Cricket Research Centre- History- University of Huddersfield

Welcome to the Cricket Research Centre

Huddersfield is an appropriate setting for the UK's first dedicated Cricket Research Centre. It is a hotbed of local cricket and for many years Yorkshire used to play regular fixtures at Fartown, home of the former Huddersfield CC. Two of the most famous Yorkshire and England cricketers - Wilfred Rhodes and George Herbert Hirst - were born in the town, and Lascelles Hall CC (located close by) has a claim to being the 'Hambledon of the North' on account of the number of Yorkshire and England cricketers it produced in the late nineteenth century.

In recent years, there has been significant research in the area of cricket history at the University of Huddersfield, including the £50,000 community project, 'The Cricketing Heritage of Calderdale & Kirklees' - the first sport-related project to be funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Our main aims are to:

encourage postgraduate students to come to Huddersfield to engage in research about cricket history
promote cricket-related research in general terms
demonstrate the importance of cricket in social history and local cohesion and identity
enable the sharing of ideas
facilitate networking with bodies such as the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS), the Centre for Cricket Research (CCR) at the University of the West Indies, the British Society of Sports History (BSSH), and The Cricket Society
bid for external research funding

Dr Peter Davies presents guest speaker Professor Jeff Hill with a collection of Centre publications after his guest lecture on 9 December 2009

Issue 1 of The Bouncer! - The Cricket Research Centre Newsletter

Issue 2 of The Bouncer! - The Cricket Research Centre Newsletter

Next Monthly Seminar: Tom Fletcher (Leeds Met University) 'Doing Away with Indigenous Cricket Cultures? Playing Styles, Rationalisation and Homogenisation', Thursday 18 February 5.15-6.15pm, Room JMG/01 (Green Room - Journalism & Media Building) – ALL WELCOME

Next Quarterly Guest Lecture: Wednesday 24 February 2010 - Dr Philippa Velija, 'Women's Cricket, the Women's Cricket Association and the ECB'

6th Pennine Cricket History Conference: Saturday 20 March 2010

L-R Duncan Stone, Dr Rob Light, Dennis O'Keefe and Dr Peter Davies

NEW! Yorkshire Cricket Collection

Have you got any spare, duplicate or unwanted cricket books or magazines?

If so, why not donate them to the Yorkshire Cricket Collection?

This is a new collection established at the University of Huddersfield - and it is on the lookout for paperbacks, hardbacks, pamphlets, brochures, videos, DVDs and other material.

We're interested in items relating to cricket in Yorkshire (particularly club histories and biographies) and in other counties/countries.

The Yorkshire Cricket Collection will be housed in the newly refurbished University Archives in the University Library.

Contact the University's Archivist, Mrs E.A.Hilary Haigh via archives@hud.ac.uk / 01484 473168 or the Coordinator of the University of Huddersfield Cricket Research Centre, Dr Peter Davies, via p.j.davies@hud.ac.uk / 01484 472405

GIRLS ALOUD! Women and Cricket in Yorkshire c.1880-2000

Dr Peter Davies will be delivering a paper as part of the Barnsley University Campus Lecture Series in 2010.

This lecture will trace the emergence of women as a key influence in local cricket in Yorkshire over the last century and a quarter. Before the Great War, women's activities at local cricket clubs generally went 'under the radar' and what contribution they made was seldom acknowledged. But as the twentieth century progressed, they took on more of a role. They served as 'tea ladies' - that was a constant - but they also established Ladies Committees, raised money for clubs, and became secretaries and treasurers. Some women also played the game. The relationship between women and cricket offers us a fascinating insight into social change in Britain in the twentieth century.

The women's team at Blackley CC (Elland), 1969

NEW! Partnership with Pongo Cricket

The University of Huddersfield Cricket Research Centre has teamed up with Pongo Cricket - the brainchild of Yorkshire CCC opening batsman Joe Sayers (below).

And the agreement will cover a range of matters.Research Centre coordinator Dr Peter Davies will contribute a regular blog to Pongo Cricket - entitled 'Dr Cricket' - and BA (Hons) Sports Journalism students at the university will be encouraged to write about cricket on Sayers' innovative website, http://pongocricket.com.

Meanwhile, the White Rose star has written the foreword to Two Men and a Blog: Cricket Diary 2009 - a new book written by Dr Davies and co-blogger Tony Hutton - and will also visit the Centre for a special Q&A session in 2010.

Dr Davies explained: "Joe has developed an excellent multi-platform website and we look forward to working with him and welcoming him to Huddersfield in the New Year."

