Cullingworth showing progress after turmoil

But thanks to chairman George Fletcher and his new-look committee, they are on the up and looking ahead to their 150th anniversary next year.

Joining the Craven League from the Bradford Central League ahead of the 2001 season, Cullingworth won back-to-back trebles in 2007 and 2008, becoming the only club ever to do so.

They were then accepted into the Halifax League in 2014, where they have played ever since.

But in 2017, the club nearly folded.

“The club was on a real high on the field after achieving back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier Division,” recalls Fletcher.

“But we lost seven players through the winter; some couldn’t commit to playing every week, some retired, and others moved out of the area.

“The chairman and committee at the time felt that the club didn’t have enough commitment from the players and believed the only option was to pull the second team from the division.

“It was demoralising for everyone after having such fantastic successes over the years and having just achieved promotion to the top flight. Instead, the club nearly folded completely.”

Forced to restart from the lowest tier, the club’s only remaining senior team almost lost their position in the league, forced to re-apply for entry after finishing last in Division Two.

But under Fletcher’s stewardship, the club has gone from strength to strength and is at the heart of the community, now boasting two senior sides, two Under-9 teams, and for the first time in their history, a women’s team.

The Cullingworth Cats ladies team.

“Someone needed to grab hold of the club and drive it forward otherwise we were in real danger of folding completely,” Fletcher explains.

“The priority was to recruit players so that we could have two teams again and engage with the community.

“As the village was increasing in size, the new residents needed to know about the club and what we were trying to achieve.

“I was also very keen to restart the junior section, have the best facilities the club could afford, and be able to provide a long-term future for cricket within Cullingworth village.

“It’s been a real team effort and everyone has put in a lot of work to get the club to where it is today. We have gained more volunteers and committee members who just want to be involved and have the same ambition and that’s to get the club thriving again.

“The social scene is fantastic at the minute with our 1873 Bar very busy most weekends. Our social membership has increased dramatically over the last four years.

The newly-refurbished bar at Cullingworth Cricket Club.

“We have some way to go before the club is back to where it was in the early 2000s on the field, but off the field, we are in a much stronger position.”

As well as the committee, Fletcher credits the Halifax League, Yorkshire Cricket Board and the West Yorkshire Ladies Softball League for helping to steer the club in the right direction.

“On the back of the All Stars initiative, we decided to start our junior section again last year and enter a team into the Upper Airedale Junior League,” he adds.

“We had around 15 children taking part, but now that number has grown to almost 70 and has given us a real platform to engage with the villagers and put Cullingworth CC on the map.”

It’s a similar story with the introduction of their women’s team, the Cullingworth Cats, who relished the opportunity to join the newly-formed West Yorkshire Ladies Softball League earlier in the year.

The ladies have made a flying start, with four wins from four seeing them comfortably top their division.

Off the pitch, thanks to funding from the ECB and other local sources, including Cullingworth Sports Club, the club has extended their outside bar area and refurbished the existing clubhouse, facilities that will be shown off at their annual ‘Crickfest’ fundraising event on August 28.

The poster for Cullingworth's Cricfest next month.

The festival is the perfect opportunity to showcase local businesses, talent, and live music, with more than 500 people expected to attend.

Tickets for Crickfest are still available, and priced at £10 for adults and £5 for Under-16s. To find out more about the club, contact Fletcher or visit Cullingworth’s social media pages.