Wombwell Cricket Lovers' Society

Welcome to the Wombwell Cricket Lovers' Society and welcome to our brand new website ! 

Founded in 1951, the Wombwell Cricket Lovers' Society meet during the winter months between October and April each year, mostly on Mondays at Shaw Lane Sports Club, in Barnsley, S70 6HZ.

Meetings are usually afternoons and commence at 1.45pm and take the format of a talk by a cricket personality followed by a Question and Answer session.  Guests from outside the cricketing world also sometimes make up the Society's winter programme. 

We also have several meetings a year take place via Zoom, these are usually in the evening,  and of course it  means you can join in irrespective of where you are in the world ! 

In addition to the regular meetings, the Society also organises coaching award presentation evenings, a Christmas Sunday Lunch event and, from time to time, a Spring Dinner. 

Our full 2024/25 winter programme now has its own dedicated page, see the main menu for full details.

 
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 Wombwell Cricket Lovers' Society (@wcls1951) / X (twitter.com) 
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Junior Cricket Coaching

 Winter coaching classes began in 1953 with the aim of encouraging local cricket talent; and through the years a number of county and international players have emerged such as Graham Stevenson, Arnie Sidebottom, 
Tim Boon, Martyn Moxon, Darren Gough and Joe Root. 

The nets take place every year in January & February at the  fantastic Indoor Cricket Hall at Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park, Sheffield S9 1UA. 

Our Junior Coaching awards are linked to the memory of former Society Patrons, 
Brian Johnston and John Arlott and former Society officials Jack Sokell, Derek Moxon, Eric Sykes and current Society President, Dickie Bird OBE.
Awards are presented annually to youngsters for batting, bowling, fielding, and wicketkeeping.

The Twelfth Man

In addition to the regular meetings, dinners, coaching classes and awards, the Society also produces its own annual publication. 
The Twelfth Man (first issued in 1954) is an A4 style magazine which includes a number of feature articles, reviews the Society's winter meetings, news, provides details of award winners, and book reviews. 
 

A 50th Anniversary of the Society was published in 2001 and a very special Diamond Anniversary edition in September 2011 when the Society celebrated sixty years of 'cricket loving’. 

In recent years the magazine is now based around a specific theme, for example the theme for  2023 was "50 years since the end of cricket at Bramall Lane"

We are now looking ahead to 2026 when we will celebrate 75 years.

Please note: links to previous editions of the magazine are available on our website, simply click on The Twelfth Man Magazine button in the main menu.