About the club
It is understood that cricket has been played at the Garmil Lane ground since 1874, although details of the early days are a little sketchy it seems the wicket in those days had a reputation for pace and bounce…
The club has a long history of competing in the old West Riding Cricket League and latterly the Leeds-West Riding League following the merger of the 2 leagues in 2001.The 1980’s were a boom time for the club, on top of a strong group of home grown players the club attracted overseas players of the likes of Lindsay Crocker (NZ), Colin Joseph, Tony Dodemaide (AUS) & Dean Jones (AUS), with their help the club enjoyed its most successful period.
The 1990’s we’re a less successful time for the club, the team of the late 1980’s had broken up and the club chose to move from the then more senior Leeds League to the West Riding League. During this time a thriving junior section was established with the hard work of Dave Tarbatt and others with the club running competitive Under 15′s and Under 17’s teams in the Pontefract & District Junior League – many of the players who have played for the senior teams since then graduated from Dave’s academy.
In the late 1990’s the club’s fortunes began to improve with a League championship for the 2nd XI and following promotion in the previous year, the 1st XI finished a highly creditable 3rd in division 1 in 2000.
However at the end of the same season the first X1 were demoted to division 2 of the newly merged Leeds/West Riding League due to serious administrative negligence. Such a setback rocked a young side finishing only 3rd in Division 2 in 2001, however that year will be remembered for the 1st X1 winning the Senior Cup in a memorable final at Rothwell against Redfearns. The second XI finished just below mid-table in a competitive division 3.
The cup winning form continued in the league in 2002 with the first XI winning Division 2, 101 points clear of nearest rivals Garforth winning 20 of 22 games and tellingly winning 3 and tieing 1 of their 4 inter-league games against Division 1 sides in the season, the 2nd X1 finished a creditable mid table.
2003 was a bad season for the club with bodies thin on the ground meaning both teams struggled to field a full team with the firsts finishing mid table in division 1 and the second team struggling as a result of losing players to the firsts and finishing last in division 3. the 2004 season followed a similar path with the firsts narrowly avoiding relegation and the club finally having to admit defeat and fold its 2nd XI.
2005 proved to be a watershed year for the club, new signings provided a renewed impetus but most importantly the junior section was relaunched with coach Steve Widdowson running under 15′s & 17’s teams, the senior team enjoyed relative success on the pitch finishing a creditable 4th and perhaps with more luck with the weather could have finished higher. The juniors enjoyed a competitive season with a number of individuals emerging as cricketers of the future.
The senior XI winning the league in 2006 provided immense pleasure to those that had worked so hard getting the club back on its feet after the dark days of 2003-04, providing a welcome reward for all. In 2007 the club took new signing Jason Garrick with them to 2nd place with a disappointing finish to the season costing them a prolonged attempt at reclaiming the league title. Deep in the dark corners of the club a movement was made and an application to join the Pontefract and District league put in place. Further improvement to our facility and kind words of encouragement from the new league meant we were offered a place within it.
Our release was secured for 2009 following a YCB ruling meaning we were to spend a final year with the LWRCL. Club secretary Steve Reynolds then entered us into the Pontefract evening league for some midweek fun. Following 8 games on often wet Tuesday nights we finished up 2nd and had a great time in the process attracting some new players. Extra games kept standards up at the club with another 2nd place finish in the league. Success came in 2008 in the Hepworth cup which we lifted for the 1st time since Dean Jones played for the club. A strong performance in the final helped overpower Pollington with a comfortable 6 wicket victory.
Nostell will enter the Pontefract League in division 3 for 2009. A fantastic opportunity for the club and its members to enjoy new challenges. Should you wish to join us in our new quest please view our contact page for details.
