SEPTEMBER FIXTURES

By Brian Sanderson,

1 SEPTEMBER  YORKSHIRE SECONDS  V NOTTINGHAM  HARROGATE  3 DAYS

                          LANCASHIRE  V YORKSHIRE  OLD TRAFFORD  3DAYS

2  SEPTEMBER LANCS SECONDS  V  SCOTLAND  BLACKPOOL  3 DAYS

6 SEPTEMBER  CLEETHORPES   V  ACADEMY

7 SEPTEMBER  ACADEMY  V  CASTLEFORD  SEMIFINAL
                           ELSCAR   V  YORK  HANGING HEATON
9 SEPTEMBER   NOTTINGHAM  V  YORKSHIRE  TRENT BRIDGE  4 DAYS

10 SEPTEMBER YORKSHIRE SECONDS  V  LANCASHIRE  HEADINGLEY  3DAYS

13 SEPTEMBER  ACADEMY  V  HARROGATE 

                             FINAL MATCHES  BRADFORD AND HARROGATE LEAGUE

15  SEPTEMBER  NOTTS  V  SUSSEX  TRENT BRIDGE  FOUR DAYS

                             DURHAM  V  NORTHANTS    DURHAM  4 DAYS

20 SEPTEMBER  FINAL  NIDDERDALE FIXTURES

23 SEPTEMBER  YORKSHIRE  V  SOMERSET  HEADINGLEY  FOUR DAYS

27 SEPTEMBER  ARTHINGTON FESTIVAL

28 SEPTEMBER MICK BOURNE MATCH ARTHINGTON  PLEASE COME.

ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND WEATHER.

ENJOY

TWO HOURS IN THE SUN

By Brian Sanderson,

I just had chance to watch  some  cricket at Follifoot who were established in 1846. The ground is situated in Rudding Park and surrounded by trees which is a beautiful sight however the Harrogate bypass runs next to the ground and it sounds like a race track.

Today was a beautiful afternoon and the home side were playing North Leeds Thirds in the Conference A in the Airedale and Wharfedale third teams who play on a Sunday.There are  eight sides in this Conference and 6 in Conference B.There is one match to play and then there is a Championship play off between the two Conferences and that is on 14 September.North Leeds are the lenders of this Conference  so will go through to the final. Looking at the table Bilton have been deducted 20 for not fulfilling a fixture,Knaresborough been deducted 17 for not fulfilling a fixture and 2 points for fielding a short team.Collingham have been deducted 37 points for the full house ie Not fulfilling a fixture, fielding an ineligable player and fielding a short team.

Cnference B Thackley have been deducted forty points for failing to fulfill two fixtures.

When I arrived the home side were batting but lost two wickets in two balls and finished on 138 and so tea was taken which allowed me to see some old photographs which were placed on a table which the players used as a mat.One of the photographs was a team in 1946.

Looking at the names of the players I noticed the name of Radcliffe.Looking at Tony Woodhouse book on Yorkshire players it does mention that the Radcliife lived in Rudding Park until it was sold in 1972.The club wish to purchase a electric scoreboard and one way they are trying to obtain the money is by selling bulbs which seemed a novel idea. The total cost would be £4,500  and if you go to their website you can see other ways to help the club.

One of the crowd was Ian Chappell , the newly retires Chief Executive of the YCB and the author of the history of North Leeds Club.When I left with twenty overs to bowl North Leeds required 60 runs and seven wickets in hand so should win the match.

 
I was luck enough to take a Tony Hutton estate agent photograph of the ground. Tomorrow to Harrogate to see Yorkshire Seconds and to see my sister.

An urgent appeal

posted by John Winn

I have been asked to post this appeal from Mick Bourne's daughter on the blog.

  

I just wondered if you could mention to anyone else that would like to contribute towards my dad's bench if they could try to do so in the next couple of weeks. At the moment only 5 people, including yourself and Brian Sanderson, have contributed and I have to pay the whole amount in 3 weeks and will need to pay the £1000 we need myself.  I am happy to take cheques or if they want to give you (Tony Hutton)  cash to give to me on the match day. Hate chasing people but I am sure there are more people who would like to contribute but contacting them is not easy

Catherine McGrath

I hope readers who knew Mick will be able to respond to this appeal from Catherine towards her father's memorial. The bank account details are as follows

Michael Bourne Memorial Fund

Account number 61659316

Sort Code 40-23-11

Reminder that the memorial match is at Arthington CC on Sunday 28th September from 1:00pm

