 At the age of fifteen, Blenkinsop began playing local football for Cudworth Village in the Senior Division of the Barnsley Association League alongside his brother.By his late teens, he was regarded as the star player of the side, earning 30 shillings a week, and helped them reach the final of the Barnsley and District Challenge Cup during the 1920–21 season.After appearing in the semi-final, he was forced to sit out a replay after opponents Wombwell Main registered a complaint that he had played despite being suspended.