“We’ve always been a club that was run on trust. But from a human point of view, the deceit was absolutely devastating. We’ve got to move on.”
Off the pitch, Lascelles Hall Cricket Club has contained more drama and turbulence than a typical Line of Duty series. The last ten years of this bastion of local cricket have seen moments which makes it incredibly hard to think how they’ve survived. But survive they did and it’s no more thanks to dedicated and devoted players and club committee members like Richard Shaw; our most recent guest to Castle Hill Cricket Chat.
Richard has just begun his 35th season as a cricket player for Lascelles Hall and, it’s fair to say he has just about seen it all. From the highs of their 80’s pomp and Sykes Cup Finals of the 00’s to the lows of repeated and senseless attacks on the club, a fraud that ripped the heart out of the finances and the tragedy of losing a player a long way before his time. In this fascinating interview, Richard shared with us his fondest personal memories as a player, growing up amongst the fine names that graced the club such as Tim Cox, Craig Horner, John Booth and more. He also spoke about the raw, bitter experiences that have blighted the club in more recent times and how they have rebuilt from what looked like an impossible situation to sow the seeds to a much brighter future.
It was a virtual washout on Saturday unfortunately; the second in succession. But the Sykes Cup, Paddock Shield and Oddfellows Cup all saw their next round draws take place so we discussed the standout ties from those and in ‘The Opener’, we mulled over whether there is a place for the humble cricket tea any more and discover which club were once warned to tone their tea down!
You can listen to the episode below but you can also subscribe via Spotify or the many other leading podcast apps and get every episode delivered directly to your smart device. We’re always on the lookout for intriguing guests throughout the Huddersfield Cricket League past and present, so If you’d like to be a guest on a future episode to talk about your club, or a big moment in your career, just send us a message via the podcast’s contact form or via a message on Twitter.