Heavy Woollen Cup: Leagues, teams and fixtures for 2024

Glancing at the draw for the 2024 Heavy Woollen Cup caught my attention today. Woodhouse Grange, out in the countryside to the East of York, had entered for the first time.

It was a reminder of a couple of things.

Firstly, that Premier League clubs from other leagues beyond West Yorkshire are happy to travel to get involved. Not a huge surprise given Lee Goddard (below), who has moved to Woodhouse Grange from New Farnley, had such a stellar record with the Bradford League outfit, captaining them to victory in the last three years.

Sides from across Yorkshire include: 2021 Yorkshire Premier League Champions Castleford, Barnsley Woolley Miners from the Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League and Hoylandswaine of the Huddersfield Cricket League.

The second observation would be that the removal of historical boundaries has given the Heavy Woollen Cup something of a feel of a Yorkshire FA Cup for club cricket.

It began in 1883 and is the oldest club competition in England and quite probably the world. With its origins in the textile industry, the Heavy Woollen Cup rules were once that your club could only take part, if no more than 18 miles from Batley Town Hall.

There is a prestige, a curiosity as to how far you fare against other leagues you might not normally face and a spectacular trophy.

Competing with league cups and national knockout competitions, the Heavy Woollen Cup has not been without controversy.

Fixture congestion is a reality and fitting everything in can raise shackles. In 2023, Undercliffe had a dispute with Moorlands about playing their second-round tie or the spectre of a coin toss.

It led to Undercliffe being ejected from the competition and first-time entrants and eventual Huddersfield League champions Moorlands quit at how they perceived they were treated.

Sandal also pulled out last year over their tie with Cawthorne but are back for 2024 and travel to Hoylandswaine in April.

This year’s edition sees 30 clubs involved and while there’s no escaping the quality that Bradford League Champions Woodlands, New Farnley and others bring, there is still scope for upsets in the first round.

Ties such as Steeton (newly promoted to the Premier Division of the Aire-Wharfe Cricket League) welcome Wakefield Thornes who finished fifth in the Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League.

Meanwhile, New Farnley have their sights set on that fourth successive title that would match Wrenthorpe’s glory days of 2007-10.

🏆 2024 Draw 🏆

Round 1 games start at noon on Sunday 21 April

Kirkburton v Golcar
Woodhouse Grange v Barnsley Woolley Miners
Methley v Hanging Heaton
Shepley v Castleford
Burley v Rastrick
Scholes (HL) v Ossett

***

Carlton v Woodlands
Bradford & Bingley v Townville
Hoylandswaine v Sandal
Honley v Birstall
Beckwithshaw v Hemsworth Miners Welfare
Shelley v Barkisland
Steeton v Wakefield Thornes
Pudsey Congs v Cawthorne

***

Byes: New Farnley & East Bierley