Greatest Moment

Celebrating their 25th anniversary with a special reunion event in 2001.

Local Hero

Paul Reynolds – award-winning club stalwart.

Bizarre Fact

The club have had two official newsletters during their history – one called Stumps!, the other called Extras!

Rugby and Cricket

When you visit the headquarters of Old Crossleyans CC out of season, you are greeted by an interesting sight: rugby posts, rugby-pitch markings that overlap with cricket-pitch markings, and a fluorescent orange 'fence' that guards the out-of-use cricket square.

Old Crossleyans are a hybrid organisation: they are mainly a rugby union club, but also boast a cricket team, a squash side and a junior rugby league XIII. The grandiose clubhouse by the main entrance, Standeven House, serves both sets of players, though given the dimensions of the adjacent field, it would never have to do so simultaneously.

Historic Link

The cricket club was formed in the 1970s and has a historic link with what is now the Crossley Heath School, located nearby, just the other side of Skircoat Moor Road. In the early days, it was very much an 'old boys' club, but today probably less than half its members have a connection with the school. As such, it is now an 'open' club and welcomes new members from all over.

Boarders at the school previously resided at Standeven House. What is now the function room and bar used to be the schoolboys' library. Even though the boarders have long since gone, the school still uses Broomfield Avenue for sports fixtures.

The club's Skircoat Green HQ is adjacent to a prep school, The Gleddings, and wedged between the A6026 (Wakefield Road) and the A646 (Skircoat Moor Road). It is close to various other sports fields in and around Savile Park and Manor Heath.

Unique Venue

The playing area is surrounded by new houses, trees and bushes. You can also hear the noise of trains entering or exiting Halifax on their way from Manchester to Bradford or Bradford to Manchester.

Club president Adrian Moore says that Old Crossleyans, one of the youngest clubs in the area, are proud of their ground. He also reckons that the venue is unique: 'I would hazard a guess that it is the biggest in the Halifax League in terms of playing area. On occasions, opposition teams complain that the boundaries are too long.'

He goes on: 'Sometimes, at the start of a season, we have to bring the boundary markers in a few yards, to enable maintenance work to take place on the field, and even then some teams complain. Given the current points system in operation, which rewards high totals, I'm sure other sides, based at smaller venues, have an advantage!' 

Moore is happy with the square: 'Our groundsman takes a lot of care over the wicket, and it's a good batting track. We've certainly had no complaints.'