Which is the most iconic pavilion in Yorkshire cricket? Now there’s a topic for debate, but aficionados in the Bradford Premier League would probably vote for Lightcliffe. It was therefore an emotional morning on a Saturday in March when the iconic 101-year-old red and white structure was demolished to make way for a more spacious […]
Cricket Grounds
Thornton Watlass: Village cricket, with quirks included
This article on Thornton Watlass Cricket Club was originally published in 2021 and is well worth a read, whenever you find it. *** As Andrew Gallon reports, Staithes set up a Voneus National Village Cup second round home tie, on May 9, against Scarborough Beckett League rivals Heslerton by winning at Thornton Watlass with 17 balls […]
Even having one of the best grounds in Yorkshire might not save Glasshouses
Recently, I spotted news on The Stray Ferret about the fact that Glasshouses Cricket Club in the Nidderdale Cricket League was in danger of folding. I was horrified. ‘No, this will not do!’ I said out loud to no-one in particular. Our cat looked up a little concerned. You see, Glasshouses Cricket Club is one […]
Filey aim high for Yorkshire Premier League North debut
Captain David Brannan Jnr believes Filey Cricket Club’s first team can make an immediate impact in the Yorkshire Premier League North, their new home. During the 2023 season, having left the Scarborough Beckett Cricket League this winter, Filey will contest Division Two (Holderness), the YPLN’s fourth tier. The opposition comprises the first teams of Hessle, […]
Thirsk: Watching club cricket inside a racecourse
The sports ground ‘collector’ is always on the lookout for something different. Playing inside a racecourse circuit – as do Thirsk Cricket Club – counts as unusual. Not unique, though, in my experience. Two decades ago, I watched Racing Club Warwick in a Southern Football League match at a ground enclosed by the town’s racecourse. […]
Sutton-on-Hull Cricket Club throw 150th birthday party at Netherhall
Birthday parties are fun – and the one I attended at Sutton-on-Hull Cricket Club was no exception. Sutton, founded in 1872, mark their 150th anniversary this season. A high point of the celebrations was a visit, to the Netherhall ground, in Bransholme, by an MCC XI. The sun shone all day, the cricket was very […]
Hemsworth Miners Welfare claim T20 Title at Streethouse
On three days of the recent four-day heatwave, I was lucky enough to watch cricket. Had there been any shade available to the spectating hoi polloi, at the County Ground, Derby, I might well have secured a full house. I don’t usually see so much cricket in such a short time but I’m starting to […]
Want to buy your own cricket ground? Well, one’s for sale in Haworth
Do you like the idea of owning your own cricket ground? Well, now you can, if you’re quick. The former home of Haworth West End Cricket Club, high above the village of Haworth in West Yorkshire is for sale – by informal tender. The deadline for sealed bids to Dacre, Son & Hartley Keighley is […]
NYSD Hundred: Sea fret and sixes for Whitby versus Guisborough
There is a lot to like about Whitby. Maybe too much! The town hit the headlines recently when, in a local referendum, residents voted in favour of measures aimed at cutting the number of homes used for holiday accommodation. About 28 per cent of properties in Whitby are second homes. Families say they are being […]
Halifax Cricket League: Luddenden Foot vs Old Town
A trip to Luddenden Foot for the Halifax Cricket’s League Parish Cup was an eventful one. The drive takes you up into the clouds of the Upper Calder Valley, along narrow stretches until you plop out on Sowerby Lane. We parked up just as a tractor wanted to squeeze past the row of parked cars […]









