Greatest Moment

A hat-trick of Parish Cups – 1977, 1978 and 1979.

Local Hero

Barry Tennyson – successful stumper and skipper, and now chairman of the Halifax Cricket League.

Bizarre Fact

In 2005 a local protester drove on to the Woodfield square and held up play for a short time!

Mills, Halls and Royalists

Barkisland - 'Bark' to those who know it well; 'Bark-island' to those who don't know it at all - is a small village situated to the north of Rishworth, to the east of Ripponden, and six miles south-west of Halifax.

It is a quintessential Yorkshire community surrounded by luscious greenery, and in days gone by Barkisland was the name of an ancient township in the parish of Halifax.

Barkisland Mill and Barkisland Hall (which dates from 1638) are two of the most celebrated buildings in the village.

Its most famous ex-resident is Richard Gledhill, or Richard de Barkisland, who met his death close by in 1644, fighting for royalist forces. Another claim to fame: the York-Chester Roman road ran through Barkisland.

Early Moorland Home

The village has had a cricket club since 1899. In the early days, home games were played at Norland Moor, but in the 1920s the club upped sticks to Woodfield.

At first, Barkisland were members of the Halifax Association; in the 1930s they moved into the Halifax League; and in 2001 they switched into the Huddersfield League. (The 3rd XI still play in the Sunday Section of the Halifax League).

The club's traditional foes are Triangle CC and Stones CC, but the rivalry is not too intense.

For a period, Barkisland and Stones were actually joint owners of a 1930s tractor roller.

Picture-Postcard Quality

The cricket ground is wedged between Stainland Road and Saddleworth Road.

Close by lie the village church, the local school, housing both old and new, and two pubs regularly frequented by Barkisland cricketers: The Griffin and The Fleece.

And all things considered - setting, pavilion, and the quality of the playing surface - the venue must be one of the most attractive in the Halifax area.

Village Competition

It is no surprise to discover that Barkisland CC have taken part in the National Village Cricket Championship.

A young Barkisland batsman explains: 'The pavilion facilities are excellent, the teas are superb, and most important of all, it's a good wicket to bat on - most of the time anyway.

In one recent match, the team batting first scored 200, and the chasing side was all out for 11…'

Picture-Postcard Quality

From a distance, the ground has a picture-postcard quality about it.

Close up, it continues to impress. Granted, the playing area slopes slightly down to the Scammonden Road side, but it is well kept and has a pristine look about it.

The hanging baskets outside the pavilion add a touch of class, as do the handsome wooden benches dotted around the perimeter of the ground and the high-quality net facilities at the far end.

Go-Ahead Organisation

Originally, the Woodfield pavilion was a wooden construction sited where the scorebox is now.

This building was bought from Southowram CC - and then sold back to the same club.

In the early 1970s, club members set to work on building a new pavilion by the main entrance, and in 1975 it was officially opened.

One club official said: 'A builder provided the shell - we did the rest!'

Catching Practice

But this is not the only sign that Barkisland CC is an extremely go-ahead organisation.

The club tracksuit carries an array of sponsors' logos; two groundsmen tend to the field and the facilities; the sightscreens are excellent; and the enthusiastic Aussie pro mucks in with all the youngsters at Friday-night net sessions.

And that's not forgetting the fact that, in 1983, the club became the first in Yorkshire to own a fully automated scorebox.

Again, club members did the grafting - erecting it and wiring it up.

Two other features of the Woodfield ground should not be overlooked either: the small 'stand' that lies to the left of the pavilion (it can house about four supporters!) and the cat's cradle that, when it's not being used for catching practice, doubles as a resting area for young spectators in need of a lie down.

League and Cup

In 1906 Barkisland were playing in the Halifax and District Amateur Cricket Association League.

According to Stanley Palmer, SIX local teams were members of this league in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were Barkisland, Zion, Soyland Town, Stones Wesleyans, Rishworth and Ripponden Conservative Club.

The club applied to join the Halifax Parish Cup in 1938. A year later, in 1939, they joined the Halifax Parish Cricket League and played in the Halifax Parish Cup for the
first time.

In 1941, as war raged across Europe, Barkisland scooped the Halifax League championship. The club also withdrew from the Halifax Parish Cup competition.

Barkisland rejoined the Halifax Parish Cup in 1946. A year later, in 1947, they bagged the Halifax League Division 1 championship.

Whist Drives and Dances

The club balance sheet for 1956 indicates that whist drives and dances were a key source of income – and this helped the committee meet the cost of kitchen
crockery, talent prizes and gas.

Remarkably, a year later, in 1957, there were three pairs of brothers in the Barkisland team: the Schofields, Hallowells and Tennysons.

In 1975 the new pavilion was opened, with a little bit of help from Australian cricket legend Dennis Lillee.

Club members had been working on the building since 1970. One said: 'A builder provided the shell - we did the rest!'

Barry Tennyson skippered the 1st XI to the Halifax League championship and Halifax Parish Cup ‘Double’ in 1977.

Hi-Tech Scorebox

The new hi-tech scorebox was a massive coup for the club – members erected it and then wired it up in 1983.

The club celebrated its centenary in 1999. Barkisland’s decision to leave the Halifax League, and move into the Huddersfield League in 2001, was indicative of their ambition and aspiration.

Barkisland are an extremely go-ahead organisation: the club tracksuit carries an array of sponsors' logos and the matchday programme is a colourful, glossy and professional publication.