Braveheart to no avail

Learning yesterday morning that York's Kingfisher Cup match with Ockbrook and Borrowash had been postponed I phoned Woodhouse Grange and was delighted to hear that their Village KO game with Freuchie CC from Scotland was going ahead. From home it is about 40 minutes drive to Sutton on Derwent in the East Riding where just outside the village Woodhouse play their games.
I arrived just in time to see the first over bowled. Given that Woodhouse had travelled to the Kingdom of Fife the previous weekend only for a waterlogged outfield to cause the game to be abandoned both teams must have been very anxious to play this match and avoid a decision by bowl out or toss of a coin. The wicket was firm and dry but the outfield was very soft underfoot and any rain would have spelt the end of proceedings. As it was we had a sunny, and at times warm, afternoon and I pitched camp next to a number of Freuchie supporters who had made the 250 mile trip south.

Both these teams are past winners of the cup, this year sponsored by Yorkshire Tea. With such a pedigree a tight match was anticipated but it was not to be.

Freuchie had been invited to take first knock and they made a solid opening but could not get the run rate above three. Woodhouse's tight bowling was supported by excellent fielding and when the first wicket fell at 39 twelve overs had been used. Good looking shots continued to find the fielders, a second wicket fell as the result of a smart run out and with the score at 88 top scorer Birrell was dismissed for 37 which had taken him 77 balls. Freuchie's last eight batsmen mustered only 26 between them and when the forty overs were up the last pair were at the crease and the total was just 117. The verdict of the Freuchie supporter standing near me ( and I don't believe he ever sat down) was that this was rubbish, an opinion that he had relayed back to Fife by telephone at regular intervals.

Woodhouse's splendidly appointed clubhouse provided excellent hospitality and Freuchie emerged refreshed and clearly still believing that the game and a place in the next round was still a possibility. Their aggressive intent  was expressed fortissimo but openers Bilton and Hadfield held firm against the pace attack until Bilton was caught one handed on the boundary from a shot that would have gone for six. Hadfield never looked in any trouble and one felt that if he stayed then victory was just a matter of time. This he did and with only one more wicket lost Woodhouse got home with seven overs to spare and Hadfield 60 not out.

Freuchie's supporters felt they had been beaten by a better team but that in part their recent lack of cricket and surfeit of rain had left them 'rusty'. No pun intended?

Woodhouse's reward is a home tie against York League rivals Sessay, another former winner of the competition. This will be played on Sunday. Only one other game was possible in the competition yesterday and this resulted in victory for Water Orton CC over Carew.

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In the Kingfisher Cup the weather again pretty well washed out the afternoon. Saddleworth League club Bamford Fieldhouse  were victors over Ormskirk by seven wickets in the only match played and this fixture only survived via a switch to Ormskirk. The Rochdale based outfit boast two test players in their team Chris Schofield and Warren Hegg, former team mates at Old Trafford.