Drax overpowered

posted by John Winn

If you told friends that you were intending to visit Burton Salmon and Hirst Courtney in the Selby area they might think you were planning to take some grapes to a couple of matinee idols who had fallen on hard times but they are the names of two cricket clubs who are members of the York Vale league. A half an hour's drive took me to Burton Common Road, arriving fifteen minutes before the scheduled start to find a ground that said metaphorically at least 'Keep out, no play today'. Locked, bolted and barred and with no wicket cut it was very clear that there was no point in hanging about but the league website had advertised a fixture with Selby II and as late as Friday night a Salmon supporter had expressed on twitter his anticipation of the prospect of a local derby. This morning the league website offers a not unexpected explanation: 'walk over, Selby II unable to raise a team', as indeed was the case last Saturday. The Selby website proudly claims that they 'have four senior sides' make that three one suggests.

Burton Salmon CC

 



On then  to Hirst Courtney where shortly after two the players were taking the field in a Division Two encounter with Stillingfleet. Fleet batting first and things soon  turned in favour of the home side who dismissed the visitors for 102 but on a green wicket that was not a snip, for Hirst lost 8 wickets before getting home. The parking area here was wet underfoot but the playing area was fine on a good drying afternoon with a breeze and plenty of sunshine.

My next stop was at Drax, more famous for its power station than its cricket but the ground is a pleasant enclosure about a mile from the cooling towers. Cricket has been played at Church Dike Lane since the late nineteenth century and yesterday Castleford II were the visitors in a York Senior Div 3 (North) game with the Cas opening pair, Hyde and Tucker having a splendid time. While I was there their stand passed the 200 mark and each completed their individual centuries. A score of 312 for 4 proved way too many for Drax who looked like a team that knew things had gone too far even when in the field and their reply finished on 135: a result which gives Castleford 30 points to the homesters 4.

From Drax a forty minute drive took me into York and another ground, this time at Millthorpe School, back to the York Vale and the opportunity to see a team who are bucking the trend of conceding matches, Ovington CC. This enterprising outfit was formed in the 1920s and have played on their current pitch at Little Knavesmire since 1936 but that is far from the beginning of the story and I urge readers to look at their detailed history on the club's website. Playing in such a public place is not without its drawbacks and an article in The Press (York's daily paper) in March described the problems caused by dogs and vandals but the club now runs a third team and it was they who were playing at the school ground, just a few minutes from club HQ. The visitors here in a Div 4 match were Tadcaster Magnets (chance for a corny pun here but just can't think of the mot juste). Ovington's innings was drawing to a close and after a couple of laps of the large enclosure I walked down to the Knavesmire in search of a cup of tea but with the two ladies trying to co-ordinate teas for forty four on grounds a quarter of a mile apart, plus officials and nuisances like me, I realised my timing was wrong and withdrew my request and myself and drove back towards home.

 

En route I called at Green Hammerton where twice this season I have found no play in progress but yesterday my luck was in for I chanced upon what looked like the prospect of a close finish. Green Hammerton had been dismissed for just 56 but in reply fairly local rivals Rufforth looked in the cart at 18 for 5. Refreshed by a cup of tea I stayed to see the sixth wicket pair reach the target by dint of patient batting and cashing in on a few fielding lapses. They were not even perturbed by the introduction of a bowler who in a higher class of cricket might find his action subject to scrutiny. The result of this Wetherby League Div 3 match leaves Green Hammerton nearer the bottom than the top and Rufforth fairly comfortably placed but a long way behind the top two, St Chad's A and Headingley Bramhope.

A day off today but to the Riverside tomorrow for the first championship cricket there for seven weeks.

Two news items to finish. Firstly that Devon were the winners of the Minor Counties Unicorns Trophy Final last week beating Oxfordshire by 7 runs and secondly that the SET Final between Leicestershire II and Lancs II will be played at Grace Road on Monday Sept 8th with the Tuesday as a reserve day.

SHORT VISITS

By Brian Sanderson,

As my sister is in Harrogate hospital so  I did not have a lot of time to see any cricket. However this afternoon I visited four grounds on the way back home.

The first ground was Sicklington who were playing Shadwell .As I arrived  it was the last over bowled by Shadwell.It is coming to the end of the Wetherby League just three matches left.The match was in the first division and Shadwell was looking to take maximum points by bowling out Sicklingfall. However they could take only nine wickets with the home side scoring 137. Looking at the computor when I arrived home Shadwell were bowled out for 113 so putting them out of  winning the league.

