Euro champions

Farsley Cricket Club achieved their own bit of European glory last weekend with a resounding championship final victory in Vienna's magnificent Indoor Sports Arena over another English side - Durham University.

The Bradford League side - last season's UK indoor champions - overcame 14 hours of delayed and wearisome air and land travel, a good deal of lost cricket kit and baggage along the way, and final opponents who included six contracted County cricketers to lift the Vienna Winter Indoor cricket championship in quite magnificent style in the Austrian capital city.

Farsley won their invitation to take part by beating Sussex League side Brighton in the 1999 Lords indoor final. Eight teams, split into two groups of four. Skipper John Goldthorp, almost a veteran of the indoor game these days, was first with the news that the invited Durham University side had a full complement of contracted English County cricketers which meant, straight away, that the competition was one to be taken very seriously.

The Farsley seven - Goldthorp, Mathew Doidge, Richard Gould, Richard Allinson, Mathew Barnes, Terry Staniforth and Stephen Brown knew this was not going to be just a weekend holiday. Hosts Vienna CC were overcome in the first of their group matches. They then faced Durham University, County cricketers et al! Farsley's own talented six were beaten, however, although putting up a good fight against some very experienced opponents, and the defeat looked ominous for Farsley's exit from the competition as the two groups of four finalists strove for the coveted title.

Goldthorp marshalled his troops in fine style, however, to then overcome Czech club champions Prague and the victory then pitted the Bradford Leaguers against another English side, Durham College, in the two teams' Group play-off semi-final. Another excellent team performance saw off the College side and the final beckoned, and a chance for some sweet revenge - against the 'professional' Durham University six.

Goldthorpand Doidge's splendid batting then laid the foundations for an excellent 10 overs total of 143-4, Durham's five bowlers all taking a bit of stick from the talented duo who were both in fine form. In Durham's reply some excellent ground fielding and tight bowling - particularly from Terry Staniforth - saw the University lads crumble under the pressure to 93 all out, leaving Farsley the winners by 50 runs in a splendidly organised and well run competition.

A little jog around the arena by president David Storr brought back memories of Nobby Stiles' Wembley jog of 1966, to those who can remember those long gone days.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.