track. The main variable, however, is the weather.' In 1992-3, five new wickets and five new grass practice wickets were laid.

The pavilion - erected in 1980 - is a modern bungalow-style building, with dedicated dressing-room space for both sets of players and umpires. The front and side of the pavilion are adorned by the NHTCC club badge (a bright yellow crest that incorporates images of bat, ball and hedge, not unnaturally).

Ladders, Quarries and Toilets

On one side of course, the venue is 'joined at the hip' with Northowram Fields. Around the other sides there are empty fields and, behind the bushes and flowers, a smart residential area (Croft View).

Torney explains an interesting bit of history: 'Part of the ground - the area near where the pavilion is sited - lies on top of an old quarry. Obviously, it was all filled in, but at one point there was a huge gap in the earth down which the ball could drop. So we got hold of a long ladder, so that if the ball did get lost, one of us could go and fetch it. We also used the old quarry as a toilet. If any of the players were caught short, they would just get the ladder out - and do what they had to do down below!'

The two fixed, sliding sightscreens (erected in 1999) are above-average in quality. They help to give Hedge Top Lane a very professional feel.
Informed opinion suggests that the Hedge Top club was founded in 1919. In its early days, it competed in the Halifax & District Nonconformist League and played at a ground to the north of Heywood Church.

Inactivity and Relocation

In 1926, after a period of inactivity, the club was re-formed, having relocated to Hedge Top Lane. In the old days, it was linked to the local Wesleyan church. In the 1930s, the club became known as Northowram Methodists after the merger of the Wesleyan and Ebenezer churches.

In 1946, the club joined the Halifax & District Amateur League, and a year later was successful in its application to become members of the Halifax Cricket League.

The club's current name was acquired in 1952. Connections with the local Methodist church were severed when the club organised a Christmas raffle - a serious offence in the eyes of the Methodist hierarchy, which for a long time viewed any sign of 'gambling' as unethical.

In the same year, the club purchased its ground from the Coley Hall Estate, and thus put an end to years of renting the land.

The 'glory days' of Northowram Hedge Top CC came in the mid-1960s: it won the Parish Cup in 1965 and the Halifax League in 1966.