Heading into the second half of 2023, the standings in Yorkshire’s recreational cricket leagues are starting to indicate who the season’s winners and losers might be. Let’s start at the top of the pyramid, with the four ECB Premier League, Premier Divisions. In the Bradford Premier Cricket League, Woodlands appear on course to secure a […]
Cricket leagues
Which league cricketers are good enough to play for Yorkshire?
The news that Cameron Fletcher, New Farnley’s wicketkeeper-batter, had swapped the Bradford Premier League for a county stint with Glamorgan got me thinking. In the case of Fletcher, he’s a first-class cricketer already, plays for Canterbury back home and was twice named in New Zealand’s Test squads in 2022. Photo: Ray Spencer – see more […]
Stillington put to the sword at Rufforth & Marston
Mark Doherty finds drama in the Yorkshire Premier League North on a visit to Rufforth & Marston Cricket Club at this picturesque village (Rufforth) to the West of York. It promised to be a tricky day for me, as I had a couple of photo commitments early Saturday morning and then had to get across […]
Total Play: Outdoor cricket nets and non-turf pitches across Yorkshire
In this content collaboration with Total Play, we’ll look at three upgrades at cricket clubs in Yorkshire. They now have six ECB-approved system designs, offering a choice of artificial cricket pitches and synthetic cricket practice facilities. This stamp of approval from the England & Wales Cricket Board is important to clubs as a sign of […]
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 […]
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 […]
Pudsey St Lawrence: Primed, proud and ready on all fronts
The last time I saw Chris Marsden or ‘Spike’ as he’s known in Bradford Cricket League circles, was a visit in 2019 to their Tofts Road ground for their rain-affected game against Methley. It was for a feature in The Cricket Paper and a lot has happened for all of us since. I tend to […]
Kevin Watson: Wrenthorpe glory and captaining Yorkshire Over 60s
Did you know that Yorkshire’s pedigree extends to the older age brackets in the County Championship too? We caught up with Yorkshire Over 60s captain Kevin Watson to discuss his club cricket background, captaincy approach and ambitions for this season. Kevin began cricket as a junior at East Ardsley Cricket Club, back in the mid-1970s, […]