Not so much a battle but a skirmish. I can hear the collective groan, “Not Harrogate again! You only visited there last week!”. I know…I know. Apologies, but hear me out. I headed to St. George’s Road last week when the weather was poor, knowing I had two potential games to cover, in two different […]
Club cricket
National Village Cup: Yorkshire teams are all out (just)
Frickley Colliery’s home defeat to Woodhouses by one run officially ended Yorkshire’s participation in the National Village Cup for another year. At the Miners Welfare ground, Woodhouses of the Greater Manchester Cricket League came out on top with a nervy finale. Winning the toss and batting first, the visitors scored 211-7 off 40 overs, thanks […]
Chappell Cup: Starfish among the shadows as Ilkley make semi-finals
Unfortunately, on Sunday, I wasn’t able to schedule in a women’s game due to having to head towards Burley in Wharfedale to pick my daughter up from a weekend’s Guide camp. To be honest, I had pretty much resigned myself to not being able to get to any sort of game as the location and […]
State of Play: Yorkshire Premier League North
Welcome to this snapshot of the title challengers and relegation worriers as the season reaches the last third in the Hunters Yorkshire Premier League North. Enjoy a few observations, league table, stats and averages from lead performers with ball and bat. The plan is to shine a light on each of the four Premier Leagues […]
No small beer: Lights, CAMRA, action at Barkisland
I don’t drink beer so an email dropping in about award-winning real ales initially didn’t set the pulse racing. Sorry, Dave at Barkisland Cricket Club, you’d have reeled me in with a press release about Irn-Bru. And yet… I got to thinking about how cricket clubs become a point of difference, particularly in the many […]
State of Play: Bradford Premier League Round-up
In this round-up, we’ll give you the lowdown on how Bradford League teams are faring across the top division for 1st XIs, including lead performers with ball and bat. The plan is to shine a light on each of the four Premier Leagues in the coming weeks. (Stats featured below refer to league only – […]
Women’s softball: Richmondshire win at Knaresborough Forest
Sunday arrived and I was certainly worried about the weather. The forecast over the weekend was very unsettled, with threats of drizzle and longer showers, potentially disrupting games scheduled on both days. I’d looked at the fixture lists for the next few weeks on Monday, pencilling in various destinations, trying to ensure that I continued […]
Ryedale Beckett League: Thornton Dale defeat Ampleforth
If you don’t like the weather in Britain, wait an hour. There’s a lot of truth in the saying, usually trotted out by knowing locals to overseas holidaymakers. I was reminded of it recently when, a mere 45 minutes before the scheduled start of a Thursday evening fixture at Thornton Dale Cricket Club, whipped up […]
Home from home with Romany Cricket Club
Peter Hockin from Romany Cricket Club shares stories and the popularity of friendlies in Yorkshire. **** The Romany was formed in 1902 and have been playing friendly matches ever since except for the war years. We used to play most Saturdays and Sundays but more and more of the opposition joined leagues which meant that […]
Licking cows, special teas and new nets as Pickering visit Pannal
I love grounds like Pannal; secluded from the main road, transporting you away from everyday life, almost suspending normality. There are still the distant sounds of cars travelling on the main road that runs between Harrogate and Leeds, and the occasional blast of the train’s horn to signal its final approach to Pannal Station – […]