Yorkshire Deaf Cricket: Roses match returns after 25 years

Michael Pulford reports on the Yorkshire Deaf cricket team and the revival of the Roses match over the bank Holiday weekend.

After a twenty-five year gap, a Deaf ‘Roses’ cricket match was played out on Bank Holiday Monday, May 31st, with Deaf spectators attending from both counties.

Yorkshire hosted the game, courtesy of Addingham CC, and won the match by 5 wickets. Lancashire made 129 for 7 from their 40 allotted overs and Yorkshire passed that in the 24th over, scoring 130 for 5.

Henry Wainman of Bardsey CC, played a true captain’s innings, making an unbeaten 67 to take the Yorkshire side to victory. Hashim Mahmood, a member of the Barnsley AFC Academy but not attached to a cricket club, took 2 wickets for Yorkshire and made a vital overhead catch to dismiss the leading Lancashire all-rounder and captain, Jimmy Dixon.

Wainman and Dixon have both represented the England Deaf side. Coach Chris Schofield, who played for England Under 19s from 1993 to 1995 and made one appearance for Yorkshire CCC in 1996, kept wicket for Yorkshire. But both sides were a mixture of experienced and inexperienced cricketers.

The first Deaf ‘Roses’ fixture was staged in 1924 but the last one was in 1996. Now that this match has been revived, the aim is to play it every year on a home and away basis.

The trophy, a cricket bat complete with a list of previous winners, was recovered from down south and brought up to Addingham for the occasion.

Most Deaf representative cricket is now played on a regional basis and the leading Yorkshire and Lancashire players make up much of the North team which won the inaugural T20 last summer against the Midlands and South.

The North side also plays fixtures against club elevens and the next match is on Sunday June 13 th at Arthington CC against Mutineers.

Are you a Deaf /Hearing Impaired cricketer?

If you are a Deaf /Hearing Impaired cricketer and would like to be involved, please look at the England Cricket Association for the Deaf (ECAD) website where contact details can be found.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Michael for that report and to ECAD for the photos – here was also news of a ECAD North visit to Notton CC where Geoffrey Boycott was guest of honour for the match.

If you’d like to read more about Yorkshire Deaf Cricket, here’s a past feature by Michael discussing its evolution and progress.