About Us
New Farnley Cricket Club was established in 1952 and is based at the Barry Jackson Ground on Lawns Lane in New Farnley Village, Leeds. The club originates from humble surroundings having played much of its life in Farnley Park in the Dales Council League. Over recent history the club moved to the Central Yorkshire League before this was disbanded and formed part of the Bradford Premier League. With the club ‘moving up in the ranks’, off field ambitions were matched. This resulted in the move to Lawns Lane which is the current home of NFCC.
The cricket club supports a 1st XI, 2nd XI, 3rd XI and New Farnley Old Boys senior teams, an academy side, All Stars and Dynamos and also junior age group teams from U11’s to U15’s. Our junior teams play in the Heavy Woollen Junior Cricket League and Bradford Junior Cricket League.
2017 saw a shift in emphasis as a cricket club with an operational model instilled giving the club a focus and a five year plan to add sustainability to all aspects of the club both on and off the field. On field success came instantaneously with the 1st team winning the Priestley Cup for the first time in their history. Adding to this success, the 2nd XI went on to win the 2nd XI Premier League. Off the field, the club saw a major revamp to the pavilion. The club kitchen and bar/lounge area underwent a massive refurbishment in January 2017 which doubled the capacity and the club has various social functions on throughout the year. Not only this, the club is now a fully functioning restaurant and café during the day and evenings.
In 2018, the club saw some major changes in the playing squads however this did result in progression in the league finishing 2nd having missed out to Pudsey St. Lawrence CC. the 1st XI also reached the Heavy Woollen Cup final but lost in a close encounter to Hanging Heaton. The 2nd team continued to develop and saw more integration of youth into the squad which allowed for the team to act as a feeder to the 1st team, something that hadn’t happened in previous years. With a huge emphasis now being put on internal development, the club appointed a junior coach in Mark Lawson which is a major coup for the club. 2019 saw more changes to the playing XI’s with more youth integrated into both the 1st XI’s and 2nd XI’s. The 1sts suffered early season injuries which meant they didn’t have the fire power to launch an attack on the title but did reach the Priestley Cup Final which resulted in an unfortunate loss. Meanwhile, the 2nd XI continued to blood youngsters securing the clubs long term future.
2020 was still a successful one for the club despite unexpected hurdles in COVID-19 and an arson attack on the club house. The new state of the art pavilion in the south side of the ground was erected providing the highest quality of facilities for the next generation of New Farnley cricketers and the community. The club also acted quickly to address the damage caused to the clubhouse by restoring the facilities. We will forever be grateful to the generosity and support given by the local community, which helped get the club back on its feet quickly.
2021 was a successful year for the club with the 1st XI finishing 3rd in league and winning both the Heavy Woollen Cup and the Priestley Cup. The club saw the introduction of the 3rd XI which saw the transition of more juniors into the club and into senior cricket.
In 2022, we celebrated our 70th year by hosting the Heavy Woollen Cup Final and Priestley Cup Final which the 1st XI defended in two classic encounters making it back-to-back victories ensuring that the trophies are once again returning to Lawns Lane. Woodlands just pipped us to the Bradford Premier League title by 19 points while our 2nd XI and 3rd XI finished third in their respective leagues.
2023 was an exciting time with more development to the ground. All teams had another successful summer as we looked to continue to develop the club moving forward by booking more events and hosting our annual Christmas Walk & Festivities with all monies raised going towards the Andrew Kemp Defibrillator Fund and our Junior Section.
In 2024, Alex Lilley’s 1st XI won their very first Bradford Premier Cricket League title, lost to Wakefield Thornes in their fourth successive Heavy Woollen Cup Final and came runners up to Richmondshire in the Yorkshire League Play-Offs. The 2nd XI won the Crowther Cup and had to settle for 2nd place in the league. Finally, our 3rd XI finished mid-table in the Dales Council Cricket League.
Since their formation in 1952, New Farnley Cricket Club has never experienced a season quite like this one. The 2025 campaign will go down as the most successful in the club’s history.
The First XI defended their Bradford League Premier Division title, setting a record number of points (388) and being the fourth team to go through a season unbeaten in the league. They also lifted the Heavy Woollen Cup (one of the oldest club competitions) for the fourth time in five seasons, overcoming Shepley with a dominant 145-run victory at Hanging Heaton.
In the shorter format, New Farnley captured the Rigg Bash T20 by beating Methley by 126 runs at Morley. Their T20 journey continued in style as they progressed through the Area and Regional Finals, defeating York (by 8 runs), Barnard Castle (by 6 runs), Kendal (by 7 wickets), and Old Hill (by 8 wickets) at Burnmoor and Denby. The campaign culminated in a stunning triumph on the national stage where they beat Wanstead & Snaresbrook by 8 wickets to become National T20 Champions at the picturesque Wormsley Estate, privately owned by the Getty family.
The young Second XI added further silverware, winning the Bradford League Second Eleven Premier Division for the first time in the Premier League era, highlighting the club’s strength in depth while several members of this team also experienced first team cricket.
Meanwhile, the Third XI continue to battle hard in the Dales Council Cricket League Division C. They carry out a vital role giving opportunity to many of our juniors to experience senior cricket and start their journeys.
Altogether, the 2025 season has showcased New Farnley’s quality, resilience and growing legacy allowing the club to further drive our sustainability and proud history.