Rescued club shares in ‘fairytale’ Scholes & Harley cricket success

A CRICKET club is celebrating winning a league title after just two years in existence.

Scholes & Harley joined forces in 2022 when Harley CC looked like disappearing for good.

Now the two villages are enjoying some long overdue cricket success after the first team won Division Seven of the Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League.

”Two years ago Harley Cricket Club was pretty much non-existent. It had no future,” said first team captain Peter Dearden, who played for Harley for 30 years. "We merged with Scholes so this is a bit of a fairytale for us.”

Scholes & Harley CC's Lewis Varley in action

Scholes & Harley made sure of top spot by beating Upper Haugh thirds at Scholes Lane last week.

They bowled Haugh out for 107, Craig Moffat mopping up 5-23, before closing out victory with four wickets in hand.

"It’s been a real team effort,” said Peter. “Everyone has been focussed on the team rather than individual achievements and it has all come together this year. We have had no standout player. Everybody in the team has contributed. It’s been brilliant.”

Peter, whose dad and grandad also played for Harley many years ago, has stepped down as captain.

He added "I am finishing on a high and the aim for the team now is to hopefully start climbing the divisions.”