Cricket Diary 2009 - Yorkshire take the field

Posted by Tony Hutton

Monday 6th April -Yorkshire county cricket club returned to England from their pre-season tour in the sunshine of Abu Dhabi to find good conditions for their first outing at home. They revisited the traditional home of pre-season games in the 1930s and 1940s at the spacious Leeds University ground at Weetwood for a two day game with Leeds Bradford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence.
This ground, now the home venue for Yorkshire Academy games, was in excellent condition and the Yorkshire opening pair of Andrew Gale and Chris Taylor took full advantage with an opening partnership of 276. Gale played with unusual restraint and was outscored by the fluent Taylor.
Gale retired on 113 and Taylor thinking he had reached 150 spooned a catch only to find he had 149.
Yorkshire declared on 401-5 and the following day the students struggled early on. being at one stage 75-5. However this announced the arrival at No. 7 of a young man called Bradley Kruger, born in South Africa, but who went to school in Northampton and has played for Northants 2nd XI. He started slowly but soon got the measure of the Yorkshire attack and proceeded to hit no less than 130, which included eleven fours and seven sixes, most of which disappeared into the far distance over long on.
Once he was out David Wainwright, the left arm spinner, finished off the tail just before the close and had commendable figures of 5-57. So a good two days of cricket with plenty of plus points for both sides.
The star of the show was undoubtedly young Mr Kruger and with a score of 94 not out the following day in a University practice match he looks as though he will have a bright future. He bowls a bit as well !