BARKISLAND CRICKET CLUB

The cricket ground is wedged between Stainland Road and Saddleworth Road. Close by lie the village church, the local school, housing both old and new, and two pubs regularly frequented by Barkisland cricketers: The Griffin and The Fleece. And all things considered - setting, pavilion, and the quality of the playing surface - the venue must be one of the most attractive in the Halifax area. It is no surprise to discover that Barkisland CC have taken part in the National Village Cricket Championship.

From a distance, the ground has a picture-postcard quality about it. Close up, it continues to impress. Granted, the playing area slopes slightly down to the Scammonden Road side, but it is well kept and has a pristine look about it. The hanging baskets outside the pavilion add a touch of class, as do the handsome wooden benches dotted around the perimeter of the ground and the high-quality net facilities at the far end.

Originally, the Woodfield pavilion was a wooden construction sited where the scorebox is now. This building was bought from Southowram CC - and then sold back to the same club. In the early 1970s, club members set to work on building a new pavilion by the main entrance, and in 1975 it was officially opened, and that's not forgetting the fact that, in 1983, the club became the first in Yorkshire to own a fully automated scorebox.