‘THE FIELD STANDS AS A MEMORIAL TO ALL THOSE PAST WORKERS’

By Paul Rai

Picturesque, scenic and beautiful are just three words that can be used to describe the home of Armitage Bridge Cricket Club. Situated on the bank of the River Holme as it flows from Lockwood to Homfirth, the venue has been headquarters of the ‘Bridge’ since 1876. Armitage Fold was originally leased off Brooke’s Mill for a peppercorn rent.

Cricket was played locally as early as 1835 and in 1839 Armitage Bridge Cricket Club was formed. ABCC originally played their cricket in a field at Marten Nest, belonging to Mr. G. H.Edgecumbe. This location was later converted into arable land and the ‘Bridge’ relocated to the Netherton Moor area.

The club failed to settle at Netherton Moor and the venue became pasture land, forcing a move to Neddy Field. Situated between the rear of Brooke’s Mill and where the mill chimney stands, Neddy Field claimed its name from the field where donkeys - used for carrying cloth from Thurstonland to John Brooke’s mill - were rested.

For a short period ABCC staged their home games on a field near the river in the surrounds of Armitage Bridge House. They finally moved to their fifth and current home, Armitage Fold, in 1876; however, the transition was not that simple. Volunteers had to be recruited to help move hundreds of tons of soil required to level the ground. One observer noted: 'The result provides the visitor with a ground which may be regarded as one of the most beautiful playing areas in the country.'

In 1876, the pavilion (today’s changing room) was erected and further improved with the addition of a scorebox and tea room in 1887. The extension was built by members and friends in the evenings, the club purchased bricks and all other essentials, while the members provided the labour.

Two adjoining fields were levelled into one large field in 1889 as the committee considered the field too small. Now it is one of the biggest in the Huddersfield League today and stands as a ‘memorial to all those past workers whose perseverance and self-sacrifice were such that too much praise cannot be given and the Club owes them a deep debt of gratitude.’

Today as you enter the ground you are immediately struck by the tall green-leaved trees surrounding the square that cast shadows on the expansive outfield. Along the boundary edge there are various benches dotted around providing potential viewers with a place to comfortably settle down for overs on end and watch the action unfold in the middle.