Greatest Moment

1937 - winning League and Sykes Cup 'Double', and for good measure the 2nd XI also bagged their divisional title.

Local Hero

Gary Sobers - the world's greatest all-rounder starred for Paddock in 1962.

Bizarre Fact

The club was originally called Paddock Rangers and played rugby!

Methodist Heritage

Paddock CC was born in 1872, a direct descendant of Paddock Methodists CC.

The story of West View is fascinating. An onlooker wrote in 1951: 'One would doubt if ever a club ground was made under more heart-breaking and back-breaking circumstances…[It] had to be made and thousands of tons of tipping had to be used. Night after night, month in and year out, the early enthusiasts toiled with barrow and spade, and fruits of their labour can still be seen for the "Johnny Moor Hill" side has a tipped banking which causes a stiff climb when the ball is sent over the boundary.'

And when you visit West View today, you are instantly struck by its unique geological and geographical location.

Over one boundary fence, a raw, narrow railway quarry (only a few hundred yards down the line from the main Huddersfield station); over the other, the aforementioned Johnny Moor Hill; and in the distance, massive grass banks, new industrial units and the glory of the Colne Valley.

It is not pretty but there is something magnificent about the rawness of the immediate industrial environment.

Builders and Leases

Paddock CC - in its early days, a traditional village club - celebrated its centenary earlier than many other clubs (1972) and has packed a lot into its 130-year history.

In 1882 the then club secretary David Lea signed a £13 ground lease agreement with John Foster of Gledholt Bank - to be paid in instalments.

This secured West View for the club, but in time the ground became the property of Huddersfield Corporation.

50-Year Lease

In 1934, 'arrangements were made in order to prevent the ground being taken over by a builder', and a 50-year lease granted, 'on condition that a pavilion costing not less than £100 excluding equipment was erected.'

At this time, the club was suffering severe financial problems.

One account has it that the club was in debt to the tune of £350; a framed document in the clubhouse today reveals that four trustees (H. Robinson, A. Teal, A. Clay and W. Noble) helped to clear the club mortgage during the period 1937-47. In time, the club was given the option of further leases on the ground.

Holmes, Watson and Co.

The history of Paddock CC is dominated by a few key people.

Percy Holmes and Willy Watson - two great names in English cricket - both learnt their cricket at West View.

The late Chris Balderstone was an ex-Paddock pro, who staged a special game at the club during his testimonial year in 1984.

On the admin side, mention should be made of Sam Livesey - stalwart of the club in its formative years - and Guy W. Booth, former chairman, treasurer and general committee member (and honoured with a plaque in the clubhouse).

One recent professional was Akhtar Bangaish, from Pakistan.

Varied Social Events

Paddock CC is in fact part of a bigger organisation: Paddock Cricket and Bowling Club.

The clubhouse, a big, extended red-brick building by the car park, is used for many and varied social events, and its inside walls are covered in old photos of bowling, darts and snooker teams, as well as famous cricket elevens (for example, those of 1924, 1937, 1955, 1962 and 1968).

All Saints and Castle Hill

On matchdays, the teas are served in the clubhouse, while the two sets of players change in the newly refurbished pavilion at the far end of the ground.

From the new pavilion (which also houses the scorebox) you get a good view of Paddock (or 'Parock'/'Parrock', as the hamlet-cum-village used to be known in the sixteenth century).

You see the tower of All Saints parish church, the tops of old houses and cottages, and bits of greenery round about. (You can also see Castle Hill, in all its splendour, out to the right).

Curiously, Paddock, the place, has no connections with horse racing; rather, 'Paddock' denotes 'enclosure'.

A framed aerial photo of West View and a framed painting of the ground (1972) both adorn the clubhouse wall. In the early days, West View also used to be the home of Paddock Rangers FC.

Silverware Success

Paddock won their first league championship in 1908 and their first Sykes Cup in 1923.

The Huddersfield Examiner described the remarkable scenes which followed the 1923 triumph:
‘A huge crowd awaited the arrival of the Charabanc at Longroyd Bridge, and to the martial strains of See the Conquering Hero Comes, played con brio by the Milnsbridge Socialist Band, the party proceeded up the village. The crowd increased as the procession went along and no road vehicle could stay its progress. The tramcar was compelled to creep sedately behind, and even the
Golcar bus had to run out of its orthodox track at a later stage.’

The newspaper went on: 'The effects of all this upon the smaller inhabitants of Paddock was similar to the music of the Pied Piper of Hamlin and it is doubtful that
he had more children following him than the Paddock team…After all, winning a cup is a thirsty job, and it was not surprising that a further halt
was called at Paddock Head, to the great confusion of the Golcar bus service. By this time the crowd was tremendous and the general enthusiasm to which was added the
merriment of the team’s mascot donkey, which can both eat ice cream and ride a bicycle, will cause Paddockers to remember for a long time the occasion when their
cricket team won ‘t’ cup.’