Local Hero
Louis Hall - prolific but dour late-nineteenth-century batting legend nicknamed the 'Batley Giant'. Bizarre Fact
In 1898 the Heavy Woollen Cup was awarded to Morley after Batley refused to play the final due to a rugby league game being played at Mount Pleasant on the same day. All-England Visitors
It was in the 1840s, we are told, that cricket was first played in Batley. The probabilit
y is that, in some form, cricket reared its head much earlier. One key date in the emergence of cricket in Batley was 1862, when an All England XI visited Batley and beat the home side by 62 runs. This sporting spectacle would have increased interest in the embryonic game. Founding of Club
It is no coincidence that a year later, Batley Cricket Club was founded as successor to Prince of Wales CC. By 1880 the club had set up home at Mount Pleasant, and been joined by other local sportsmen, including rugby players who had set up Batley RFC – later to become known as 'The Gallant Youths'. Prestige Fixtures
By the 1860s Batley cricket was developing a high profile. Prestigious matches against the major touring XIs, which included the sport’s leading players, were being staged in the town. As early as 1862, the All England XI visited the town to play against ‘22 of Batley & District’. When in May 1876 the United South of England XI played against ‘20 of Batley & District’, the visitors included the great W.G.Grace. The match commenced in front of around 4,000 to 5,000 people. Grace scored 4 and 40 as the local ‘Twenty’ won by 11 wickets. Aussie Visitors
Two years after the United South of England visit, Batley took on the Australian tourists. The Aussies' side was formidable, and included the demon fast bowler, Fred Spofforth. On 17 September 1883 Mount Pleasant, Batley, hosted its first and last first-class fixture, between T. Heavy Woollen Heroes
In the early years of the Heavy Woollen Cup, Batley’s record was only bettered by that of its great rival Dewsbury & Savile. They contested 10 finals before 1914, winning five of them. Historically, Batley has always been one of the most colourful and controversial clubs in the competition:
• Pelting the supporters of victorious Birstall with grass sods in 1892.
• Objecting to the re-scheduled final date in 1898 as it clashed with an attractive opening match of the Rugby League season (Morley were awarded the Cup without a ball being bowled).
• Suspended in 1899.
• Spectators attacking a Morley batsman in 1914.
• A withdrawal in 1928 after the 1st round draw.
• Crowd troubles in the 1930 semi-final against Dewsbury.
• The chaotic semi-finals of 1944 which were never played. Final Venue
Batley have been one of the most important clubs in the history of the Heavy Woollen Cup, competing almost every year and they are the fourth most successful club in the history of the competition. On 12 occasions the trophy has gone to Mount Pleasant but only three of those were since the end of the Second World War. The cup final has been staged at Mount Pleasant 13 times, a total only exceeded by Savile Town and Heckmondwike. The 'Batley Giant'
Louis Hall was a thin, wiry man with a rather haggard face and a fierce, drooping moustache. He was known as the Batley Giant although he was not exceptionally tall. Maybe his upright stance belied his real height. Anyway, giant in stature or not, Hall scored 9,757 runs for Yorkshire in first class matches at an average of 23.28 with nine centuries. As batting averages of this period should almost be doubled for fair comparison with today’s batsmen, Hall’s figures represent a considerable achievement. Yorkshire Star
Hall topped the county averages in 1883, scored four hundreds in 1884 and exceeded 1,000 runs in the season in 1887 -1,120 to be precise at 38.62 -with three centuries. One of these was Hall’s highest score in first-class cricket, 160 (out of 590) against Lancashire in 1887 (occupying the crease for a total of 6 hours and 40 minutes) when he and Fred Lee put on 280 for the second wicket. Against Middlesex at Bramall Lane in 1884, he just failed to achieve a century in both innings, his scores being 96 and 135.
