A Cliffe hanger

posted by John Winn

In Two Men and a Blog, Peter Davies and Tony Hutton's printed account of their wanderings in the summer of 2009, Tony describes a day out visiting grounds in the NYSD league on each side of the River Tees but the highlight of his day he saved to the last with a trip to the very rural surroundings of Cliffe CC, long serving members of the Darlington and District League. His description of the ground as 'an absolute picture' sets the scene.

Cliffe is situated just off the Roman Road, Dere Street, which under its modern title (the B6275)  makes its way straight as an arrow from just north of Scotch Corner up into County Durham. I have found records of cricket being played in this area as far back as 1868 with a match between Croft and Cleasby and in 1907 my father's old team Haughton played against Manfield and Cliffe at Great Burdon. Manfield is to the east of Dere Street about a mile from Cliffe. It is nice to think that my grandfather might well have played in that match. When Cliffe decided to go it alone is not known but by 1922 not only had they dropped Manfield but they were members of their own league: The Cliffe and District League.

The Darlington and Stockton Times for September 2nd 1922 lists a league table headed by Forcett Park, with Cliffe second, followed by Croft, Melsonby, Barton and Aldborough, all villages within a short distance of Cliffe. Hitching a ride with a crow you would not travel more than seven miles to Croft, the longest journey Cliffe would have faced. Looking at the list of member clubs today the glass is exactly half full or half empty depending on your mood for three have survived and three have gone. Cliffe, Barton and Aldborough play in the D and DL but Forcett (who I think folded in the sixties), Croft and Melsonby are no more. With them goes much cricket history for the Ripon and Richmond Chronicle describes an encounter between  Forcett and Melsonby  in 1874.

What happened to The Cliffe and District League I don't know, more visits to Darlington Library needed, but my father's old fixture cards show regular friendlies between Haughton and Cliffe in the 1930s and I suspect the league had folded by then. I remember being taken to the ground on the Cliffe Estate as a small boy in the early fifties and playing in a cup match there for Cockerton, probably in 1968 or 69, on a lovely summer's evening which ended in an emphatic victory for Cliffe and some poor bowling figures for this  blogger

The Darlington and District League website has a picture of Cliffe II, champions of Division C in 2013, which would suggest that the club  is thriving. Pcws starting to think about excursions next summer might do worse than to spend an afternoon in this area for in addition to the three clubs mentioned above there is an attractive ground at Middleton Tyas, just by Scotch Corner and Cliffe is only about six miles from Darlington and its myriad delights. If that is not enough then the Crown Inn at Manfield offers a splendid range of real ales.

And speaking of next summer, the Derbyshire website states that the county fixture list for 2014 will be announced at 9:30 on Tuesday 26th November.