David I. Peel - Published 2011

Foreword

For me, someone who lives in Huddersfield, there was a massive challenge in getting to know the cricketing history of North Kirklees as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund-sponsored Calderdale & Kirklees Heritage Project, which began in 2004. North Kirklees incorporates Dewsbury, Batley and other smaller towns including Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and Mirfield. And in many ways it sees itself as being closer to the Leeds area than Huddersfield. So it was a challenge – a big one. It was one I enjoyed. I loved getting the train to Batley or Dewsbury and then getting to know the history of places, and cricket clubs, I had only heard about before. Mirfield detained us quite a lot. Today there are three cricket clubs in the town – Mirfield, Moorlands and Mirfield Parish Cavaliers - and in yesteryear there would have been many more. As I travelled round, I started to meet cricket folk with particular historical interests. At Hanging Heaton I got to know David Peel – and we now know that he has a strong interest in the now defunct Mirfield & District Evening Cricket League. He has produced an interesting and informative booklet and it is good that cricket folk with special interests are coming forward and producing research of their own.

Peter Davies, August 2011

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