Greatest Moment

1896 Lumb Cup victory over Dalton.

Local Hero

Basil D'Oliviera - played for the club as substitute professional in 1960.

Bizarre Fact

In 1910 Marsden were involved in a failed attempt to create a Colne Valley Cricket League - this meant they dropped out of the Huddersfield League temporarily.

From The Tips to Tragedy

Marsden CC was founded in 1865; the club played at The Tips before switching to Hemplow in 1921.

This move came about, 'as the result of the generosity of the late Mr. John Edward Crowther, a most influential  mill owner, who presented to the inhabitants of Marsden a wonderful sports arena, consisting of cricket, bowls, tennis and golf!'            

It is for this reason that one author has stated that the story of the club 'reads like a fairy tale'. The sports complex took the place of four farms and a pub (the Moorcock Inn) and when the 'new' cricket ground came into existence, the 'old' one, close by, was turned into a football pitch.

In total, Hemplow covers 70 acres and today it is managed by the Marsden Recreational Trust.

Blaze Tragedy

The Hemplow story also has its tragic side. In 1936 the pavilion burnt down - an 'unfortunate disaster,' according to one observer with a penchant for understatement.

A report from the Huddersfield Examiner (Monday 19 October 1936) hangs in the clubhouse: 'MARSDEN CRICKET PAVILION DESTROYED - The Marsden Cricket & Bowling Club's pavilion, a wooden building, was completely destroyed by fire yesterday'.

The ground is set amid a range of rolling Pennine hills and borders onto the football field - complete with grazing sheep. (On occasions the sheep even begin to promenade round the edge of the cricketing arena!).

On a fresh summer's day the scene is a still, peaceful one, with various shades of luscious emerald green on view in the middle distance. The view from the pavilion takes in the Marsden town-centre skyline and Pole Moor.

Half a dozen benches line the playing surface and a grass bank covers half the ground perimeter.

The club owns some excellent sightscreens, covers and practice nets; and there is also a dedicated changing room for the umpires.

Sheepdogs and Sponge Cake

Marsden is a good place for spotting sheepdogs and collies going for their afternoon stroll.

There are also some delightful mauve-coloured bushes by the scoreboard. The Huddersfield-Marsden bus terminates at a bus stop only 25 yards from the main entrance to the cricket ground; cars are normally parked by the main entrance or behind the sightscreen at the pavilion end.

From afar, the quaint, turreted pavilion looks like a slightly dated seaside palace - built on the steep bank directly opposite the main entrance.

From inside the building there is a wonderful 'aerial' view of the action. Adjoining the pavilion are two flagpoles: one flying the Union Jack, the other the George Cross.

Pinned to the large noticeboard inside are teamsheets, averages and details of the fundraising '100' and '200' Clubs - as well as taxi cards, a huge picture of Darren Gough and a publicity poster for the Marsden Band.

Icing Cream Galore

The wall is also adorned by framed photos of celebrated Marsden XIs, going as far back as 1895.

There's a TV, dartboard, pool table, telephone…and a strange contraption called a 'Chalkie Cricket Scorer'.

A bowling green backs on to the smartly laid-out tea-room area.

One first-time visitor summed up the Marsden experience as follows: 'There is a very rural feel to the place. It's peaceful, picturesque, and you can hear the sound of sheep bleating in an adjoining field. The pavilion is very 1920s - and this adds to the whole effect.'

Not too long ago, a full tea cost £2.50, a cup of tea 40p, and the MCC caterers do a very nice line in sponge cake, with lots of icing cream in the middle (30p a slice).