SHBCC History

One Sunday in the summer of 1949, farmer Jim Rhodes answered a knock on his door at Moor Farm Strensall and found three teenagers who asked whether they could play cricket in his field. Jim was a keen cricketer who, at the time was playing for Castle Howard and his positive answer to the request began the Story of Sheriff Hutton Bridge Cricket Club. The three youngsters were John and Gordon Pennock and Roy Piercy who were fed up with playing cricket in a back yard with an oil drum for a wicket and wished to play on a proper pitch. Roy is now President of the club and is the only founding member who has maintained his links with the club throughout it’s fifty years. The club entered the York & District Saturday League (now York Vale League) in 1950 with ‘Father’ Jim Rhodes becoming captain and general supremo. The ‘stack sheet’ pavilion was quickly replaced by a much more modern contraption when a single decker bus was obtained to serve as a pavilion. Players continued to join the club which was rapidly becoming the central focus of the ‘village’ of Sheriff Hutton Bridge and a mid-week eleven was formed. As early as 1951, the club won the York Junior Charity Cup, which became the first of a whole host of honours won by the club. In 1958 the club won the league and cup double and applied to join the York & District Senior League. This application which was accepted with the proviso that a new pavilion was built and sightscreens provided. A hectic winter saw the ‘pavibus’ replaced by a prefab which was obtained, dismantled, transported and re-erected to meet the League’s requirements. Sight screens were built and a quantity of sleepers obtained, sawn into rails and used to put a fence around the playing area. A second eleven was formed and joined the league in 1960. Mick Oldfield was added to the first team in 1967 and showed great promise as a batsman when, in one of his first games, he made an unbeaten 84 at Woodhouse Grange. However it was his bowling over many years coupled with his groundsmanship expertise and committee work which has been so valuable to the club. The club realised that their facilities needed further improvement and an ambitious project was undertaken to provide the current facilities under the supervision of Des Wyrill. One of the knock on effects was the requirement by the local council that the club obtain an official lease from Jim Rhodes and a 28 year agreement was signed to replace the previous ‘gentleman’s agreement’ under which the club had operated from it’s foundation. By far the most important innovation was the establishment of junior sides which had made their first appearance in 1979 .The scale of success at junior level was virtually unprecedented and set a standard for junior cricket at the Bridge which has continued to the present time. Without doubt, the continued production of young cricketers has benefited the Bridge immensely and the current first team squad contain 10 players who have come through the club’s junior ranks. The club won consecutive first division league titles in 1988 and 1989 and is now playing in the Premier Division of the Hunters York and District Senior league. The ground is one of the best in the league on a consistent basis and was voted the best in both 1991 and 1992 The club has competed in the National Village competition for more than 3 decades, winning its group for the first time in 1973, in the last 4 seasons it has progressed to the quarter finals on two occaisions and after last years semi final disappointment has now managed to reach the Lords final for the first time. The club currently has a first and second team, midweek evening league eleven as well as a thriving junior section, which has sides aged under 11, 13 and 15. It is these teams that from the background of the playing staff for this years final and hopefully for many years to come.