Founded in 1951 and celebrated its Diamond Anniversary in 2011. The Society meets fortnightly but sometimes weekly on Thursday evenings at 7.45pm between the end of September and the end of March in the Ardsley Oaks WMC, near Barnsley.

President: HD Bird, OBE.

Patrons - Sir Lawrence Byford, CBE, QPM, LLD, DL; HD Bird, MBE; G Boycott, OBE; MJ Cowan, the Lord Rix, CBE; Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE, and FH Tyson.

Chairman: James M Greenfield, Cornhill, 20 Old Lane, Bramhope, Leeds LS16 9AZ. Tel. 0113-2842706. Email james.greenfield191@btinternet.com
Vice-Chairman: Ron Firth, The Bungalow, Woodgarth Court, Campsall, Doncaster. Tel. 01302-707210.
General Secretary: Mick Pope, 25 Airedale Avenue, Tickhill, Doncaster. Tel.               01302-745853. Email wcls@councilcricketsocieties.com
Assistant Secretary: Vacant.
Treasurer: Roy Foster, 6 Cloisters Way, Monk Bretton, Barnsley.
Twelfth Man Magazine Editor: Norman Hazell, 71 Woolgreaves Drive, Sandal, Wakefield, WF2 6DS.
Membership Secretary: Mrs Beryl Ambler, Park Cottage, Cortworth Lane, Wentworth, Rotherham S62 7SB. Tel. 01226-747516. Email beryl.ambler@sky.com

Committee: John and Beryl Ambler, Colin Barker, Margaret Harrison, Norman Hazell, Jack Tunnicliffe and Neil Whitaker.

SOCIETY MOTTO
The society's first Secretary, Jack Sokell, served for 53 years until his death a week before Easter 2004. It was Jack who coined the society's motto: My song shall be cricket, and cricket my theme.

HISTORY AND OBJECTIVES
The society meets most Thursday evenings at 7.45pm between the end of September and the end of March in the Ardsley Oaks WMC, near Barnsley. Speakers include present and former First Class players and officials, cricket management - ECB Chief Executive David Collier came in 2005 - writers, commentators - Geoff Boycott and Fred Trueman came in 2005 - members of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Board and Committee and speakers from the leagues. Sometimes we have a set speech followed by questions...sometimes the evenings are dominated by question-and-answer. Sometimes we have one speaker, sometimes a panel.

The society organises buffet and presentation evenings, an annual spring dinner, and a Christmas lunch. We seek to sustain and enhance the passion for cricket by evenings of vigorous, informed chat on cold, dark nights...but above all our objective is to foster youth coaching.

YOUTH COACHING
Winter coaching classes began in 1953 with the aim of encouraging local talent, and through the years a number of county and international players have emerged. Arnie Sidebottom was the first to attain First Class honours, followed by Graham Stevenson, Tim Boon, Martyn Moxon and Darren Gough. The classes are linked with coaching awards in memory of Society Patrons the late John Arlott and Brian Johnston, and former Society stalwarts Derek Moxon, David Musgrave, Jack Sokell and Eric Sykes. Awards are presented annually to young players for batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket-keeping.

AWARDS EVENINGS
The society presents a number of annual awards including Cricket Writer, Cricket Commentator, County Captain, Young Cricketer and Cricketer of the Year as well as Wicket-keeper of the Year and one in memory of Learie Constantine for the best fielder of the year based on catches taken across all cricket in England in the season.

TWELFTH MAN MAGAZINE
The society produces its own annual publication, The Twelfth Man - first issued in 1954 - as an A4-style 50-plus-page magazine. It includes news and feature articles, reviews the society's winter meetings, provides details of award winners, and book reviews.

2012-13 MEMBERSHIP RATES

• Full Member (resident in Yorkshire) £10.00
• Full Member (resident outside Yorkshire) £9.00
• Joint Husband & Wife (resident in Yorkshire) £14.00
• Joint Husband & Wife (resident outside Yorkshire) £12.00
• Junior Member (under 18) £5.00.

