National Village Cup 2025: Yorkshire’s teams eye April opener

The Voneus Village Cup draw has seen 40+ Yorkshire and Humberside villages given their opening fixture for this year’s competition.

The 2025 edition has 364 teams competing across 32 regions, with the National Village Cup final at Lord’s inked in for Sunday 21 September.

41 Yorkshire villages will try to navigate a blend of quality opponents and fickle weather to make the national rounds and beyond.

Group 3 – North Yorkshire (North)

Given the number of teams and pedigree, North Yorkshire (North) is arguably one of the toughest groups in the Village Cup with four past winners lurking.

There are 22 teams starting the journey with the Preliminary Round on Sunday 13 April.

It’ll be intriguing to see how Dunnington go in the Village Cup; they finished third in the Yorkshire Premier League North’s Championship West and weren’t in last year’s national competition.

It’s a home tie against Goldsborough to kick things off while elsewhere Folkton & Flixton host Thornton-le-Moor.

In fact, the Village Cup should likely be the first competitive fixture for Yorkshire teams this year with most leagues beginning in the latter stages of April.

Four-times winners Woodhouse Grange don’t need to worry about preliminary rounds, courtesy of a bye, but come up against new opponents: the champions of the Langbaurgh League, East Harlsey.

Elsewhere in that group, former winners Sheriff Hutton Bridge (2003), Folkton & Flixton (2018) and Forge Valley (1986) are set to take part again.

Group 4 – North Yorkshire (South)

There is one (or two) less rounds between first fixture and a Lord’s showpiece for these ten Yorkshire villages due to the size of the group.

On 27 April 2025, Addingham (above) travel to Alne and Patrington are off to Brandesburton but everyone else receives a bye – so that means for most, their Village Cup adventure begins on Sunday 11 May.

Inevitably, as you get into the season, cup fixtures come thick and fast with Sundays a convenient way to replay games lost to weather the usual juggling for clubs as to priorities and what takes precedence will come to the fore again.

In Round 2, Carlton Towers travel to Hirst Priory in Lincolnshire to play Outcasts while Harome welcome East Ardsley. Broughton and Alksborough will have to wait to discover their opponents.

Group 5 – West Yorks, South Yorks & Humberside

Nine teams are in Group 5 with Great Preston’s home game against Frickley Colliery on Sunday 23 April the only game with others enjoying a bye to Round 2.

In Round 2 on 11 May, Thornton (above) of the Halifax Cricket League await for the winner of that game while Streethouse’s home tie with Ackworth is likely to be keenly contested.

Meanwhile, Houghton Main head to Middleton & North Dalton while Slaithwaite host Kippax.

Recent years

The Village Cup often throws up some surprises in Yorkshire and there’s every chance of that again. While the record books show the competition has witnessed the likes of Woodhouse Grange and Sessay lift the trophy at Lord’s, more recently, it’s seen leaner times for White Rose involvement.

In 2024, Frickley Colliery, Addingham and Folkton & Flixton were the regional winners in Yorkshire while in 2023, it was Ackworth, Woodhouse Grange and Patrington.

In recent seasons, Yorkshire’s villages are yet to go deep into the national rounds of the Voneus Village Cup – but will 2025 be their year?