SHEPLEY CRICKET CLUB
Members of The Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League
& The Sellers Huddersfield Junior Cricket League
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SHEPLEY CRICKET CLUB
Members of The Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League
& The Sellers Huddersfield Junior Cricket League
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© Shepley CC 2008 Updated 07 July, 2008
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Shepley’s Best-Ever XI? By Dave Wooding
Over the years, Marsh Lane has been home to many good cricketers, and the success the club has enjoyed has been down in part to the immense contribution made by perhaps some of the more talented cricketers that have starred for Shepley over the years. Here we look at some of the potential candidates for a ‘Shepley CC Fantasy XI’, drawing upon the memories of players and officials past and present.
Geoff Gill – Surely the most fitting candidate for the role of captain, Geoff spent in excess of 20 years at Marsh Lane, and was skipper for several of these, leading the team to the Byrom Shield title in his first year as captain in 1984. Geoff had a fine cricketing brain and has become one of the most respected captains in Shepley history. With a big-hitting batting style, Geoff is undoubtedly hit more sixes than anyone else ever to play at Shepley; tormenting bowlers who regularly saw the ball fly back over their heads.
Paul Dyson – The early 1990s saw Australian Paul Dyson arrive at Marsh Lane for a few seasons. The right-handed batsmen made a massive impact during his seasons at Shepley, and passed the 1,000-run mark on two occasions in his three seasons with the club. Dale Skelly recalls one of Paul’s most memorable knocks against Skelmanthorpe. Dyson scored 150, with Dale saying that “despite his superb knock we still managed to lose somehow!” Paul was one of the few overseas players to settle off the field as well as on it, and has been described by some as having had a perfect attitude.
Dale Skelly – Described by former captain Brian Kettlewell as “probably the best keeper we’ve had at Shepley.” Dale spent in excess of ten seasons behind the stumps at Marsh Lane. At one stage in his Shepley career, Dale faced competition for the gloves from the son of a rich investor looking to pump money into the club. The fact that Dale was chosen to play, despite this decision resulting in the investor pulling out of the club, goes a long way towards showing the talent the stumper had. An integral part of Geoff Gill’s Byrom Shield-winning side in 1984, Dale was also a very useful batsman, and spent much of his time at Marsh Lane as an opener.
Neil Jurgenson - Of the many good overseas players Marsh Lane has seen over the years, perhaps ‘Jurgy’ was the most talented. The South African top-order batsman spent two seasons with Shepley in the 1980s, and was part of the side that won the Byrom Shield in 1982. Few could deny Jurgy’s huge batting ability, with former teammate Brian Kettlewell describing him as being “as good a batter as I’ve seen in a long time.” Upon joining the club in 1981, Neil put in a debut performance most players can only dream of, scoring a quick century. A series of other big scores meant during that season ‘Jurgy’ became the first player in seven years to pass the 1,000-run mark in the Drakes Huddersfield League.
Ian Glover – Shepley’s master swing bowler, Ian spent several seasons at Marsh Lane along with close friends Dale Skelly and Geoff Gill, and was also part of the title-winning team in 1984. One of only a few swing bowlers in club history, Marsh Lane proved to be a happy hunting ground for Ian, who has also taken his fair share of stunning catches while in Shepley colours. Ian’s bowling ability led to his inclusion in the Huddersfield Cricket League representative team on several occasions in the early 1980s, where he was joined on occasion by Neil Jurgenson.
Phil Heaton – Currently club captain, Phil has shown remarkable commitment to Shepley, especially when taking into consideration the fact that he commutes to each match from his home in Bury, and has done so for the past 14 seasons. A left-handed all-rounder, Phil has aided Shepley significantly with both bat and ball. One of Shepley’s top performers in recent years, Phil topped the bowling averages last season with his, at times, deadly left-arm spin claiming 40 victims.
Colin Shaw – Another strong candidate for the captaincy, during his time at Shepley Colin was a feared opening bowler. Originally from Meltham, he led the side for a long time and his tactical and technical knowledge of the game made him, as Trevor Curtis recalls, “a very respected captain at Marsh Lane”. A lower-middle order batsman, Colin was also known to come up with the goods when batting from time to time.
David Cocking – David began his Shepley career in the 1970s having originally played in the Central League at Denby Dale. He was a reliable bowler – in the words of Trevor Curtis he “was the sort of bowler who could hold up an end, bowling 20 or so overs and concede only about 30 runs.” Cockin’s tall stature also saw him adopt a rather unorthodox batting style, often fooling bowlers into thinking they had an easy victim.
Steve Carter – Another of Shepley’s imports from the Huddersfield Central League. In his time Steve was a steady bowler, often used as first change. He was described by those who knew him as a very calculating cricketer when batting: he always knew exactly how many runs were required and once walked off having won a match…with the umpires having to be told that Shepley had actually reached their target! If he got his eye in, Steve was renowned for moving the scoreboard on at an alarmingly quick rate.
David ‘Corky’ Beaumont - A deadly left-arm spin bowler, Beaumont has won Shepley many games over the years with his flighted spin bowling. A former captain of the Huddersfield League representative team in the 1980s, ‘Corky’ was another very good cricketing tactician.
Brian Kettlewell - A highly assured player and now a league umpire, Brian is another of Shepley’s former captains. Starting out as a pro at Kirkburton, and then moving on to Thurstonland, Brian was a reliable top-order batsman during his years at Marsh Lane. He was also part of the league representative side during his time at Shepley.
Darren Gough – A man who really needs no introduction, Goughie spent a few seasons at Marsh Lane before moving on to bigger and better things. Arguably the most talented cricketer ever to play for Shepley, Gough went on to establish himself in the England Test side between the mid-1990s and 2003, and played in one day internationals up until last year.
Adrian Guy- Another player picked up by Shepley from Meltham, Adrian was a bowler who knew how to put the ball in the right spot and frustrate batsmen. He was also responsible for hitting the winning runs in one of Shepley’s most memorable victories against rivals Skelmanthorpe, hitting a six off the last ball to show he could come up with the goods with both bat and ball.
Howard Palmer – A talented all-rounder, Howard used to open the bowling for the Marsh Laners in the 1970s, and still plays for the 2nd XI at Meltham. The son of a former Shepley school headmaster, Howard made a few appearances for the Yorkshire Colts 2nd XI due to his talent with both bat and ball.
Raju Kulkane – Talented overseas player who spent a season at Shepley. An Indian all-rounder, he captained his home-town side of Bombay and also went on to represent his country in three Test matches in 1986 and 1987. Raju certainly showed his ability in patches during his year in the Huddersfield League, and despite perhaps not integrating as well as other overseas players have, he was certainly a valuable asset to the club when he was on top of his game.
Who would feature in your Shepley Fantasy XI? Anyone who wishes to submit suggestions can contact me on a0407136@hud.ac.uk . I look forward to hearing your views.
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Website Administration: ian.watkinson@shepleycc.com
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