Moving on down the Harrogate Road I popped into Harewood House were St. George were playing Cambridge Methodists in a friendly match. Cambridge had batted first and scored 116.The ground is situated in the grounds of the house and has excellent views.I  knew two of the St.George team including the opening bat. There was a newspaper cutting showing he had scored a century against The Hawks however he was soon out today. That is cricket.

Moving on about one mile, the next ground was East Keswick in the second division of the Wetherby League.The match was just finishing with Church Fenton winning easily.The away side are third in the league with the home side is fourth from the bottom.The ground has excellent views over the Wharfe Valley. The photograph at the start of the blog shows their roller.Good bless Mick Bourne.

The last match I saw was Kirkstall Educational  against Bilton  in the Airedale Wharfedale League.The home side are ninth in the league because a twenty point deduction as not fulfilling a fixture by their second team.
Kirkstall had scored 261 in their fifty overs.However Bilton won the match helped by Vic Craven ex Yorkshire player.Just two matches left in this league.

American College Football has started , Autumn is coming.

pcws flock to Todmorden

posted by John Winn

Not quite sure what it is about Todmorden: whether it is that it is right on the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire, the splendid refreshments on offer at The Red Cabin, its picturesque setting in the Calder Valley and accessibility by train from both sides of the Pennines, or the obvious pleasure that Todmorden CC derive from putting on matches but it a favourite among pcws of both persuasions and yesterday they turned up in numbers*. On offer was a  roses match with Lancashire Under 19s hosting  their  Yorkshire counterparts in a two for the price of one game. For as well as being the last match for both teams in the Five Counties Cup two day series also at stake was the Sanderson Cup, awarded to the winners in the annual roses match for this age group.

The blog may have been a little tardy in covering the Five Counties Cup and with only one match after this one remaining to be played this season (between Warwickshire and Durham next week at Griff and Coton CC in Nuneaton) it is a bit late to start now but just in case like me you are  a late comer to the competition here is what you've missed, with apologies for the crease.

Having travelled over from Leeds with Brian Cobb, who I had not seen since the end of last season, I arrived in the ground about 20 minutes after the call of play to find Yorkshire batting and with PSL's Callam Goldthorpe back in the pavilion. I joined a contingent of white rose supporters, most of whom were from Huddersfield and several of whom were called Graham, and after the loss of another wicket saw Barney Gibson and Nathern** Finn mount a recovery to bring us to lunch at 109 for 2.

Lunch, now there's the thing for while some of the company strolled in to the town I joined the hurly burly of the Red Cabin which was at full throttle and having neglected to order my rag pudding in advance opted for the pie (meat and potato) and peas ( mushy) in the company of two of the blog's regular readers Peter France and his Broad Oak friend Stuart. Excellent food and company. Typical Tod in other words.

 

Following the game was made relatively easy with the help of an excellent free programme which gave the names of the players and their clubs, the hours of play, the names of officials and the fixtures shown above, setting an example that the ecb might like to consider following their almost fraudulent effort at Scarborough last week where for a pound you got something that might occupy a child on a long journey but none of this kind of information. Yorkshire stepped on the gas during the afternoon with Gibson going to three figures and Fern being close to that milestone when, at tea, the score was 269 for 5. There had been some impressive pace bowling from Burnley's Cole Hayman and the introduction of left armer Sam Kershaw from Rawtenstall, who wore these must have boots, made us wonder why he had not bowled earlier
.

I left at tea and this time shared the journey back to Leeds with Jennifer Ellison. Try as I might I have not been able to find a close of play score and disappointingly the website listed on the programme appears not to be functioning but a grand day out on a dry day and the warmest for some time.

Jennifer supplied me with the results of the SET semi finals played on Tuesday and they are such that the final will be between Leicestershire and Lancashire and the teams are 'due to meet to discuss possible venues [for the final] later this week'. I will put the outcome of these deliberations on the blog as soon as known.

Finally pcws will be pleased to hear that Tony Hutton came out of hospital on Monday. Your name cropped up several times at Centre Vale yesterday Tony and lots of people send their best wishes.

* in bigger numbers than saw England U19 play South Africa at Trent Bridge last week
**spelling taken from programme.

SUNSHINE AGAIN THIS TIME AT DENBY

By Brian Sanderson,

I set off down the M1 to pick up Brian Workman and on to Denby in Derbyshire where Yorkshire Seconds were playing Derbyshire Seconds in a three day match.The weather was perfect and you could park your car overlooking the cricket field.The club was established in 1865 but now play on this new ground which used to be a mine.

Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bowl. This soon proven to a good toss with Moin Ashraf taking three  wickets in four balls, leaving Derbyshire 3 for 5.By lunchtime Derbyshire had struggled to 59 for 5.Before the start of the match we were joined by Michael Missett and his wife. Michael lives in Derbyshire and I have known him for over fifty years.
P 

As you can see from the photograph there was very good crowd which made the raffle man happy.After lunch wickets kept falling and it was left to Harvey Richard Hosein to keep the innings together. He is a English under 19 wicket keeper and went on to score 64 before been bowled by Shaw for 64.After lunch the wicket seem to dry in the sun and wind which made the bowling easier.However by tea they were 8  for 179.

The main wicket taking bowler apart from Ashraf was left arm spinner Karl Carver who took three for 29. Just after tea Derbyshire were bowled out for 209 which was a good score after their bad start.We left at this stage to drive up the traffic jammed M1.When I got home I found out that Yorkshire were 62 for 3  with Higginbottom taking the wickets.

A good day in the sunshine with good company.

A photograph of Hosein after he was out bowled.

BEAUTIFUL DAY AT CLIFTON ALLIANCE

By Brian Sanderson,

John had set me a email to say that Yorkshire over 60 ,s were playing Norfolk at Clifton Park York. Looking at the Yorkshire Cricket Board and Norfolk site ,there was no mention of the match. However John very kindly telephoned to say he was at the ground and wickets were pitched.

So off in the car again to York for the 1.P.M start in the National 60 Seevent Championship play off.s.Yorkshire were unbeaten through the summer so were at home. Clifton Alliance ground is one of my favourite grounds as it has a very good pavilion and is well kept. Norfolk batted first after a four hour car drive in one case.Within the first over they loss a wicket . Not a good start and another wicket falls in the next few overs. However Martin Pearce batted slowly and managed to reach fifty against some steady bowling. Martin had captained England over 60 against Australian conterparts in 2012 and won the match.

Norfolk never forced the issue and finished on 167 for 4. During the match I was joined by John and Brian Senior and of course talk was mainly on matches we had seen in the last week.Also at Clifton there is an excellent tea which Brian Senior made the most of.All through the day the sun was shining but there was a cold breeze which we were able to get out off.

After tea Yorshire started of well but slowed down against some gently bowling. It was left to the captain Martin Ivill of Sheffield Collegiate to score a good 75.Then Phil Taylor , ex East Bierley and Pudsey Congs, went on to win the match with overs to spare with some  boundary shots on one leg as he hurt going for a quick single.So Yorkshire move on to the next round and as yet I do not know when or where but watch this space.

Girl Power

Yorkshire Girls Under 15 Cricket team are County Champions. They defeated Gloucestershire in the final at Lullington Park Cricket Club, Derbyshire.


The four Performance Group winners met in a two day event. In the semi-final Yorkshire defeated Warwickshire by 138 runs, Yorkshire making 250 for 9 in their 40 overs and bowling out the opposition for 112. Gloucestershire, undefeated throughout the season, beat Essex in the other semi-final.

Yorkshire batted first in the final and found runs difficult to come by against the hard working Gloucestershire attack well backed up by some outstanding fielding. Gritty knocks by Maddie Walsh and Rebecca Newark, and unselfish batting by the middle order in the search for quick runs allowed  Yorkshire to set a challenging total of 167 for 7.

Teresa Greaves produced an outstanding spell of opening bowling to take three early wickets and dismiss the Gloucestershire top order. A battling performance by the remaining girls enabled Gloucestershire to reach 92 all out.

Warwickshire beat Essex by 7 wickets in the play off for third place.

The County Championship win was a just reward for all the hard work put in by the excellent Yorkshire squad, all of whom made positive contributions throughout the season.

Girls' cricket is increasing in popularity. 23 counties competed in the four regional groups from which the finalists emerged. Below the performance groups, a further 13 counties competed in development groups.

Lullington Park Cricket Club, who play in the Derbyshire Premier Cricket League, were  fine hosts and their ground set in parkland is well worth visiting if you are in the area.

We are grateful to David Thorpe for this report

COMPLETION OF VISITING ALL LEAGUE GROUNDS IN A LEAGUE

By Brian Sanderson,

I went out with Ron Deaton on another visits to cricket grounds in the Durham area.Looking at the weather map this area was promised to be rain free.The first ground visited was Blackhall were their seconds were playing Northallerton second team in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League.Blackhall Colliery village is on the North Sea coast between Horden and Hartlepool. The village was built round the colliery which was closed in 1981.

