Hello 👋
Built in the early 1990’s by Tay Homes (Northern) Ltd., The Cricketers apartments were originally named ‘Cricketers’ Way’, however, this was changed during construction. The reasons behind the name change were slightly unclear, but at the time it was thought that Royal Mail had expressed concerns of a similar address name already existing within the Leeds area.
The Cricketers apartments, some with spectacular views stretching as far as Ilkley Moor, then had a purchase price of £49,995 and a non-returnable deposit of £200, (which went towards the purchase price), reserved your plot. These popular 2-bedroom apartments were then sold on-site by a lovely lady named Julie. The price included a fitted Symphony kitchen, a bathroom, a Zanussi WDT1085 washer dryer and a mouse 
Notable events at the same time the apartments were being built were: the first ever UK National Lottery draw took place, the Channel Tunnel officially opened, BBC1 television broadcast the first episode of The Vicar of Dibley, the pop band The Spice Girls were formed, The Lion King (the original and the best version!) was in the cinemas and the chav-band, East 17, secured the Christmas number one slot with Stay Another Day. The old Leeds area code, 0532, was to be used for the last time. It changed to 0113 the following year when construction at the development ended.
Unsurprisingly, yet unknown to many residents, the apartment blocks were named after famous Cricketers. Starting with the ‘Headingley end’, the blocks are named: The Appleyard (Bob Appleyard), The Hutton (Len Hutton), The Illingworth (Ray Illingworth), The Hirst (George Hirst), The Wardle (Johnny Wardle), The Yardley (Norman Yardley), The Rhodes (Wilfred Rhodes), The Sutcliffe (Herbert Sutcliffe), The Trueman (Fred Trueman) and the block at the ‘Kirkstall end’ is also named, The Illingworth.
Plots 1 – 6 were the first apartments to be constructed at the side of the old Salvation Army Hall (now Willow House). The original Show Home was Plot 4 (77, The Cricketers). The original sales office location was a portacabin at the top off the Kirkstall Lane footpath steps. The Show Home was later relocated to Plot 40 (1, The Cricketers) and the entrance to the undercover car parking spaces for Plots 40 & 41 (1 & 5 The Cricketers) were bricked-over and a new sales office was constructed within.
The ‘Cricketers’ Way’ brochure trumpeted an electrically operated door porter system (that’s ‘a buzzer’, to me and you), Regency 6-panelled internal doors with brass furniture (doors with knobs) and a shaver socket (… a shaver socket). Oh, the luxury!
During construction, the development was a very friendly place to reside and you were never far away from a new friend and neighbour… oh, and the odd glass of alcohol! In the summer of 1995, construction had all but ended and only a handful of apartments remained to be sold. A huge barbecue was organised and held on a strip of grass behind the flats for all the new residents.
Conveniently, Plot 10 had not yet been purchased (63, The Cricketers), and so, with its freshly painted magnolia walls, bare concrete floor and patio door access, it was, somewhat apprehensively, authorised by Julie as the place to provide amenities for the outdoor feast – electricity for the stereo system, shade from the mid-summer sun… and a bathroom in which to hurl back that undercooked sausage, nonchalantly handed to you earlier by your new neighbour.
It’s hard to imagine but 30 years ago this quiet corner of The Cricketers was host to a truly unforgettable mid-summer evening barbeque, with many of the original home owners turning up and charging through the patio doors of a not-yet-sold apartment, doing the conga!
The Cricketers remains as desirable today as it was then, with its local parks, pubs, shopping areas, excellent commuter links and sports venues. This website aims to provide residents old and new with a friendly online community and resource. It’s all free (privately funded and maintained), with no annoying adverts or popups!
A small business card is occasionally posted through all mail boxes and this will enable you to view some pages on the website which are password-protected. You can also register a free account which is required should you want to view, or post to the message boards. If you do not have this card, you can get a new one from here.
Welcome to The Cricketers Residential Website 🙂