"BACK then, you couldn't comprehend this. It's a dream come true."

Back then is one Sunday in 1949 when three bored farmers' kids plucked up the courage to ask a nearby landowner if they could transform a grazing field into a cricket pitch.

It is a far cry from Lord's - Sunday's venue for the npower National Village Cup final.

The gap between the two is the stuff of legends, or, to quote the man who has seen it all unfold: "It's a fairytale."

Sheriff Hutton Bridge president Roy Piercy was 12-years-old when and he and pals John and Gordon Pollock banged on the door of cricket nut Jim Rhodes' house to ask if they could use one of his fields.

He said: "There were horses and cows and whatever else knocking about. But we managed to carry a few buckets of water over, poured the water in the middle of the field and then rolled it into a wicket.

"A short while later, all the farmers were in foal and we created our first team.

"It's just gone from strength to strength from there."

That seed of cheek has grown into something pretty special at the two-farm hamlet in between Strensall and Sheriff Hutton, and Piercy, now 68, attributes the gritty attitude to its gritty start.

He said: "Looking back, this club has gathered strength over the years and a lot of that is what our first captain and late president Jim Rhodes, who owned the ground, instilled in us.

"He was so passionate about his cricket. We were expected to sacrifice holidays and we were more or less all farmers and were often expected to abandon our crops to play cricket.

"That sort of set the tone for how the club has gone.

Where now stands a purpose-built bar, which was last weekend used to host a cup final, there used to be, well, not much.

"Our first 'pavilion' was a stack sheet hung from a willow tree in the corner. We went from there to an old West Yorkshire bus.

"As the club's progressed, we have certainly improved it year by year which hasn't been done without a lot of hard work from a lot of people like Mike Oldfield and the committee."

A medium-pace opening bowler in his day, Piercy instilled fear into opposition batsmen and held the club record of 10-9 for 36 years.

But his biggest achievement came in a cup competition.

"Probably the achievement I consider the best though happened in August 1957 when the club won the Major Walker Cup for the first time in Malton when it was seen as a cup for strong clubs only. In that final I took 8-45.

"During the 50s I think we were certainly the envy of most other clubs. I think one season, possibly '56 or '57, we won seven local cups, and that has continued through the years."

While many of the 600 cricketers who have graced the SHB field have gone - some forever - they will certainly not be forgotten when the current generation flies the flag at Lord's against Kent League side Eynsford on Sunday.

"It's going to be very emotional," said Piercy. "When I reflect back over the 50-60 years and think about the humble beginnings of the club and how it's progressed, you're just sorry that some of the old players can't be there to enjoy the day.

"I shall certainly pause for a moment to reflect on how proud they would all be."

Updated: 11:16 Friday, August 26, 2005