Greatest Moment

1979 - the building of the pavilion.

Local Hero

Kenneth Rumbold - generous benefactor and club stalwart.

Bizarre Fact

In 1956 Len Hutton travelled to Lea Road to do a special cricket coaching clinic.

Club's Four Leagues

1. Dewsbury & Batley Sunday School

    League 

2. Dewsbury & District League

3. Wakefield Union

4. Huddersfield Central League

The Church and the Club

Cross Bank Wesleyan Chapel was opened in March 1871, ‘a neat and handsome’ building according to the local Batley newspaper.

The church had been built during a boom time for Methodism in the districts of Cross Bank and Carlinghow.

Before it closed down, Cross Bank Methodist Church was home to a mixed Bible class, a Ladies Fellowship, Scouts and Cubs, and a Youth Group.

Little is known about the origins of Crossbank Methodist Cricket Club but 1904 is a possible date of formation.

The year 1921 witnessed the birth of one of the most important figures in the history of CMCC, Kenneth Rumbold – and a plaque, pinned to the wall of the Lea Road pavilion, commemorates this fact.

For two major reasons, 1953 was a big year for the Club. Alf Rumbold purchased the ground…and Yorkshire and England legend Len Hutton visited Lea Road to do a spot of cricket coaching.

Andrew Wood is a Lea Road stalwart and currently captain of the Crossbank Methodists 2nd XI. The highlight of his career to date is taking an amazing 9-9 against Eleven Stars, who were bowled out for 21.

During his lifetime, Kenneth Rumbold was ‘Mr Crossbank Methodists. His father Alf Rumbold bought the ground in 1953, and Kenneth sold it to the club for a tiny token fee.

Kenneth fulfilled various roles including player, secretary, chairman, groundsman, and when he died in 2000 he was Club president. ‘A great servant to Crossbank Methodists Cricket Club’ is the tribute paid to him in the Lea Road pavilion.

His widow Joan is still connected to the club and watches the occasional match at ‘The Rumbolds’ – the name of the ground a due testament to the family’s impact at the Club.

In terms of number of member clubs and geographical spread (from Ainley Top to the most rural parts of Kirklees, and from the outskirts of Barnsley and Wakefield to Batley and Dewsbury), the Huddersfield Central League is one of the biggest cricket leagues in the area.

Every weekend, the club announces its team line-ups via these special Yorkshire Tea-sponsored sheets.

The fact that in a typical season Crossbank can play Azaad CC (Wakefield), Thurstonland CC (Holmfirth) and Bradley & Colnebridge CC (Deighton, Huddersfield) emphasises the amazing geographical diversity of the Central League.

Today Crossbank Methodists Cricket Club have a lovely ground, a hardworking set of members and a thriving junior set-up.

The club is proud of its heritage. The Methodist link may have disappeared – a product of various factors, including the amalgamation of local chapels – but in the words of one senior figure at The Rumbolds, the Club ‘will never change its name’.