Flockton stalwart Harry Marsden has been honoured with an OSCA by the Yorkshire Cricket Board.
The 70-year-old from the village has served 52 years as secretary at the Huddersfield Central League club, but his OSCA – Outstanding Service to Cricket Award – comes for his umpiring and general duty to the game.
He has been umpiring, mostly in the Central League but also in the Drakes and Junior Leagues, since 1976 and was nominated for the award by Trevor Heeley, another stalwart of the game in this area.
Marsden received his award at Headingley and it was signed by Philip Radcliffe, chairman of the YCB, and Mark Arthur, chief executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
A former wicketkeeper with Flockton in the Denby Grange League, Wakefield League and Central League, Marsden has also umpired the Huddersfield Taverners junior teams in his time officiating.
He has twice been put in charge of the CopyMark Allsop Cup final – the major showpiece of the arrowselfdrive Central League – and he has also pitched stumps in the second XI Tinker Cup final.
Flockton are staging that event on Sunday, when Leymoor take on Mount, and Marsden will be a busy man before that because, in addition to being secretary of the club, he is also treasurer and groundsman at Hill Top!
He has also been secretary of Flockton Football Club, who play in Division III of the Huddersfield District League, since 1969, he is an Examiner Community Award winner and also a Life Member of the RCD Huddersfield Junior Football League, having served more than 21 years on the committee.
