A couple of days ago I parked behind a van belonging to Inshore Fisheries, the sponsors of The Langbaurgh Cricket League which reminded me that I had not looked at the league's website for sometime. Rectifying this I logged on to the minutes of the league's AGM held recently and the report of Secretary Bernard Newman made very disappointing reading relating as it did the resignation of Swainby CC, members of the league since 1921 Swainby's problems are alas being faced by many clubs in this area, namely the difficulty of turning out eleven each Saturday. So acute has this become for Swainby that in fairness to other clubs they have 'with great reluctance' tendered their resignation. There is an irony here in that for the last few years Swainby have used the ground formerly belonging to Carlton in Cleveland CC who also had to quit the league.
Although several postings have been made to the blog covering visits made to The Langbaurgh there may be some readers not familiar with its geography. Many of the clubs in the league are accessible from the A19 as it makes it way north from York to Teesside and has members as far north as Hartlepool and in the south close to Northallerton. This distribution overlaps to some extent with that of the Cleveland League and such have been the difficulties of clubs in this competition that two years ago the whole league made an en bloc application to move in with their Langbaurgh neighbours which was rejected.
This year the Langbaurgh AGM considered applications from just two Cleveland clubs, Nunthorpe CC and Dormanstown which were both accepted. Nunthorpe have also been accepted by the Darlington and District and their first XI will play in this league with the seconds in the Langbaurgh. All of which leaves the Cleveland in a position where one wonders just how much longer it can continue with just four clubs putting out six teams. Decline is nothing new for in 2010 the local paper headlined a story 'Cleveland League numbers dwindling' which described a situation where in a few years the league had declined from four divisions to two: heady days compared with today's position.
The Cleveland fixtures for 2015 are on the website, not surprisingly they don't start until May 2nd. Langbaurgh fixtures are also available with a start on the traditional first day for most Yorkshire leagues, the third Saturday in April, this year the 18th. On that day Dormanstown will begin their new life with a trip to Hartlepool Power Station (below) while Nunthorpe II entertain Hutton Rudby I. Nunthorpe's first team will travel to that most rural of grounds, Eryholme, for a Division C game in the D and D, this too on April 18th
Although I made a trip to Swainby in 2013 there are still several grounds in the Langbaurgh and Cleveland leagues that I have not visited. Better not leave it much longer.
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