Scarborough, the jewel in Yorkshire crown! (shame they don’t get out more nowadays)

Dan Whiting takes a look at the extensive list of first-class venues in Yorkshire and gets straight into his travels

Scarborough All good things come to those who wait, said a certain advertisement back in the Eighties, and in the last of the feature of outgrounds, there is none finer than Scarborough.

The jewel in the crown of cricket festivals, ‘Scarbados’, as it is known among the White Rose-loving support, still attracts crowds of 5,000 people a day to a county game. Is the four-day game dying as many of the cricketing cognoscenti claim? Not in this North Yorkshire seaside resort.

The Scarborough Festival takes us back to a more innocent age; one of Verity, Sutcliffe, Hutton, Trueman, Close or Boycott as the working class man would leave the coal mining villages of South and West Yorkshire and holiday here, taking in a glimpse of his heroes in August as the game ebbed and flowed like the tide of the North Sea located behind the pavilion.

Pints of bitter and fish and chips per- meate the air, keeping the local gulls interested as they provide a constant noise only interspersed by a raucous, partisan yet knowledgeable crowd. Cricket is still a religion in Yorkshire, with Scarborough their pilgrimage venue.

The demographic of Yorkshire support is wide and diverse, with those who follow from its industrial heartland being just as passionate as those from the rural, farming communities of North Yorkshire.

The Scarborough Festival brings them both together, as does the town with its South Bay offering amusement arcades and kiss-me-quick hats, whilst the North Bay is more tranquil. Both are overlooked by the castle.

First-class cricket was first played here in 1878, and it is the only outground that the county use today. It has hosted two ODIs – one which saw a Viv Richards cen- tury in that long, hot summer of 1976 and then the touring New Zealanders came in 1978. The Fenner Trophy was staged here between 1971 and 1990 and it celebrated its centenary in 1986 with Sir Leonard Hutton as president. It has also hosted Women’s Test matches.

The ground itself is better than most counties’ main grounds. The journey is almost as good as the destination if you take the train from York, with stunning scenery taking you through villages such as Malton, Norton or Seamer. North Marine Road, home of Scarborough CC, is fairly central in the town where, upon arrival, you find a double-tiered, redroofed pavilion situated at fine leg or long off, with a clock as the centre piece and a “Welcome to Scarborough Cricket Festival” banner adorns the front of the pavilion.

Ornate white poles hold up the balcony and there is always the light blue, dark blue and yellow flag of the county colours flying. To the left is the Popular Bank, reminiscent of a doorstop to the pavilion and in an unusual triangular shape as the seating gets deeper the further away from the pavilion.

Wooden benches perched upon terraces line the rows here in the bedrock of the home side support. This stand angles around the corner to a structure with the words ‘Tea Room’ emblazoned on the roof. Yorkshire folk take their tea almost as seriously as their cricket. There is also a scoreboard in this corner, mirroring the one diagonally across the ground.

Bars and a shop are located behind this terrace and everyone who has an interest in cricket grounds should visit at some point.

Moving around the ground you have the Trafalgar Square End, a covered lowlying structure and a marquee area before the imposing West Stand greets the visitor. A scoreboard in the corner gives way to the more modern North Stand which works its way back around to the pavilion.

Around 11,500 people can now be accommodated here, although a staggering 27,000 crammed into the ground for the visit of Derbyshire in 1947. The Festival tends to take place in August, to offer cricket to the holiday-makers who visit the sandy beaches of this resort.

As for the cricketing facilities, players love the place, provided that the wind isn’t blowing too hard from the adjacent North Sea. A decent crowd helps but a wicket that offers something for everyone is part of the fun.

The new ball can offer something for the bowlers before spin comes to the fore. However, it is generally a decent wicket and a fast outfield provides full value for shots. Scarborough has offered

Pints of bitter and fish and chips permeate the air, keeping the local gulls interested as they provide constant noise