This is a feature about recycled plastic benches, volunteer time and a community supporting a cricket club. In this content collaboration with British Recycled Plastic, we’ll explore why Darton Cricket Club replaced their wooden seating, the thinking behind choosing recycled plastic and how they approached funding their benches. My interview is with Darton’s Chair, Joe […]
Grassroots cricket is hot – but is it bothered?
The latest UK heatwave is a not-so-subtle reminder that extreme temperatures are here to stay. They are not a freak outlier nor anything we should be surprised about – and yet, I tend to react with incredulity every time the mercury dips above 30°C. At least it’s been cooler in Yorkshire than the South coast […]
Eggborough Power Station CC: The Eagles have landed
Going to Eggborough Power Station Cricket Club to check out their new ground offered a glimpse into the future and a reminder of the past. In 2017, I watched Eggborough’s evening league game against Carlton Towers when they had the power station’s cooling towers as the backdrop. Since then, the power station has been demolished […]
Bradford Park Avenue Ladies edge past Crossflatts at Windhill
Spoilt for choice on a Sunday that promised not to be chilly or wet for a change, I headed for women’s Premier League cricket in Shipley. Deposited on Platform 1 of the rail station, the lights opposite McDonalds were out so traffic had backed up into other postcodes. An electronic sign advertised ‘Clean Air Day’ […]
All Stars to grey foxes: The changing face of club cricket
Recreational cricket is evolving across the board, with different age groups, playing levels and communities all helping to shape the future of the game. In this collaboration with Howden, I caught up with Colin Mico (Head of Recreational Clubs at Howden) on how insurers and clubs should respond to changing demographics, team structures and participation […]
Jonny Tattersall: A Leicestershire Fox with a Yorkshire Bear
In the second of our series of interviews with cricketers who are Bear Cricket ambassadors, I spoke with Leicestershire wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Tattersall. As a former Yorkshire County Cricket Club captain and White Rose stalwart for over a decade, many of our readers will know Jonny, a popular figure at Headingley. Kit emergency Tattersall’s links with […]
The game that wasn’t supposed to happen at Ripley
There’s something uplifting about a cricketer’s refusal to admit defeat to the weather. All the forecasts leading into Saturday’s Theakston Nidderdale League Division Six fixture between Ripley and the higher-placed Thornton Le Moor promised rain, rain, and basically more rain. The sort of forecast that encourages sensible people to stay at home, or since it […]
Matty Weston: Bear necessities at Woodlands
In the first of our series of interviews with cricketers who are Bear Cricket ambassadors, I caught up with Matty Weston who opens the batting for Woodlands 1st XI in the Bradford Premier League’s Premier Division. As we chat via Zoom, Matty looks relaxed and maybe just relieved to be back playing cricket again after […]
ItsOKToTalkT20: Women & girls’ fixture at Whiston Parish Church
At Whiston Parish Church Cricket Club on Friday 5 June, the first-ever #ItsOKToTalkT20 women and girls’ fixture brings together talented players and an important message about mental health. Adrianna Darlow will lead the Blue Team against the Purple Team in a match with representation from a host of South Yorkshire clubs. I caught up with […]
Designed for altitude: Queensbury’s custom-made ACS cricket covers
Not all mobile cricket covers are the same. In this feature for ACS Cricket Equipment, we’ll explore the custom design made by Richard Shaw’s team at their Calverley HQ for Queensbury Cricket Club. ACS provides cricket clubs with covers, sightscreens, batting cages, flatsheets and accessories like their pitch water collector. As they have served the […]