Perhaps inevitably, having no firm plan to see any cricket meant I ended up catching two games in the first full weekend of league action. Saturday was a drive over to Knaresborough; the A658 offering ample opportunity (if you’re not driving) to spot red kites circling. One flew low, perhaps 20 feet above our car, […]
Top tips to get the best cricket club insurance cover
As Cricket Yorkshire HQ is battered by high winds yet again and some cricket leagues cancel their entire opening weekend of fixtures due to wet weather, I’m reminded of what a fickle time of year it is. The impact of weather is a chief concern for many cricket clubs as to what extent they’re protected. […]
Forge Valley lose points and fined for late withdrawal
Amongst the cat videos on Facebook and dodgy ads, occasionally something else leaps out. I was scrolling through and a strongly-worded statement from the Scarborough Beckett Cricket League stood out: “The League Management Committee (LMC) has reluctantly agreed to a request from Forge Valley CC to withdraw from the Premier Division for the 2023 season. […]
Heavy Woollen Cup: History, heritage and plenty at stake
It’s particularly in an Ashes year when the Heavy Woollen Cup comes into sharper focus. The England-Australia rivalry is as old as it gets – and yet, this club cricket trophy in Yorkshire first took place less than a year later in 1883. Once limited to 32 clubs who were based within a strict distance […]
Many cricket leagues postpone their season start in Yorkshire
Nothing gets us quite so fired up as the weather – especially when it affects the cricket season. The North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League’s decision to postpone the start of their cricket season by a week was a big call. Unusual but not quite unprecedented – and sensible given March was the wettest […]
Paul Cummins: Taking the helm at the Yorkshire Cricket Board
Paul Cummins, the Yorkshire Cricket Board’s Director of Recreational Cricket, is talking to me from Headingley about what lies ahead. Three months into the job, the honeymoon period (if there is one in that role) has seen him zip around the region, meeting some of the staff and no doubt getting a feel for the […]
Pudsey St Lawrence: Primed, proud and ready on all fronts
The last time I saw Chris Marsden or ‘Spike’ as he’s known in Bradford Cricket League circles, was a visit in 2019 to their Tofts Road ground for their rain-affected game against Methley. It was for a feature in The Cricket Paper and a lot has happened for all of us since. I tend to […]
Harrogate Cricket Club: The next chapter
I wrote an article not so long ago about Glasshouses Cricket Club and their very real struggles to stay afloat for another season. One of the comments came from George Owram, joint chair at Harrogate Cricket Club, who shared his thoughts on loaning out juniors to Glasshouses, Pateley Bridge and others. It got the grey […]
Exploring Remarkable Village Cricket Grounds
In the summer of 2022, I seem to have gravitated to village cricket grounds. From the green slab of St Ives at Harden to whitewashed walls and a stellar tea at Bradshaw, there’s been some real gems. Not to mention Beckwithshaw Cricket Club outside Harrogate and Luddenden Foot up in the heavens above Mytholmroyd. All […]
Kevin Watson: Wrenthorpe glory and captaining Yorkshire Over 60s
Did you know that Yorkshire’s pedigree extends to the older age brackets in the County Championship too? We caught up with Yorkshire Over 60s captain Kevin Watson to discuss his club cricket background, captaincy approach and ambitions for this season. Kevin began cricket as a junior at East Ardsley Cricket Club, back in the mid-1970s, […]