The History of Skelmanthorpe Central Bowling Club
Foundation and opening: 1910–1911
Skelmanthorpe Central Bowling Club was established as part of the development of Skelmanthorpe Liberal Club on Commercial Road.
After the Liberal Club had been completed, surplus development funds were used to create a bowling green and clubhouse on land behind the main building. Construction of the green began in 1910.
The project was made possible through the generosity of two prominent local benefactors. Charles Edwin Field contributed £500 towards purchasing the land, while his brother, Thomas Field, contributed a further £300. Francis Child, Charles Edwin Field’s business partner, donated shrubs and trees to landscape the grounds.
The new bowling green was officially opened on Saturday, 1 July 1911, by Mrs Charles Edwin Field. During the opening ceremony, Charles and Mrs Field’s eldest son, Gordon Field, sent out the first jack. This historic moment marked the beginning of organised crown-green bowling at Skelmanthorpe Central.
Charles Edwin Field became the club’s first president and continued in that position until the mid-1930s. He was subsequently succeeded by his son Gordon, maintaining the Field family’s close connection with the club.
Founder members of the Dearne and Don League
Skelmanthorpe Central became one of the founder members of the Dearne and Don Bowling League. This association was to produce one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
Central completely dominated the early years of the competition, establishing itself as one of the strongest crown-green bowling clubs in the district. Its sustained success brought considerable recognition to Skelmanthorpe and created a proud competitive tradition that has continued through subsequent generations.
The club remained a powerful force in the Dearne and Don League until withdrawing from the competition in 1946.
Yorkshire Cup semi-finalists
Skelmanthorpe Central also competed strongly in the Huddersfield and District League Subscription Cup.
Although the club never captured the principal Subscription Cup title, it twice came particularly close, reaching the semi-final play-offs in both 1949 and 1970.
Central nevertheless secured important cup honours within the Huddersfield competitions, winning both the Drayton Cup and the Bamforth Cup. These victories added to the club’s growing collection of trophies and strengthened its reputation throughout the Huddersfield bowling community.
The Colne Valley League
In 1962, Skelmanthorpe Central entered the Colne Valley Bowling League, beginning another important chapter in its competitive history.
The highlight came in 1978 when Central won the Colne Valley League Championship off handicap. The achievement reflected the quality, determination and consistency of the club’s players throughout the season.
The same year brought further success when Central bowlers Eric Wike and Nicholas Hey won the league’s team pairs championship. Their victory completed a memorable double for the club and made 1978 one of the outstanding seasons in Central’s history.
Derrick Radley and a lifetime of service
Few people contributed more to Skelmanthorpe Central and the wider game of crown-green bowling than Derrick Radley, who lived from 1930 to 2023.
Raised only a short distance from the green, Derrick spent his entire bowling life at Central and held virtually every position within the club. As a player, his greatest individual achievement was reaching the last eight of the Yorkshire Merit.
His influence extended far beyond Skelmanthorpe. In 1983, Derrick became Secretary and Treasurer of the Yorkshire County Crown Green Bowling Association, holding those responsibilities for 11 years. He then served for a further five years as Yorkshire’s Competition and Match Secretary.
Derrick helped modernise the administration of Yorkshire crown-green bowling, and much of the structure he introduced continued to underpin the county organisation decades later. Despite his responsibilities at county and national level, he remained immensely proud of Skelmanthorpe Central.
Following his death in June 2023 at the age of 94, the club continued to honour his contribution through the Derrick Radley Cup.
Investment in the club
Maintaining an historic bowling green requires considerable commitment from members, volunteers and the wider community.
In February 2009, Skelmanthorpe Central Bowling Club was awarded £6,184 in capital funding through the local authority. This investment helped the club maintain and improve its facilities and demonstrated its continuing importance within village life.
In 2015, the Kirklees Playing Pitch Assessment recorded Skelmanthorpe Central as a privately managed crown-green bowling facility serving the Rural East area. The green was recognised as part of the area’s valuable network of community sporting facilities.
A new period of development
During 2026, Central embarked upon an ambitious programme to improve its facilities and safeguard the club for future generations.
The club secured grant funding of £5,900 towards the construction of new spectator shelters. Additional money was raised through crowdfunding, donations, sponsorship and club fundraising.
The development included plans for a substantial main shelter and smaller shelters around the green. These would protect players, officials and spectators from poor weather while allowing the club to stage more matches and activities throughout the year.
The improved facilities also enabled Central to host winter bowling. Two club teams were organised for the Huddersfield Winter League, with matches, weekly raffles and additional singles and doubles competitions planned across the winter season.
A community bowling club
Throughout its history, Skelmanthorpe Central has been much more than a competitive bowling club. The green has provided a place for exercise, friendship, recreation and community activity for people of different ages and abilities.
The club has welcomed regional veteran bowlers and the Skelmanthorpe and District u3a crown-green bowling group. Its regular matches, social bowling, competitions, coffee mornings and fundraising occasions have helped combat isolation and maintain strong community connections.
Skelmanthorpe Central today
More than 115 years after construction began, Skelmanthorpe Central Bowling Club remains an active and valued part of village life.
From the generosity of Charles Edwin and Thomas Field, the landscaping supplied by Francis Child and the first jack sent out by Gordon Field, the club developed into a respected force in Yorkshire crown-green bowling.
The clubs achievements were made possible by generations of players, presidents, secretaries, greenkeepers, committee members, fundraisers and volunteers. Their work ensured that the green survived changes in society, the closure of the former Liberal Club and the many challenges faced by small sporting organisations.
Today, Central continues to respect its past while investing in its future. Its improved facilities, winter bowling, community partnerships, memorial competitions and welcoming approach provide a strong foundation for the next generation.
The bowling green opened on 1 July 1911 remains where it began—at the heart of Skelmanthorpe and at the heart of its community.