From Holmfirth to Blackley

Posted by Peter Davies

The first local friendlies of the summer. At Holmfirth I met club chairman David Whiteley who showed me round the pavilion, which is currently being redeveloped. He said he'd been down every afternoon since last November working on the building! He also handed me a box of old Holmfirth CC scorebooks - some, he said, dating back to the Second World War. A great find. At Broad Oak the visitors were Golcar. A beautiful sunny day and dozens and dozens of spectators in attendance. At Rastrick, Paddock were the opponents. Again, loads of spectators and the Paddock players waiting to bat sat out on the boundary's edge. I chatted with Mark Turner and Hugh Golbourne who, in association with the Cricket Heritage Project, are planning a major new cricketing initiative this summer. More details to follow! Also mananged to photograph some old Rastrick team photos in the club pavilion. Finally, beautiful Blackley - according to Brian Senior, seasoned professional cricket watcher, the nicest ground in West Yorkshire! And it was gorgeous today - with Holmfirth the visitors. Club secretary Julie Pearson told me about the winter redevelopment work on their pavilion - and I could almost smell the sense of newness as I wandered into the building. She also said they're hoping to frame a selection of our exhibition boards for display in the pavilion - and they'll probably alternate which boards are on display every few months. Great news!