John Fuller

True love and indoor cricket on Valentine’s Day

March 20, 2019 by John Fuller

It took a certain level of professional curiosity, some would say madness, to leave Mrs Cricket Yorkshire with licence to power through the musicals on Netflix and go in search of cricket on Valentine’s Day evening.

While some were unveiling bouquets of pungent (white) roses or wining and dining their lovers, I was lugging camera equipment up towards Leeds City Academy; a secondary school where Headingley nuzzles up against Woodhouse.

There are those in Yorkshire for whom nothing stops the prospect of cricket.

I was here to see a husband and wife stride out to bat together…what could be more romantic than that on the day celebrating the story of a Roman priest who became a saint?

There is a Leeds Thursday Indoor Cricket League whose winter campaign of 2018-19 hosts five teams, including a women’s side from St Chads Broomfield CC and 1 in 12, the club for whom our couple in the spotlight play.

Paula (above) and Craig got in touch with me via the social media phenomenon that is the Cricket Yorkshire Facebook page. Yes, please LIKE that sucker if you’re on Facebook.

Other than being enticing and a chance to watch my first cricket match of 2019, I could roadtest a new 400mm lens bought by the Cricket Yorkshire photographic department for the purpose of zooming in on the action in 2019.

A couple of hours rocketed by in friendly company. A good many of these cricketers play for cricket clubs but it’s also an opportunity for those who don’t want a greater commitment to have a thrash indoors.

I took time to acclimatise to what was going on. No change there then. In a nutshell, this was pairs cricket, eight-a-side, 12 overs of mayhem with everyone involved.

Trying to photograph it was a complete nightmare. The lighting was awful. Somewhere between a dingy nightclub and a mustard-coloured, flickering horror film. The plastic ball frequently came my way with interest and just before a blur of orange smashed against the wall near me, I might, just might, have yelped like a puppy dog.

1 in 12 scored 72 with husband and wife duo of Paula (capt) and Craig (wk) swatting it to all corners.

It’s a five-run deduction for a dismissal and you swap ends. You can also be caught off the back wall that led to all sorts of amusing ricochets.

There were athletic dives, a barnstorming catch and a notable mention for the umpire who somehow managed to keep track. If you think T20 goes like the clappers then this is something to behold.

It was exactly the kind of evening that I began Cricket Yorkshire nearly a decade ago to support. Cricket comes in all shapes and sizes and this was as rewarding as you could care to sample.

Yorkshire CCC Yearbook: White Rose on every page

March 20, 2019 by John Fuller

Cricket is coming. After the long hiatus that followed the end of the 2018 county cricket season, it’s not long before Yorkshire County Cricket Club begin at Weetwood against Leeds Bradford MCCU.

For those of us who pine for the return of domestic cricket, there are staging posts along the way.

Fixtures out? Tick. New signings announced? Tick.

Watching bulletins from Yorkshire’s pre-season tour to South Africa is to appreciate that a massive year for Yorkshire cricket is almost upon us. From the County Championship to the ICC World Cup and Ashes Test, there’s undoubtedly something for everyone.

Yearbook yardstick

To whet the appetite, there is a superbly compiled hardback cricket book unveiled annually that looks both back and forwards.

Now reaching its 121st edition, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yearbook has blasted to its century and shows no signs of stopping. For the Yorkshire cricket fan, it is a feast of reports, scorecards, articles and photography.

The 2019 Yearbook, priced £14.99, is officially out on 2 April 2019 but Yorkshire members can see a copy at the Yorkshire CCC AGM this Saturday 23 March.

What’s inside?

Full review of the 2018 season
Extensive Championship and one-day match reports and scorecards
Match Factfiles
Yorkshire Seconds and Academy review and scorecards
Yorkshire Diamonds women’s cricket team review and averages
Farewell to Jack Brooks, Liam Plunkett, Andrew Hodd and Alex Lees – feature
Obituaries section, including BBC ball-by-ball commentator, Dave Callaghan
Cricket after the First World War – Feature
Fifty Years Ago – Feature
Yorkshire President’s Gold Award winners – Feature
Wandering around former county grounds – Feature
Geoff Cope nominated as Yorkshire President – Feature
All Club and Player Records updated
Full fixtures for 2019

Yorkshire CCC Yearbook Editor David Warner had this to say:

“The Yearbook tries to keep apace of all modern trends in the game but it is also mindful of Yorkshire’s history as is reflected in the 2019 edition with articles by Tony Bradbury on how the County fared both 100 and 50 years ago. The summer of 1919 was the first after the First World War and Yorkshire finished top of the Championship table. Fifty years later, they were blunt in the Championship but sharp in the Gillette.”

He added: “This coming season is one of massive importance for Emerald Headingley both at county and international level but only time will tell if the surge of optimism throughout the Club proves to be justified.”

The 121st edition of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Yearbook is available for £14.99 from Great Northern Books.

