Custard Delight

Saturday 4 September Part 1

Posted by Peter Davies

After some time in hospital, so wonderful to be back on the trail of league cricket on the first Saturday in September. I hadn't watched a ball bowled since early August, so it was strange, but also fantastic, to be back.

But first up a schoolboy error. We popped down to Denby Dale - one of our big favourites - but as tends to happen each and every September we remembered too late that the HCCL swap to Sunday fixtures because of the football season, so we were fed a blank as we journeyed up Wakefield Road. We were disappointed.

So we hastily hit Skelmanthorpe instead, which was due to be our second port of call. Now it was our first.

Skelmanthorpe is probably by favourite 'big' ground on account of the handsome playing area, comfy benches all around the boundary and general air of classiness around the place. The club is so obviously well run and this is reflected in the teas, need I say more. Today, some lovely ham and egg sandwiches with salad accessories.

And Dad was having kittens over the dessert - custard and cake, and he reckons it was a magic Birds custard that made it! So I encouraged him to laud the club chairman Margaret Dollive - and he did this with Margaret very pleased to receive the custard accolade.

We arrived in mid-afternoon and stayed till after tea. I benefited hugely from the fresh air and it was genuinely very good to be on a boundary edge again. I bumped into Riaz Iqbal, a guy I used to play cricket with at YMCA CC in Huddersfield. He's now a newsagent in Skelmanthorpe but still retains his links at the YMCA as was - now Birkby Rosehill CC, I believe.

I had two cups of tea and a quick watch of Soccer Saturday on the pavilion TV.