Refurbished Burley nets help shape the next Harry Brook

In this feature for total-play, we’ll look at the refurbishment work done at Burley-in-Wharfedale Cricket Club as their outdoor nets have had a major upgrade.

After a scenic train journey and a short walk, I arrive at Burley; its tree-themed club emblem and sponsor Arundel Travel on the signage at the entrance.

A number of locals are walking their dogs round the outfield and I can’t resist a quick gander at their square which is in good order and like many around Yorkshire this season, uncharacteristically in need of a regular soaking.

I’m here to meet Dave Cooper, Director of Cricket to discuss the recent opening of their outdoor cricket nets; a significant milestone for the popular Aire-Wharfe League club.

I’ve known Dave for years; a retired teacher at Trinity Academy in Halifax (where Alex Lees went to school), owner of a cricket coaching mat business and regularly requested by the media to talk about Harry Brook whose family have strong links with the club.

In the years I’ve been partnering with total-play, their six different ECB-approved non-turf pitch systems have proved popular up and down the country by clubs and schools.

Every project is unique in terms of the requirements of the cricket club, the geography and construction of the ground on which the nets are built.

What makes Burley an interesting case study is the way that this site has been updated over a number of years, based on a previous installation by another supplier that was overdue modifications. Here’s how they looked beforehand…

The work by total-play at Burley took two phases – with a possible third phase down the line that makes best use of the rest of the enclosed area. In that space, the thought is to run an enclosed roof almost to the back to allow kids to train, be coached or have mini-games as it’s the width of a couple of nets.

In 2019, total-play were asked to replace the old netting and batting curtains of the old nets with HD Protection Tunnel system netting. Extra hooks and fittings ensured the quality, durability and tension required to be a safe and long-term solution.

In 2025, the club installed a drainage solution to help deal with a regular flooding issue. Once this had been resolved, the total-play installation team came and removed all of the original surface and shock pads.

The old timber frames were pulled out and backfilled with aggregates to even the whole surface area out.

The addition of new shock pads and full width playing surface carpets were installed and also run ups. This was a complete transformation in both appearance and performance of the facility for the next generation of use.

Talking to Dave about how it all went, he begins with his bread and butter; namely the coaching wins that these refurbished nets will bring.

The old, knackered surface gave an uneven bounce that was unpredictable for adults and unhelpful for any Burley coach aiming to build the confidence of juniors with drills using tennis balls.

Burley-in-Wharfedale are a beacon for junior cricket and I say that not just because they have the current England white-ball captain as part of their production line. Allrounder Matthew Revis, currently contracted with Yorkshire, is another Burley graduate.

The clubhouse is a memorabilia shrine to Harry’s Yorkshire and England successes but Burley and the Brooks are very much intertwined. Harry’s grandparents, his dad David, mum Lucy and uncles Richard and Nick all have a cricket history link to this corner of LS29.

First team honours

The first-team honours board sees first-team captains listed and David, Nick and particularly Richard feature prominently. As for Harry, he last played for Burley at home in 2022. Nipped out for 21 by Otley’s Damon Reeve during a tense, one-wicket win for the visitors.

To return you to Burley’s younger generation, with 140 All Stars registered this year (and a waiting list) plus junior sides across the age spectrum from U9 Badgers to Under 18s, there is a huge demand on practice facilities that sees the club deliver a wide range of cricket.

Add in three senior league teams, two women’s sides, a midweek T20 squad and invitation games like the return of a Lashings World XI on 4 July and this latest nets installation comes at the right time.

So, why did Burley choose total-play?

I hope Dave, who was the picture of kindness with his time giving me a full tour and then ferrying me back to the railway station, won’t mind me saying this. He doesn’t strike me as someone who’d flatter for the sake of it.

So, when he says the club chose total-play because their reputation speaks for itself, you can trust that’s as he sees it. All clubs do their due diligence when sourcing a supplier, often ECB-approved if they require certain funding avenues.

“I’ve met Anthony (Burton) over the years…they’ve done (Bradford) Park Avenue and they’re reputable people. Two sets of guys came up and you could trust them, you know? There were no shortcuts.”

The end result is impressive, no question about that and it mirrors the feedback I’ve had all over Yorkshire from clubs proud to have planned, fundraised and completed a project like this.

There’s fencing around the whole site and a lockable gate for peace of mind though this is not exactly a beacon for trouble. More All Creatures Great and Small than Crimewatch. Although someone did once try to steal the roller in the middle of the night, only to bring the getaway vehicle to a grinding halt in Menston due to the extra weight.

Inspecting the nets at Burley, we amble over to the far-left of the three lanes which has the training lines woven into the carpet that will line up with the stumps. It’s a coaching tool that helps batters and bowlers of all ages but particularly juniors.

Again, Dave’s eyes light up and he jumps into coaching mode.

They’re a visual guide for players when the coach is looking to explain foot position for certain shots and alignment. These new non-turf cricket nets will yield results, literal and more subtle, for years to come.

Talking to coaches and clubs where these total-play facilities have been built tells its own story. There’s an immediate bump in terms of kids and adults wanting to practice in the nets. It’s an obvious sign of investment by the cricket club and usually scope to be used by the wider community too.

Funding for non-turf cricket nets

We discuss the success of crowdfunding and the support from funding partners, members and the local community. Sport England offered to match Burley’s initial goal of £10,000 but the cricket club could only keep that matched funding if they went on to raise another £15,000 to finish with an overall sum of £35,000 – which they did!

That target was enough for a new storage building for ground equipment, roof repairs to the pavilion and the cricket nets refurbishment.

Read my article on Crowdfunder for its potential and significant success in club cricket). Total-play have many years of experience advising clubs on projects of all shapes and sizes.

Meanwhile, businesses such as Crown Removals of Ilkley as well as past Burley players donated generously while Burley Parish Council and Ilkley Round Table made significant contributions in the race to the finishing line.

The Crowdfunder saw £35,020 raised by 148 supporters in 83 days. It must seem like a mountain at the outset but lots of clubs do conquer their own Everest (or should that be Yorkshire Three Peaks?)

We conclude my grand tour with a quick visit to Scalebor Park where some of Burley’s juniors play their matches. It’s the site of a former mental health hospital, now used as housing that has a large grassed area for football and cricket.

The artificial is holding up well but that might be a refurb for total-play whenever its current cycle of use comes to a conclusion. A leafy, attractive space, this second ground with its dark green, wooden clubhouse is a gem.

I could listen to Dave for hours and perhaps we’ll do a Cricket Yorkshire podcast later in the summer. He is bursting with stories. Talking at the speed of a Mark Wood bouncer, anecdotes flow.

I discover that Harry Brook called him up recently to request an early-morning cricket net on Burley’s square. Cue a flurry of activity to accommodate the English captain.

Well, with these new outdoor nets, Brook has a fantastic place to practice if he needs some throwdowns away from the spotlight of international fame. So, if you’re netting at Burley, keep an eye out for who’s in the lane next door.

Contact total-play

If your cricket club would like to discuss cricket nets projects, contact Anthony Burton via [email protected] or you can visit total-play.co.uk.

Other services include the design and installation of non-turf artificials for practice, as well as match pitches, support with grass renovations and cricket MUGAs.

To read more articles, case studies and interviews with clubs, check out our total-play Hub here on Cricket Yorkshire.


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