So far so good...

Earby

The Elysian heights achieved by the 2007 u-11 team were always going to be a hard act to follow but the 2008 Earby version performed well taking four wins in their wake. The 6th place finish was well clear of the relegation zone and they will again appear in the top drawer in 2009. The 'master blaster' Luke Hipgrave smashed his way to 183 runs with Jake Greenbank and Ellis Harker some way adrift in yet another batsman-led season. Had Tyler McGladdery been more available their placing may have been much higher. But its the bowling which needs coaching attention as no-one took more than 5 wickets.

2007 Cricketer of the Year Shane Taylforth led the Earby u13 batsmen in a 'learning' year in the Brook Taverner League which brought them 3 league wins and fifth place. They ran up against a class team in Oakworth in both the Malsis Festival Final and the Hindle Cup Final to finish both as runners-up. Taylforth's 179 runs amazingly earned him the Batting Prize whilst still an under-12. He led the UAJCL u12s Test team with unprecedented success which featured two scores over 60 for team mate Macauley Cunningham, whose league form was though surprisingly a tad subdued. As with most Earby teams the bowling seems to take second place and no bowler took more than 7 wickets. 2009 beckons though with some expectation.

Most expected Earby u15s to bounce back from their relegation in 2007 at the first attempt but the unexpected defeat at new team Ingrow cast them dear, missing promotion by 1 point. Chris Bowker was as prolific as ever with 201 runs and 2nd place in the batting lists. George Skocki added 154 but the anticipated depth failed to materialise. For the u15s Alex Yates was as fruitful as always with 16 wickets and a leading place in the league hierarchy. Charles Winstanley nicked out 10 and Daniel Brayton 9 in a good season despite the failure to get back to Division One.
Embsay

 A fifth place finish for Embsay u17s was a satisfactory outcome after the exceptional season in 2007. Four wins (Skipton 2, Denholme and Oxenhope) kept the side well clear of the drop. Lloyd Davies 186, Joshua Robinson 150 and Nathan Robinson 147 were well amongst the runs and 2009 looks to be a year of yet another Embsay challenge for honours. To do that the bowling needs major improvement as 2008 had no bowler with more than 9 scalps.

The under 15s 2008 deeds though were exceptional as the club took a league & cup double for the first time in 20 years. The Pro Coach Championship was achieved with a 7 point margin and only 1 reverse (Upper Wharfedale). Under-15 batting prize winner Lloyd Davies (75.50) just missed the league run-scoring record (303) by 1 run with Joshua Robinson in the thick of things with 240. Henry Barrow joined in with 194 to provide a formidable triple spearhead. Robinson (12) and Barrow (10) did enough with the ball to support the batting excellence in a marvellous season for the North Craven side. The Raleigh Hargreaves Cup was added to the Championship with a convincing 7 wicket win over Upper Wharfedale at Skipton in July.

Promoted Embsay u13s settled nicely into fourth place in the Brook Taverner League with five wins including a double over runners up Pendle Forest. Joe Holt with 106 runs and 10 wickets was a terrific, productive cornerstone for the side which really lacked consistency. The absence of an under-11s team this year may hamper the sides progress though in 2009.
Gargrave A surprise entry at under-17 level for Gargrave consisting largely of under-15 players was a successful move with 2 wins and a tie for the fast-developing club. Bingley Congs and Glusburn were the victims in the increasingly tough KC2000 League. John Beckwith (172) was the batting mainstay whilst youngster Will Smith topped the three-figure mark. Danny Bowditch though was the revelation taking 23 wickets in a superb season to finish third in the league averages. John Beckwith took 13 and Alex McIntyre 10 and with a little luck an even more eventful season might have followed.

A well earned hard fought promotion in 2nd place for Gargrave u15s is suitable reward for the club which is rapidly re-inventing itself on the back of its junior squad. The Gargrave boys pipped pre-season favourites Earby by 1 point off the back of 7 wins and 2 nerve-racking ties. There was a dozen wickets each for Danny Bowditch and Will Smith, 10 for Sam Lund and 9 for Peter Messenger in a year the Gargrave bowlers led the attack with style. The batting was less prominent with 150 runs for Alex McIntyre and 127 for Bowditch as the leading hitters. 2009 could well see a title bid from the ever improving Gargrave lads.

