HUDDERSFIELD - FARTOWNSTEVE DRAPER is a well-known cricket historian and has been a member of the Association of Cricket Statisticians for many years. His several research articles include: The Cricket Grounds of Yorkshire published in 1995 and The Cricket Grounds of Durham (2006).In the history of the development of Yorkshire cricket the Huddersfield area of the West Riding plays a large role, arguably only second to Sheffield in order of importance. The game was well established in the area by the 1820s - a remarkable feature being the strength of village clubs in the vicinity of Huddersfield, particularly Dalton from the 1830s and subsequently Lascelles Hall, Kirkheaton and others.
In the town itself the first enclosed cricket ground was in the Highfield area, on Trinity Street, known as the Rifle (or Archery) Ground. The All-England XI played local teams here in 1850, 1851 and 1865 and the United XI visited in 1864. This site is now Greenhead Park.
The Huddersfield Cricket Club's origins, however, were not here, but in the formation of "Hillhouse St. Johns C.C" in 1866. After two seasons in Hillhouse the club secured a new ground in Fartown and became Huddersfield St.Johns C.C. The Huddersfield Examiner at the time said, [The committee] ... in addition to laying and fencing the field, have provided suitable seats. The first game on the new ground took place on May 2nd 1868 when the first-eleven played twenty-two of the club. Two weeks later the ground staged its first competitive game when St. Johns played the "Stanley Royal Blue C.C". The ground was leased from a Mr. Rutter of the George Hotel, Huddersfield, and was usually referred to as the St. John's ground.
 A club match at Fartown, 1985 The ambitious Huddersfield club developed the ground quite rapidly and Yorkshire made their first visit to the ground for a first-class fixture in 1873. In 1875 the cricket club joined a local rugby club to form the 'Huddersfield Cricket, Athletic and Football Club'. Work started on upgrading the ground extra land to the north was acquired for the rugby club and the half-timbered pavilion and small stand on the western side of the ground date from this period. The grounds epithet "St. Johns" gradually fell into disuse. The rugby ground was first used in 1878.
In addition to top-class cricket and rugby the ground staged an F. A. Cup semi-final when 10,000 spectators saw Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday play out a goalless draw. At this time there was a slight overlap between the cricket and rugby grounds and the club possessed a small stand that could be turned to face either way. In 1890 the club acquired yet more land to the north and the rugby ground was moved to its present position. In 1909 a stand separating the two grounds was built.
The inter-war period was in many ways a golden age for the ground huge crowds attended Yorkshire's annual visit and the club itself, in both cricket and Rugby League has many triumphs. The cricket ground was used to stage a Rugby League game in 1922, versus Leeds, when the rugby ground was frozen. From the 1950s, however, Fartown began to slip into gradual decline and the
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Fartown, 2006
Photo by Steve Draper
first-class fixture was lost after 1955 - the visit of Gloucestershire on 17,18,19 August of that year was the last game - Fred Trueman bowling the last ball. Huddersfield's place on the fixture list passed to Middlesbrough. The inception of the John Player League in 1969 saw Yorkshire return and the potential for top-class cricket can be gauged from the fact that the Huddersfield game drew the largest crowd of Yorkshire's season, in terms of spectators paying at the gate, on three occasions in the 1970s and 1980s. Crowds as large a 14,000 attended at times.
The ground's decline continued however and Yorkshire were forced to drop it as a venue after 1982, although 2nd Eleven games continued until 1986. The chairmanship, and later ownership, of the ground passed to a Mr John Bailey, whose only interest seems to have been in turning the pavilion into a night club turfing out the cricketers in the process. The Cricket Club broke up after 1985 part of the organization joined Lockwood C.C. who subsequently played as Huddersfield/Lockwood in the Huddersfield league, using the I.C.I. ground on Leeds Road. Those left at Fartown played in the Yorkshire League for one disastrous season (1986) before folding altogether. Edgerton C.C. then took up residence of the ground.
The ground entered a period of relentless decline during the 1990s. Ownership passed to Kirklees council but no efforts seem to have been made to save the ground. Huddersfield R.L. left the ground in 1992 and, after a period playing at Leeds Road now, as 'Huddersfield Giants' share the Galpharm Stadium with Huddersfield Town F.C. The sad demise of Fartown, continued apace as the Rugby ground was demolished. Subsequently Kirklees Council, citing budget cuts, ceased to provide funding to keep the playing area usable and Edgerton C.C was therefore forced to leave at the end of the 1997 season.
Since that time the playing area has been turned over to playing fields for local schools there is a mini-rugby pitch and a matting cricket pitch, although how often this is used is open to question. The pavilion is still standing, but the rest of the ground is very open, all seating has long since been removed and the terracing on which they were fixed is overgrown. The former bowling green is now a skateboarding area. The main stand that divided the rugby and cricket grounds has been demolished, of course, although the rugby pitch is still used by Huddersfield Giants junior and reserve teams. Portakabins are used as dressing rooms and are also used by the Supporters Club, who are still based at Fartown.
Perhaps the only bright spot at Fartown has been the restoration of the memorial to George Hirst, which had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair. Thanks to sterling work by many individuals, and in particular the late Alec Lodge, this has been rebuilt and rededicated to the 'Great Triumvirate' of Hirst, Wilfred Rhodes and Schofield Haigh.
To discuss this article go to the forum discussion thread - Ground Guide #9
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