Thanks to Brian

Posted by John Winn

Earlier this season I was told that this would be the last Ampleforth College Festival but the matter had slipped from my mind until I read Brian's posting last night. Not having been before and knowing that this was a favourite venue of many pcws I hastily made plans this morning to drive the twenty miles from home ,by a really pretty route through the Hambledon Hills, and arrived just as the first innings of today's four games were coming to an end. The setting is indeed magnificent and the sun shone on the idyllic scene.
The key games today, the last day of the under 15 competition, were between Durham and Essex and Yorkshire and Cardiff/Glamorgan. Yorkshire's hopes of winning the title depended on them beating the youngsters from South Wales and hoping that Durham would beat Essex.In the end Essex won a low scoring game by three wickets and Yorkshire's comfortable victory was to no avail.
There were goodly number of spectators watching each game, mostly very committed parents, and it is sad that such an important competition in such a lovely setting should come to an end. Thanks to Brian I was there for the last rites.One little thing that intrigued me was that I was able to keep the Yorkshire players waiting to bat up to date with the score from Trent Bridge. Every bulletin I announced was met with the same question, 'How many has Tendulkar got'? If they were hoping that he might get his elusive one hundredth international century then of course they were to be disappointed. Call me old fashioned but I just wanted him to be out.