In the ‘groundhopping’ game, there’s always one that gets away. Somehow, despite living in York for longer than I’ve lived anywhere else (which, having terribly itchy feet, isn’t saying a great deal), I managed to miss visiting Dunnington Cricket Club when they were playing ECB Premier Division cricket. At the end of the 2021 season, […]
Miles Per Gallon
Sykes Cup: Birkby Rose Hill vs Mirfield Parish Cavaliers
Watching a cup tie between buoyant teams with 2022 championship trophies on their CVs seemed like an excellent way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. An opportunity to reacquaint myself with the Huddersfield Cricket League was a bonus. So, off I went to north Huddersfield and Birkby Rose Hill Cricket Club, whose First XI were […]
Malton & Old Malton cut down by Stamford Bridge’s Faber
Stuffed olives, smoked cheese, pork and apple pie, samosas, Cornish-style pasties, raspberry cheesecake, fruit scones and chocolate brownies. Eight reasons why we chose Old Malton for our most recent Saturday cricket fix. I say ‘we’. Once my wife realised Malton & Old Malton Cricket Club’s home game with Yorkshire Premier League North, Premier Division rivals […]
Pool Cricket Club: Rain delays, beetles and time travel
I’m having almost as much success getting my 2023 cricket-watching season off the ground as rocket man Elon Musk attempting to jettison himself into space. Nobody needs reminding what a wet, windy, cold spring it’s been. Away in Kent for Easter, I caught the final, decisive day of a County Championship match between Division One […]
Huddersfield Cricket League: Umpires Warning
Deteriorating player behaviour towards umpires this season has prompted Huddersfield Cricket League (HCL) chairman Trevor Atkinson to issue a stern warning to club captains. The warning is in the unusual form of an open letter, the contents of which are likely to raise eyebrows across recreational cricket, in Yorkshire and beyond. Trevor’s statement follows a […]
Malton & Old Malton: Ready for the top of Yorkshire’s pyramid
Shaun Harland “can’t wait” to captain Malton & Old Malton Cricket Club’s first team this season as they make their ECB Premier League, Premier Division debut. Shaun’s entire cricketing life, from under-nines to the age of 24, has been spent with Malton & Old Malton, who in 2022 secured promotion, as runners-up to champions Stamford […]
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 […]
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. […]
Illingworth St Mary’s throw Halifax Cricket League title open
The tidy, scenic Alloe Field View ground, home since 1888 to Illingworth St Mary’s Cricket Club, was described by a first-time visitor as the “crown jewels” of the village. It is one of many stories told by Andrew Smith, 13th club president, former player and chairman, and author of a superb, 232-page club history, published […]