Denholme Clough hope they have emerged into calmer waters after suffering a stormy two seasons, with the period immediately before the Christmas just gone being particularly choppy.

The Towergate Halifax League club had to survive two major votes, the first of which was re-election at the league’s annual meeting in November at Pellon Social Club.

Having admitted internal problems, they only survived by a margin of 15-14.

Then the club’s committee called an extraordinary general meeting to disband the club, whose first team finished bottom of the league’s lowest division (Roy Wynne).

However, disbandment was rejected 15-5 and now the club, who are financially sound but need more players for the forthcoming season, have formed a new committee.

The club’s new chairman Alan Parkinson, who was formerly president of the Bradford Central League, admitted his club’s recent past has been “a bit of a strange story”.

He said: “It all began when Jim Holland, our first-team captain, disappeared halfway through the 2011 season.

“Donald Sutcliffe didn’t want to carry on as club chairman but I was busy with Skipton Little Theatre, who had to raise funds for a new roof, so I took a back-seat cricket-wise.

“I was second-team captain in 2011 and Mo Yousaf wanted to be first-team captain for 2012 but so did Jim Holland, who had re-appeared.

“The committee decided that Jim would be first-team captain and that Brett Wilcox would be second-team captain, with first-team scorer Jemma Patchett being treasurer and her brother Simon club secretary.

“It was then decided that Mo would be second-team captain but that didn’t make any sense because he had scored 800 runs for the first team in 2011.

“We had a better second team than a first team (the first team were bottom of the lowest section in 2012 but the second team won promotion as runners-up in the Terry Wynne Second Division).

“Jim Holland had disappeared again during last season, and Donald Sutcliffe took over again as club chairman.

“We survived the league’s re-election vote 15-14 and then there was an extraordinary meeting to disband the club, which was voted down 15-5.

“There was then another club meeting in early December where Mo replaced Simon as club secretary and former Bradford Central League treasurer Syd Craven, who is a safe pair of hands, took over as treasurer.

“We have money from advertising banners around the ground and we are financially secure but we do need some players for next season.”

Interested players should contact Parkinson on 01274-491710 or 07527-685839.