In 2025, Oakwell saw another boxing epic while there was a town rider in Tour de France plus national and global titles

JANUARY

Tennis coach Calvin Betton, from New Lodge, coached Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara to the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open.

Boxer Callum Simpson began what would be an eventful year with a stoppage win over Steed Woodall in Sheffield.

Footballer Bethany England, from Kingstone, became the first player to net against all 19 clubs who had played in the WSL at that point when she scored twice in Tottenham Hotspur’s win at Crystal Palace.

Barnsley cyclists Imogen Wolff and Jenson Young both won senior medals at the British Cyclocross Championships.

Imogen, the teenager from Silkstone Common, was third woman and Young, from Hemingfield, took team gold.

Runner Graihagh Turner, from Penistone, was third under 17 girl at the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships.

FEBRUARY

Sprinter Joe Ferguson, from Darton, became British indoor champion over 200m. It was his first national title.

Snooker greats like Graeme Dott, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White competed at the Welsh Open qualifiers at the Metrodome.

Cyclist Wolff finished in the top ten of her under 23 category representing Great Britain at the World Cyclocross Championships in France.

Boxer Simpson fought for the second time in a month, taking hundreds of fans down to Wembley arena at short notice for another stoppage victory.

Barnsley Karate Centre students Jodie Ward, Bradley Laughton and Kara Bond won golds at the EKF English Championships in Sheffield.

Charlotte Mincher, who was brought up in Canada to parents from Barnsley, represented Great Britain at the World Youth Biathlon Championships.

Runner Graihagh Turner finished third over 1,500m at the English Indoor Athletics Championships.

Dearne Valley RUFC won Yorkshire Division Four.

MARCH

Jaymyleigh Pettinger became Barnsley’s first ever female professional boxer as she and Jake Jon Cleary both gained points wins at the Metrodome.

Cory Sagar won his professional debut later in the month.

Cyclist Wolff gained her first professional stage win during the Vuelta a Extremadura in Spain.

Barnsley AC runner Naomi Drakeford set the new women’s course record at Retford Half Marathon.

Barnsley RUFC stayed up in Yorkshire Division Three.

APRIL

Imogen Wolff completed another of cycling’s classic ‘monument’ road races as she took on the Paris-Roubaix in France.

Barnsley RUFC’s women’s team stayed up in England’s second tier where they have played since 2018.

Taylor Bowen, from Bolton-upon-Dearne, won the world 50kg K1 kickboxing title.

MAY

Darren England, from Little Houghton, was the fourth official for the FA Cup final at Wembley as Crystal Palace beat Manchester City.

Barnsley Schoolboys under 15s became the first schools side from the town to win their league and cup double in back-to-back seasons.

Sprinter Joe Ferguson lead home Great Britain’s mixed team for a 4x100m bronze in the World Relay Championships in China.

He missed his usual season-opener, the Yorkshire Championships at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium in Cudworth, but there was a win for Barnsley Jonson Hughes, from Darfield, who was competing in the under 20s 3,000m.

Ice hockey player Alex Oldale, from Hoyland, signed for Sheffield Steelers from Manchester Storm.

JUNE

One of the biggest non-football events to ever take place in Barnsley saw Callum Simpson recover from two early knockdowns to beat Ivan Zucco and win the European super-middleweight title at Oakwell.

A crowd of roughly 15,000 watched the fight.

Meanwhile, Ben Davies enjoyed a winning return to the ring after almost eight years away.

The British Sumo Federation championships took place at Penistone Grammar School with Barnsley Sumo Club’s Alex Gent and George Young taking medals.

Cyclist Wolff finished third in the ‘youth classification’ and 13th overall in the Tour of Britain.

Eight rugby union players from Barnsley Ladies helped Yorkshire retain their County Championship title at Twickenham.

Sprinter Ferguson was selected for the European Team Championships in Madrid but had to pull out with an injury which would cut his season short.

Penistone Footpath Runner Graihagh Turner represented England in the under 18 age category at the Mountain Running Cup in Slovakia then finished as second under 19 girl at the Inter-Counties Championships.

1,846 people completed the Barnsley 10k as Luke Edwards, running for Barnsley Hospital Charity, won the event and Vicky Shaw was first woman.

JULY

Oliver Rowland became the Formula E champion for 2025, winning the title for the first time in his career.

The Penistone man, who started racing at Wombwell go-kart track, secured the title with two races to spare in Berlin.

He said: “Just thinking of the background I had and where I grew up, to make it in this crazy world of motorsport is a super good achievement.

“It’s amazing and I am really proud of where I come from.

“To put Barnsley on the map is something really cool.”

Stairfoot man Elliott Sanderson competed at the World Pool Championships in Saudi Arabia.