In the park is a memorial of 19 members of the local bowls club died when the brakes of the bus failed on Crawleyside Bank.

Moving on to Castle Eden ground were their seconds were playing Tudhoe in the Durham Cricket League.The village is famous for the former Castle Eden Brewery which was run by the Nimmo family from 1826. The cricket club was effectively a private club for family until they started playing league .

When you are visiting the cricket clubs ,you are learning facts about the area. As you will see from the photograph  the pavilion is one of the best in the area.

Moving on we went to Horden were their first were playing Bolden also in the Durham Cricket League.The village is on the North Sea coast and was a mining area until the colliery closed in 1987.The ground is situated in Welfare Park which was established in 1929.

Like most grounds in the area a football club is adjacent to the cricket ground and in this case acts as a sightscreen.The home side had bowled Bolden for 87 and heading for a easy victory.

Moving on to another exmining village of Easington were their seconds were playing Burnmoor seconds were the home side were batting. Again is situated in a park but this time it overlooks the sea which gives a better  vista.

The final ground visited today was Newton Aycliffe were their seconds were playing Barnard Castle seconds who were batting as we arrived. This is the final ground in The North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire League which I required to complete seeing all the grounds in this league.There are as at 31 November 2013 the league has 30 full member clubs ,ranging from Whitby in the south

of the region,to Barnard Castle in the west   and Blackhall in the north.

a bit more about Kirk Hammerton

posted by John Winn

In yesterday's posting I described a visit made the day before to Kirk Hammerton CC, just off the A59 road between York and Harrogate, and the village's connection with the Stanyforth family, in particular Ronald Stanyforth of Oxford University, Yorkshire and England who remarkably captained England in four tests against South Africa before he played for county cricket. I have written about Stanyforth in a previous posting but seeking to discover more of the family's links to Kirk Hammerton I yesterday googled Kirk Hammerton Cricket Club and amongst a number of links I found one that led me to an article in the Ripon Gazette from 2007 when the club celebrated 100 years of cricket at the Mill Lane ground. The club can trace back cricket in the village well into the 19th century but had no permanent ground until Edward Stanyforth gave some land within the hall grounds and 15 year old Rony(sic)  played his first cricket there.

A theme of yesterday's posting was my disappointment at the number of teams in my area that had to concede matches on Saturday because of a shortage of players. Before I switched my plans and decided to stay local I had intended to visit some grounds in the Langbaurgh and Cleveland Leagues starting with a match at Nunthorpe CC who were listed to play Smith's Dock in a first team Cleveland League match. Looking in today's Northern Echo for the result of the match it records that Smith's Dock A conceded, so what would have been a wasted journey saved but curiously I note that Smith's Dock B did play, albeit not very well for they were dismissed by Dormanstown for 34 and lost by ten wickets. Things get worse for of the five matches scheduled for play in the league on Saturday a total of three were not played due to sides conceding. A very worrying state of affairs for the league one imagines but not a new one for in 2010 the Middlesbrough local paper Thad a headline 'Cleveland League numbers dwindling'. And while I am on this topic it is not confined to the lower echelons of league cricket for Sedgefield CC, doomed to relegation from the ECB NYSD Premier League played two men short against leaders Darlington on Saturday.

 

 

On a cheerier note Brian and I have posted a number of pictures of rollers on the blog in recent months. I saw this little gem tucked away at Whixley on Saturday and pleasingly and somewhat unusually it has the maker's name, H Bushell and Sons of York  on the handle. And the fun doesn't stop there for stick the venerable Bushell name in a search engine and you will find a number of links to the makers and their family history and the range of agricultural implements they made. These include an antique straw chopper which came up for sale at a local auction.

 

 

 

Probably the first straw chopper to appear on a cricketing website.

 

Not far from home.

posted by John Winn

It is not unknown for me to alter a Saturday afternoon's plans at the last minute but usually such changes are in response to the weather forecast but yesterday, having earlier in the week worked out the optimum way to take in four new grounds in the Langbaurgh and Cleveland Leagues, I just didn't fancy driving and settled for a visit to five grounds that lie within about a four mile radius of my house.

