TOP crown green bowler Gene Bardon has died aged 71.
Originally from Spen Valley but based in Huddersfield for many years, he was at the summit of Yorkshire bowling for three decades.
He played for Newsome WMC and Almondbury Con and was the first player ever to make 100 appearances for Yorkshire – going on to play 109 times in all and scoring 70 victories after making his debut at Thrum Hall, Halifax, in July 1965.
“He wasn’t just one of the best bowlers we’ve ever had in Huddersfield and Yorkshire, he was one of the best bowlers full stop,” said former Examiner bowling correspondent Peter Muff.
Bardon was a triple Yorkshire Merit winner, taking the title in 1975, 1987 (both while at Newsome) and 1992 (when he was at Almondbury Con).
He always rated the first of those successes, when he beat Bob Wilby of Wath Athletic at Dodworth Welfare, as his best moment in the game.
He was also runner-up in the Yorkshire Merit final in 1968 (playing out of Spen Victoria) and qualified for the finals day on 13 occasions in all.
Bardon was bred for crown green bowling and was playing in the Yorkshire Boys Merit when he was only 10. His father, Harry Bardon, was a county man who won the News of the World Handicap against young Jack Horsfield in 1957.
Bardon jnr went round as a lad marking his father’s card and gained a comprehensive education from people like Tommy Martin and Fred Ingham (both themselves Yorkshire Merit winners), Hartley Brook and Joe Crowther at Spen Victoria.
Bardon put that knowledge to impressive use.
He lived at Honley when he played for Newsome – leaving for a time to live in Lancashire before returning to run Thurstonland Post Office – and among his major credits were the BBC2 Top Crown Masters and, in conjunction with Roy Nicholson, the BBC2 Top Crown Pairs at the Waterloo Hotel in Blackpool.
Yorkshire supporters used to say at the time that Bardon was bringing so much back from Blackpool the Lancastrians ought to chain the Tower to the promenade!
He also won the Bass Olympia and the local Grand Slam of Huddersfield Merit, Huddersfield Champion of Champions and the Colne Valley Merit.
Add to those the Mirfield Merit, the Spen Valley Merit (when he was only 17), the West Riding Merit, the Gambart Baines at Scarborough (at 19) and the Jack Pearson Spectacular at Meltham (when he beat Brian Duncan in the final) and it’s easy to recognise why he was so revered.
There were many other titles as well and, when one highly knowledgeable player in Huddersfield was once asked to nominate the three best players in Yorkshire, his answer was quick, clear and concise: “Bardon, Bardon and Bardon!” he said.
Bardon retired from county competition with Yorkshire after they won the championship in 1993 and, two years later, he was installed as president of the Yorkshire Crown Green Bowling Association. He was joined by Dougie Mellor as deputy president, giving Huddersfield both top officials for the first time since Stewart Richardson (Meltham) and Bryan Armitage (Newsome WMC) filled the posts in 1979 and 1980.
During his two years in office, he was happy to ‘present prizes, open fetes and kiss babies,’ because he charged £5 for appearances and donated all the money to the Yorkshire Bowlers’ Benevolent Fund.
When he retired from working, he moved to live in Rutland to be near his family.