Runner Maya Schofield, 15, from Royston, took bronze over 800m in the English Schools Championships.

Barnsley Tennis Club’s women’s and mixed teams both won promotion to Division One of the Sheffield and District League.

AUGUST

Becky Moody, from Gunthwaite, and her horse Jagerbomb returned from representing Great Britain at the European Dressage Championships in France with a team silver.

Imogen Wolff was the youngest rider as she made her Tour de France debut.

She was praised for her contribution in helping Visma lease-a-bike team-mate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot win the event.

Another cyclist Damien Clayton, from Cawthorne, secured a podium position at the Wentworth Woodhouse Open which was the final race of British Cycling’s National Road Race series.

The rugby union season started with former Premiership player Ryan Burrows player/coach of hometown club Wath. They are in promotion contention in Yorkshire Division One.

SEPTEMBER

Tributes poured in from around the world after the death of Barnsley man and cricket umpire Dickie Bird.

Former Barnsley footballer Jon Parkin officially retired from cricket, saying ‘I’m cr*p’ despite scoring 133 in his last game for Darfield 2nd XI.

It was a good month for Hemingfield cyclist Jenson Young.

He won the first ever British Gravel Championships time-trial then, later in the month, he won the Yorkshire Three Peaks Cyclocross event.

Fellow cyclist Imogen Wolff competed in the World Championships in Rwanda.

Barnsley AC official Dave Bennett and Malcolm Fletcher were given long service awards from England Athletics after combined service of 97 years.

Rugby league clubs Dodworth Miners and Dearne Valley Bulldogs were both promoted within the Yorkshire League.

OCTOBER

Amateur boxer Sonny Boy Hughes, from Darfield, became England Boxing National Development Champion for the second time.

Runner Graihagh Turner finished second at the English Schools Fell Championships.

Barnsley cyclists Jenson Young, Mike Newton and Connor Newsome represented Great Britain at the season-closing UCI World Gravel Championships in the Netherlands.

NOVEMBER

Gravestone-maker Paul Walton, from Hoyland Common, won a walking football World Cup with England for a second time.

Boxers Cory Sagar and Jake Jon Cleary won at the Metrodome.

Cricketer Jake Weatherald, who had played for Barnsley Woolley Miners in 2022 and 2023, was selected for the Australian squad for this winter’s Ashes and made his debut in the first Test.

Swimmer Reece Thompson, from Great Houghton, won the 100m butterfly for his age group at the Swim England North East Regional Championship in Sheffield.

Wombwell’s Fight Team Boxing won 17 medals at the ICO World Championships in Swansea while The Combat Academy Barnsley enjoyed success at the ISKA World Kickboxing tournament in Australia.

DECEMBER

Callum Simpson lost his three belts at a show in Leeds live on BBC but fellow Barnsley boxers Jake Jon Cleary and Cory Sagar won on the undercard.

Oliver Rowland began his Formula E title defence with second place in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Runner Jonson Hughes, from Darfield, took a silver under 20 team medal on his Great Britain debut at the European Cross County Championships in Portugal.

LOCAL CRICKET

Barnsley Woolley Miners were relegated from the top flight of Yorkshire cricket for the first time in their history as they finished last.

The Shaw Laners will play in the Championship from next season and are targeting an immediate return.

Barnsley also saw their national record for ECB Premier League score beaten by neighbours Hoylandswaine who made 592 against Honley. There were two double hundreds and a century for former England player Samit Patel who was a regular in Swaine’s title-winning Huddersfield League season.

Barnsley and Hoylandswaine both won Sunday League titles.

Green Moor won the Billy Oates Memorial Trophy while Notton Challengers and Notton CC were both promoted in the Pontefract League.

Penistone’s women won their league while Worsbrough Bridge reached a Yorkshire final at Headingley.

LOCAL FOOTBALL

More than 1,500 people watched the NCEL Division One play-off final in April which saw Wombwell Town beat Dearne and District to go up.

Penistone Church lost on penalties in their NCEL League Cup semi-final at Knaresborough Town and finished in mid-table.

Town and Church are battling relegation from the Premier Division while Dearne and Worsbrough Bridge are in a Division One title race.

Wombwell Main won the County Senior League Cup final.

In the Sunday League finals at Oakwell, AFC Pogmoor beat The Cottage on penalties in the Hospital Cup Worsbrough United then won 5-0 against West Bretton in the Challenge Cup.

Athersley Rec won the Roy Parden Trophy and the Barnsley Sunday League Premier Division.

Mexborough Sunday League side Westville won five trophies – the Wath and West Melton Charity Cup, Mexborough Premier League and League Cup, Montagu Cup and Steve Venables Trophy.

Dearne and District’s women’s team won promotion in the Sheffield and Hallamshire League.