EAST RIDING CRICKET SOCIETY

Well, our season started with a bang and ended in rapt silence.  Andy ‘Moler’ Moles is one of the most down-to-earth of speakers. No nonsense, no drama - but one who can definitely hold your attention. Perhaps his dressing-room voice helps – he didn’t need the mic. His story is amazing, and at times thrilling, which makes him well worth hearing. It’s far from a conventional cricket story of school, academy, debut, county and perhaps country. In fact he only switched to cricket after breaking a leg playing rugby or football. Playing for Warwickshire for twelve seasons, Andy developed the highest regard for coach Bob Woolmer. Bob introduced ideas and practices that helped improve the team both on and off the pitch, including his trailblazing use of video and stats to develop players. For Andy, the best bowlers he faced were Wazim Akram and Malcolm Marshall – although he also name-checked the ‘hard but fair’ Darren Gough. Coaching in South Africa at the tim...

This report comes from cow corner, where a witness was closely interrogated ...    Arnie Sidebottom is a softly spoken, approachable man with a strong handshake.    And like previous speakers – and as befits a former Manchester United centre-half – he's tall.   He's also from Barnsley and had a thought or two about another proud son of the town, Darren Gough, as well as some excellent Geoff Boycott tales.   No other guest has played with Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton though, so football greats shared equal billing.    Arnie helped Man Utd win the second division championship in 1974/75 and only recently collected his medal on the pitch at Old Trafford.    Sadly the ever-longer football season made it impossible for him to combine the two sports at professional level.   It was Geoff Boycott who counselled him to 'stick to cricket'.    Sound advice – and football's loss was undoubtedly our gain.  ...

Our madam chair’s obvious wish to invite only tall speakers continues unabated, with Mr Rhodes also topping the 6’ mark. In addition to this excitement, the new Beverley Town sound system also made its first appearance, bolstered by two microphones from us. And, as an aside, demoting our treasurer/sound engineer from his post behind the mixing deck.  Brian is now confined to financial duties only! Will Rhodes last spoke to us in 2015, as a Yorkshire player alongside Jack Leaning and the County Championship Trophy. In 2017 Will moved to Warwickshire.  He captained the club from 2020 to 2023, winning another County Championship and the Bob Willis Trophy, and has now moved on to Durham. Although he seldom played at Beverley Town, his few memories are fond ones of good wickets and good matches. Club cricket was his route into a playing career. He moved seamlessly into the Yorkshire system – one trial and he was in. Will entered the Yorkshire academy with Jack Leaning and...

A rainy night, and another lofty speaker to dwarf our madam chair. After Olly Hannon-Dalby last month, we welcomed Harry Pearson –  award-winning author and journalist, and  one-time  Tall Man in a Low Land (according to the title of one of his books). Harry's books and articles cover various fields, including cricket, football and cycling.  Many are focused on grassroots sport and leisure in northern England (and in Belgium). Born and brought up on the edge of Teesside, he was a fearsome fast bowler in his day.  But, while  confident in his ability, he retired at 30, lacking the courage needed to play good league cricket and survive the on-field ‘commentary’ AKA sledging. And last summer, when his first ball brought the keeper right up to the stumps,  he decided there was no chance of a return to action. Not that this deterred Boland and Neser in this winter’s Ashes, mind you! Turning to George Hirst, Wilfred Rhodes and Schofield H...

Our  cricket society is quite capable of generating differences on occasion, although usually of opinion or viewpoint.  For this meeting, we tried a slight change when we stood the visiting 6’ 8” Oliver Hannon-Dalby next to our (whisper it) slightly more petite chair and secretary, Maggie.  A quite arresting visual! And quite an arresting speaker too.   Olly’s height undoubtedly gives him the command of the room.  But, when combined with an interesting life story told in a straightforward and slightly self-deprecating manner, he held our attention completely. His first cricket match came at just 5 days old, when his mother took him to watch his father play. He took up the game aged 10 or 11 and has been involved in it ever since. As the only cricketer in a rugby-league playing school, an invitation to send pupils for trials at Huddersfield naturally went his way. He made his professional debut at the Oval in 2008, where his first wi...

We kicked off the 2025/6 season with a corker of a meeting. Our speaker was Mr Stephen Chalke, the prolific and prize-winning author, oral historian and publisher, who last visited us in 2011 during our days in Hull, at the old Humberside Police Sports and Social Club. Although based in Bath, Stephen has worked on and with many YCCC players over the years, including Bob Appleyard, Geoff Cope, George Hirst and Ken Taylor.  In his latest book, One Hell of a Life (the 2024 Wisden Book of the Year), he turns his attention to the great Brian Close. After a welcome by Simon Foster and a brief intro from Maggie, we were off - and rapidly too.  Stephen is a fount of information and stories – many of them humorous, but some more sombre in character.  This is largely because his subject Brian Close is such an interesting and multi-faceted personality, including darker aspects that were not ignored. Stephen was first drawn to Brian in 1963, at the age of just ...