The North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier League appears to have more cup competitions than you can shake a stick at. Spectators are spoilt for choice! Always keen to try something new, in this case the Ken Welsh Cup, I had a drive up the A19 to Teesside, an old stomping ground of mine, for […]
Wildflower meadows and special branches at Hundhill Hall
A season or two ago, whilst exchanging emails with a very helpful Pontefract & District League secretary, I asked if he could recommend any particularly attractive and/or interesting cricket grounds in his competition. Hundhill Hall Cricket Club’s ground, off Sandygate Lane, in the farming village of East Hardwick, three miles south of central Pontefract, made […]
Ryedale Beckett League: Lost balls and stained whites at Harome
In common with every other cricket enthusiast, I found April a frustrating month, as rain, rain then a bit more rain dashed my spectating plans. So, the early May arrival of long overdue sunshine and warmth saw me scrambling to find a midweek fixture belatedly to get my 2024 season up and running. Keen as […]
Baptism of fire for Shiregreen on return to top flight
Hard up against the southwest corner of Shiregreen Cricket Club’s compact ground are unmissable signs, mounted high on a wall, advertising an adjacent fireworks shop. Unfortunately, at least for Shiregreen, the only sparklers on display, when I made my first visit to the 2024 Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League top-flight newcomers, were the players of […]
Cricket in October: Remembering Arthington Festival at East Keswick
Editor’s Note: I was looking forward to heading to the Arthington Cricket Festival in 2023, having not been for a few years. Pre-Covid, it was once a ritual of mine as the Festival extends until October. Hard to find cricket outdoors many places at that time of year… Unfortunately, it’s been curtailed as the waterlogged […]
NYSD Hundred: Fireworks and spin wins it for Normanby Hall
Dodging this summer’s disappointing, triple-pronged cloud, wind and rain assault, I’ve been squeezing in cricket fixes wherever and whenever I can. Often, it has been a case of finding a game – any day of the week – with sun forecast. Recently, time and again, that has meant heading north from our York HQ. Starting […]
Sea air and sixes as Driffield Town clinch T20 Blast Crown
Cricket has many unsung heroes, without whom games couldn’t happen. Groundstaff – pitch makers, they like to be called now – are right up there. I made a long overdue first visit to Scarborough Cricket Club’s North Marine Road, to watch the Yorkshire Premier Cricket League North’s T20 Finals Day. The previous two days were […]
Around Yorkshire’s Leagues: 2023 Season Halfway Review
Heading into the second half of 2023, the standings in Yorkshire’s recreational cricket leagues are starting to indicate who the season’s winners and losers might be. Let’s start at the top of the pyramid, with the four ECB Premier League, Premier Divisions. In the Bradford Premier Cricket League, Woodlands appear on course to secure a […]
Saltburn ride the wave at the top of the NYSD Premier Division
Maybe – just maybe – the players, officials and supporters of Saltburn Cricket Club are beginning to wonder if an eighth North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier Cricket League championship triumph is coming their way. Two home wins, at the expense of Great Ayton then Stockton, across the June 10-11 weekend, saw unbeaten Saltburn establish […]
NYSD Kerridge Cup: Saltburn triumph at Fountains Garth
In my world, Bank Holidays are synonymous with sporting derby matches. Surely, it’s what the damn things were invented for! From a decent selection of fixtures (and after a careful assessment of the weather forecast for each quarter of the Broad Acres), I opted for a first visit to Fountains Garth, where Guisborough Cricket Club […]