Hamzah Hussain blinks at me studiously from behind a pair of dark-rimmed glasses before beginning to share how the game of cricket inspired him. It is an interview I’ve been excited about for ages. Hamzah is the architect (literally as it turns out) behind Cricket Arena, a community interest company that organises cricket tournaments in […]
Cricket Interviews
Cullingworth: Meet the club offering completely free cricket for 2024
Cricket clubs do all sorts of ingenious things to attract new members and keep the ones they have. Cullingworth have done something pretty radical: Free cricket. No membership fees. No match fees. Plus, you get a playing and training kit. Oh, and free home cricket teas too! It’s an extraordinary thing to do and I […]
Middle, please ump: Becoming a Premier League umpire
Ever thought you might like to try a season out in the middle with the white coat? Mike Linwood shares his journey in umpiring Yorkshire’s Premier Leagues and how he became an ECB Tutor supporting umpire education. How did you get into umpiring and how have you progressed since?Like many, I started umpiring while playing. […]
Straight Drive to Survive: Vinesh’s Story
Vinesh Patel is this year’s Cricket Innovator Award winner at the YCB’s Cricket Collective Awards. They celebrate the efforts of volunteers across the grassroots game and are organised by the Yorkshire Cricket Board, in partnership with Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation. Vinesh or ‘Vinnie’ as he’s known, has done something pretty […]
Alan Igglesden: Remembering Iggy
Former Kent & England bowler Alan Igglesden, affectionately known as Iggy, died on 1 November 2021, aged 57, after a long battle with brain cancer. I first met Iggy for an article in The Cricketer Magazine; the original interview (read below) came about through a combination of Twitter and the offer of ginger cake. I […]
Kiran Bali: Breaking barriers and encouraging change
It becomes apparent minutes into our conversation that Kiran Bali’s professional and personal journey has been about breaking barriers but also advocating change. The magistrate and community volunteer, who won an MBE in 2008 for her community work in West Yorkshire, has taken those beliefs and brought them into grassroots cricket in Huddersfield. Kiran’s connection […]
Thackley Cricket Club and Andy’s Man Club: It’s Ok to Talk
On my daily travels online exploring Yorkshire club cricket, I’ve noticed the growing support for charities doing incredibly important work around mental health and suicide prevention. Charities such as Opening Up Cricket, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Andy’s Man Club offer specialist help but also vital messaging such the #Itsoktotalk campaign. Here on Cricket […]
Club cricket’s Ashes: Norton Oakes and North Ryde RSL
There’s always been a strong connection between cricket clubs in Yorkshire and those over in Australia. Whether it’s social tours or players getting opportunities overseas in leagues. Stephen Cook explains how a club cricket Ashes came about between Sheffield & New South Wales – and the enduring friendship ever since. The history of friendly rivalry […]
Joanne Wootton: The All Stars Effect at Worsbrough Bridge
With clubs in the midst of their All Stars and Dynamos programmes, it felt like a good time to share this interview with Joanne Wootton of Worsbrough Bridge Cricket Club. She’s at the heart of one of the most successful programmes in the area, with lots of girls joining and playing for the club. Dean […]
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 […]