A case of Mistaken Identity

Posted by Tony Hutton

First an apology. After missing him at the first match of the season at New Rover, I eventually caught up with our new blogger, John Winn, at Weetwood on Monday.

The information I had been given about him being an umpire from the wrong side of the Pennines proved totally unfounded. Such a person does exist but I still do not know his name. I had in fact met John some time ago on a train journey back from Chester le Street to York, when he told me he had been to the Pennine Cricket Conference at Huddersfield the year before.

So John was a welcome addition to the bevy of professional cricket watchers in attendance on a cold, sometimes windy, sometimes wet day at Weetwood between the University teams of Leeds/Bradford and Loughborough. Unfortunately the cricket was very slow, with a bowler friendly wicket not helping the batsman. As Brian Sanderson has described Loughborough took the points, deservedly so with at least seven newcomers in their side this season.

They also won the one day game between the teams on Saturday in much warmer conditions, bowling out Leeds/Bradford for only 105, with left arm spinner Ravi Patel from Middlesex taking 5-12. Extras amazingly top scoring with 42. Quite a few four wides.

Loughborough also struggled in reply and at one stage were 46-6, with Wilson taking three wickets. Enter No 8, Oliver Wilkin, who laid about the bowling with eight fours and a six in an innings of 44 to help Loughborough home by only three wickets and after three very good appeals had been turned down.

The two day game on Sunday and Monday proved equally bowler friendly, Loughborough recovering from 47-5 and then 116-7 to a final total of 227 which proved a winning score. It was slow going on both days and the match winning innings was by the patient Nitesh Patel, this one from Worcestershire, who scored a splendid 126 in five hours and twenty minutes. A real marathon effort.

News of Yorkshire's great victory at Worcester on Sunday filtered through during the day so a welcome start for them as we look forward to Durham's visit to Headingley which starts on Thursday.