As John Winn has already pointed out, league cricket is raring to go following such a long lay off. The club and league officials should be congratulated for coming to terms with such difficult circumstances which have affected our way of life in so many ways. Last weekend saw a bevy of friendly games and inter club matches which set the ball rolling, but this coming Saturday 18th July, will see the majority of Yorkshire cricket leagues back into action.
Collingham and Linton get underway last Saturday.
There are of course one or two clubs that have decided, no doubt for perfectly valid reasons, to shut up shop completely. Notable among these are Scarborough cricket club who will only have a second eleven running in the local Beckett League. The first team has withdrawn from the Yorkshire Premier League North, which will field only ten sides, as the Yorkshire Academy are not taking part either.
Although the Bradford League have not yet released revised fixtures, it is expected that they will start a week later on Saturday 25th July. Again one of the leading sides, Woodlands, have withdrawn and decided to re-lay their outfield and do other much needed maintenance jobs on the ground.
Adel had an inter squad game last weekend.
The Halifax League seemed particularly well prepared with several alternative scenarios ready for when the all clear sounded. Yorkshire Premier League South have decided to run a zonal league cup competition on a forty overs a side basis and the Drakes Huddersfield League have gone even further with just a thirty overs a side competition. It is of course still somewhat unclear what facilities, if any, will be available to the hard core of spectators who follow league cricket in the county. It will obviously be a learning process for all concerned.
The Yorks Senior League has produced a list of new geographically based divisions to shorten some of the travelling distances involved in such a large league. Other leagues which will be getting underway this weekend include the Aire/Wharfe league, the Nidderdale league, the Pontefract league, the Leeds & Wetherby League, the Dales Council and in the far north the North Yorkshire & South Durham league.
St Georges played the Wednesday Knights at Harewood House last Sunday.
Before all that at least two evening leagues are springing into action, the Wensleydale Evening League tonight (Wednesday) and the Headingley Evening league tomorrow night (Thursday). Good luck to them all and let's just hope that we are blessed with some fine weather.
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