EAST RIDING CRICKET SOCIETY

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 as a Yorkshire player back in 2015, alongside Jack Leaning and the County Championship Trophy. In 2017 Will left Yorkshire for Warwickshire, captained the club from 2020 to 2023, won another County Championship and the Bob Willis Trophy, and has now moved 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 Al...

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 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 he decided there was no chance of a return to action, when his first ball brought the keeper right up to the stumps. (Not that this deterred Boland and Neser in this winter’s Ashes, mind you!) Turning to George Hirst, Wilfred Rhodes and Schofield Haigh – the tri...

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 wicket – that of M...

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, and 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 15...

James Taylor's attitude to life came across strongly as 'I’ll find a way'. The ex-England, Notts and Leics batter found a way to get into cricket, to bat even in tough conditions, and to field at short leg.  More importantly, after seven Tests and 27 ODIs, aged just 26, he found a way to rebuild his life when a heart attack in 2016 brought that career to an abrupt and unexpected end. And not just rebuild, but build a life he is clearly happy with. James was open about losing pretty much everything at that time. Only golf, which he didn’t play, remained open to him. However, determination – plus practice in his garage – has made him a scratch player in under four years. Appointed as the England Men's Test Selector and Chief Scout (2018–22), he spent most of his time working with Ed Smith, a man he obviously rates highly and from whom he learned much. He also loved the job, especially given the status of the successful England teams at that time. Now forging a new caree...

Among his many talents, Mr Mark Ramprakash MBE is a great mimic and brought along a famous name or two on Monday 20 January. How many, I lost count. But I do know that Mark's audience was larger still. So much so that extra chairs were needed – and plenty of them – as a record crowd of members and friends thronged Beverley Town CC . Did Mark mention Strictly (Come Dancing)? Well , perhaps just a little! Despite a 25-year playing career with England, Middlesex and Surrey that brought 35,000 runs and 114 centuries, Mark reckons that winning Strictly in 2006 has eclipsed all that in the public mind. When presenting him in 2013 with an MBE for services to cricket, even HM The Queen wanted to know if he was still dancing …. And the man behind it all was Darren Gough, a Strictly winner in 2005, who persuaded the reluctant Mark to sign up. But back to cricket! Mark has English and Indo- Guyanese heritage and has lived in Harrow all his life . ...

  We had the distinct pleasure of two guests tonight as Mr Geoff Cook brought along his – and our – good friend Pat Murphy. As player, coach and administrator, Geoff is one of the most significant figures in English cricket in the last forty years. Born in Middlesbrough, he always played as much cricket as he could and started his career in Northants, where his second-wicket partnership with Robin Boyd-Moss remains a record. Geoff also holds the Northants appearance record, playing for the club 774 times (1971–90) and captaining the side from 1981 to 1988. He was a long-serving secretary and chair of the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), and played in a handful of Tests and ODIs (1981–83). In 1991 he took up a role as Director of Cricket at Durham, shortly before the club achieved first-class status in 1992. Then as Head Coach (2006–13), he led the county to a Friends Provident Trophy (2007) and three championship wins (2008, 2009 and 2013) – successes gained lar...