Wardle and Smallbridge History Group share Jim Tweedale articles: A matter of honour 'Roses' Match played in ancient style

The Wardle and Smallbridge History Group (WASHG) have shared three excerpts about Wardle and Smallbridge from their collection of reporter Jim Tweedale’s articles: “The flying machine that closed the mills”, “A matter of honour 'Roses' Match played in ancient style” and “A Memory of Old Smallbridge.”

Jim was born in 1901 on Halifax Road, Smallbridge, and lived there throughout his childhood. He married Winifred Tattersall in 1928 and went to live in Elm Grove, Wardle where he stayed until his death in 1986 at the age of 84. He always worked in the cotton industry and finished his working life at Walsden Bleaching and Dying Company.

His father was Percival Tweedale and his mother was called Mary. Percival, a licenced beerhouse keeper living at 356 Halifax Rd. The houses on either side in the original are numbers 360 and 352 but the address on the original document was Hare and Hounds, Smallbridge.

Jim was also the Wardle and Smallbridge columnist for the Rochdale Observer for many years. After retirement, he wrote many articles on local life and history for the newspaper and also gave talks to local groups.

A matter of honour 'Roses' Match played in ancient style

“The scene – Rochdale Cricket Ground, Dane Street. The day – Saturday 2 June 1951. The occasion – Rochdale Borough Police sports. … In a full and often exciting programme of sporting activities, the highlight was a Lancashire v Yorkshire knur and spell challenge match between William Henry (Bill) Schofield, aged 74, of Hurstead and Willie Clayton, aged 76, of Halifax.

“Bill Schofield took first strike which sent his knur 130 yards. A mighty “clout” by any reckoning and the one which eventually made him champion. So strike followed strike with Clayton's furthest being 40 yards. Bill Schofield was a worthy champion, and a proud one too as he received the cup from the Mayor. The cup is now a treasured possession of Bill's son, Henry who kindly lent the photographs.

“It was him who told me of knur and spell matches for side-stakes of anything up to £50 and sometimes more. Small amounts by today's standards but small fortunes in those far-off days. It was very important to get the wind direction just right; and Bill's way never failed – the proverbial straw in the wind. I have a feeling that Bill Schofield was the Jack Nicklaus of the knur and spell world.”