STAYLEY Cricket Club is looking to Lord it once again after reaching the home of cricket.
For the Millbrook-based side is back in the Cawston Press Village Cup after it reached the final of in memorable scenes.
Foxton Granta, of Cambridgeshire, walked away with the trophy but the day in London, which The Correspondent followed, will live long in the memory.
Now Stayley will face an away trip at the first hurdle as they seek an immediate return.
Having been promoted to the Greater Manchester Cricket League’s Championship division, they have been handed a bye in the tournament’s first round and could face Edgworth, who play in the GMCL’s Premier League, in round two.
That depends on their potential opponents beating Tarleton, who play in Division One of Lancashire’s Palace Shield competition, in the first round.
Stayley made their maiden final appearance at Lord’s in September, just four years after their first entered the Village Cup, losing to the defending champions in September.
However, their story appears to have inspired an influx of new entrants from across the country, leading to a modern-day record of 403 clubs participating in the 2026 tournament.
The raft of new entrants gave organisers the opportunity to review the structure of the tournament’s early rounds, with the aim of the revised structure reducing potential travel times for away sides in the early part of the season, as well as evening up the number of teams in each group.
As a result, Stayley have been placed in the newly created South Lancashire and North Cheshire group, along with fellow Tameside club Broadbottom.
They face an away trip to Pendle Forest in round one on Sunday, April 26. Second round fixtures are due to take place a fortnight later.