Solly and Scholes

Posted by Peter Davies

Amazing day at Wellhouse Lane, home of Mirfield Parish Cavaliers. Visitors Scholes needed to overhaul the home side's total of 222, but in so doing lose no more than six wickets. Otherwise they'd be relegated from the CYL Premier Division. And they did it - just! A seventh-wicket stand of 40-odd saved them, with nerves jangling aplenty on the boundary edge. The crowd was massive - around 150 - and this created a great atmosphere. The ground, anyway, is an atmopsheric one. You feel so close to the action - it's as if you're fielding at mid-wicket to every ball, even as a spectator.

As neutrals, we were pleased Scholes came out on top because we'd been sitting among the Scholes crew by the pavilion and the lookalike Jackson brothers were being very good companions. Two very nice guys. There were other VIPs in the crowd: Jack Carson, president of the HCCL, David Sykes of Moorlands, and Solly Adam, local sports goods tycoon. He sponsors the CYL so when he arrives at a game he can, frankly, do whatever he wants! He was doing a business deal on his mobile and then fielding a ball on the boundary edge that had been hit for four. As he quipped after throwing the ball back to the bowler: 'You never lose it!' My dad also fielded another ball that had been hit for four. Such a small ground - you're always in the game!

The food was sensational. Parish are will drilled when it comes to catering. They have good crowds and have a fine clubhouse, so the kitchen is a hive of activity. There always seems to be a very friendly couple, or some male-female combination, on duty. They take your order and then give you a shout 10 minutes later. Today was baguette day! I had cheese, my dad ham. And when the baguettes arrived they were gigantic - and took up almost all the space on my very large plate! Lots of salad accessories too. The ever-so-friendly tea lady also offered us three sweets each (ginger cake, cherry pie and toffee cake). Extraordinary.

Other interesting aspects of the afternoon? The fantastic electronic scoreboard that was glistening in the autumnal darkness; the number of Scholes fans cheering on their boys in this last-ditch away encounter; the Mirfield fielder on the boundary who (out loud to his mate watching the game) was bemoaning the fact that only a few of his teammates clapped when opposition batsmen reached their half-centuries; and the excellence of the Scholes pro's match-winning innings. At one point he was farming the bowling away from the no.8 batsman, and did this to great effect, with all fielders on the boundary for him - giving him a single - and the fielders up for the no.8. Can't remember the last time I saw this happening with only six wickets down. And finally, as a very kind last-match-of-the-season gesture, the hardworking Parish tea lady was offering free cookies and Twix-like chocolate fingers to all and sundry. A fine gesture.

NB. The final league tables showed that Scholes had, after all, been relegated! Very strange.