In the most recent posting on their website the Wetherby League has given more details of how the league will be structured in 2018. This follows the decision made by the member clubs,covered in a posting on this blog a couple of weeks ago, not to merge with the York and District League. The season will begin on 28th April and finish on September 8th with the two Bank Holiday weekends kept completely free of cricket. Each of the top three divisions will have ten clubs with the remaining fourteen in Division Four.
The league also confirms the departure of three clubs, Shadwell and Old Leos, who have joined the Aire Wharfe, and champions Kirk Deighton who have been accepted into the Nidderdale league, a transfer which has provoked considerable rancour. Kirk D had given notice early in the 2017 season of their wish to negotiate with other leagues and subsequently applied to join the the Nidderdale league in 2019, an application which was accepted. On the 24th of October Kirk received an email from the chairman of the Wetherby League which said that the club would not be offered fixtures for 2018 and has accused the Nidderdale League of a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding between leagues over the issue of transfers. They have now been accepted into the Nidderdale for 2018 and with back to back Wetherby titles on their cv the newcomers will look to do well in the new surroundings and it will be interesting to see where they will be placed when the fixtures are announced.
With three clubs going through the exit door it is of interest that one, Burton Salmon, are bucking the trend and will join the Wetherby league in 2018. The club ran into difficulties in 2016 and withdrew from the York Vale League early that season citing lack of players as the problem. The club reformed this year and after a season of playing friendlies now feels ready for a return to league cricket.
Four years ago to the week I posted an item entitled 'A Cliffe hanger' in which I referred to a visit made by Tony to the delightful North Yorkshire ground of Cliffe CC, near Scotch Corner and just off the Roman Road, Dere Street. Tony's account appeared in the book Two Men and A Blog written by Tony and Peter Davies. Cricket has been played at Cliffe for well over a hundred years and for a while there was even a Cliffe and District League. Yesterday I was given privileged access to back copies of the Darlington Sports Despatch in the hope that I might be able to find positive confirmation that the Swaledale League finished in 1966. Alas coverage was even more sparse than in the Darlington and Stockton Times on which I had based my earlier research and there remains a question mark as to when the last game was played. July 23rd 1966, probably but alas not definitely.
Whilst searching through the bound copies of 'The Pink' as it was known I found several references to The Cliffe League including this the final table for the 1923 season.
Forcett Park, Croft, Melsonby and Gainford are no more but the other four prosper. Raby Castle were 2017 champions of the Darlington and District league, Richmondshire runners up in NYSD Premier, Cliffe gained promotion to Darlington and District Division A and Barton were comfortably mid table in that division.
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