A Potted History of Cullingworth Cricket Club

Excepting for the two remaining churches Cullingworth Cricket Club is the oldest surviving organisation in the village. Formed in 1873, the first reported game was played, and lost, against Denholme. To celebrate the centenary of the club that game was replayed, and happily the result was reversed.

Nothing is known about the exact whereabouts of the club's first home, but the ground was said to have been situated at the bottom of Manywells, before moving to its current ground at Roydwood Terrace. Rented from the tenant of the George Hotel through John Smith's brewery, the ground was used as a smallholding by successive publicans and the outfield leased to local farmers for grazing cattle. It was impossible therefore to cut the outfield and one can imagine the work involved in cleaning up the ground prior to matches. The square was protected by an electric fence which could only be removed on Saturday mornings. Ground preparation before the 1950s was somewhat limited and teams scoring above 40 to 50 were very pleased with themselves.

When Jack Kenealy took over the tenancy of the George in the late 1950s he ceased the use of the ground for farming and the club was able to improve the ground and make it look more like it was fit for cricket. No more competing with cattle and fowl and their obvious by-products - bliss! In 1970 the club bought the cricket and football grounds through Cullingworth Sports Association in order to protect the future of sport within the village. The combined rents of the two grounds in 1970 was £28 per annum, and the purchase cost £4,000, which seemed then to be an exorbitant amount, but now would be considered a gift. In 1973, the centenary of the club, a brand new pavilion was officially opened by the president of the West Bradford Cricket League, Bob Yates, which was the envy of all clubs in our area, and for many miles around.

In the formative years of local cricket all matches were friendlies, until the inauguration of the West Bradford Cricket League in 1893, of which Cullingworth was a founder member. A club handbook for 1896 shows the club as having its headquarters at the George Hotel, and employed a professional, Mr C Duffield.

At some stage the club joined the Bradford & District Cricket League, but nothing is known about what appeared to be a short membership, and the club re-joined the West Bradford League. In the 1970s it was felt that the West Bradford League was failing somewhat and in 1974 the club entered the Bradford Central Cricket League. That league itself suffered many defections in the 1990s with a number of the better clubs moving to pastures new. The decision was made in the year 2000 to move away from the failing Bradford Central League and was accepted by the Craven & District Cricket League for the season 2001. The club has seen steady progress within the league and whilst at the time of composing this history we do not know the outcome of our league and cup campaigns, it would appear that 2007 will be our best since our inclusion in the league.

Compiled by Tony Welch, September 2007.

Cullingworth Cricket Club Roll of Honour
WEST BRADFORD CRICKET LEAGUE		BRADFORD CENTRAL CRICKET LEAGUE
1896	League champions	1975	League champions, Div 2
1903	League champions	1976	League champions, Div 1
1904	League champions	1986	League champions, Div 2
1905	League champions League champions, 2nd XI	1998	League champions, Div 2
1907	League champions	1999	Cup winners
1910	Charity Cup winners. League champions, 2nd XI	CRAVEN & DISTRICT CRICKET LEAGUE
1911	League champions	2001	League champions, Div 2. League champions, Div 4
1920	League champions	2005	Wynn Cup winners
1931	League champions	2007	League Champions, Div 1. Wynn Cup Winners
1933	League champions Cup winners, 2nd XI	KEIGHLEY CUP 2000
1935	Joint league champions League champions, 2nd XI	2002	Losing Finalist
1939	Cup winners, 2nd XI	2003	Losing Finalist
1948	League champions, Div 2	2004	Winners
1967	League champions, Div 2	2006	Winners
1969	League champions, Div 1	2007	Winners
1972	League champions, Div 2
1973	Cup winners, 2nd XI