ADMINISTRATORS

Those people who over the years have ensured the continuance of Oakworth Cricket Club, the patrons, officials, committee men, supporters and of course the Captains, deserve our thanks as do all the early Wesleyans who got the club off the ground between 1893 and 1900 although some of their names have been lost with the passage of time. All that is known is that the President of the amalgamated club in that first season in 1901 was J S Cockshott and he was one of the village’s leading Wesleyans following in the traditions set by the late Sir Isaac Holden. The club’s Treasurer was G Hale and the Secretary was Fred Moore, both also staunch Methodists. So it seems likely that they may also have been officials of the Oakworth Wesleyans Club, our predecessors.

In all the club has been presided over by 13 Presidents since re-formation in 1901, Eighteen hard working individuals have fulfilled the arduous secretarial duties and thankfully, 16 very careful purse holders have overseen money matters since 1901:
President Years Secretary Years Treasurer Years
  J S Cockshott 1901-02 & 1904-06  G Hale  1901-02  F Moore 1901-03
  J Lancaster  1903  J Nicholls 1903-07 & 1910-12  H Scargill 1904-05
  A L Haggas  1907-15  P Bancroft 1908  J Blenkiron  1906-07
  E Harrison 1919-20 & 1922-29  E Sugden 1909  J Woodward 1908-19
  H Waterhouse 1921  W A Heaton 1913-15  F Smith 1920-21
  E J Rouse 1930-51  W Anderton 1919  H Whitehead 1922-23
  N Johns 1952 & 1982-84  A Hartley 1920  A Scull  1924
  J P Smith 1953-71  A H Roberts 1921  W Hodgson 1925-51
  J Scarborough  1972-76  A Scull  1922-23 & 1925-28  L Judson 1952-53
  E Greenwood 1977-81  H Whitehead 1924  C Pegg 1954-56
  G H Kirby 1985-92  J Preston 1929-38 & 1946-51  W Hough 1957
  J Sayer  1993-2003  I Scarborough  1939  R Mitchell 1958-62
  W J Scarborough 2004-  G Lund 1940  D Lockley 1963-64
     C Bailey 1952  C Pegg 1965-80
     F Woodward 1953-77  P L Salter  1981-85
     B C Sayer 1978-2001  J Moor 1986-89
     C J Fradley 2002-04  T S Shields 1990-2017
     M T Davison 2005-  P Carter 2018-
The list of club officials is completed by the Chairman of the General Committee (an office created in 1913) and the following list of 18 includes some famous playing names that have given creditable service in that capacity. Messrs D Berry, E Dickinson & Edwin Greenwood were all awarded the honour but precise dates currently avoid detection. Over a Century there are many, many people who have unselfishly put club before themselves and the Oakworth club membership has recognized 23 of them by awarding them the highest of all accolades, that of Life Membership. Life Membership is not given lightly and all awards are approved by the full membership. Typically they are given for not just meritorious service but normally for service over long tracts of time. The club is proud to record their names:
Chairman Years Life Member Awarded
 Willie Anderton 1913 & 1927  William Adams 1951
 William Adams 1914  James Woodward 1951
 W Pickles 1915  George Lee 1954
 Stephen Nicholls 1919  John Preston 1954
 F Simpson 1920  Arthur Brooksbank 1954
 T Melrose 1921  Willie Hodgson 1954
 Willie Hodgson 1922-1936  Billy Field 1971
 Arthur Brooksbank 1937-1951  Tom Hewitt 1971
 George Lee  1952  Prince Stobbs 1971
 John Preston 1953-1964  Norman Feather 1976
 Edwin Greenwood 1965-1973  Arthur Lockwood 1976
 John Sayer 1974-1976  Jack Scarborough 1977
 Arthur Spink 1977-1980  Frank Woodward 1981
 Stanley Milner  1981-1983  Cyril Pegg 1981
 Wilfrid Scarborough 1984-2003 & 2013  Noel Johns 1984
 Ray Senior 2004-2007  David Greenwood 1995
 Cedric Fradley 2008-2012  Wilfrid Scarborough 1997
 Michael Scarborough 2014-  Barry Sayer 1997
     John Sayer 1997
     Tom Shields 2011
     Terry Thompson 2012
     Jeff Inman 2012
     Ray Senior 2014
       
Finally, the real heroes, the grounds-men, those incredibly hard working devoted people who enable the game to be played by cutting grass, repairing footholds, rolling, seeding, cutting the outfield or the thousand and one other tasks that need to be done. Their names are not all recorded but certainly ten of them have achieved fame in their chosen “profession”.
Groundsman Years
Sam Hanson 1901-1912
Willie Anderton 1913-1923
Richard Harris 1968-1977
David Greenwood 1978-1984
Neil Creighton  1988-1992
Michael Beckett 1993-2000
Wilf Scarborough 2001-2011
Eric Ashford 2012-2014
Wilf Scarborough 2014-2016
Steve Powell 2017-
A toast to all of them and the hundreds of others who have maintained the club throughout the years. “One Hundred and twenty-two not out”, Take a bow Oakworth Cricket Club.