Regular readers of the blog may remember that I spent time last winter researching the history of cricket in the northern dales, including Swaledale. With high pressure in charge, yesterday seemed the perfect opportunity to go and watch cricket in this beautiful part of Yorkshire and after refreshment at the King's Arms in Reeth I found my way down the bumpy lane that leads to the Reeth and District Sports Association Sports Ground, the home of Dales CC.
Cricket in Reeth was played at least as early as 1859 and the Swaledale League comprising six clubs was founded in 1921. The league expired in the 1950s and eventually Reeth under the name of Dales found their way into the Darlington and District League and yesterday's visitors in a Division B match were Eryholme*, a small village just a few miles from Darlington.
As the ground's long title suggests there is more than cricket played there and when I looked in the club house, opened by Gareth Southgate in 1996,the only photographs were of football teams. Eryholme rather cut it fine in making what must be one of their longest journeys but the call of play was heard only about five minutes after the scheduled 2:00 start. An eventful first over began with three wides, a dropped catch, another wide and a 'lingering doubter'. The dropped catch miscreant then proceeded to redeem himself with an over true to the principles of line and length.
I enjoyed a couple of circuits of the field, noting a herd of cows over the fence but also enjoying a fine show of wild flowers and the sight of the River Swale flowing past the bottom end of the ground. To my delight the game was being conducted without the usual exhortation to 'work hard lads' and on the fall of the first wicket the incoming batsman was welcomed to the crease with polite applause. Pretty well the perfect set of circumstances for an afternoon's cricket but it was soon time to drive back down the dale towards Richmond. Passing through this attractive town I called in at Hurgill Road where Richmondshire were batting against Guisborough in an NYSD Premier Division match. One or two of a decent sized crowd felt that progress was rather slow but while I was there the tempo increased with skipper and former Durham player Gary Pratt leading the way. When I left the score was approaching 150 for the loss of one wicket from which platform the homesters went onto 321 for 2 and a crushing victory over their opponents.
My next call was at Gilling West, now the home of Richmond's fourth and fifth teams and an illustration of how clubs can rise and fall in status. A little over forty years ago when playing for Cockerton in the Darlington and District league we faced Richmond on a regular basis without any particular fear that they would be too strong for us. We won some, we lost some but this morning they sit on top of the NYSD with a one point lead over Darlington. And who were their fourth team's opponents yesterday but Cockerton, relegated from Division A of the D and DL in 2012 and on at least two occasions recently having to concede second team matches.
When I arrived at Gilling tea was being taken with Cockerton having been dismissed for 87. I had visited the ground last October when it was still under floodwater and the transformation was remarkable and chatting with one of the senior Richmond players he explained how they had had to turn the square round and were rather restricted in the number of wickets they could use. I also spoke with one of the Cockerton players about their difficulties in turning out two teams and yet having almost enough players registered for three teams. I was pleased to hear they had managed a second eleven yesterday even though they had lost to Richmond V. Richmond IV are top of Division B and a win by seven wickets yesterday comes as no surprise. Cockerton seem likely to spend another season in this division.
On my way home down the A1 I turned off through Catterick Village where Aldbrough St John II were the visitors. Again I struck the tea interval and an inspection of the score book showed ASJ had been put out for 120, of which no 8 B. Jones had scored 81. Despite seeming reluctant to take the field Aldbrough ran out winners by 9 wickets in this mid table C Div match.
I began by mentioning my exploration of cricket in Swaledale and an irony struck me whilst I was at Gilling watching Richmond IV, for until the late 1990s the village were represented in the D and DL and one reason suggested to me for Gilling's demise was that their youngsters could not resist the lure of playing for Richmond. Catch my drift?
The photograph is of Reeth's new pavilion.
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