One of the finest, if not the finest batsman ever to grace Shires Lane – “Hodge” loved his cricket.

He played for Embsay in the 1978 & 1979 seasons before going into the Bradford League to play with Idle. He also had a trial with Yorkshire and played for Glamorgan.

Returning to play for Embsay in 1994, he played until the 2022 season. During that time, he batted 429 times, with 97 not outs and scored 11,072 runs. He scored three centuries in 1979, 1995, and 2004. The middle one was his highest score for the Club – 132 not out v Ingrow St John’s. He also captained both 1st and 2nd teams, winning several league titles and both the Wynn cup and the Cowling cup.

He had two hip replacements but that didn’t stop him playing. As soon as his surgeon cleared him to play, he was there. When batting in his later career, his partners had to be aware that there would be no twos or threes. He dealt in singles or fours!

A fantastic sportsman and character who will be sadly missed by us all at ECC.

This article is available in audio format, please click on the play icon below to listen.