The Forest of Galtres was established by the Norman Kings of England. Spreading northwards from the city walls of York it reached its greatest extent by the reign of Henry II (1133-1189). Within its 100,000 acres there were 60 villages, several of which, eight centuries later, formed a cricket league.
The Darlington and Stockton Times for 1925 has coverage of the FOG showing it organised into two sections based on geography even though the area covered by its 16 member clubs was quite small. Six of these run teams today, spread across the Nidderdale, York and Pilmoor Leagues but Skipton (by Beningbrough ),Tollerton, Aldwark, Newton (on Ouse), Dalton, Sutton on the Forest, Brandsby, Husthwaite and Hawkhills do not, I am sure, play any organised cricket.
My travels take me through this area quite frequently, stopping off on occasions to sample the several excellent dining pubs found there but I have never seen any evidence of former cricket grounds. Googling Forest of Galtres cricket provides a link to the York Vale league site. This league was formed in 1933 to provide a standard of cricket for club cricketers in the City of York of a standard similar to that provided in the FOG, Thirsk and Derwent leagues. The Vale has now 80 years of history behind it and over 40 clubs. What happened to cricket under the banner of The Forest of Galtres remains to me a mystery but one I am tempted to investigate.
In the past I and other bloggers have described visits to some of the grounds in the Pilmoor Evening League. In the 1920s this was a Saturday league with seven clubs. More of this in a future blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment