Greatest Moment

Winning the Parish Cup for the first time in 1938.

Local Hero

David Normanton – player, official and President of the Halifax League.

Bizarre Fact

In the early days opposition players didn’t like playing at Stones because of the hens on the pitch!

Putting Green & Tennis Courts

In the 1920s and 1930s Swift Cross was an interesting place. It was not just the site of a cricket ground; there was also a putting green and a set of tennis courts to keep the locals occupied in their leisure hours.

The cricket field in this period was infamous for its long grass. A local farmer owned bantam hens, and one afternoon he was more than surprised to discover one of his precious birds laying eggs in the middle of the overgrown outfield. Around this time, one visiting cricketer from Illingworth St. Mary's said, rather pertinently and sarcastically, that Swift Cross was the size of 'a hen pen and no bigger'.

'Local Rules'

The ground is full of curiosities. The playing area was once so narrow that the club was forced to expand. On one side, it bought up land off the local farmer, Mr Crowther, who also happened to be a member of the club. Stones were charged 2/6 a yard for the extra land they bought. On the other side of the ground, the club turfed over a small road.

In the old days, when the ground was a little on the tiny side, a curious set of 'local rules' came into play. Markings on the boundary fence delineated whether a ball had been hit for a 'four' - or a 'two'!

There have also been changes on and around the boundary's edge. In the 1930s, the club erected a small tea hut near where the scorebox is sited today. They had brought the small hut all the way from The Shay football stadium in the middle of Halifax.

New Pavilion

On 22 August 1971, a new stone pavilion was built near the main entrance to the ground. Volunteers did all the grafting - and a special match between Stones and a Halifax League President's XI was staged to mark the occasion.

Twenty-fours years on, the club was able to unveil another 'new' pavilion - the one that stands today. They received a £14,000 grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts and a £3,000 donation from Calderdale Council. Ex-Lancashire and England fast bowler Peter Lever was present at the official opening on 15 July 1995.

Meantime, the scorebox had arrived in 1972 - and is now dedicated to Harold Whitehead, a veteran member whose wife, Shirley, has also served as president of the club. And the iron gates at the main entrance are a memorial to Kenny Brown. One visiting spectator comments: 'Stones reminds me of Luddendenfoot, only slightly more isolated.' A visiting player adds: 'Extremely cold - even in the summer!'

Sheep and Dry Stone Walls

Stones is an excellent cricketing venue: the views across the Ryburn Valley are spectacular, there's a charming dry stone wall at the road end (it is thoroughly whitewashed, so it doubles as a long, low sightscreen) and the only sign of civilisation is the odd cottage and the occasional noise emanating from one of the local sheep.

Over the years, the land adjoining the cricket ground has been owned by a variety of different people. The aforementioned Mr Crowther was a big friend of the club, but other local farmers haven't been so forthcoming. Normanton states: 'One bloke wasn't keen on cricket, and he made it very clear that when the ball was hit onto his land, only one person was authorised to look for it. Can you believe it? We used to send out search parties of four or five, but this guy just wouldn't have it. Needless to say, we lost a lot more balls in that period!'

And for those who fancy a stroll during the tea interval, a public footpath runs alongside the leg-side boundary (if you're a right-handed batsman and you're taking guard at the pavilion end). You won't find a more tranquil spot in the whole of Calderdale.