I catch Yorkshire County Cricket Club batsman Jack Leaning by phone one afternoon for a natter about winter training and he launches into the meticulous, finessed programme tailored for each player. At this time of year, downtime centres around taking it easy and boxsetting it up given the likely punishing summer schedule for the twenty-three year-old […]
Climate Cover helps Get The Game On
As the frost crackles the leaves and we all cross our fingers against winter floods, spare a thought for the groundsmen around the country safeguarding sporting facilities from the elements. Based in Northampton, the company total-play has been working with those professional and amateur groundsmen, designing and installing top-quality sports surfaces, including cricket covers, since […]
Dickie Bird: My Life in Cricket
Harold “Dickie” Bird, he of the iconic white umpire’s cap and mischievous humour wrapped in a broad Barnsley accent, has had many honours bestowed over the years from MBE and OBE to Yorkshire County Cricket Club President. The latest focus on the charismatic octagenarian sees an exhibition entitled ‘Dickie Bird: My Life in Cricket’ in […]
When did you first play cricket?
The launch of the ‘All Stars’ programme in Yorkshire was at Elland Road on Sunday. This new nationwide ECB initiative is aimed at attracting tens of thousands of five to eight year-olds to play cricket and encouraging a groundswell of popularity and young fans. Time will tell whether this latest attempt to make cricket relevant to […]
Hodgy: watercolour-painting, ukulele-playing Yorkshire groundsman
The phone chimes up just at the moment that I am making a conscious effort to burn dinner. It’s groundsman David Hodgson – universally known in cricketing circles as ‘Hodgy’ – who has returned my call around an interview after a day at a turf management exhibition in Harrogate. Discarding carbon-infused chicken in favour of […]
Yorkshire cricket outdoors in January: St Chads Charity Cup
The fielder stationed at short third man wore a red woolly hat while the umpire live-scored the match from his tablet. Welcome to cricket outdoors in mid-January. This charity fixture, in aid of the Sue Ryder Wheatfields hospice, who provide end-of-life care for patients with any life-limiting illnesses including cancer, was held at St Chads […]
Maryam Ali inspires girls to play cricket
We all know a cricket coach that has proved pivotal whether for a team we support, our own relationship with the game or who has been instrumental for someone we know. For Leeds-based community coach Maryam Ali, her journey in cricket is only really starting but yet for those girls whom she’s encouraging to connect […]
Does Kolpak strengthen or endanger county cricket?
The immediate answer (how often do you get that in an opening paragraph?) is that it depends if you’re a fan worried about the potential roadblock for young English county cricketers, a county coach looking to bolster an under-strength squad or a professional cricketer after financial security and a new chapter in life. Kolpak has […]
Gary Ballance captains Yorkshire’s renaissance
Well, well… Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s captaincy roll of honour now officially spans from Lord Hawke to Gary Ballance. Ballance has become Yorkshire County Cricket Club captain across all three formats after being approached by new First XI Coach Andrew Gale. The 27-year-old England batsman described the Yorkshire captaincy as “impossible to turn down” and […]
Cricket Yorkshire’s winter reading shortlist
The countdown to Christmas is well underway in the Cricket Yorkshire office. Caramel-infused mince pies have bitten the dust and thoughts turn to the choice of cricket reading out there to look forward to. Whether autobiographical journey, historical retrospective or light-hearted page-turner, the publishing houses have a raft of titles lined up to tempt you […]