Stones Cricket Club, Ripponden, was formed through the local Wesleyan chapel. The clubs first ground was situated in a field opposite the church. This can still be identified today, as a ledge where the wicket was levelled remains visible. A number of other local teams were members of the Halifax and District Amateur League in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Barkisland, Zion, Soyland Town,
Rishworth and Ripponden Conservative Club. In the early days, Stones fielded a side made up exclusively of cricketers with the surname "Whiteley'! Like many other local cricket clubs, Stones were affected by the Great War and closed down due to the dislocation. The club moved to Swift Cross in the immediate post-war period. Up until 1924 the Swift Cross ground was rented. The opportunity then came to buy the ground for £100. Four club members acted as trustees, providing £25 each. The ground was bought from J.R. Whiteley at Great House. In the 1920s and 1930s Swift Cross was not just the site of a cricket ground; there was also a putting green and a set of tennis courts. Some time in the 1930s the club changed its name from Stones Wesleyans to Stones Methodists. Given that the club is now known simply as "Stones', this means that it has had three different incarnations!. In the 1930s members erected a small tea hut near where the scorebox stands today. The club had brought the construction all the way from The Shay football stadium in the middle of Halifax. In 1938 and 1954 Stones bagged the prestigious Halifax Parish Cup - an amazing achievement for a small village side. A new pavilion was opened in 1971. In 1995 the building was extended and refurbished - the whole project costing £25,000. More recently the club have extended the pavilion which has doubled the clubhouse in size.
