Two Sams mash Masham.

Posted by John Winn

Friday's heavy storms caused me, like Brian, to rethink my plans for yesterday's outing. I had intended to head north to the fringes of the North Yorks Moors National Park covering clubs in three different leagues but that can wait until conditions are more settled.Instead I decided to stay very close to home and spend the afternoon at Ouseburn CC where the first team were entertaining Masham. The ground had had a good soaking on Friday and there had been seepage under the covers but play started on time and when I arrived the league leaders were struggling at 22 for 3, a situation which appeared more dire when I heard that top all rounder Olly Uffindall was absent from the team.
In the next two hours however, OCC lost only one wicket while adding 249 runs. A fourth wicket partnership of 96 between Chris Morrison and Sam Dale set the recovery well under way and when Morrison was out the two Sams (Dale and Parker) picked up their muskets and blasted some ragged Masham bowling to all parts, chiefly the neighbouring corn field.In Masham's defence they were short of three regulars but the later bowling could not contain the big hitting and even with nine men on the boundary the spate of runs could not be staunched.
272 was always likely to be too many for a Masham side containing three juniors and so it proved but an obdurate second wicket stand of 69 between Andrew and Adam Smith gave the visitors a chance of a losing draw and it was not until the 44th over that the last wicket fell.
Tomorrow is one of those extra special days in the pcw calendar, cricket at Scarborough,and Yorkshire face the only team they have beaten in championship cricket this season, Worcestershire, in what, if a ridculous football expression is adapted, is a forty eight pointer. Those Yorkshire members who welcome Rudolph's return, and judging by conversations at the U17 game last week not all do, will regret that his second coming does not start until next week.The forecast is good and I am to be chauffered by my friend John Gawthrope, roll on!