THERE is one club cricket game scheduled in Barnsley tomorrow, with the other clubs all starting next week – and a former England captain is due to attend.
Higham CC are set to host Bradfield Village Fellowship in Division Three of the South Yorkshire League.
They will unveil their newly-refurbished pavilion, with the special guest due to be former England captain Mike Gatting who played 79 Test matches and 92 One Day Internationals between 1977 and 1995.
The rest of the teams in the South Yorkshire League are due to play their first games on April 19 while the Pontefract League and Huddersfield League, which have Barnsley clubs in them, start a week after that.
The Barnsley Sunday Cricket League begins on April 20 and the South Yorkshire Women’s League a week later, while the Barnsley Junior League gets underway next month.
A Higham statement read: “We are thrilled to announce the completion of our pavilion refurbishment, a transformative project that has significantly increased our capacity and enhanced our cherished community hub.
“We are particularly excited to welcome the legendary Mike Gatting. Given the significance of this occasion and the fact that 2025 marks our 150th year anniversary, we anticipate a fantastic turn-out.
“For this special weekend, we are proud to be the only league fixture in the South Yorkshire Cricket League, presenting us with a unique opportunity to showcase our club and the enhanced facilities to a wider audience. Thankfully, following a relatively dry winter, the weather forecast looks promising, setting the stage for a full day of thrilling cricket.”
Meanwhile, another former England captain has been in the area this week.
Mike Brearley, the legendary Ashes-winning skipper, went to Notton CC to ‘inspect the wicket’ along with long-time friend Phillip Hodson, the deputy chairman of Yorkshire CCC. He had been staying with family in West Yorkshire.
