What does the Nightwatchman conjure up for you? Is it the past phenomenon of England’s least capable batsmen shuffling out to face hostile fast bowling in the gathering gloom? Well, for seven years and over 1.5m words, Wisden has been publishing a quite brilliant quarterly collection of essays, called The Nightwatchman, on every corner of […]
Club cricket
York Senior League: Why Pocklington turned down cricket
The decision by Pocklington Cricket Club not to play any league cricket in 2020 (due to Covid-19) can’t have been easy. When I heard, I thought they’d be a very rare exception but the reality is that clubs have opted not to participate in leagues across Yorkshire, due to worries over Covid-19. It’s important to […]
Exploring club cricket grounds: Hopping mad
Andrew Gallon reflects on his journeys across Yorkshire club cricket as an avid ‘groundhopper.’ From the best views, finest cricket teas and strangest geography, dozens of clubs feature in his round-up: The arcane practice of groundhopping – watching matches at as many different grounds as possible – is fairly well known in football. There are […]
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 […]
Craven Cricket League: Karahi and hawk-eyed umpiring
This Craven Cricket League Covid Group B match saw Bingley Congs 1st XI welcome Cowling to Beckfoot Lane. Cowling might be a village on the A6068 towards that hazy Bermuda Triangle where Yorkshire meets Lancashire but I noticed their shirt sponsor was definitely White Rose; Azeems of Keighley do a mean chicken karahi. I arrived […]
Bradford Cricket League: Bradford & Bingley vs Pudsey St Lawrence
My Bradford Cricket League cup experience for 2020 began close to home with a trip to Wagon Lane. The Bradford Premier League teams were starting the new league cup and it saw Bradford & Bingley welcome Pudsey St Lawrence. Billy Whitford and Yasir Abbas are two signings for the home side who have a new […]