Greatest Moment

1946 – the club re-forms after the dislocation of war.

Local Hero

Alan Hampshire – veteran player, still turning out for the club’s 2nd XI.

Bizarre Fact

In 1960 the club played a few ‘home’ games at Sowerby Bridge Grammar School while The Astleys was being levelled.

Cold Weather and Best Views

'We may not have the highest ground in the league - Stones and Warley may pip us in this respect - but we've certainly got the coldest weather and the best views.' This opinion was proffered by a seasoned spectator at Sowerby Bridge Church Institute (SBCI), and it is difficult to disagree.

From high up above Friendly and Sowerby Bridge, the vistas are spectacular. Unlike many other grounds, this one is not lined by tree upon tree. Rather it is open and slightly isolated; as a result the Calder Valley is exposed vast and gaping beneath and around the hillside arena.

Special Church Connection

SBCI has a very special church connection. In the first half of the last century most team members attended Christ Church in Sowerby Bridge and the Institute (the church's social and sporting arm).

Today, although the link is now slightly weaker, it is still of profound importance to the club. By tradition, the Vicar of Christ Church is the club president, and he attends home matches when his other, slightly more important, weekend duties permit.

The link between the church and the club is personified by Walter Birkby - warden at Christ Church and the cricket club's oldest living member.

The church bought the ground originally and still owns it today. Even so, the club has full management rights over the venue - unless it should ever cease to be a sporting arena.

Sagas and Sheds

Over the decades there have been significant changes. The playing surface had to be levelled up at the bottom end and the story of the pavilion is a saga in itself.

In the early days of the club - the period after the First World War - the pavilion took the form of a Nissen hut at the bottom end of the ground; then a big shed at the top end was used; finally, in 1999, a new building was erected thanks to several large-scale grants. (The big shed is now used by the groundsman).

The new pavilion is impressive in all respects. It is spacious and well-appointed, houses various framed images (of the ground and famous SBCI elevens), and its front porch is constructed out of sponsored bricks - always an excellent fundraising idea. A Union Jack flag also flutters in the wind. A visiting spectator comments: 'Good facilities and good views!'

The playing surface is a good size, though it slopes gently downhill from the pavilion side. The boundary is marked out by little red flags, there is just the one sightscreen, and an artificial strip has been laid in recent years.

From Parking to Barking

Two notices also catch the eye. One says dog owners can be fined £1,000 for 'foul' behaviour; while a second, close to the pavilion, says simply 'PRIORITY PARKING'. Recently, a local wag got out his marker pen and altered this to 'PRIORITY BARKING'. The canine issue is obviously a big one up at SBCI headquarters.

In the 1880s there existed a cricket team called Christ Church, but the SBCI club was officially founded in 1895 - and therefore celebrated its centenary only a few years ago. In its early days it played in the Halifax Amateur League.

The first ground used by SBCI was on a hill top at Norland; the second was at Pye Nest; the third was down in Sowerby Bridge (where the sewage works is now located); the fourth was on Burnley Road (near where the Milton Avenue housing estate now stands); and the fifth was The Astleys, the club's current home, just off Blackwall Lane and adjacent to Blackwall Farm. The club moved in to The Astleys in 1921.

Local Rivals

Today, Sowerby Bridge CC and Warley CC are the club's local rivals. Paradise Lane - Warley's HQ - is only three-quarters of a mile up the hill.

Secretary John Scholefield explains the unique attraction of the place: 'When people come here to play or watch, they are usually impressed by the views. They also remark on how big the playing area is, and I would hazard a guess that it is one of the biggest grounds in the Halifax area.'

Over the past decade, SBCI have spent a lot of money on their wicket. Once upon a time, it was a bowler's treat, but now teams regularly pile up decent scores.

'The other thing visitors comment on is the climate,' adds Scholefield. 'It's a very exposed ground and it can get very chilly. But when it's a hot day there is nowhere better to play cricket because there's always a lovely breeze to cool everyone down.'
SBCI is a peaceful cricketing venue but occasionally, just occasionally, the solitude is broken.

Scholefield explains: 'One day a few years ago, I took my daughter up to the ground. She was learning to drive and I thought I'd take her on a few laps of the outfield to get her into practice. We were merrily going about our business when a police helicopter landed just beside us. The officers were relieved to hear that we were innocent club members; they thought we were vandals just about to ran amok!'