Bishop Monkton Village Hall and Playing Fields boast wonderful facilities and none more so than for cricket. It is, therefore, a sad day, as the cricket season approaches, to know that the village Cricket Club will, unfortunately, not field a senior team this season. This team was disbanded during the 2024 season due to a shortage of players.

The junior section, however, will continue and will have All Stars, under 9 and under 11 teams in the coming season. Training is on Friday evenings and is great village social event. All coaches are ECB qualified and DBS checked. To find out more click

In the meantime, to help keep adult cricket going in the village, Knaresborough 3rd XI will use the village pitch and, keen to have village players involved, have extended a warm welcome to anyone from Bishop Monkton who would like to join them.

Knaresborough Cricket Club is a large club with the 1st team playing in the Premier League North. Its 3rd team is a village standard and will play in the York and District League, division 3. A total of 22 leagues games will be played in 2025, with eleven of them being “at home” at Bishop Monkton. The first “home” game will be on Saturday May 3rd.

The Club need someone to prepare teas for 26 people on “home fixture days. This would consist of a mix of sandwiches and savouries with a tea and soft drink provided, usually served in a buffet style. An amount of £70 per game would be paid to anyone who might be interested in providing these refreshments.

The team is also appealing for help with scoring for which there would be reimbursement of £20. Cricket knowledge is required.

If anyone would like to offer their help or join the cricket team, then please get in touch with Knaresborough Cricket Club click or Andrew Ward click

It is perhaps worthy of note that the first record of cricket in Bishop Monkton was in 1816 when they formed a team with Bishop Thornton to play Knaresborough. Grateful thanks are owed to the village's History Group for this information. Other details about the history of the club can be found on 'Bishop Monkton Yesterday', the History Group's own website click

Bishop Monkton Cricket Club hope that one day it will be able to field a side again, but in the meantime, this arrangement will keep adult cricket active in the village.

It is good to know that the quintessentially English Summer Saturday sound of leather on willow will still be heard this year from the playing fields of our rural village. And, of course, the sun will always be shining.