Nottinghamshire secretary
He became the secretary of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in 1874, in what was to be a somewhat controversial tenure in that role. In 1880, the Australians toured England, making considerable money from gate receipts, something English cricketers, regarded as "gentlemen" did not do. Nottinghamshire's Alfred Shaw, however, saw this as an opportunity. He arranged a first-class match between the Players of the North and the Australians at Park Avenue, Bradford toward the end of the tour, which made Shrewsbury a healthy profit. A few days after this match, he hastily arranged a match between Nottinghamshire and the Australians at Trent Bridge. Seeking once more to make money, Shaw informed Holden that himself and six other Nottinghamshire players would only take to the field for a minimum of £20 each. Holden agreed, albeit reluctantly, and was reported to be privately fuming at the demand. In the Autumn, Shaw attempted to arrange an early season fixture for the following season against Yorkshire, with the view of once again profiting from it. Holden found out about this and told Shaw he alone did not have the authority to arrange county fixtures. He proceeded to write to all of Nottinghamshire's professionals, informing them they would have to sign a binding contract under which they would have to be available for all official Nottinghamshire matches. Shaw, Arthur Shrewsbury, William Barnes, Wilfred Flowers, Fred Morley, William Scotton and John Selby disagreed with his proposal.
They countered with their own three-point proposal. They firstly asked that the unofficial Yorkshire fixture be allowed to take place, secondly, that after ten years service to the county a player was awarded a benefit, and thirdly that all seven of them be allowed to take part in all Nottinghamshire matches in 1881. All seven rebel players played in Nottinghamshire's first match of 1881, but following the committee rejecting the first of their two proposals, resulting in the players striking. Such was their distrust of Holden, they refused any resolution talks in which Holden was present, but the committee demanded he be there, resulting in a stalemate for much of the season and Nottinghamshire fielding a virtual second XI. Holden asked the Marylebone Cricket Club to intervene in the dispute, which they did, resulting in the seven players returning. However, Holden re-ignited to dispute by leaving out Shrewsbury and Flowers from the team, resulting in all seven players resuming their strike. Holden approached the players toward the end of the season, with five of them returning, while Shrewsbury and Shaw apologised to the committee for their actions in 1882 and were welcomed back into the team. The strike was described as a historical moment between players and their relationship with their counties, with James Lillywhite writing in his Cricketers' Annual that, "It involved a distinct and material alteration in the relations between paid cricketers and their employers which vitally affected the interests of every club of any importance.".
