Huddersfield Cricket League

The Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League is the premier cricket competition in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.

The league has been in existence since 1891 and has 30 teams representing suburbs of Huddersfield and villages in the Huddersfield District area. There are now teams from South Yorkshire and Saddleworth in the League.

A number of local players have come from the Huddersfield League to play for in the English County Championship, mainly for Yorkshire and then have gone on to represent England. Other county players have played club cricket in the Huddersfield League.

Notable players

Many Huddersfield Cricket League players have gone on to play First-class and Test cricket.

Almondbury Eddie Leadbeater (1927–2011)[1] – Yorkshire Warwickshire and England Armitage Bridge Schofield Haigh – Yorkshire and England Robert Moorhouse – Yorkshire Fred Moorhouse – Warwickshire Elland Richard Blakey – Yorkshire and England Ajmal Shahzad – Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and England Emley Clarence Matthew Wood – Yorkshire Golcar Arnie Sidebottom – Yorkshire and England Holmfirth Allan Lamb – Northamptonshire and England Arnie Sidebottom – Yorkshire and England Ryan Sidebottom – Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and England Tom Craddock – Essex Honley Arnie Sidebottom – Yorkshire and England Craig White – Yorkshire and England Matthew Wood – Yorkshire Kirkheaton George Hirst – Yorkshire and England Wilfred Rhodes – Yorkshire and England

Lascelles Hall Arnie Sidebottom – Yorkshire and England Matthew Wood – Yorkshire Lepton Highlanders Phil Mustard – Durham and England Linthwaite Barrie Leadbeater – Yorkshire (umpire) Chris Schofield – Lancashire, Surrey and England Meltham Ryan Sidebottom – Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and England Paddock Chris Balderstone – Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England Percy Holmes – Yorkshire and England Willie Watson – Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. Primrose Hill Ken Taylor – Yorkshire and England Shelley Matthew Friedlander – Northamptonshire, Boland Shepley Darren Gough – Yorkshire, Essex and England Skelmanthorpe Ronnie Irani – Lancashire, Essex and England

Overseas professionals

Most of the teams have had professional players who have come from overseas. A few notable ones include:

Barkisland Tinashe Panyangara – Zimbabwe Golcar Atul Bedade – India Sonny Ramadhin (guest) – West Indies Holmfirth Tony Gray – West Indies Andrew Hudson – South Africa Honley Ian Harvey (guest) – Australia Kirkheaton Andrew Hudson – South Africa Linthwaite Deighton Butler – West Indies Vikram Rathour – India Lascelles Hall Garth Le Roux – South Africa

Marsden Atul Wassan – India Abdur Rehman – Pakistan Meltham Dilip Doshi – India Madan Lal – India Shahid Mahmood – Pakistan Paddock Mansoor Akhtar – Pakistan Gary Sobers (guest) – West Indies Scholes Wasim Jaffer – India Shelley Muthumudalige Pushpakumara – Sri Lanka Mohammad Ramzan – Pakistan Shepley Trent Copeland – Australia Slaithwaite Pragyan Ojha – India

Member clubs in 2012

• Drakes Premiership

Clayton West | Delph & Dobcross | Elland | Golcar | Hall Bower | Honley | Hoylandswaine | Kirkburton | Marsden | Scholes | Shelley | Shepley | Skelmanthorpe | Slaithwaite

• Cedar Court Conference

Almondbury | Cawthorne | Cumberwoth United | Kirkheaton | Lascelles Hall | Linthwaite | Paddock | Rastrick

• Frank Platt Conference

Armitage Bridge | Barkisland | Broad Oak | Emley Clarence | Holmfirth | Lepton Highlanders | Meltham | Thongsbridge

• Drakes Premiership 2nd XI

Armitage Bridge II | Barkisland II | Broad Oak II | Elland II | Golcar II | Honley II | Hoylandswaine II | Kirkburton II | Marsden II | Meltham II | Scholes II | Shepley II | Skelmanthorpe II | Slaithwaite II

• Cedar Court Conference 2nd XI

Cawthorne II | Clayton West II | Delph and Dobcross II | Emley Clarence II | Hall Bower II | Holmfirth II | Lascelles Hall II | Thongsbridge II

• Frank Platt Conference 2nd XI

Almondbury II | Cumberworth United II | Kirkheaton II | Lepton Highlanders II | Linthwaite II | Paddock II | Rastrick II | Shelley II

• New Clubs as of 2013 Season

Almondbury Wesleyans | Denby | Denby Dale | Moorlands

Champions 2009

Drakes Premiership

• Winners – Scholes Runners Up – Skelmanthorpe

Conference Winners

• Cedar Court Conference – Hoylandswaine
• Frank Platt Conference – Kirkburton

Cup Competitions

• Romida Sports Sykes Cup – Golcar
• Spectrum Interiors Paddock Shield(2nd XI Cup) – Scholes
• Romida Twenty20 Trophy – Hoylandswaine

References

1. Warner, David (2012). The Yorkshire County Cricket Club: 2012 Yearbook (114th ed.). Ilkley, Yorkshire: Great Northern Books. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-1-905080-06-9.

External links

• Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League website
• The Cricket History of Calderdale and Kirklees – find out about Histories of many of the Drakes League teams