Nidderdale sports team Glasshouses Cricket Club in danger of folding due to player shortage

A spokesperson for the club said they are now desperately in need of new blood to keep the team going and have only a limited time left to sign players to give them the strength to fulfil this year's fixtures.

Secretary for GCC, Stephen Boyden, said: “We struggled to get a team last year, yet to our surprise we had one our best seasons.

“If we can't find the players, we will have to stand down and a century of quality village cricket will come to an end.”

Sir Thomas Ingleby, chairman of Nidderdale Cricket league said: “We are tremendously proud of our small, local, amateur league, which produces incredible players like Johnny Bairstow who represent our England team.

“Every club tends to go through cycles, there were periods when Glasshouses was one of the leading teams if not ‘the’ leading team in Nidderdale.

“I believe they still hold the record for the number of championship titles.

“It’s an institution which is absolutely embedded in the area.

“There are a lot of factors at play, it’s not just cricket that’s suffering, it's recreational sports generally.

““Gone are the days where people turn up to chase sheep off and retreat to the bar.

“Clubs find it difficult to find regular players because life has changed and people work weekends.”

With players in their fifties and sixties hanging on to support the clubs, many are looking to find a new wave of young players.

Bridging the gap between juniors and young adults has repeatedly been noted as an ongoing issue, with very few growing up to play adult cricket.

Rob Light, a lifelong player for Pateley Bridge, would like to see GCC survive, he said: “It’s just difficult at the moment, recreational habits have changed.

“There wasn’t that much to do on a Saturday when I was growing up.

“The difficulty is the transitional age of 14-15 when they all drop out.

“They go to University and don’t return, playing team recreational sports as an adult has become very unfashionable.”

There is, however, some sign of positive developments. A recent objective called the ‘development league’ was introduced to ‘smooth the pathway’ from junior to adult which has proved to be successful.

Sir Thomas said: “Ironically, there is more support for junior cricket and far more growth. Many clubs now manage to sustain homegrown players.”

Mr Light said: “Cricket developed in the 19th century across the West Riding of Yorkshire and became a big part of our social culture and identity.

“Cricket in this part of the world was really important because the communities were growing very quickly.

“Part of the way they forged their collective identity was through sports.

“Nidderdale league shows how strong the tradition of cricket is in the dale, as every village has its cricket team”.

Mr Boyden said: “Glasshouses facilities are second to none; we have a well maintained ground in a beautiful setting two miles from Pateley Bridge.

“If you are a cricketer who wants friendly, competitive cricket and you are aged 12+, please contact Graham on 07740 786588.”