Adrian Wykes fills us in on a little-known university cross-sports competition and the success of Leeds women’s cricket. ** The Christie Cup between Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Universities is the second oldest varsity competition in the world (after Oxford and Cambridge). It involves 1,500 students in 32 sports. Leeds were the 2024 winners and successfully retained the overall […]
Women and girls cricket
Untangling the spaghetti: Mapping out cricket fixtures
Tom Jenkins shares the incredible annual feat of how cricket fixtures at grassroots need to knit together, creating 2,000+ over his winter. Where do I start trying to describe the winter of 2024-25 that I’ve had. As I write this I’m sunbathing in Gran Canaria. I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to fixtures. […]
Birstall Belles look forward to outdoor league debut
When Rachel Lewis realised Birstall Cricket Club didn’t have a women’s team, she decided to do something about it. There was a rounders team but her drive to see women and girls’ cricket at the Leeds Road oval didn’t take long to hit overdrive. A theme that has repeatedly chimed in Cricket Yorkshire’s articles on […]
Softball cricket takes off at Whitley Bridge in their first year
Natalie Liddell, captain of Whitley Bridge Cricket Club women’s team, talks to Cricket Yorkshire about how it all started – and has proved so popular in their first year. It’s a tale of the rapid rise of softball cricket in Eggborough, allied with funding support and building excitement. Natalie told me: “Our cricket club has […]
2025 at grassroots: From girls’ cricket to grounds
What are going to be the trends in grassroots cricket in 2025? Well, this is when I peer into the future and make some educated / outlandish predictions. [Delete as applicable 😁] Girls’ cricket at clubs In my analysis of the ECB’s new 2025-2028 strategy, what stood out in the drive to have 6,000 girls’ […]
Interview: Grace Pearson, Head of Women & Girls for YCB
Grace Pearson is Head of Women & Girls for the Yorkshire Cricket Board and is my guest on the Cricket Yorkshire Podcast for this episode. We discuss her role overseeing the strategic vision, as well as looking back at some of key moments from this year and thinking ahead to 2025. PLAY INTERVIEW (14 MINS) […]
The rise of Sessay Emeralds: A Yorkshire success story
Sessay Emeralds Lead Coach Peter Watson and professional cricketer Phoebe Turner are my latest guests on the Cricket Yorkshire Podcast. It’s the story of how a North Yorkshire village club grew from a few players to the women and girls’ cricket powerhouse it is now a decade later. 🎤 PODCAST INTERVIEWS (54-MINS) In this Cricket Yorkshire […]
At the Crease: Latest club cricket news from around Yorkshire
Kate Duffield signs for Doncaster Town Kate Duffield, from Auckland University Cricket Club, has signed for Doncaster Town Cricket Club for 2025. The Kiwi teen was part of the Auckland team who won the Kookaburra U17 Girls National tournament at the start of the year and she replaces Laura Scheiwe at Doncaster Town. All-rounder Duffield […]
Caught Light: Reflections from a busy club cricket season
A rough count of grassroots cricket games I’ve been to this season, seems to come out at around 65. That is a personal best for a single season in the last decade, and I must admit for the vast majority of visits, it has been a real pleasure. As October arrives, I wanted to sit […]
Yorkshire Women & Girls League: Hundred Finals (Take One)
Waving a sleepy goodbye to my wife and cat (the latter acknowledged my departure with a yawn before a customary three-hour kip), it was down the hill to the morning train; Headingley-bound for club cricket. The Sunday forecast was fine and then unsettled and then grim, depending on the weather app and time of day […]