Arriving at the village of Goldsborough, to catch their Division One match against Helperby, we saw not one but two red kites. Swooping down low above the car, wings outstretched, it was an extraordinary sight that never dulls. The second bird of prey was moments later as we parked up and stepped out. The clubhouse […]
Cricket Grounds
Saltburn ride the wave at the top of the NYSD Premier Division
Maybe – just maybe – the players, officials and supporters of Saltburn Cricket Club are beginning to wonder if an eighth North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier Cricket League championship triumph is coming their way. Two home wins, at the expense of Great Ayton then Stockton, across the June 10-11 weekend, saw unbeaten Saltburn establish […]
Long Lee: Sixes, crocs and a Golden View
The drive from Cricket Yorkshire HQ to Long Lee Cricket Club took us around the edge of the St Ives Estate up a road that felt like we were abseiling. Eventually, you zigzag up and reach the summit with wilderness and farmland for company, along with rolling, verdant valleys. Keighley Road, back at Harden, becomes […]
Can cricket clubs find an undiscovered audience?
Charles Cowling, a fellow club cricket ground-hopper, shares his thoughts on how clubs might be able to tap into a new audience. (Image by John Fuller/ Cricket Yorkshire, a spectator at Upper Wharfedale CC) I love cricket. I love watching it played in Yorkshire’s loveliest landscapes. So every Saturday, I jump in the car and […]
What is the hardest cricket ground to find?
We have a lot to thank Google Maps and Street View for, even if it felt at the time as if permission was retrospective. By the way, we’ve mapped your road and house, hope you don’t mind. As someone who seeks out cricket in nooks and crevices across Yorkshire, finding my way to a ground […]
Ingleton Cricket Club: Paradise in the Yorkshire Dales
Ingleton Cricket Club is an outlier, as the only Yorkshire side in the Westmorland Cricket League that covers three counties. A cricket club AND a cricket league new to me? Time for a road trip. If you like caves and waterfalls, the village of Ingleton is a scenic hotspot; situated in the Craven district of […]
Many cricket leagues postpone their season start in Yorkshire
Nothing gets us quite so fired up as the weather – especially when it affects the cricket season. The North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League’s decision to postpone the start of their cricket season by a week was a big call. Unusual but not quite unprecedented – and sensible given March was the wettest […]
Which is the most iconic pavilion in Yorkshire cricket?
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 […]
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 […]
Why the Leeds & Wetherby Cricket League is no more
The demise of a cricket league is always a moment to pause. There’s usually a lot of history and memories jumbled in with that reluctant decision to call time. Inevitably, there’s also reflection on whether another league gone is a sign of a wider shrinkage of club cricket and what the landscape will look like […]