Seventy years on and the memories are still fresh.
It was the anniversary yesterday of the lowest ever score in the Huddersfield & District Cricket League (now Drakes League).
On September 4, 1943, Huddersfield were dismissed for just six runs at Fartown in reply to a Holmfirth total of 32.
Incredibly, in the April of that year, Kirkheaton had been bowled out by Lockwood for just seven – but Holmfirth went one better thanks to their professional Arthur Noble.
The records show A.H. Noble took six wickets for three runs, and plenty of people were there to see the remarkable feat because Huddersfield Rugby League Club were playing a pre-season friendly against Oldham next door!
Noble was presented with the ball by the Holmfirth club, and his son William, who lives at Shepley, still has it.
William remains in touch with the two surviving members of that Holmfirth team – Dougie Thorpe, who was unable to be on our picture, and Benny Clough.
“I remember my dad talking about the match at Fartown many times, because no-one watching thought Holmfirth were going to win when they’d put up such a small score themselves,” said William, who played himself for Denby and Shelley in the 70s and 80s.
“My dad was always confident, though, and ended up taking six for three. He always said there was nothing wrong with the wicket, it was just one of those things that happened and there was just something about the conditions on the day.
“I remembering him saying that the last two Huddersfield batters still thought they could knock the runs off when they had only one wicket left.
“Everyone was closing around the bat, but my dad wanted to push one fielder back. The lad didn’t want to go, thinking a catch would be made close in, but my dad refused to bowl until he was in position – and he ended up taking the match-winning catch one-handed!”
Arthur Noble was professional for a number of Huddersfield League clubs, including Friarmere (who feature on the Byrom Shield which will be presented to Shepley on Saturday).
A very good batsman, he was best known for his fast left-arm bowling and vicious inswing to right-hand batsmen, which once accounted for the famous Lancashire and England batsman Harry Makepeace.
Noble was so good he was called to the Yorkshire nets on the same day as Hedley Verity, but the county preferred the slow left-arm option of Verity, who went on to become a legend of the game before being killed in the Second World War.
At the time of his six for three, Noble was 40. He died in 1985, but he is still well remembered by his now 90-year-old teammate Benny Clough, who lives at Honley and is still a member of Meltham Golf Club.
“Arthur was a wonderful bowler and he had a great career,” said Benny, who will be 91 later this month.
“I used to field close in for him and I took a lot of catches off his bowling.
“That day at Fartown was an amazing match. I think I scored two in our innings and then when we bowled, the wickets just kept falling.
“By the time it came towards the end, more people were watching the cricket than the rugby league, although I don’t recall a great deal of fuss about the low score at the time.
“It was very, very unusual, though, and I think it’s right it should be remembered all these years later and William still has the ball.”
