Hall of fame
What's in the Gallery
If you would like to contribute photographs, new or old, please contact our website administrator.
Chris Balderstone
The following article was contributed by cricket historian Brian Heywood, who came across this Longwood born sporting gentleman whilst researching local cricket history for Huddersfield University.
‘one of the most talented sportsmen of his era’
Chris Balderstone was a professional footballer and cricketer and one of the last true sporting all-rounders before the encroachment of football into the summer months made this double life impossible.
Born in Longwood on November 16, 1940, he attended Paddock County School and made his debut for Paddock Cricket Club in the Huddersfield League before his fifteenth birthday.
His first class cricket debut came for Yorkshire in 1961 but he made only occasional appearances for his native county. His stylish batting and flighted left-arm spin bowling really flourished after a move to Leicestershire in 1971. He won the gold award in the first Benson and Hedges Cup Final at Lord’s in 1972, ironically against Yorkshire, and his outstanding all-round form was a cornerstone of Leicestershire’s first county championship title in 1975.
In 1976, aged 35, he played two test matches for England as the selectors sought experienced county batsmen to counter the ferocious West Indies pace attack. This was the pinnacle of his cricket career which ended in 1986, his athleticism sustaining his playing days beyond his 45th birthday.
Chris’s football career began 28 years earlier, Bill Shankley signing him for Huddersfield Town in 1958. He made his debut at Ninian Park against Cardiff City in 1959. In 1965 Carlisle United signed him for £6000 and in the next ten seasons he helped them to two promotions and scored the penalty which briefly took them top of the old first division – now the Premier League - in 1974.
The following season he joined Doncaster Rovers. On one celebrated occasion he lined up at Doncaster for a 7.30 kick-off against Brentford only an hour after unstrapping his pads at Chesterfield where Leicestershire were playing Derbyshire. The following day he completed a century and took three wickets!
Chris’s professional football career ended in Scotland at Queen of the South.
In 1988 he became a first class cricket umpire and was good enough to stand in two one-day international in the mid-1990s. He officiated his last match at Canterbury in September 1999. Suffering from cancer, he died suddenly in Carlisle on March 6, 2000, aged 59.
Chris Balderstone is remembered as a true gentleman, a popular companion and one of the outstanding sportsmen of his era.
Event Calendar
The calendar below will highlight upcoming events in red. To see what events are occuring on a particular day, click the highlighted numbers.
The calendar below will highlight upcoming events in red. To see what events are occuring on a particular day, click the highlighted numbers.
| « | feb 2012 | » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||