The history of Burley-in-Whafedale CC is known as follows.

The Club was originally known as Burley Clarence and played on what is now known as the Recreation ground, prior to it being donated to the village by Fisons millowners. The ground was then known as Clarence Field and was approached by Clarence Place, which is adjacent to the car-park of the Malt Shovel (now Cutlers).

Unfortunately, there is no record of the formation of the Club but is is understood that “play commenced” in the 1850s. A photo hangs in the Club which dates back to the 1880s.

A report in the Airedale-Wharfedale Observer of 21 February 1902 states that, after a Burley Cricketers` Dinner, the following occurred

“Mr J.Lockwood submitted a proposal to change the name of the Club. Hitherto, he said, they had been known as Burley Clarence Club, possibly because they had played in Clarence Field. This name, he pointed out, led to confusion because there was a Clarence Club of Leeds and visiting teams had suggested that the name should be changed. He therefore proposed that the Club should now be known as Burley-in-Wharfedale CC. Mr R.Hardisty seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The Chairman commended the decision they had arrived at”

It appears that the Club played at the Clarence Field until 1898/1899, when they moved to a ground near the station. In 1900, they moved to Walton Park (now the site of Ghyll Royd School at the Western end of the by-pass) and played there until 1914.

After the Great War, they played a season (1919) at Menston and moved back to the Recreation ground (formerly Clarence Field) from 1920 to 1924.

The Club commenced playing at its present site, Hodson Park, in 1925, the same year that a section of the Yorkshire Cricket Council instituted a section devoted to Clubs in the Airedale-Wharfedale areas.

The present pavilion was opened on Saturday 5 June 1937 and a scorecard of the occasion is given below. The match was a local derby between Otley and Burley.

Otley batted first.

Batsman	How Out	Bowler	Total
H.Bolton	Bowled	Harrison	7
S.M.Hill	c.Stirk	Harrison	2
F.Spence	Bowled	Miller	1
C.Moxon	Run Out		3
F.Moore	Bowled	Miller	9
R.Waterhouse	Run Out		2
A.Laycock	c.Garside	Harrison	9
S.Lawson	Not Out		11
R.Willis	Bowled	Harrison	0
W.E.Rodgers	Bowled	Miller	2
D.Bartle	Bowled	Miller	0
		Extras -	2
		Total (All Out)	48

Burley`s Bowling figures made good reading.

Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Harrison	11	3	16	4
Miller	10.2	2	30	4

Burley`s reply was short, if not necessarily swift, taking 23.4 overs to score the 49 runs to win.

Batsman	How Out	Bowler	Total
F.Peace	Bowled	Willis	3
D.Hardisty	c.Spence	Willis	0
J.Stirk	Not Out		26
F.Miller	Not Out		21
		Extras -	2
		Total (For 2 Wickets)	52

Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
A.Laycock	7	2	11	0
R.Willis	3	0	16	2
D.Bartle	2	0	6	0
S.Lawson	9.4	5	8	0
H.Bolton	2	1	9	0

In addition to the above, there is also sent in the story of a match in Burley in the 1870s, where the Umpire standing at square leg was revealed to have a wooden leg when a hard-hit sweep hit his arborial limb full on. The leg snapped and he had to be carried off !