The 2022 cricket season starts next Saturday, the 23rd April.
A new era also starts for the Club as we depart the Craven and District Cricket League to become members of the Nidderdale Cricket League. It will be strange at first as we visit new places and play new teams – a little bit further to travel to away games but hopefully some better grounds that we are used to.
Spectators to the ground will notice new things – building sites to either side of us and the lack of trees across the bottom of the ground. Two storms over the winter period saw one blown down and another had its trunk split. We checked the other trees and decided that in the interest of safety they too had to come down. This was a big job but in big lifts and little ones our volunteers managed to accomplish the job, despite several soakings by the weather.
The trees falling also damaged the fence so we took the plunge to replace that as well. A considerable cost to the Club but a necessary one.
On the playing side it is sad to note that we have had to pull our under 15s from the junior league. 2 players transferred to Skipton CC, 3 are concentrating on playing football – which now seems to run all year. 2 are playing rugby and sadly three have decided not to play this year. We are still running our under 11s, and would welcome girls and boys to join us on practice night.
The two senior sides are much the same as last season. Jack Beetham joined from Keighley late last season and Aslam Hussain has joined Ben Rhydding.
On the 23rd the 1st XI are at home to Rainton in a match sponsored by Scott Robinson Electrician. The 2nd XI are away to Rainton. Both matches are scheduled to start at 1-30pm.
At this time the Club would like to send best wishes to Treasurer, Simon Holt, spectator Agnes Kelly and supporter Emma Bullough and hope that have speedy recoveries from their medical problems.
Trevor Coe – ECC Chairman
