Harry Lyon
Founder
Cricket has been played in Hillam on the same ground at Stocking Lane for over a hundred years.
The club was formed as Hillam Hall Cricket Club by Mr Harry Lyon who moved to the Hall early in the twentieth century.
Throughout the first half of that century Harry Lyon ran the club for the benefit of the village, and organised fixtures against local sides and visiting clubs such as Yorkshire Gentlemen.
In Monk Fryston cricket started in the nineteenth century, and Monk Fryston Cricket Club played in a local league at a ground on Common Lane, Monk Fryston.
In 1890 the President was the Rev Ben Hemsworth of Monk Fryston Hall and a leading patron was Mr H S Close of Hillam Hall (where there was no cricket until the Lyon family moved in).
In that year the club played fixtures from 3rd May to 27th September against sides such as Castleford, Church Fenton and Cliffe.
During World War II the Hillam ground was turned over to crops, but after the war the clubs decided to merge under the name Hillam and Monk Fryston Cricket Club, and settled at Stocking Lane.
In the 1980s the Lyon family left the Hall and sold the ground to the club. For many years the club played in the West Riding League but in the early 1990s transferred to the Wetherby League.
No history of the club would be complete without mentioning the late Mr John Foster of Monk Fryston. John died on the 17th March 1979 aged 91 with an outstanding achievement under his belt, that of seventy years as a cricket secretary. On the evening of 25th February 1972 a dinner was held on his behalf in the ballroom of Monk Fryston Hall to celebrate his years as secretary of Hillam & Monk Fryston Cricket Club.
Visitors who came along to pay tribute on the evening included well known Yorkshire county cricket names Bill Bowes, John Nash and Michael Crawford. Michael read a message of congratulations to John from Freddie Brown, the then President of M.C.C.
With thanks to Don Bramley & his book 'In Them Days'
