Barley Cricket Club features in new cricket book

25-06-2019

Two Hens Press

With the 2019 cricket World Cup taking place in England, a new cricket book features Barley CC alongside the likes of England and India!

Still the Best Loved Game? surveys the state of English cricket through 17 matches in the 2018 season, including a match between Barley CC and Buntingford CC, to which the chapter on village cricket is devoted.

The book also features cricket at every level, from Lord's Test and Roses Match to women's one-day international, Twenty20 cricket, and school and university games - making it the most wide-ranging appraisal of an English cricket season ever published.

Still the Best Loved Game? takes its inspiration from Geoffrey Moorhouse's 1979 classic, The Best Loved Game. However, in the forty years since that book was published, much has changed in both English cricket and in society. With major challenges facing the game - the controversy over The Hundred, the lack of free-to-air television coverage leading to dwindling audiences and participation, the disappearance of cricket from many schools, and the almost complete absence of black cricketers in the county game - the time is right for a reappraisal of the state of English cricket, from grass roots to Test level.

The book will be of interest to anyone who likes cricket, and especially to supporters of Barley Cricket Club. Still the Best Loved Game? is published by Two Hens Press at £7.99 (paperback). It is available from Amazon and through bookshops.

Barley Parish Plan - first review published

22-05-2022

The first review of the Barley Parish Plan, which was first produced in 2015, has been published by the Parish Council.

The Council asked for volunteers to form a committee for this process.

The Committee has reviewed what has happened over the last five years and how the previously identified village aspirations have been met.

In tandem with the first review, the Committee compiled a new questionnaire to canvas the current views of villagers over a range of key topics, to allow the plan to be updated and to remain relevant.

Visit the Barley Village Plan page to read the full review.

Beautiful Barley Flower Tower completed after community effort

25-06-2021

After months of knitting, crocheting and stiching, the beautiful Barley Flower Tower is complete and St Margaret of Antioch Church is adorned with a colourful display of flowers.

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Barley resident Alison White, who runs the Barley Knitting Group, came up with the idea to keep everyone going through lockdown by busying themselves creating the beautiful blooms to decorate the church, and raise some much-needed funds.

She encouraged the community to help make flowers for display, originally aiming for 500 to be created. Inspired by her idea, contribrutions were made by community groups including the Barley Tennis Club and Barley Gardening Club, the beavers and cubs, Margaret House care home residents plus individuals living locally and as far away as USA and Australia.

In June, the 1452 flowers, which took four weeks to be stiched onto netting by a team of 12, were hoisted onto the 15m tall church tower and draped from the windows, with the help of Royston Fire Station.

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It is hoped the display will inspire people to make a donation towards the running of the church - and also to help expand its use to the community. Ideally Alison would love to raise £10 per flower.

The church's Rector, Ruth Pyke, told BBC Look East: "The money will be used to maintain the building so it can continue to be a warm, welcoming place for weddings, funerals and Sunday Worship, but beyond that we want it to be a place for the community. We have a vision for disabled access and an area where we can welcome people in for coffee mornings, exhibitions and concerts."

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To donate towards the incredible display please visit the Barley Flower Tower Justgiving page, or visit the donation boxes located in Barley Stores, Fox and Hounds pub, Chequers pub or Drayton's Garage.

Visit the Barley Flower Tower Facebook page for more photos, videos and information.