ONE of the most stressful things this winter has been for leagues to decide into which divisions their new teams should be placed. The Airedale & Wharfedale League (AKA Aire-Wharfe League) and the Dales Council League have both raises the hackles of member clubs that have been relegated after finishing eighth in 12-team divisions. The […]
Aire Wharfe Cricket League
St Chad’s Broomfield Cricket Club: New Beginnings
One of Cricket Yorkshire’s most popular articles this year was on switching cricket leagues. Its inspiration was my local club, Bingley Congs, who have swapped the Craven Cricket League for the Aire-Wharfe Cricket League. What I didn’t know was that a club was voted out of the league to make space; namely St Chad’s Broomfield […]
Waddilove Cup Final: Steeton beat holders Rawdon at Olicanian
Early August means one thing to the club cricket enthusiast: a mega choice of cup finals. Unfortunately (and I’m sure there must be a good reason), many are staged on the same Sunday. Which poses a dilemma for the neutral. Where to go? I opted, as I have several times in recent seasons, for the […]
Aire-Wharfe Cricket: Beckwithshaw vs Bolton Villas
Visiting Beckwithshaw Cricket Club has been on my radar for years. Those of us who hop around cricket club grounds tend to rub shoulders and recommendations get passed on. On a scorching Saturday, it was time to put that right with their Second Eleven at home to Bolton Villas in Inter-Division 5-6 of the Aire-Wharfe […]
The return of strawberry cheesecake and what it means for club cricket
I heard it long before the first white dots moving around Harden Cricket Club’s outfield came into view. An LBW appeal echoed through the trees of St Ives Estate in this leafy quadrant of BD16. Half a minute later, a ‘tock’ of a cricket bat striking leather reached my ears, somewhere off to the left. […]
How cricket clubs can fund a Flicx cricket pitch
Cricket clubs can fund their Flicx pitch in all kinds of ways from grants to crowdfunding campaigns but sponsorship can be very effective. Shadwell Cricket Club teamed up with Harpo’s Pizza to enable them to buy a 2G Flicx pitch. It’s an obvious route for recreational cricket to tread and for clubs to leverage local […]
Ben Rhydding joins Nidderdale Cricket League in 2021
Alex Miller, a committee member at Ben Rhydding Cricket Club, explains his club’s move to the Nidderdale Cricket League. Cricket clubs do change cricket leagues. It’s not revolutionary but there’s been two interesting examples with cricket clubs opting for something different in 2021. Ben Rhydding swapping Aire-Wharfe cricket for the Nidderdale Cricket League caught my […]
Aire-Wharfe Cricket: Harden vs Otley
As I walked through the St Ives Estate on this latest Aire-Wharfe cricket pilgrimage, an LBW shout echoed through the trees. It was otherwise eerily quiet for a dry but chilly Yorkshire Day. At Harden Cricket Club, play was underway in this Aire-Wharfe Cricket League Division 4 encounter. After a dousing of hand sanitiser at […]
Cricket grounds: How has it been for club cricket during lockdown?
I recently caught up with Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club’s groundsman of many years, David Hodgson, to get a feel for what life has been like at cricket grounds. Coronavirus has prevented club cricket across the country and seen us indoors for months. As an earlier Cricket Yorkshire feature showed, groundsmen like Hodgy have continued to […]
200 not out: Back to the future for Otley Cricket Club
As Bill Marshall reports, Otley Cricket Club are going back to the future as part of their 200th-anniversary celebrations. The Pool Road club, formed in 1820, is holding a single-wicket competition this summer – an event involving all-rounders that was more prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Otley CC chairman Chris Smith said: “We are […]