Barnsley gets nod over Sheffield and Doncaster to host Yorkshire CCC

It went for Barnsley’s Shaw Lane, which hosted four first-team games in the late-1970s.

“There were a number of reasons why we chose Barnsley,” explained Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket.

“The foundations are there, the history is there, the desire is there and, most importantly, the pitches are there. The pitches are very good.

“Geographically, Barnsley was a really good option because we’re not just looking at this for men’s one-day cricket either.

“We're looking at this for a Tier 1 women's game, we're looking at it for a hub for the academy, for all county age groups, and so on.

“It’s also very easy to get to and accessible, so they’re the reasons behind Barnsley.

“But it was an extremely tough decision because the other options were also very good.

“Our facilities plan at Yorkshire is still very much a work in progress, so there's every chance that we could extend further into South Yorkshire as well.”

The other options considered were Sheffield Collegiate CC, home to Michael Vaughan and Joe Root, which lasted hosted Yorkshire in 1996.

Tickhill has never staged a county game, while Shaw Lane has only staged fixtures in the long-defunct Benson and Hedges Cup.

With counties having four home games in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, now the only domestic one-day competition, it means that Yorkshire would have to play one fewer match at York or Scarborough, given that both currently share the 50-over allocation.

Commenting on the decision to overlook Sheffield this time, Hamilton added: “We looked at Collegiate very closely but the rationale behind it was purely around the dressing rooms, etc, and the longevity of how long that would take (to bring it up to speed).

“We need this next year.

"We need our county age groups to be going there next year, and we need the dressing room facilities to be unisex.

“All of these things needed to be taken into consideration.

“However, we still keep a very close connection with Collegiate - obviously there’s the connection there with ‘Vaughany’ and ‘Rooty’ - and we still play a lot of second-team games there.

"As I say, it was a very tough decision and the process that we followed was quite stringent.”

The decision to take cricket back to South Yorkshire followed a number of member and supporter roadshows held across the county.

Feedback suggested that it is what many people wanted, especially those, perhaps, for whom it is a long trek to get to Headingley in Leeds as well as Scarborough and York.

Yorkshire say that Barnsley “aligns strongly” with their long-term strategic vision and they will now work closely with club officials, the England and Wales Cricket Board and local authorities to ensure that the ground is ready for men’s one-day cricket and Tier 1 women’s action.

They also see it as a great way to strengthen their pathway structure and ensure that young players have access to the best possible facilities and development opportunities.

News that Barnsley is back on the county schedule is a reminder of the town’s long-standing links with Yorkshire CCC.

Among the well-known players to have represented Barnsley CC over the years, which merged with Woolley Miners Welfare a decade ago to become Barnsley Woolley Miners CC, are Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Martyn Moxon and Darren Gough.

The late Dickie Bird began his career there, as did the late Sir Michael Parkinson.

Whatever became of them, one wonders?

Answers on a postcard.