Hoylandswaine CC beat York CC in the Black Sheep Cup semi

York (Yorkshire league champions) batted first and got 318, 'Swaine knocked them off with 2 wickets in hand. For anyone interested the Black sheep Trophy is a competition for the winners of all the top leagues in Yorkshire.

 

Do they play Whitley in the final? What league are 'Swaine in?

Went to see the final a couple of years ago at Hanging Heaton - cracking day out.

 

Despite how their rich moneyman tries to buy them success i'm still happy for them. It's really good for the Drakes league so hopefully they win the final.

 

On the surface, it's an amazing achievement for a small village cricket club like Hoylandswaine. But Hoylandswaine isn't the type of village cricket club where the players pay subs to help keep the club going. Some players are paid quite a substantial amount of money to play.

The general feeling on this BBS is that we're against fat cats ploughing lorry loads of cash in to sports teams so they can hoover up the best players. We complain about how unfair it is all the time. I don't see what Hoylandswaine are doing as being much different for the level they play at.

 

Drakes Huddersfield and dunno, Whitely Hall were beaten by Woodlands of Bradford league I think. Not sure if Woodlands and Woodhouse Grange (York Senior League) have played yet. (I just went into Hemsey mode, said the 40 something academic).

 

Sadly the Drakes committee allow them to spend what they want, so when they lost their first four games of the season as defending champions it was funny. They should be rules in place that you can only spend what you make. Hopefully one day the guy ploughing thousands in for a lineup of Sadler/Crammer/Rashid/Sayers etc will get bored. Not many youngsters get a first team chance there like Luke Potters brother Ben does.

 

Local 'amateur cricket' is nuts.

Thousands of pounds 'wage' bills, £150+ per game, £ per run, £ per wicket etc.

 

You're right to a certain extent, but at the level they play at, the vast majority of teams pay players; international cricketers play/have played for a number of clubs in the Drakes League and the money being spent at 'swaine is comparable to that spent at a number of Bradford League teams for example. The best thing to happen at 'Swaine is the investment in a youth set up (coaching, infrastructure, outreach) for a sustainable future.

 

It's not amateur 'tho Dys and it's not designed to be.

 

Maybe not but it's not advertised as semi-pro.

 

All the money they have spent they are only midtable and sneaked a one wicket win in both their last two league games. They are beatable to many teams in a strong league. Only have to look at Delph & Dobcross all rounder Aaron Lilley breaking into the Lancashire side and what Tom Craddock (who played for Honley) did against England for Essex with his six wickets in the match including KP/Root/Prior/Bell. All the money Swaine spend they may not even have the highest paid player. I'd expect Lorenzo Ingram to have been paid a fair penny to leave established Elland to join newly promoted Barkisland when he was the top run scorer in the league last season.

 

Didn't realise that's where John Sadler is playing now. Was in the year above me at school. Decent footballer as well as a cricketer, remember beating a team about 12-0 and think he scored 10 or something ridiculous.

 

Black sheep, Hoylandswaine Mmmmmmmmmm.

 

Played against em a couple of times and got pasted. Don't see the point, cricket should be fun.

 

If there's money being spent on coaching, particularly for youth players, then I applaud it. The more kids you can get in to that club playing cricket and away from their games machines or off the streets the better. My nephew started going to Kexbrough cricket club when he was about 8 and it's still an important part of his life now he's in his mid 20s. Any sports club that puts time and effort in to training kids is doing a brilliant thing as far as I'm concerned.

But what is more important to Hoylandswaine cricket club, playing in the highest league possible or taking those kids from junior cricket in to the first team? If it's the former, I'd have to ask why? What do you get from playing in such a high league? It won't be attendances, like in professional football. I would have thought you'd get more people watching if you pick local players who will bring their families to make a day of it. It won't be prize money or money from sponsorship as the payments you make to players to compete in that league will far exceed anything the team can earn. I just don't understand why a local cricket team would pay players to come from afar and take the places of local cricketers, some of whom may have been at the club since they were kids. Of course, if you are using local players you want them to win as many matches as possible, do as well as possible and play in as high a league as possible. Local players playing for their local club builds community spirit and the whole village can take pride in their success. But I don't see what anyone gets out of buying players in rather than using local talent when you play at that level.

 

My son plays cricket for Darfield's 1st 11 and he's 14. They play in the same league as Kexborough (South Yorkshire Div-1) & I'm pretty sure that with the exception of Liam pretty much ALL the others players are paid some kind of expenses. Either travelling expenses or performance related monies ....

I just can't see the point really. Teams in the Premier League (the likes of Elsecar, Treeton and so on) must pay thousands in chasing the title and within a week of the season ending half the folk following the cricket can't even remember who won the league ! There's 1 man and his dog watching Darfield play every week .......

It makes no difference to the punters that drink in the club what standard of cricket is played they'd come anyway ..... the more youngsters that represent their own village cricket team the better in my book !

 

Money ruining a sport. Who'd have thunk it?

 

Well said. That's what my village does in the same league as Swaine. Also a very self suficient club thanks to a number of events during the year.

 

Your young un is quality too.

At Wath we've spent the last 8 or so years paying players and won nothing. Most of them folded the money up into their pockets and went home after the game. It created resentment throughout the rest of the club in that when people were spending their hard earned cash behind the bar, it was going to pay the wages of someone who really didn't care and it created a division.

This season although the first team isn't as good, they're holding their own in the Premier League, and doing it with mostly home grown players and an overseas (who likes a good drink too). And judging from what I see, the atmosphere is better and bar takings are up, because like Jay says, people and families are coming to watch their friends and relatives play. And more a staying for a drink afterwards too.

Incidentally with Darfield, if you get promotion this time, will most of the players stay and have a crack at the Prem? Because a few left last time didn't they?

 

Yeah your right Wardy (amongst others) the captain left but he's back this season. I'm not sure how things will pan out if I'm honest. In fact, in the last month they have lost 3 of 4 games so promotion is actually looking some way off at the minute & even though they have some talented players stepping up next season to the premier would be a step too far for some in my opinion ..... Having said that & made my point about players being paid I have to say that to a man the lads have been brilliant with Liam. He loves playing in the team and the support he's been given has been outstanding.

I was actually thinking with Wath that they seemed to have returned to the way they used to do things ..... more focus on their own local lads and less on paid imports and you can see that the club is better for it (and that's from an outsider). We were there a few weeks ago to play your seconds and although we won it was clear that the bulk of your team were talented young kids and going to be around for some time to come ! There's a good blend, 2 or 3 'veterans' and the rest kids !