“Village cricket is dying” is a common soundbite but there are reasons for cheer, if you seek them out. North Cave is a village in East Yorkshire, separated from the River Humber as it makes its way inland by the M62. Cricket returns to the village in 2024 as it welcomes the newly formed North […]
Cricket Grounds
Club cricket groundskeepers face race against time to be ready
In something of a repeat of last year, the wet weather has played havoc with pitch makers who face the usual race to be ready for April fixtures. In 2023, my article on Yorkshire’s leagues postponing fixtures caught the attention, on account of the fact that we’d had record-breaking rain and many clubs had been […]
New beginnings: Merger sees Warley & Elland CC at Hullen Edge
A merger that sees the formation of Warley & Elland Cricket Club has kept cricket alive at a historic ground in West Yorkshire. Warley CC, of the ENCO Halifax Cricket League, have joined forces with Elland Cricket Club; the latter resigned from the Huddersfield Cricket League towards the end of last season. The new club […]
Social cricket at Bolton Abbey with Hawks and Druids
There is a world of cricket matches going on across Yorkshire that don’t compete in leagues and finding out who and where they play is to dip into the role of the detective. Welcome to the underworld of cricket friendlies. Have a read of this past adventure… Back at the start of May when it […]
Total Play Cricket Shield comes to Bradford Park Avenue
In this content collaboration with Total Play, we report on a brand-new product that has been installed at Bradford Park Avenue. The community cricket ground, off Canterbury Avenue, is a popular venue that is used by thousands of Bradfordians every year. The site previously offered state-of-the-art outdoor nets – but has had an exciting £1.5m […]
Tracing the lost cricket clubs of Yorkshire
Bradford League historian and local league ground-hopper Reg Nelson takes a look at three Yorkshire cricket clubs in Queensbury, Highbury and Dewsbury & Savile to trace their fortunes and ultimately, their demise. We all know of cricket clubs that have folded across Yorkshire and grounds that aren’t used any more – at the same time, […]
Starbeck Cricket Club: Only just getting started
A new cricket club forming in Yorkshire is unusual, if not completely unheard of. There are already some 800 or so across the region – so why go to the effort of setting up your own? Starbeck Cricket Club, who finished their first season in Division Eight of the Nidderdale Cricket League as champions, have […]
Aire-Wharfe: Green Lane sweep to victory at blustery Steeton
I hadn’t been to Steeton Cricket Club for years but the first team’s home fixture against Green Lane offered a chance to rectify that. Steeton is a village off the A629 as you wind your way North towards the market town of Skipton. It is home to Grandma Wild’s Biscuits, Airedale General Hospital and a […]
Confidence and brownies oozing at Collingham & Linton
There is only so much checking out a weather forecast on the Met Office website before you have to make a decision. The rain sweeping in from the West on Saturday looked as if it might not impact Wetherby too much, so we packed up and headed off to Collingham and Linton Cricket Club for […]
Women’s league cricket: High winds and halloumi at Harrogate
Mark Doherty heads to Harrogate Cricket Club for the visit of Driffield Town in East Yorkshire Women’s Hardball Division One. Sunday didn’t look very promising from a weather point of view. A mixture of sunshine and showers with strong blustery winds, meant that any game taking place in and around the Harrogate district could be […]