Greatest Moment

1984 - celebrating 100 years of cricket on the Arkenley Lane ground.

Local Hero

Jack Taylor - former teacher, pace bowler and currently club president.

Bizarre Fact

In 1988 a 65-year-old club blazer was presented to OACC for their archives.

Arkenley Lane

Old Almondburians are linked to King James's School, which dates from 1606. It was established as a special 'royal school' after one Thomas Beaumont rode all the way to London to petition King James I on behalf of the 'gentlemen of Almondbury'. Beaumont succeeded in his mission and the school has traded on its royal connections ever since.

The Old Almondburians have a busy sporting life. Their football team, Almondburians AFC, play in the Yorkshire Old Boys League (they field three open-age teams). Their golfers play for the Gothard Cup at Woodsome Hall every year, and club members play badminton and tennis 'for fun' on Thursday nights at King James's School. There has also been a table tennis section.

The cricket club first entered two teams in the Central League in 1980, and according to their website are 'always looking for good, new players'. All the news, about sport and other things, is broadcast in The Old Almondburian, their rather distinguished newsletter.

Old Almondburians play their home games in a particularly pleasant and leafy part of Almondbury. It is very much the 'posh' part of the village. Things are very comfortable, and a little bit hilly, in this neck of the woods. Arkenley Lane is on the south side of Almondbury.

It is wedged between the centre of the village and Woodsome Hall golf course. Rushfield Dike runs nearby and Fenay Bridge is just round the corner - down Fenay Lane and past Fenay Hall. King James's School is located on St. Helen's Road, almost adjacent to the cricket field.

From the cricket ground, the views out over the nearby countryside are lovely. The field is surrounded by attractive trees and bushes. This adds to the ambience of the place, but it also causes the occasional anxiety. At a League meeting in September 1981, 'Old Almondburians' representative stated that the Kirklees Authority would deal with the problem of overhanging branches in October or November.'

The pavilion is situated by the main entrance. There are lots of notices: one, sponsored by the Central League, welcomes you to the home of Old Almondburians C.C.; another tells you that the Almondburians' football club use the building as their HQ; a third has been put up by Kirklees Metropolitan Council - 'UNAUTHORISED USE AND EXERCISING OF ANIMALS PROHIBITED'; and a fourth hints at the strength of the Old Almondburians' middle-order batsmen - 'CARS PARKED AT OWNERS' RISK'.

The playing area slopes downwards from the pavilion and is marked out by thin, white 'stoppers'. There is a white wall and fence on the left as you look out from the pavilion.
In the first half of the twentieth century, cricket was a big part of the curriculum at King James's School.

The four houses - Dartmouth, Fenay, Jessop and Siddon - played games against each other, and the school 1st XI and 2nd XI played fixtures against other local schools (including Huddersfield College, Royds Hall, Rastrick Grammar School, Penistone and Heath Grammar School). In July 1929 The Almondburian stated that the school elevens had performed recently in a 'blaze of glory'. The cricket coach at King James's was none other than John Thewlis, the legendary Lascelles Hall player.

The Old Almondburians' Society was formed around 1920. Its 'Athletic Section' was booming in the 1920s and 1930s. Old Almondburians AFC was formed in 1922, and by the end of the 1920s the cricket club boasted a 1st XI and a 2nd XI. The cricketers had also moved from Woodsome Park (in front of the Old Hall) into a new ground - Arkenley Lane - and added a new wing to the pavilion building as well as acquiring some much needed washing equipment.

By 1951 the cricket field was also being used for the annual reunion of the Old Almondburians' Society. Various 'fun' cricket matches were also played on the field every summer, including King James's School v Old Boys and (during the reunion weekend) a clash between 'Married' and 'Single' ex-pupils.

In 1982 The Almondburian remarked on off-field and on-field matters. With regard to the former, it stated: 'Concern has been expressed at recent Executive Committee meetings about the state of the pavilion at the school cricket field, construction of which was financed by the [Old Almondburians'] Society many years ago. The Committee was told at its last meeting that the local education authority now has work in hand designed to restore the pavilion to a satisfactory condition.'

As regards the latter, there was cautious optimism: 'Pre-season fears that the [1st and 2nd XIs] might struggle initially in the higher sections have been justified to some extent. The leaving of [several] players, injuries, football commitments and early-season non-availability of university students, have meant a struggle on occasions to field two elevens. However, the spirit in the dressing room and on the field remains admirable…It is particularly pleasing, and with an eye to the future, to note the debuts of seven boys currently at school…'

And it is interesting that fundraising events were organised with the upkeep of the Arkenley Lane ground in mind: 'Socially, the best-ever attended disco and steak supper was held at Slaithwaite Leisure Centre…Some of the proceeds were spent on hiring a roller. This was manned by several volunteers, albeit reluctantly by the bowlers, for a nine-hour pre-season rolling stint on the square. Several items of new kit and a portable sightscreen have also been purchased. Vice-presidents Joe Cliffe and Eric Priestley have been particularly busy pre-season. Joe rested his taxi to make some much admired boundary boards. Eric decorated the kitchen area of the pavilion and was instrumental in the design and purchase of the sightscreen...'