Staying close to home

posted by John Winn

Another day of cloudy skies, drizzle and single figure temperatures, Celsius that is but it might just have well as been Farenheit, persuaded me that even my plan to seesome Wetherby League cricket (the same plan as I had had on the first Saturday of the league season), might be foolhardy so I paid my first visit of the season to my local club, Ouseburn CC for their local derby match with their opponents from 'over the water' (the River Ure), Alne CC.
I arrived to see captains, umpires and groundsman all pondering the wicket in the way that suggested some were keener than others that play should commence. After a while they returned to the pavilion to announce they would wait an hour and look again. With not a glimmer of sunshine and little in the way of a drying wind it seemed unlikely that the delay would make much difference but when the cabal reconvened after more deliberation it was decided that a thirty over game could be played with a three thirty start.
Despite the early loss of Sam Dale, Ouseburn's second wicket pair of Pete Townsend and Sam Parker soon had the score rattling along and on several occasions the ball had to be retrieved from the nearby field of rape.The partnership was worth 117 when Townsend was out for 55 but Parker continued the fast scoring until he fell for 91. He was followed by his brother Tom who went to the other extreme and was bowled first ball.
 Nevertheless a score of 177 for 4 at the conclusion of the 30 overs looked more than useful and so it proved  with Alne falling 38 short and losing six wickets. Three of these went to Sam Dale offering consolation for his low score with the bat. So a first win and 5 points for Ouseburn: next week they travel to Blubberhouses, who had a convincing win over Goldsborough yesterday, a win that will keep them near the top of the table, possibly even top depending on other results yesterday.