Division 1: Menston Women's 1st XI vs St Chad's Broomfield

Sunday saw a visit to Menston Cricket Club to watch their Women’s 1st XI in action against St Chad’s Broomfield.

Top division of the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League. Thirty overs each. Roasting hot day. Good toss to win.

A sore hip and a camera weighing about as much as a family hatchback meant that it was ditched in favour of arrival by train. The camera, not the hip.

In my experience, women and girls cricket has a friendliness to it that cuts across divisions, cups and competitions. So, it proved here at Menston.

Observing as I do the mechanics around cricket as much as the wickets and reverse scoops meant an appreciation for those who facilitate the game.

Today’s teen scorer, sat alongside his mum who was helping out, did an admirable job officiating on the laptop for the first time when the FSL connector aerial thingy that speaks to the scoreboard decided, in a huff perhaps, to stop working.

With St Chad’s Broomfield without a scorer, the home side’s number-cruncher politely wondered out loud, to no-one in particular, if he might be eligible for an enhanced pay packet, given he was doing the job for both.

His case was reinforced when Play-Cricket on the iPad gave up the ghost, wiping the fixture. Technology is great in cricket until it fails and then it’s just a nightmare.

(Ahem, a mention for Bespoke Scoreboards whose website I re-designed over winter. Their Play Cricket Scorer Pro Interface beams out a healthy transmission over 100m.)

Scorers have quite a bit going on and I was impressed with communication as umpire Liam checked in via walkie talkie to ensure scoreboards were corrected along the way.

Thoughts also turned to captaincy duties as Menston’s skipper Kelly Jenkins was checking the age of players as they arrived; some of the girls had already played that morning for the U15 juniors over in Skipton.

There’s quite a bit of admin for captains nowadays, particularly with juniors playing senior cricket and you can understand why. I grizzled at the ECB’s new regs as such for their late notice but it’s never more apparent in leagues like this where girls can make up half or more of a team.

Menston won the toss and elected to bat; a decision that backfired when they found themselves 15-3 in the blink of an eye.

I’d learnt from St Chad’s captain Hannah Keys that their side, missing a player, would be spin-heavy with four options available. Steph Robinson (3-37) was a tad expensive compared to her team-mates but she created chances and ultimately wicket-taking deliveries.

Defiant Woods half-century

For the visitors, the wickets were shared around with Charlotte Ashton (0-12) and Holly Cowper (1-22) flighting the ball menacingly. Digging in was opener Sarah Woods (53) who helped Menston to a total they might conceivably have defended.

Her powerful sweeps and cuts ensured it wasn’t all one-way traffic as Menston rallied to 92-6.

Being half vampire and light of complexion, I sought out the shade of a giant tree on the far side of the ground.

I chat to two parents of a Menston junior who played her hand later with the bat in getting the team to 111. It sounds all go between school matches, girls cricket and women’s league action.

As we talk, their grey miniature schnauzer is sat on a towel and casually chewing the ground.

As the afternoon develops, I learn a bit about Menston’s development and they have clearly prioritised girls cricket for some time. Investing time and effort in growing teams across age groups while getting coaches qualified doesn’t happen overnight.

Yet, Menston are now clearly a popular cricketing hub for girls with teams in various divisions of the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League. From Menston U15 Hurricanes in the North Region Girls (hardball) to the Girls Hardball Pairs League at Under 13.

There are mixed teams across ages as well as boys or girls-specific sides too. Knitting the pathway for a child at a younger age to work their way up as they get older into the women’s 2nd XI and then 1st XI must be a lot of work behind the scenes but credit to all involved.

On my various laps, I pass Menston’s outdoor cricket nets, built by Cricket Yorkshire’s website partner, total-play Ltd in 2020 and still looking in excellent condition.

Second ground at High Royds

As the ground is to the side of the noisy artery of the A65, it isn’t a tranquil village setting you might get in the Nidderdale League out in the sticks. That said, it’s a lot lower than the road due to the slope and so the acoustics aren’t as unforgiving as you’d think for a location sandwiched between an A road and a railway station.

A number of Menstonians told me of their picturesque second ground, a vital resource with so much cricket after a convenient alliance back in 2022 with Crompark to allow use of High Royds.

It’s currently no-frills, a shipping container and portaloos, used by juniors and Menston’s 4th XI and 5th XI. I’ve been there before years ago. A leafy, sunken oval back towards the Wetherby Whaler.

Apparently, a new clubhouse is expected this summer to be done by the builders as part of a local housing development that went up where commitment to community projects can be a clause within a planning application.

Back to the cricket, needing 112 to win, Holly Cowper (49) and Steph Robinson (32 not out) settle into a sensible opening partnering of 68.

The scorecard alone doesn’t reflect the near misses and a dropped catch or two but St Chad’s Broomfield are noticeable for their hard running and smartly taken singles.

There is time for a micro wobble as Caitlin Byrne departs for a three-ball duck and Hollie Newsome is bowled for 10 by Rosie Lockie. In the end though, it’s a comfortable six-wicket win for the visitors.

Not to generalise too much but the two squads appear at different stages of their cricket journey. St Chad’s have an older side, university students, supported by cricketers in their twenties who’ve played for quite a while.

They are a friendly bunch, quietly confident and with good reason after lifting the Archer Cup last season. I’d expect them to be in the mix for the league with North Leeds, Crossflatts and Bradford Park Avenue Ladies come September.

Menston, equally approachable by the way, had quite a few girls playing who will benefit from the experience of coming up against older, more experienced sides like St Chad’s.

Lessons out in the middle as well as signs of players swotting up for GCSEs. Good luck to everyone with exams coming up.

From this neutral’s perspective, it was a game played out in the right spirit with plenty of skill on show, glorious weather and at 30 overs-a-side, felt about right in terms of fitting in enough cricket.

Thanks to everyone who took time out to have a chat, it’s always a great part of my job to meet readers and those plugged into the game we all love.

The Division 1 table is in its infancy but sees North Leeds (20), Bradford Park Avenue (19), Crossflatts (19) and St Chad’s Broomfield (18) occupy the top four.

With league action overlapping Archer Cup commitments on Sundays, some teams like Holmfirth, Harrogate and Skipton have yet to get underway.

In the other league match on Sunday 11 May, Crossflatts racked up 201-5 off their 30 overs with Anna James (53) and Louisa Hutchinson (55 not out) both striking half-centuries.

Arya Raval’s 4-4 ended the batting resistance abruptly, backed by Louisa Hutchinson’s 2-22, as Pudsey St Lawrence finished on 113-9.

Crossflatts Women’s 1st XI have built up momentum in the early phase of the season as they’re unbeaten in Archer Cup Group A with 4 from 4.