Cowpen Bewley have been members of the Cleveland League since the 1890s and have played on the same ground since 1921. When this photograph was taken in 1980 the Cleveland League consisted of 4 divisions with something like 45 teams involved. In 2013 there was one division of 9 teams left. This shows how village cricket has declined over the years.
Back row (l-r) Alan Sutherland, Martin Birtle, Howard Robinson, Brian Milner, Les Flintham and Ian Sutherland (scorer). Front row (l-r) Cliff Raynor, David Cooper, Graham Phelps, David Nesbitt, Jim Cooper and Eddie Curran.
Photograph and details courtesy Martin Birtle.
Just an update. The Cowpen club seems to have folded at the end of the 2014 season. Certainly I can’t see any teams playing under that name. Is the ground still being used by other teams ?. .