Leeds nostalgia: Cricket in the snow

This week's featured film clip, available to view on the Yorkshire Film Archive website, is a record of the Northern Cricket Society's annual Boxing Day match, which, fittingly was held at Bramhope (and so linking nicely with our main story), however, the match in the snow was played at a different location.

The film includes good shots of a very unusual event. Yorkshire Cricketing stars include: Wilf Barber, Yorkshire’s opening batsman, Don Wilson, head coach for the MCC and spin bowler, Arthur Wood, wicket keeper and Brian Close.

The film opens with shots of the memorabilia in cases and hanging on the walls at the cricket club. These include photographs, paintings, drawings, engraved cricket bats, Ashes trophies, and the Cameric Cigarette Card Club.

Under the title ‘Annual Boxing Day Cricket 1953’, the footage shot behind or near the bowler, very close to the action. The last scene of the film features a cricket game which is played in the snow. Before play begins, two men clear the space between where the batter stands and from where the bowler throws. The players come back and forth, on and off the field, smiling at the camera.

http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/northern-cricket-society-boxing-day-match-alwoodley?destination=search%2Fapachesolr_search%2FBramhope%3Ffilters%3Dtype%253Ayfa_film%2520bs_cck_field_videola_video%253A1%26highlight%3Dbramhope%26mode%3Dquick%26solrsort%3Dscore%2520desc%252C%2520sis_cck_field_film_id%2520asc&highlight=bramhope#sthash.oPiHKkR3.dpuf