The Varsity cricket scene

Posted by Tony Hutton

Friday 29th April - Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Oxford MCCU (Weetwood) Leeds

Following some excellent stories from Brian Sanderson and John Winn, I feel I have some catching up to do !

This one day BUCS championship game was the start of a long weekend at Weetwood, as the one day game was followed by a two day game in the Universities Championship.
The weather throughout the three days was sunny but dominated by the very strong easterly wind. Weetwood is never the most welcoming place for spectators and the few hardy people there today all sheltered under the pavilion as best they could.

University scorer and editor of the splendid county 2nd XI annual, Howard Clayton, had informed me of last Sunday's BUCS game between Southampton Solent and Leeds/Bradford which had ended in a tie - 271-8 for each side. Leeds/Bradford captain Rick Moore was the hero with 104 not out from 105 deliveries, including two fours off the very last two balls of the match.

So the scene was set for another epic, but sadly it did not turn out that way.
The home side were dismissed for 199, with no one able to make more than thirty odd.
Moore 34, Kruger 35 and the new Bradford League star Ghany with 31. Best bowlers for Oxford were skipper Young with 3-22 from eight overs of spin and former Yorkshire Academy boy Dean Conway with 2-31.

Oxford lost two early batsmen for ducks, both to Ghany, before captain Young, with the top score of 50 and wicket keeper Stebbings with 36, steadied the ship and at 153-5 Oxford looked favourites. However, the tail collapsed against the pace of Wilson and the leg spin of Craddock, who both finished with three wickets and Oxford were all out for 177, leaving the home side winners by 22 runs.

Saturday April 30th and Sunday 1st May - Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Oxford MCCU

This two day match proved very eventful indeed and kept the small, dedicated band of supporters from the simultaneous hazards of sunburn from the hot sun and frostbite from the bitterly cold wind. Some of the conversations going on would have been very puzzling for the educated southerners from Oxford - a real gathering of northern
eccentrics keeping them entertained.

The game started in sensational fashion and after only an hour's play on the stroke of noon, the home side were 37-7. At this point a puzzled gentleman from Keighley arrived expecting to see Yorkshire Academy v Appleby Frodingham in the Yorkshire League as advertised at the start of the season. It took some time to explain to him that this was in fact a University match which had started at 11 a.m. and yes the score really was 37-7.

On the stroke of lunch, Leeds/Bradford were all out for only 47 - captain Moore top scoring with only 12. The wicket was obviously not the best, although only a few balls appeared to keep low, but the windy conditions did not help either batsmen or bowlers. The four lbw decision were obviously not popular (when are they ever), but some poor batting aided by a bad run out all contributed to a very poor display. The opening bowlers Sharma with 5-16 and Higham 3-27 did most of the damage.

Oxford soon lost two early wickets to Painter, but then the bowling hero Sharma, came
good with the bat and top scored with 32, before he was brilliantly run out, also by Painter. Joe Leach, the Shrewsbury schoolboy, who has played for Worcester 2nd XI, then destroyed the middle order with a fine spell of 5-30 and Oxford in turn were all out for 99.

So still day one and Leeds/Bradford were batting again. The wickets continued to fall and soon they were 23-3 before Burge (40) and Leach (41) put together a stand of 74. Once they had gone there was little resistance, until the following morning when the last pair proved surprisingly stubborn. Painter with ten not out and last man Craddock with 25, including five fours, added 37 before a controversial run out ended the innings for 159. In trying to regain his crease at the non-strikers end, Craddock collided with the bowler and was lying on the floor when the wicket was broken.

The end result was that Oxford required only 108 to win. This took the game into the afternoon session on Sunday and despite three more lbw decisions, which took the total for the match to thirteen, Oxford got home by six wickets. Stebbings top scored with 38.

So unusually for games in this two day format the game went well into the fourth innings, whereas most games are decided just on first innings. Full marks to the hardy band of spectators who braved the weather to stay with this fascinating game, especially the gentleman who sat at the far end of the ground, entirely on his own, in probably the coldest place. He scored throughout and hardly seemed to leave his seat, prompting speculation that he was frozen to it !