Houghton Main’s wicketkeeper-batsman Simon Ward is gearing up for the game of his life: the National Village Cup Final. He’s been with the village club, based at Little Houghton, East of Barnsley, for five years after moving from Old Sharlston in the Pontefract & District Cricket League. Like me, he’s a surrogate Yorkie but probably […]
Hallam Cricket Club embrace growth and opportunities for all
Hallam Cricket Club play a lot of cricket. They are a bustling, South Yorkshire hotspot and I caught up with their Chairman Matthew Mawson to understand how their club ticks. They have five senior Saturday sides, a Sunday team, a Wednesday evening eleven in the Sheffield Midweek Alliance, a share in the South Sheffield/North Derbyshire […]
Nidderdale Cricket League: Seven in the slips at Knaresborough Forest
Knaresborough Forest Cricket Club was the destination recently for a Saturday afternoon exploration of a ground I’ve never been to. It came well recommended and was a chance to dip into the Nidderdale Cricket League. The significant bonus of returning to Knaresborough (one of Yorkshire’s most delightful towns) was no hard-sell either. Just before pulling […]
Woodlands win the Bradford Premier League at Undercliffe
A trip to Undercliffe Cricket Club to watch Woodlands try to clinch the Bradford Premier League title was to travel high above the city. Up, up past Bradford Cathedral, Carlton Bolling College to Intake Road, a cricketing heartland complete with white walls and a swirling wind. The game was reduced to 80 overs due to […]
Going national: 5 Yorkshire teams doing the county proud
We’re at the business-end of the 2019 cricket season. Over the coming weeks, there are trophies up for grabs across leagues and competitions in Yorkshire. Here’s a selection of Yorkshire teams who have made it through to national finals or are well on the way… Yorkshire Terriers The Yorkshire Terriers (who are Yorkshire’s physical and […]
Scarborough Cricket Festival: First class cricket on holiday
In this extract from my latest cricket book Last of the Summer Wickets, I describe the start of the Scarborough Cricket Festival, the race for a prime viewing spot, Bradman’s 1948 Australians and sneaking Wisden Almanacks into the house. (*Cricket Yorkshire is reader-supported. That means when you buy through links on our website, I may […]
Yorkshire Diamonds fail to cut it at Emerald Headingley
Let’s go! #shinebright pic.twitter.com/AmD4pS4dBJ — Yorkshire Diamonds? (@YorksDiamonds) August 11, 2019 A visit to Emerald Headingley to watch Yorkshire Diamonds face Loughborough Lightning in the Kia Super League delivered everything you could want – except a home victory. It began with a surreal walk up from the railway station to be gradually overtaken by an […]
Bradford hosts Community Cricket Festival Week at Park Avenue
In all the research for my new book, Last of the Summer Wickets, the most common view I heard was that Scarborough Cricket Festival isn’t really a festival anymore. More of that another time but if anyone’s looking for inspiration on how to bolster the coastal institution still further then Bradford could well provide it. […]
How can cricket clubs better protect themselves?
Cricket clubs, in Yorkshire and further afield, face many a challenge on any given day. Volunteers might sit on a mower for hours, spend their spare time baking cakes for teas or wading through a grant application. While the number of helpers, the amount of time things take and the perpetual balancing act between work […]
Regional Cricket offers intergalactic twist
For junior cricket in Yorkshire, this season has seen the exciting launch of the Regional Cricket programme; designed as a stepping stone to a county age-group team. It has replaced district cricket and involved changing the structure to just four regions: North, East & Central, West and South. Those working behind the scenes to make […]