St Chad's Broomfield's redemption story at this year's Archer Cup

Charlotte Ashton (who plays for St Chad’s Broomfield Women’s 1st XI) reports on the Archer Cup as this showpiece of the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League delivered drama and surprises.

The third edition of the Archer Cup Finals Day took place on Sunday 28 July, and there could not have been a more glorious day for it.

Based at Northowram Hedge Top CC and Northowram Fields CC, two clubs that back perfectly onto one another, six teams were very kindly hosted.

The difference with this year’s event is that teams took part in a 20-over qualifier tournament, which demonstrates the rapid growth arc of women’s cricket across West Yorkshire since the inception of the Archer Cup three years ago.

The qualifier round of the tournament saw the teams split into two groups, and the top three teams in each qualified for the finals day.

The Archer Cup finalists were North Leeds, Bradford Park Avenue, Harrogate, Crossflatts, St. Chad’s Broomfield and Menston.

We arrived in sunny Halifax and the views from both Northowram cricket clubs are outstanding.

In the distance, the Emley Moor transmitting station stood strong against the calm fields and hills, whilst play began on both grounds. The number of supporters watching from the start of play was impressive, with friends, families and dogs galore spectating, cheering and listening to the music, curated by the in-house DJs.

The first games saw Harrogate versus North Leeds and Bradford Park Avenue face Menston.

The weather was perfect for it, with three of Harrogate’s batters retiring on 30 runs, and Bradford Park Avenue reducing Menston to just 58 runs after 16 overs. Harrogate and Bradford Park Avenue reigned supreme in these opening games.

As usual, it’s hard to talk about cricket without a mention of the weather and of the food available. With a wide range of samosas, sandwiches, freshly-made cakes, biryani, rice and burgers, the kitchen was busy all day.

Hats off to the wonderful work of the staff in the kitchen and behind the bar, as the food was delicious and their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Then we saw Crossflatts take on Harrogate and secure the victory, as well as St. Chad’s Broomfield chasing down Bradford Park Avenue’s 91 runs in 11.4 overs.

At this stage in the day, supporters were enjoying food, celebrating runs and wickets and taking shelter from the sun. Big sixes were hit from one ground to another, which is part of the joy of playing at two clubs that back directly onto one another, with just a stone wall separating the two.

With the sun shining down and suncream being reapplied, the final group stage games of the day were being played. In Group B, North Leeds needed the victory to be in with a shot at the final, and in Group A, Menston needed a win to hope to progress.

North Leeds beat Crossflatts, so Group B was one win apiece. It would go down to maths and net run rate, and having three retired batters in the first game meant that Harrogate progressed to the final.

St Chad’s posted 141 for 4 after the 16 overs, and managed to reduce Menston to 59 for 5; earning a chance of silverware.

Support for teams

The best part of the whole day was the amount of support the teams were getting, with members of teams that were knocked out in the group stages staying to watch the final.

St Chad’s had their own Barmy Army of supporters over from where they dubbed the Western Terrace, some might say there are calls for Northowram Hedge Top CC to rename this area of the ground due to the glowing positivity from St Chad’s towards all teams.

With pyrotechnics for the officials and both sides to run through to kick off the final, St. Chad’s captain Hannah Keys put Harrogate into bat.

With a strong batting performance from a young Harrogate side, we saw two sixes dispatched in the innings, and some excellent fielding from St Chad’s, with three run-outs. It then came to St Chad’s batting, and they chased it down in 7.3 overs, despite some excellent bowling from Harrogate.

Awards were handed out to both finalists to showcase and celebrate the talent on show throughout the day. With such a young side coming second, there are no doubts that Harrogate are destined for great things in the near future.

Redemption for St Chad’s

It certainly felt like a huge redemption arc for St. Chad’s, when, during the first Archer Cup, they didn’t win a single game, got knocked out immediately, and spent the day cheering from the sidelines.

It’s good to know the losing streak has ended – but the cheering from the sidelines for anyone and everyone still continues strong.

The Archer Cup really is a special day in the West Yorkshire Women and Girls’ cricket calendar for so many reasons.

Not only is it a day of fun, but it’s a huge celebration of the female game and how much it has grown in three short years in this part of Yorkshire.

I have full faith that the game will continue to grow, games will become more competitive, and there will be more teams present within the league and for next year’s Archer Cup to be even bigger and better.