Podcast: Juniors & Rockets at Otley Cricket Club

Claire Bassindale was Highly Commended in May’s Yorkshire Tea Community Cricket Awards and I caught up with Claire to learn how she got involved and the successes since at Otley CC.

Her award nomination for last month read: ‘Without Claire being such a huge part of our cricket club and volunteering every day/night, I can guarantee our junior, girls and women’s teams would not be in the position they are now.’

Claire’s journey is relatively recent but no less impactful, since she went down to Otley Cricket Club with her husband and two sons to watch a game. While there, the urge to volunteer kicked in…

“We kind of felt a little bit guilty standing there with a pint in one hand…you know we really should be getting involved here!”

A PE teacher by profession, life at Otley’s Cross Green base began by running the under-nines but, as these things do, that morphed into something a whole lot bigger.

For the Cricket Yorkshire Podcast episode, Claire tells me: “We’ve now got another PE teacher John Hayden… we’ve an embarrassment of riches really in terms of numbers, in terms of people as well.”

With around 85 children down at Otley Cricket Club on a Friday night, use of a second ground at Arthington and over-subscribed demand, junior cricket is doing very well – but that’s not all.

Amongst others, Claire is keen to mention the ground staff Mick Gray and Chris Halliday who prepare the pitches at both Otley and Arthington and Toby Gray (the secretary and Mick’s son) for the work put in.

As a player at Birstwith previously, Claire decided to test the waters with starting an Otley women’s cricket team and through word of mouth, 70 women turned up for the Open Day and that has led to a team in the West Yorkshire Women and Girls League for the past few seasons.

Support has come from the committee but also through a raft of sponsors. The club has NFU Mutual as it’s principal sponsor with Under 9 backers including LEW electrical distributors, Latitude 53 and S.R Painting and Decorating.

Otley have secured twin girls sponsors, WSB Property Consultants and J B Wilkinson Butchers, while Otley Burger Company backs the ladies with the Otley Rockets in the West Yorkshire Women & Girls League.

Ideal for those who like the idea of a food truck rocking up with loaded fries or burgers like Driving Miss Daisy and In and Out. (The latter presumably not encouraging a Test innings at the crease).

During the podcast episode, (approx 20 mins), we discuss the role of volunteers, the numbers at Otley, a second ground at Arthington and getting up towards capacity.