Welcome to our Club Cricket Hub where you’ll find out a bit of background about the recreational game, with a focus on Yorkshire, as well as directing you to articles of which we have many.
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What is the meaning of club cricket?
Club cricket is a term to describe the largely amateur or non-professional form of the game. Here in Yorkshire, there are believed to be around 850 cricket clubs from a total of 5,000 cricket clubs across England and Wales.
The majority of club cricket matches are played in league or cup competitions although there’s also lots of informal friendlies contested too across the year.
Formats vary from longer format league cricket (usually 30-50 overs, often in white clothing) to T20 (20 overs with coloured clothing).
Club Cricket Near Me
If you’re looking to visit or join a cricket club in England or Wales then the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has a comprehensive network of club websites to explore. It’s called Play-Cricket and you can search clubs in your area.
Equally, you can just Google ‘cricket club near me’ to get a list of the nearest geographically.
(The ground above is Bradford Park Avenue in the centre of the city, if you were wondering… 🤩
Best cricket club in Yorkshire?
Judging the best cricket clubs in England depends on your criteria. Is it playing standard? Facilities? Views? Food and drink?
As of 2024, the best cricket clubs in Yorkshire could include Woodlands of the Bradford Premier League or Richmondshire of the NYSD (North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League) whose success in men’s cricket in their leagues and ECB national competitions is impressive.
There are quite a few others who would expect to be in any shortlist (based on performance) such as Castleford, Sheffield Collegiate and Wakefield Thornes, to name a few.
There is now a White Rose Trophy that pits the winners of the four Premier Leagues of Yorkshire against each other (or highest-ranked Yorkshire sides) in two semi-finals and then a winner to decide the top Premier League club.
Woodlands Cricket Club became the first club to retain the White Rose Trophy when they beat Sheffield Collegiate at New Farnley in 2023.
Winners
2016 Wakefield Thornes 296-6 bt Pudsey St Lawrence 257 by 39 runs (Abu Dhabi)
2017 Hanging Heaton 231 bt Wakefield Thornes 228-6 by 3 runs (Headingley)
2018 Wakefield Thornes 98-3 bt Great Ayton 93 by 7wkts (Headingley)
2019 Sheriff Hutton Bridge 212-6 bt Woodlands 210-8 by 2 runs (Headingley)
2020 No Competition (Covid)
2021 Castleford 241-9 bt Woodlands 235-9 by 6 runs (Headingley)
2022 Woodlands 151-1 bt Appleby Frodingham 150-9 by 9 wkts (Headingley)
2023 Woodlands (78-4) bt Sheffield Collegiate (76) by 6 wkts (New Farnley)
If you were to judge the best cricket clubs in England then performances in national competitions are the benchmark.
The ECB National Club Championship is the 40-overs national club knockout competition and since 2000, there have been 3 Yorkshire winners: Sheffield Collegiate (2000), York (2012) and Richmondshire (2018).
Scarborough hold the record for most titles with five in a purple patch of 1972-1982.
The National Village Cup has a strong Yorkshire pedigree with the likes of Sessay, Woodhouse Grange, Sheriff Hutton Bridge, Houghton Main and Folkton & Flixton lifting the trophy at Lord’s since 2000.
There’s also the ECB National Club T20 that sees winners of each of the Premier League own T20 competition progress to face clubs from other counties across the national rounds.
South Northumberland, Swardeston and Wimbledon have dominated this since it began in 2008. Hanging Heaton of the Bradford Premier League is Yorkshire’s only winner so far (up to 2023), after they claimed the Vitality Club T20 in 2018.
Yorkshire cricket clubs with a pedigree in national competitions centre around Sessay who made the semi-finals in its first year 2018, while Cottingham of East Yorkshire were defeated by Bridgewater in the Women’s Club Cup T20 final. (There is also a Plate contest annually too).
There’s also indoor cricket with an ECB Indoor 6-A-Side Club Championship with Hallam Cricket Club of Sheffield having a strong record, having won it in 2014 as Dearne.
How many cricket clubs are there in Yorkshire?
The figure is believed to be around 850 cricket clubs, according to research carried out by the Yorkshire Cricket Board (YCB); the governing body who oversees the recreational game in the region.
There will doubtless be more clubs who aren’t affiliated with the YCB or are involved in less formal cricket that slips under the radar.
League Cricket in Yorkshire
There are dozens of cricket leagues in Yorkshire with the highest standard being the four Premier Leagues:
– Bradford Premier League
– North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League
– Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League
– Yorkshire Premier League North
(The Huddersfield Cricket League in West Yorkshire is in the process of applying for Premier League status, perhaps expected to be confirmed in 2025.)
The way Yorkshire league cricket works is a pyramid structure with the four Premier Leagues at the top and other clubs able to move up from feeder leagues, if they qualify and fit the criteria.
Village Cricket in Yorkshire
Apart from the success of Yorkshire villages in the National Village Cup, there is a history of thriving village cricket from very competitive league outfits to more relaxed friendlies where the result matters less than the surroundings and enjoyment of the day.
Cricket Grounds in Yorkshire
We are fortunate to have many beautiful, quirky and historic club cricket grounds in Yorkshire. From the dizzying heights of Queensbury in the Halifax League to the postage stamp that is Thornton Watlass.
Club Cricket Books
John Fuller, Founder of Cricket Yorkshire and author of three cricket books, might be of interest to read to discover more about his travels around clubs.
He has three books:
All Wickets Great & Small – A journey around Yorkshire cricket clubs to discover the people and places that make it so remarkable.
Last of the Summer Wickets – A celebration of the Scarborough Cricket Festival through the eyes of everyone who cherishes its history and have played their part. Interviews with Boycott, Lehmann and many others as well as fans, businesses and those who live in the town.
Dales, Bails and Cricket Club Tales – A collection of travels from the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Yorkshire, finding new clubs across many leagues as well as revisiting a few past favourites.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases – which means if you buy a book or anything else from this website, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. You’ll be supporting Cricket Yorkshire so many thanks!)
Enjoy exploring all things club cricket and keep an eye on our homepage as there are new articles, interviews and photography every week.
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