ATTIS ECB Yorkshire Premier League North 
GOOLE TOWN CRICKET CLUB 
https://gooletown.play-cricket.com/Teams/34836 
Early records of Goole Town Cricket Club date back to around 1870 with references in the Goole Times newspaper. Cricket in Goole dates back further and there are references to ‘Goole United’ and ‘The Goole Club’ in the 1850’s. 
 
The Goole Times records a match in 1870 between Barnsley and Goole on the 15th May. Goole scored 49 and 41 and lost by an innings to Barnsley’s 103. Reports of early games confirm the town’s dependence on the waterways system as some away teams travelled by barge to Goole fixtures. In those days of horse drawn carriages, barges made a sensible method of transport. 
 
The early 1900’s saw the Club expanding and adding a tennis section and moving to its current location at Westfield. 1902 saw the cricket club start a new season with the signing of a professional. E. Horner was signed from Filey CC and made his debut against Rawcliffe on 2nd May. Batting at No. 4 he made only 2 runs but later took 7 wickets as Goole won a low scoring game by 61 runs to 48. 
 
The Club does appear to have had its fair share of problems in the early days. The Annual General Meeting of 1913 reported a complaint by the Chairman of poor attendance and a lack of enthusiasm. The balance sheet showed a deficit of £4. 8s. 8d. 
 
One of the Club’s most successful seasons occurred in 1939 when the team won the West Riding League Cup in August and then in September also became champions of the West Riding League Division 1. This season saw one of the best games in the Club’s history as Goole beat Allerton Bywater by 4 wickets on 16th June. Allerton scored 300 and Goole made 304 for 6 with Bernard Innis scoring 197 not out. J Talbot came into bat with the scores level and tried to block out an over to give Innis a chance of scoring 200. Unfortunately, he got a thin edge through the slips for 4 and the game was over. 
 
On 5th September 1953, Geoffrey Boycott made his debut in senior cricket at Goole when he played for Ackworth first team for the first time. He was a 12 year old lad. He batted at No. 7 and made 9 runs in 31 minutes before being caught by Beaumont off the bowling of Holbrough. Ackworth made 126, beat Goole by 54 runs and Geoff’s career was under way. 
 
Some of the Club’s most successful seasons were 1989 and 1990. In 1989 Goole first team won the Humber-Don League championship for the first time. In 1990 Goole won the championship again going a full season undefeated. 
In 1994 the first team won the Humber-Don championship again with Captain Steve Foster becoming the first player to score over 1000 league runs in a season. 
 
In the summer of 1996 the Club opened its new clubhouse with grant assistance from the National Lottery and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. Yorkshire and England fast bowler Chris Old officially declared the clubhouse open. 
 
In the 1998 season Goole signed their first overseas player when Carl Bradfield played for the Club for 2 seasons. Carl was a great success as a player and coach and played at state level in South Africa. 
 
In July 2000, the Club were delighted when Treasurer and Cricket Secretary Norman Kirk was awarded the M.B.E. for his services over 50 years to Goole Town Cricket Club. Her Majesty the Queen, at Buckingham Palace, presented Norman with his award in November 2000 on the day Sir Michael Caine received his knighthood. Sadly, Norman passed away in 2022 after 70 years connection to the Club. 
 
In recent seasons the Club has progressed into the Championship of the York Senior League. The Club has achieved Clubmark and is an ECB focus Club. Goole Town Cricket Club won the East Riding of Yorkshire ‘Top Sports Club’ award in 2010. 
 
Of notable players who played for Goole, two are very worthy of mention: - Percy Jeeves and Henry Douglas Houghton. 
 
Percy Jeeves played his first serious cricket for Goole before having trials for Yorkshire and finally playing for Warwickshire. In 1913 the author P.G.Wodehouse, watching cricket at Cheltenham, was impressed by Jeeves’ performance and used his name for his butler to Bertie Wooster in the author’s popular series of Jeeves and Wooster novels. Percy Jeeves played 50 times for Warwickshire and took 199 wickets at 20.03 and scored 1204 runs. His highest score was 86 not out against Yorkshire in 1913. He was chosen for Players against Gentlemen at the Oval and took 4 for 44 in 15 overs in the second innings. England’s Pelham Warner was greatly impressed and predicted that Jeeves would be an England bowler in the near future. Sadly, within a month war was declared and Percy Jeeves was killed at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. 
 
Henry Douglas Houghton was Captain of Goole Town Cricket Club before the Second World War and one of the Club’s leading batsmen. Henry was awarded the British Empire Medal for gallantry in preventing a major disaster. Aged 28 and a Corporal in the RAF and while supervising the bomb loading of a Lancaster aircraft at a bomber base, he spotted a fire near another bomber some distance away. Knowing that the aircraft was already loaded with bombs he sprinted 200 yards to find that 90 incendiaries had fallen from the plane and burst into flames. Aboard the bomber were hundreds more incendiaries and a two-ton high explosive bomb. With his bare hands Corporal Houghton picked up about 30 burning incendiaries and threw them clear. He cleared bombs near a wheel of the aircraft and those offering greatest threat to the unexploded bombs. Other incendiaries were blazing fiercely, but he covered them with a steel panel. Then he called other ground crew to join him and together they pushed the bomber clear of the flames. In the incident Corporal Houghton suffered burns to both hands and required extensive medical treatment. He was awarded the British Empire Medal for outstanding courage and devotion to duty. 
Click on this text to edit it.