It’s a faithful companion to thumb through; a compendium of all the matches and another sign that much more cricket is just around the corner.

The magic of the club cricket tour

March 14, 2019 by John Fuller

What happens on tour stays on tour? Well, not anymore. It’s time I lifted the lid on a club cricket tour I organised for my pub side a decade (ok, two decades) back.

We returned to the West Country village where I first played cricket and did a weekend dart around Somerset and Devon. It was a blast. Beautiful locations, new horizons. Saturday saw us undone by a bowler whose name was Cheddar. I kid you not.

On Sunday, after a long and eventful night on the beers, we were utterly thrashed by a young Minehead team who strained every sinew to impress the county coach watching on the sidelines. It didn’t matter, we had stories that would last for years.

Promoting club cricket

There is a camaraderie to cricket tours that live long in the memory but I’ve noticed cricket clubs aren’t going as much as they used to.

Perception of long travel can be one of the obstacles with clubs reluctant to go too far from home. Not everyone wants to pile in a minibus for five hours but new surroundings and fresh adventures can be much closer than you think.

To those I’ve talked to, it’s funny how cricket tours also forge friendships between clubs as they take it in turns to visit each other over time and players even move between the two.

Part of the problem with cricket tours is that much of the focus is on attracting amateur squads overseas to UAE, Spain or South Africa which is beyond the budget of many.

The good news is that Cricket Yorkshire’s partner Sports Travel South West (STSW) is a hugely experienced tour company whose focus is on UK sports tours. Sure, they arrange trips to Malta or Ibiza but are just as capable of shaping an itinerary to Cardiff or Kent.

The company began life in 1982 as owner Mike Gee catered for clubs keen to visit the South West of England. They operate from the picturesque Cornish village of Halsetown and though the name nods to its origins, cricket clubs or schools can receive support in adventures across England, Wales, Europe or further afield like Australia.

As Mike puts it: “Having organised sports tours for over 37 years, we are well experienced in the requirements for a successful cricket tour. Specialising in domestic tours to all parts of the UK we are able to tailor the tours to cater for all ages, playing standards and clubs, whether they are for mid-week or weekends.”

Why use a cricket tour company at all?

The only person who thinks organising a cricket tour takes two minutes is the person who’s never done it before. It’s perfectly possible but volunteers in cricket already give up countless evenings and weekends.

My pub team went DIY all that time ago though from memory, it was me who spent so many hours trying to arrange opposition, places to stay and the myriad of travel options that come with shepherding 15 blokes from A to B then on to a cricket field.

Sports Travel South West have been there, got the T-shirt and will remove all the hassle so everyone can concentrate on having fun and enjoying the cricket.

Mike Edwards is their cricket associate with extensive experience in arranging cricket tours, having previously worked for Gulliver’s Sports Tours, Mike Burton, and the Barmy Army. For peace of mind, customers are protected by The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) to cover all eventualities.

One side who used STSW for their 2017 tour to Yorkshire is Brockley Cricket Club from South East London.

I caught up with Rob Miller who explained that when everyone’s busy, there is a definite appeal to letting a tour operator take the reins and look after the finer details.

As it happens, Rob’s dad hailed from Keighley so he decided to encourage his London team-mates to leave city life behind temporarily and sample the delights of West Yorkshire. He chose to arrange a fixture against Ilkley Cricket Club then left Sports Travel South West to facilitate the other matches.

So, Brockley Cricket Club stayed at the Kimberley Hotel in Harrogate and were pitted against Burnt Yates Cricket Club, Thorpe Arch & Boston Spa CC and Upper Wharfedale. Sadly, the weather ruined the Dales fixture in Grassington but the tour was long enough to ensure plenty of cricket.

In Rob’s words, Brockley are a medium-strength social side when they can pick from their full quota but a tour party is entirely down to who opts to travel so the average age was pushing 40 which made for some tired limbs in the field.

As he puts it:

“Ilkley did for us. They were a very strong team. That was mismatched and that was organised by me. They absolutely dashed us. For the other three teams, I was happy with the way they matched us and I think that’s the key when you’re going on tour.

The location and the social side was very good as was the liaison between tour company and clubs.”

We should be showcasing the incredible diversity of Yorkshire as a must-visit destination for a cricket tour.

Similarly, there are also 700+ clubs up here who’d benefit from a few days of city breaks or village excursions to cricket clubs around the country.

Tempted? 2019 cricket tours are still available with Sports Travel South West: two nights, two fixtures and central hotels from £115 or customise your own.

Want to go on a cricket tour?

Contact Sports Travel South West via email or call on 01736 797168 to discuss options and they’ll put together a sample itinerary for your club.

You can follow @SportsTravelSW on Twitter or link up with Sports Travel South West on Facebook but first, explore the cricket tours section of their website, suitable for all budgets and destinations.

**This is a sponsored article on behalf of Sports Travel South West – if the mood takes you, click to read Cricket Yorkshire’s policy on sponsored content.**