Yet another Gargrave XI performing with aplomb was the under-11 version taking third place in a very strong CartaSport League behind Worth Valley duo Oxenhope and Oakworth. There were 8 glorious wins to savour as the youngest XI showed what a future the club could have. The batsmen at the fore were Joseph Metcalfe (103), Matthew Beckwith (91) and Ben Anderson (82). Not to be outdone the bowlers had Thomas Storr (10) with Georgina and Jonah Smith each on 7 wickets.
Glusburn The Glusburn u-11 side produced their finest campaign to date with the culmination of a few years experience. They took the Second Division title in the CartaSport League with some style, 11 points ahead of Denholme, whom they defeated twice. Ten fantastic victories, no defeats and a run to the semi-final of the Barritt-Stephenson Cup was a wonderful outcome for the South Craven club. There was 112 runs from Alex Horsfield to admire and the 80 from Pat Lee gained him the league batting prize with only 1 dismissal all season. Dominic Mortimer was always a handful and took 10 wickets and Joshua Storr supported with 8. The Glusburn side had been maturing nicely and their rewards are well deserved.

Pitched in at the deep end of the KC2000 League, Glusburn u17s took 3 wins (Gargrave, Haworth and Bingley Congs) to finish fifth at the first time of asking. Loanee from Bradley Herbie Starkey amassed 150 runs but had little backing in the batting department, Andrew Cairns took a creditable 10 wickets and should prove a handful once he settles to the higher standards of the KC2000 League.
Haworth There was 2 on-field wins over Silsden and an improvement of 1 place for Haworth in the Brook Taverner League Division Two. The 104 runs from Aaron Putko was the only batting delight and with the ball Michael Parker grabbed 8 wickets.

At under-15 level the club slumped to bottom place in the Pro Coach Academy League, perhaps understandably after the tragic loss of their long time coach and much loved mentor Tom Barritt mid-season. They took 2 wins against Ingrow and Bradley in clearly a difficult year for the Bronte club. Stephen Bell brought them some cheer with 16 wickets to feature high in the League bowling lists.

Seven wins for the under-17s gave them an outside chance of promotion in the KC2000 league but they finished fourth in the 7-team second division. The 216 runs from new lad Prakhar Kohli brought him 2nd place in the league lists and with backing from Ryan Clark on 170 the season was productive. Matthew Halliday 13 and David Robinson 14 took their share of wickets and the improved showing resulted. Dean Knapper has taken pride of place as the league's best fielder. The club has successfully imported players from other clubs in recent years and with perhaps more home grown talent the club can once again prosper.
Haworth West End

 

 Haworth West End under-17s reached the William Spencer Cup Final at Oakworth but were runners up to Bolton Abbey. Their league form too was good and they contested the promotion places throughout the year. Defeats to Sutton and Upper Wharfedale resulted in these two clubs gaining the promotion places with West End in third position. A massive 322 runs and 14 wickets from Tinashe Gomwe was a huge contribution to their 8 wins whilst keeper Callum Jones added 235 runs to further enhance their cause. Danny Riley twice achieved five-fors in his 15 wicket haul as part of the West End excellent all-round team effort.

The West End starlets were their under-15s who finished in second place behind Pro Coach Academy League Champions Embsay, building on their Hargreaves Cup win in 2007. Eight great wins took them to their best ever placing to underline the club's continuing renewal. Joe Bottomley, Joe Alvey and Callum Jones proved a potent triumvirate of batsmen with 248, 196 and 246 runs in the campaign. Joseph Holt's 10 wickets supported the 15 and 13 from Alvey and Bottomley to further emphasise their quality.

Not far behind the under-15s came the under-13s with the Second Division Championship of the 2008 Brook Taverner League. 9 wins and only 2 defeats gave them their win, seven points clear of runners-up Settle. There were runs aplenty from Joshua Holt, Jack Middleton, Carlton Beanland and fast improving Harry Sherlock.  The first three named also led the bowling to show the club now has strength in depth in all departments. Sam Hallas also has a share of the wicket-keeping award.

The under-11s side though did struggle a little taking 6th place with just 2 wins both against new side Cowling. Charlie Shimmin racked up 77 runs and Phoebe Robb a marvellous 8 wickets as their leading lights.