Colne Giants

The game of knur and spell has a long history going back many hundreds of years - quite possibly even back to the Viking invasions - but it had its heyday in the 1920 and 1930s as thousands of people from the East Lancashire / West Yorkshire border towns flocked to cheer on - and bet on - the big name players of the day. After the second world war, the game died a death in Lancashire but was revived in the late 1950s by a handful of die-hard enthusiasts from Colne. This led to a resurgence of the ancient game which, in turn, brought with it corporate sponsorship, world championships, TV coverage, "Fiery Fred" Trueman and a whole lot more. This is the story of the post-war rise and demise of knur and spell in Lancashire told through the eyes and reflections of twice World Champions Stuart Greenfield - one of the "Colne Giants".