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Charlie Griffith in action. This is actually a photograph of a framed photo, presumably belonging to one of the people interviewed.
The Jimmy McIlroy Magic Moments column featured Charlie Griffith. In 1964, Burnley’s professional, the 6ft 4 in. West Indian Test player Charlie Griffith, took 144 wickets for an average of 5.2 runs each, a fantastic Lancashire League record.
To accommodate Griffith's huge frame, Barnoldswick bedding firm, Silentnight, presented him with a super large bed. This was installed in his lodgings at 6 Stoney Street, Burnley, where 14 years earlier a certain young Irish footballer had lived!
Charlie took the Lancashire League by storm in 1964, claiming 144 wickets at 5.2 runs.
Built like a heavy-weight boxer, Griffith was Burnley’s first post-war “quickie”. The season was full of magic moments and Turf Moor fans must have thought they had witnessed a special feat on his first appearance when he took five wickets for 6 runs at Accrington, but they were to discover that such performances were to be the norm. People came from far and wide to see him and he seldom disappointed. Wherever he played, people made sure they found out who was batting first, and arrived in time to see the West Indian star in action. Burnley finished champions, skipper Derek Riley said “Charlie wasn’t the quickest bowler in the league but he was the most awkward to bat. He had the ability to get the ball to lift off a good length and he could bowl a yorker at will.” Asked if Griffith was a “chucker”, Riley pointed out that even at Test level he was never called, though from certain angles it could be argued that his action wasn’t perfect.
After demolishing Rishton in a league game, taking for 9 for 26, when the two sides met in the Worsley Cup final at Turf Moor, he failed to repeat the feat. Burnley were dismissed for 142, which was expected to be too much for the Rishton batters, but Jackie Chew, well known ex-Burnley FC player, hit 52 not out, supported by Kevin Fielding (44 n.o.) he steered Rishton to a shock 7 wicket win. In his defence, Griffith was not fit, unable to bowl full out, due to a thigh strain.
Some of his memorable performances were 7 for 17 and 8/40 v Todmorden, against Lowerhouse 6/22 and 6/12, v Enfield 8/24 and 5/45, v Accrington 5/6 and 7/36, v Haslingden 5/13 and 6/27.
He shattered Colne at the Horsfield Ground taking 8/27 and hitting Chris Croasdale in the face, and sending him to hospital, glasses smashed.
At Bacup, Charlie’s West Indian colleague, Basil Butcher, scored a magnificent 100 before he fell to Griffith, who took 5 for 68, and in the return game took 4 for 18 when rain stopped play. Another member of the 1964 side, Jack Schofield, remembered, ”The batsman snicked Charlie to the slips, who were standing as usual a long, long way back from the wicket and I saw one of our players with his hands just above his head. The ball was lodged in his hands, but it was the expression of sheer terror on his face that registered with me.” Field placing was easy for Derek Riley, “Everyone was behind the wicket except for a silly mid-off, and silly mid-on.”
Burnley suffered their first league defeat of the season in their final home match, against Rawtenstall, when Charlie took 5 for 45, reaching 137 wickets, to beat the post war record of 135 by Indian spin wizard Fergie Gupte. In the last game at Rawtenstall, which Burnley won by 8 wickets, his seven victims enabled him to beat the all-time League record of 143, jointly held by Sam Moss (Bacup) and J. Usher (Haslingden) set in 1900. Of his 144 wickets, 93 were clean bowled, 28 were catches in the field, 13 were snapped up by wicket-keeper, John Richardson, and 10 were lbw.
Charlie today is back in Barbados, and is president of the famous Empire Club, which this year celebrated its 75th anniversary, having given the world other players of the calibre of Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes, Conrad Hunte and Seymour Nurse.