A further £15 will be charged to Juniors who wish to enrol for the Society's winter-coaching classes.

Those wishing to take out membership should complete an application form and post to the Membership Secretary, Mrs Beryl Ambler, Park Cottage, Cortworth Lane, Wentworth, Rotherham S62 7SB. Tel. 01226-747516. Email beryl-ambler@supanet.com

WOMBWELL FIXTURE CARD 2012-13
Keep reading this section, as it will be updated on an ongoing basis

September 27:    Annual General Meeting. National Awards selection.
October  4:           Steve James, formerly of Glamorgan and England, but now a national
                                newspaper columnist and author.      
October  9:           Mickey Stewart, formerly of Surrey and England, with popular cricket
                               author Stephen Chalke
October 18:         Keith Booth, Surrey CCC Scorer, recalls Tom Richardson
October 25:         Mike Smedley, ex-Nottinghamshire captain
November 15:    John Abrahams, formerly of Lancashire, now ECB Elite Player
                               Development Manager
November 22:     Ralph Middlebrook, founder manager of Yorkshire Cricket School,
                               with First Class cricketer son James
November 29:     Neil Hartley, Chairman of Yorkshire Players' Association

December 2:      CHRISTMAS SUNDAY LUNCHEON
                             With Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire and England
                         
December 6:     To be confirmed

January 6:         Society coaching classes start at Sheffield United Indoor Centre,
                             Bawtry Road
January 17:       David Wigley, ex-Yorkshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire
January 24:      Young Yorkshire Evening with Richard Damms
February 14:     David Allen, Hampshire Historian
February 21:     David Warner: The Sweetest Rose - 100 Years of Yorkshire CCC  
February 28:     Northamptonshire Evening
March   7:          Allan Stuttard and the Lancashire League
March 14:          Peter Gibbs, Ex-Derbyshire CCC and TV Scriptwriter
March 28:         Society Coaching awards & presentations

ANNUAL AWARDS 2012

EHUmbers Services to Yorkshire Cricket: Howard Clayton
Jack Fingleton Cricket Commentator of the Year: Michael Holding
Brian Sellers County Captain of the Year: Jim Troughton (Warwickshire)
CB Fry Young Cricketer of the Year: Joe Root (Yorkshire)
George Spofforth Cricketer of the Year: Nick Compton (Somerset)
Denis Compton Memorial Award for Flair: Gary Balance (Yorkshire)
Les Bailey Promising Young Yorkshire Player: Azeem Rafiq (Yorkshire)
Learie Constantine Fielder of the Year: Liam Dawson (Hampshire)
 (source: cricketarchive.com)
Arthur Wood Wicket-keeper of the Year: Geraint Jones (Kent)
 (source: cricketarchive.com)
JM Kilburn Cricket Writer of the Year: Dr Peter Davies

HOW TO GET THERE

Leave the Ml Motorway at Junction 37. If you have travelled from the South, take the third exit. If you have travelled from the North this is the first exit.
This is the main Barnsley road. Keep in the right-hand lane, as after approximately half a mile you will turn right at the first set of major traffic lights.
The road is called Broadway.
Keep on this road for about two miles, passing through various sets of traffic lights. This road eventually joins the A635, which is the main Barnsley-Doncaster road.
You will go up the hill and down the other side, and you will arrive at a large roundabout operated by traffic lights. Take the second exit, which takes you under a railway bridge.
Go up the hill for about one mile. This is a dual carriageway. You will come to the Ardsley Oaks Working Men's Club on the left. Swing into the car park.
If you are the guest speaker, you will have been invited to a pre-meeting meal with the Chairman or deputy in the Ardsley House Hotel on the opposite side of the road. So keep in the right hand lane.
Just past the Working Men's Club you will see to your right a large maroon-coloured sign for Ardsley House Hotel. You turn to your right across the carriageway, and into the hotel car park.