The Cricketers Arms was today awarded the title of "Best Bishop Auckland Constituency Pub" by local Member of Parliament Dehenna Davison, retaining the crown it won during the MP's inaugural competition in 2021. Dehenna Davison visited the Barnard Castle pub this afternoon to present landlord Tom Whipham and his team with a certificate for winning the hard-fought competition she ran earlier this month.
This year’s competition was held to recognize outstanding pubs in the area, who have emerged from a difficult few years as a result of the pandemic and high energy prices. Following nominations from residents, constituents were asked to vote for their favourite of the five most popular pubs in the area. A fierce battle then commenced over the course of a week, as only eight votes separated the top four after five hundred votes. The Cricketers Arms then began to pull away, before it sealed the crown after seven days with over 1,100 votes cast.
This is the second time that The Cricketers’ Arms have won the title, having began their reign during the inaugural “Best Bishop Auckland Constituency Pub Competition” in 2021. To retain first place, they had to beat the four other most-nominated pubs in the constituency: the Cross Keys in Hamsterley; the Ship Inn in Middlestone; the Manor in Henknowle and the Green Tree in Bishop Auckland.
Dehenna Davison MP said: “The Cricketers Arms is more than deserving of this title. I have had a few pints there during my time, and there has never been a dull moment. The atmosphere is always bustling, the interior is homely, and the entertainment is top-notch.
Clearly, Tom (Whipham) and his staff have built up a loyal following of punters over the years who came out in their droves to show their support. Today is a testament to all of their hard work in keeping customers happy.
I also want to thank all the nominated and shortlisted pubs for getting involved in the competition. My hope was to bring a bit more exposure to our local pubs, so fingers crossed they’ll see a few new faces coming through their doors!”
Landlord Tom Whipham added “We are absolutely over the moon to win best pub again. We love what we do and we love all of our customers.
Winning this award again tells us you all love it too, so thank you so much.”
The Cricketers Arms is located on Galgate in Barnard Castle. It is open seven days a week, from 5-11:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, then 12pm-12am from Wednesdays until Sundays. Quiz nights are held every Wednesdays, karaoke night begins at 8pm every Saturday, whilst live sport is shown throughout the week.
