Middleton Woods #6: Cricket Club Panorama
This is the 6th of a short series of 6 caches hidden in these beautiful ancient indigenous 45.8 hectare broadleaf woodlands just north of Ilkley. They join several existing caches providing additional incentive (if needed!) to visit this special place.
To Reach the Cache:
Park @ or near N 53 55.955 W 1 48.881 adjacent to Ilkley Suspension bridge and make your way into the woods where you will find myriad trails enabling you to make your way around easily.
The cache can also be done as a one-off from the bridge or from Ilkley Lido parking at P2 making your way along the footpath bordering the northern edge of the cricket pitch.
See Gallery for a map of the woods with trails, parking spots and caches.
The cache, a camo-taped preform tube is hidden just off the footpath inside the southern edge of the woods at a location giving fine views across the cricket ground to Rombold's Moor beyond.
Olicanian CC (one of two cricket clubs in this flat area of the Wharfe valley) was formed in 1922 by the old boys of the Ilkley Grammar School. The name of the club was taken from the Roman name for Ilkley - Olicana.
Initially the team played friendly matches only, at various venues in Ilkley, maintaining close links with the Grammar School thus ensuring a steady supply of players.
In 1949, the club moved its ground to the present location on Denton Road, next door to the Ilkley Lido, although the facilities at the time were very basic, with the changing rooms consisting of a bell tent and the tea room being made from an old fish hut!
Friendly fixtures were played until 1975, when the decision was taken to play competitive league cricket and the club joined the Dales Council League.
After 12 years, in 1987 the club joined the Leeds and District League and since 2000, it has become established in the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League. A timber pavilion was added in 2002 which underwent a major revamp in 2011 which was opened by [ex-Yorkshire and England cricketer] Ray Illingworth.
Sadly it was burnt down in an arson attack in August 2019 destroying all sorts of memorabilia and pictures of its opening. Some of the ashes from the fire-ravaged pavilion were collected to be turned into a new ashes trophy - the Ollies Ashes.
Despite this setback, the 1st team won promotion to the top division of the league for the first time.
The low lying ground in the area, including the Lido to the west and the Ilkley Cricket Club (est 1850) beyond that are liable to periodic flooding when the River Wharfe reaches very high levels - typically during wet winters, such as on 26 December 2015 when the whole area was under water (see video here), damaging a newly laid cricket square.