Yapham Cricket Club – A Brief History
Yorkshire is the unofficial home of world cricket. No other county is as passionate about its cricket as Yorkshire. Village cricket is played throughout Yorkshire. Matches are played between rival villages ensuring a healthy level of competition. Many Yorkshire villages and parishes have their own teams that play at varying levels of the English cricket pyramid.
YAPHAM-CUM-MELTONBY represents two hamlets situated at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Together they form a joint township and chapelry containing 1,830 acres. The village of Yapham is small, and stands on an open green, two-and-a-half miles north-by-west of Pocklington.
Yapham Cricket Club has been playing at the cricket ground on the edge of the village for almost 100 years and is one of only a few clubs to play on through the Second World War. Today the club has a strong junior section as well as three men’s teams. The club has a proud legacy of women’s cricket, as this blog will reveal, and aims to restore a women’s team very soon.
A village cricket team was formed in Yapham in 1918/19 following the end of the First World War. Permission had been granted to play matches in a field adjacent to Feoffee Lane belonging to Manor House Farm, Yapham. Manor House farm had been owned at the time by the English family and tenanted by Mr R. Carr.
A first official committee meeting took place in Yapham School Room on February 17th 1926. It was recorded in the club minute book Mr B. A. Carr (Chair) that Mr W. R. English was elected President. It was resolved that members of the club attend the next Test match at Leeds.
The history of Yapham Cricket Club is the proud history of village cricket in Yorkshire.
The purpose of this blog is to tell the story – unravel the history – the people – the community – the story of village cricket in Yapham.
If you have any information or photos about Yapham Cricket Club please get in contact: lessmith820@gmail.com
This blog is administered by Steve Parry and Les Smith.
© Steve Parry (2015)
Yapham Cricket Club History 
From Malc Ripley, from Hull, (aged 77 and the oldest umpire currently – by a year – on the York Panel.)
Prior to me starting to Umpire in April 1961, my highest ever score of 48 not out was (happily) made at Yapham CC in 1959, when I am practically certain that John Hardwick was the YCC skipper that particular afternoon. I was playing for South Holderness CC An Xl prior to starting umpiring with their 1st team later.
Some 15 to 20 years ago, I was appointed to ‘stand’ with Ian Oliver from the ‘York Panel’ in a cup-tie at Yapham CC. Strangely enough, as we both came off for tea, a frail looking, small, grey haired gentleman, with a walking stick, approached me to say to me “Hello, you’r’ Malcolm Ripley, aren’t you?”
Being flabbergasted, he went on to say that he well remembered me saying all those years previously after the match, that I had told him that it was my highest score and that as he had seen that I had run out of partners, that day.
What a wonderful memory, and he certainly “made my day” during the cup game, this pleasant ageing opponent had been that day. I remember I bought John a pint in the local pub as we exchanged tales.
It just goes to demonstrate, all many the friends that are made through the summer game, folk from all walks of life that one certainly would not have made, but for the game of Cricket.
I trust that these friends still include the countless batsmen, who have received my dreaded left digit, whilst at the crease over my 55 seasons as an Official ! Some other names connected with the go-ahead, small club with a big heart, Yapham CC being brought to mind – Dave Tinson, Mick Beal (who will well remember us two on that Stamford Bridge CC tour trip to Poole etc some 40 odd years ago), Norman Pearson, John Beckett, the two Walton brothers, Nigel West, Barry Pearson, Dougie Beal, Mike Dunham,and sheep farmer Barrie Snowden – the current Bridlington CC President, to name but a few.
Certainly happy days for us all, & Best Regards, Malc.
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