Club cricket

In the quiet coastal village of Marske-by-the-Sea, there is a batting storm every bit as powerful as when the North Sea winds gather their puff. Saeed Bin Nasir won’t be a name too familiar to many in Yorkshire league cricket but the prolific Pakistani cricketer, with 10,000 first-class runs to his name, is racking up […]

So, I’ve joined the ranks of published cricket authors now that All Wickets Great and Small – an exploration by foot, bus and rail last summer of Yorkshire club cricket – is out in all good book shops. Or personalised, signed copies are available direct from me with Paypal. The book launch at Waterstones Leeds […]

Getting off at New Pudsey railway station for the Bank Holiday derby between Congs and St Lawrence was to realise you should never go anywhere in Yorkshire without a coat. The clouds were meant to burn off later but for now, a flotilla of sooty ships forged a ghostly path across the skies and a […]

Last Saturday was a rarity, waking up without any place I had to be. Due to a cricket injury after bellyflopping for a catch like a domino being unceremoniously toppled, a full day was there for the taking. Inevitably, it involved cricket and after a visit to Bradford & Bingley to watch their game against […]

Kevin Owens takes a look at some of more innovative approaches to fundraising currently on the go by clubs in the Aire Wharfe League to highlight what can be done with a little bit of imagination… There are many aspects to life with a cricket club that remain constant across the decades from sourcing players […]

The cricket ground at Wagon Lane, home to Bradford & Bingley, hasn’t half seen some extreme weather in the past six months, particularly with the extreme damage caused by the winter floods. But after a pleasant walk along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, it looked glorious on this sizzling May afternoon where the Bradford & Bingley […]

The 2016 Davidstow National Village Cup began on Sunday 1 May and as an assignment for The Cricketer Magazine (check out their June issue), I went along to an opening round fixture from Group 5 covering West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire & Humberside. It was Ben Brocklehurst, Managing Director of the Cricketer, who established a national […]

A cricket match that can be traced as far back as 1880 has once more been contested as part of the Ilkley Carnival on May Bank Holiday Monday. The history of this annual game between shopkeepers and tradesmen, whose teams wore black or white hats, came to light when I was researching a chapter of […]

Ok, so you’re familiar with Yorkshire CCC skippers Andrew Gale and Alex Lees but who’s the captain of Yorkshire Over 60s? Yes, you read right. Over 60s county cricket. Cricket has always been seen as a pastime that is kinder on the body into our latter years than say American football – but there are […]

The market town of Knaresborough was the end of the line for my train from Leeds and on this spring morning there could be few better places. It had been too long – a number of years – since visiting and I won’t be making that mistake again. Do go, if you get the chance. […]