Sayers is currently in South Africa with the England Performance Squad.

He said: "Pongo Cricket is a new and ground-breaking media platform especially for cricket.

"It allows players and cricket fans to contribute their own blogs, photos and videos about anything cricket related.

"As the content is created by those who are closest to the game, it is the best possible reflection of cricket today.

"Pongo also acts as a virtual clubhouse - where fans can follow their favourite cricketers, and share their views with other fans - and media broker, which allows contributors to make a valuable income from the content they upload."

Phil Vasili (left) and Howard Holmes (right) at the University of Huddersfield with the book Phil wrote on Arthur Wharton, 24 November 2009

Latest headlines:

30 NOV: At Woodlands CC (Bradford), Dr Peter Davies interviews club stalwarts Stuart Tordoff and Jack Greenhough for MUP book on social history of cricket in England.
28 NOV: Dr Peter Davies visits Glodwick CC (Oldham) and interviews club official Dave Chaloner for MUP book.
24 NOV: Phil Vasili and Howard Holmes visit the Centre as part of their research work on early black footballer-cricketer Arthur Wharton.
22 NOV: Cricket Research Centre teams up with Pongo Cricket - the brainchild of Yorkshire and England Lions batsman Joe Sayers.
19 NOV: Dr Peter Davies speaks on cricket in the twentieth century (race and gender) at Plymouth University as part of Kevin Jefferys' module 'Sport and Society in Britain since c.1880' (MA in Social History).
19 NOV: Dr Peter Davies interviews Exeter CC historian Jeffrey Stanyer at the County Ground, Exeter (below) for MUP book.

17 NOV: Duncan Stone (regional identity), Dennis O'Keefe (church cricket club rules) and Dr Peter Davies (heritage of cricket in Calderdale and Kirklees) speak at special University of Huddersfield seminar.
10 NOV: Yorkshire Cricket Collection established at University of Huddersfield Archives.
7 NOV: Dennis O'Keefe gives paper on 'Players, Parsons and Patrons: Church and Cricket in Calderdale, 1860-c.1920' at the University of Hull.
4 NOV: Dr Peter Davies visits Wavertree CC, Liverpool, and interviews David Goodall, club official and Lancashire CCC officer, for MUP book on social history of cricket in England.
OCT: Sportswriter Dr Colin Schindler visits Cricket Research Centre.
SEP: Dr Peter Davies and Dr Rob Light appointed co-editors of special issue of Sport in Society on The Ashes.
SUMMER: Dr Rob Light, 'A Yorkshire Like Way: Cricket and the Construction of Regional Identity', published in Sport in History.
AUG: Dr Peter Davies, Dr Rob Light, Dennis O'Keefe and Duncan Stone meet acclaimed Australian cricket writer Gideon Haigh prior to Headingley Test match.
AUG: Dr Peter Davies, Dr Rob Light, Dennis O'Keefe and Duncan Stone interviewed for BBC Radio 4 programme You and Yours.
JUL: Dr Peter Davies, Dr Rob Light, Dennis O'Keefe and Duncan Stone attend ICC Centenary Conference at University of Oxford.
JUN: Launch of University of Huddersfield Cricket Research Centre.

MA students at Plymouth University discussing the social history of cricket with Dr Peter Davies, 19 November 2009

We've had a presence at the following conferences:

Dennis O'Keefe (left) with acclaimed Australian cricket writer Gideon Haigh and his wife Charlotte, August 2009

And coming soon:

15 DEC 2009: Duncan Stone to address The Cricket Society in London on cricket and regional identity.
2010: Duncan Stone to review Andrew Hignell's Cricket in Wales for Sport in History.
2010: Dr Peter Davies to review Mihir Bose's The Magic of Indian Cricket for Sport in History.
2010: Dr Peter Davies to review Tony Laughton's Captain of the Crowd in Sport in Society.
MAY 2010: We'll be leading a University of Huddersfield History Research Seminar session, 'Beyond the Boundary: Cricket and Social History'.
MAY 2010: Duncan Stone will be leading a University of London Sports History session on cricket and regional identity.
SEP 2010: Dr Peter Davies and Dr Rob Light will be submitting their manuscript for Cricket and Community in England since c.1860: A Social and Cultural History (MUP).
2011: Dr Peter Davies and Dr Rob Light will be editing a Special Issue of Sport in Society on The Ashes.

West Indies legend Clive Lloyd with Duncan Stone (right) and Tom Fletcher (left - Leeds Met) at the ICC Centenary Conference at the University of Oxford, July 2009