Deja Vu all over again

Posted by Tony Hutton

As if Friday's debacle was not enough, today Yorkshire cricket must have reached an all time low with defeat by the Netherlands by two runs in their first CB40 fixture of the season.

Indeed the sporting reputation of Leeds lies in tatters, as the rugby union side, Leeds Carnegie, were heavily beaten by Harlequins on one side of the Headingley stand, while Yorkshire were struggling on the other. Add to that Leeds United slipping out of the play off promotion spots and Leeds Rhinos struggling in Super League and the sporting punters of Leeds must be in despair.

Many readers will be well aware of my aversion to coloured clothing cricket, so it may come as a surprise to some that I was present at Headingley today. However the added inducement of a free ticket for the rugby persuaded me - but not for long !

Yorkshire seemed well in control early on so I watched most of the first half of the rugby, but as this seemed similarly one sided, I returned to the cricket with Holland on 112-7 and seemingly out of it. However, a fine fifty by Australian Shane Mott, batting at number eight, and some poor bowling and ragged fielding towards the end of the innings gave Holland a respectable 190-8 in their 40 overs.

Most people thought that Yorkshire would still win, as they did on Friday, but something told me it might all go wrong again. I did not like the atmosphere or the coloured clothing so set off just up the road, where I knew something more agreeable (to me) was going on.

St Chad's of the Wetherby League were playing Kirk Deighton, in the preliminary round of the Fred Fleetwood Cup, at their pleasant village green type ground in Far Headingley in front of the church. The sun was still shining brightly, there was no wind, the birds were singing and the church clock was striking the quarter hours.
This was so much more pleasant than Headingley and the cricket wasn't bad either.

Finding Mick Bourne in situ, I gathered that St Chads had scored 232 in their forty overs and that Kirk Deighton had set off well in pursuit. Runs began to come thick and fast on this small, fast-scoring ground. I decided to go home for my tea, only to find on teletext that Yorkshire were 27-5 !

I managed to avoid choking on my simnel cake and all vague thoughts of returning for the finish went out of the window. Instead I went back to St Chads for a rousing finish with Kirk Deighton on 190-6 requiring 43 to win off seven overs. St Chads went on the defensive with nine men ringing the boundary to stop the fours. The tactic worked as wickets began to fall, 200-8 with four overs left and soon afterwards 204 all out and a good win for the home side.

Returning home again, hardly daring to look at teletext, I eventually plucked up enough courage and there it was Holland had won by two runs ! All six of Yorkshire's top order batsmen had failed to get double figures. Rich Pyrah, again, was the hero with 69, Adil Rashid 42 not out and then Ryan Sidebottom, the man for a crisis, hit a rapid 29 until he was run out off the last ball of the match.

Having sat through Friday's events with three octogenerian friends, who all threatened to have heart attacks at some stage, I wonder how many of today's spectators were at risk. All one can say is that cricket at Headingley has suddenly
found an added ingrediant, tales of the unexpected, but all going in the wrong direction.