Greatest Moment

Winning the Halifax Parish Cup in 1975.

Local Hero

Andy Wray – elder statesman of the club and respected local umpire.

Bizarre Fact

Between 1970 and 1974 the club had to vacate their ground due to construction of the M62.

Methodist Background

Outlane CC was formed in 1897 and was known originally as Outlane Methodist New Connexion Cricket Club (it became Outlane CC in 1919).

Between 1897 and 1920, the club played in the Huddersfield and District Junior League; between 1921 and 1973 Huddersfield and District Cricket Association; and since 1974 in the Halifax Cricket League.

Outlane have had three grounds.
The first was behind what is now the Old Golf House Hotel (where the motorway is) and rent was paid to the 'Board of Guardians'.

The building that is now the Old Golf House Hotel was built as a children’s home (c.1905) and subsequently became the Golf Club headquarters. Clearly some of the money paid to the landlord for rent was recovered by sub letting the ground for pasture.

Golf Club Sale

At the Annual General Meeting on 6 November 1928, the Board of Guardians informed the meeting that the field had been sold to Outlane Golf Club.

But on the 12 December 1928, Mr Noble had negotiated with Mr Saxton that the club could rent a field from him for £10 per year and though the club asked for a 10-year lease, this was not granted. During February and March of 1929, Mr Pugh was asked to lay a wicket.

A quarter of a mile of class-28 wire was purchased from David Green of Lytham, 50 posts at 1/- were purchased and 20 yards of canvas for sightscreens were obtained from Spratts.

The old pavilion was pulled down on 2 March 1929. The new field was situated at the rear of where Saxton's Garage is now (Cote Farm) and on the 7 May 1929 it was resolved that golf would no longer be allowed to be played on the field.

Down on the Farm

So early in 1929 the club moved to its second home – Cote Farm.
On 1 October 1934 it was resolved that the club leave Cote Farm for Lindley Moor – its present home, and on 15 December 1934 a meeting was arranged at Lindley Moor to view the proposal.

On 9 December 1935 the old pavilion at Cote Farm was pulled down and rebuilt at Lindley Moor and in May 1935 a concrete practice wicket was laid at the new ground.

If there was ever an award for the 'British Cricket Ground Situated Closest to a Motorway', Outlane would be clear favourites.

Motorway Link

In the Calderdale region, Rastrick CC and Blackley CC would push them close, but Outlane would just have the edge. Their table-top, motorway-adjacent HQ lies just yards from the M62 and also just yards away from the boundary with Kirklees.

Outlane cricketers explain that they quickly get used to the motorway noise - and that they get withdrawal symptoms when they don't hear the rush of traffic at away venues - but for the first-time visitor to the ground, the motorway noise is the first thing that one notices.

The ground is perched at a pretty high level and from the top perimeter fence one can see for miles and miles into the distance.

To the right one can make out the small green and white 'blob' that is Blackley Cricket Club, and straight ahead one can just deduce where Elland Cricket Club and Elland Golf Club are situated.

Advertisers Aplenty

Outlane are a well-run club, as evidenced by the fact that it has attracted a range of local advertisers. The location is ideal - and the big, colourful wall hoardings can be seen by all who travel in a Leeds direction on the (very) nearby M62.

The playing area is a large rectangle: the boundaries straight of the wicket are quite short, but when the track in use is towards the centre of the field, the onside and offside boundaries can be quite long (usually, wickets are pitched on the pavilion side, leaving a short boundary on the Junction 23 side of the ground and a very challenging boundary on the Junction 24 side).

The boundary is denoted by white flags and a white painted line, and white seats and benches line the area between pavilion and scorebox.

There are two sightscreens at the pavilion end and a long, low dry stone wall at the far end. Farmland and empty fields lie beyond the playing area on three sides of the ground.