Welcome to the Harold Larwood Website
Harold Larwood
Featuring a profile of the great England and Nottinghamshire bowler, Testimonials, Statistics, Records, Interviews, Sir Donald Bradman and much more.
We hope you enjoy this tribute to the Nottinghamshire and England fast bowler, Harold Larwood.
Harold was born in Nuncargate, Nottinghamshire on the 14th November 1904. After a health scare when he was a little over 2 years old, his father made him his first cricket bat, purely to keep the youngster out of trouble! Little did his father know what he had started.
Even during his time as a pit boy, Harold would play cricket as often as he could, ‘cricket was my outlet’ he would say.
At the age of 17, I was promoted to the village’s first team. Bowling in sandshoes because I didn’t own a pair of boots, I sent down 20 overs during the match, even though I’d worked down the mine all the previous night.’
‘I remember the game as if it were last week. After a few overs my nose began to bleed. Team mates, men they were , urged me to leave the field. I refused and kept on bowling. Down the mine I dreamed of cricket; I bowled imaginery balls in the dark; I sent the stumps spinning and heard them rattling in the tunnels. No mishap was going to stop me from bowling in the real game, especially this one.’
‘My nose bled worse than ever, spattering my shirt. I was again advised to go off but I continued to bowl. Then a ball caught the middle stump. My next delivery scattered the incoming batsman’s wicket. Although feeling a bit weak by now I got ready for one more, and hit the off stump. It was my first hat-trick.’
I TRIED TO GET HAROLD HONOURED FOR A LONG TIME KNIGHTED ETC,EVENTUALLY WITH THE HELP OF A LOVELY LADY FROM BLACKPOOL WHO DID ALL THE WORK,CALLED ELAINE SMITH A CHILDHOOD FREIND OF HAROLDS DAUGHTER ENID TODD,BLACKPOOL CRICKET CLUB PUT UP A PLAQUE TO HAROLD AND I WAS INVITED TO THE UNVEILING WHERE I MET HAROLD`S DAUGHTER ENID AND HER HUSBAND IAIN LOVELY PEOPLE WHO I NOW KEEP IN TOUCH WITH,SHE SAY`S SHE IS NOW AN AUSSIE. I MUST SAY I WAS MADE MOST WELCOME AT THE EVENT BY BLACKPOOL CC CHAIRMAN DAVE CRESSWELL.I FEEL REALLY HONOURED ABOUT THE EVENTS.
1MICK