First stop was Kirk Hammerton which despite its proximity I rarely visit and where the visitors in a Wetherby League Division Two encounter were second placed Garforth PC. My friend Arthur Bartle was in charge here and promptly at 1:30 he led the fielding side, Garforth, onto the field followed in close order by Kirk Hammerton's opening bats. The village is rather stretched out and the cricket field is down a lane which takes you past Kirk Hammerton Hall, the home at one time of Yorkshire and England cricketer Ronald Stanyforth. Born in London RTS died  here in 1964.

 

Kirk Hammerton pavilion

 

The home side made slow progress against some steady bowling and as I walked round the attractive ground I bumped into Ron Deaton and his wife who like me had made this match their first port of call. The cricketing world put to rights I moved on, noting with approval that as I left the village I passed Stanyforth Close. Not far away is the other Hammerton., noted for its green rather than its kirk. Both villages had their moment in the sun at the beginning of July when Le Tour passed by but there were no crowds yesterday and the cricket ground was empty. The website had advertised Green Hammerton A* v Amaranth A but I presume that one or both one or both had conceded the fixture so on to Whixley, just a mile away and a Wetherby Second Division match with Saxton from near Tadcaster visiting the Rudgate ground.

I had visited Whixley earlier in the season since when its splendid new pavilion has had its official opening. Saxton were batting and while I was there progressed from 26 for 1 to 60 for 3 at about two an over. Nothing to get too excited about but despite some gathering clouds it was a pleasant afternoon and the skies clear enough to make the most of the views across the Vale of York to the minster in the distance.

Clouds gather over Whixley

Another short drive brought me to Marton cum Grafton where the rather tucked away ground which I suspect is in Grafton rather then Marton, was hosting a Nidderdale League Div 7 match with Raskelf II having crossed the Ouse, in the field. A young spinner was getting a bit of tap here and had to be withdrawn from the hostilities after two overs. Marton's 133 for 8 proved enough to win the match by 13 runs. MCG share the ground with Ouseburn III who had been due to visit Bedale II but at this difficult time of the year had been unable to raise a side.

And so to my last ground of the day, Lightmire Lane, the home of Nidderdale's top outfit Ouseburn CC who were fielding against their bogey team from Blubberhouses. Once again OCC came unstuck against the visitors from the Washburn Valley who made 223 from their 45 overs including 11 sixes. Despite a gallant effort from Jamie Bryant who hit 138 not out much of it in semi darkness the leaders fell 16 short. How important were the three successiove sixes hit by Blubberhouses in their penultimate over at the crease?


 During my conversation with Ron he had told me the sad news of the demise of  Thixendale CC whose lovely Wolds ground I visited a few years ago. After repeated failures to fulfil fixtures the York Vale club has been suspended by the league and this season's record expunged. The league will consider re-election to the bottom division at the AGM in November. Full details are available on the league's website. Add this to the conceded matches I have mentioned above plus that of Kirk Hammerton A who could not raise eleven to go to Crossgates and the picture painted is a rather depressing one for the league cricket follower and the situation is not any brighter when one bears in mind that most leagues still have another four Saturdays before the season is finished.

* Wetherby League speak for second eleven.

Wins for Yorkshire and Surrey under 15s

Posted by John Winn

The ecb women's under 15 county cup was won by Yorkshire  at Lullington Park CC yesterday. Yorkshire batted first and made 167/7 off 40 overs with Rebecca Newman top scoring with 46. Eve Alder made 42 in Gloucestershire's reply which closed on 92 with Newark sealing a good all round performance with 3 for 11.

In the men's competition Surrey were easy winners over Middlesex.

I have received an email this morning from David Todd, manager of Yorkshire Over 60s informing me that Yorkshire will play Norfolk at Clifton Alliance, Clifton Park, at York on Tuesday with a 1:00 pm start. This is a  play off first round tie. Yorkshire are unbeaten in the group stages. This is a lovely ground on which to watch cricket easily accessible by car from the York Outer ring road A1237 then the A19 Shipton Road, look out for York Sports Club. If coming by public transport the No 2 Park and Ride Service (Rawcliffe Bar) takes you to Clifton Green from where it is about ten minutes walk up Shipton Road.

India freeze at Scarborough

posted by John Winn

Chilly autumn mornings can be forgiven when they develop into warm sunny days that leave us hoping the cricket season will last for ever but when they turn out like yesterday at Scarborough we might as well put the clocks back and start the Christmas shopping. When those awaiting their turn to bat are wrapped in blankets and in one case cuddling a hot water bottle things have got silly. The Indian women's team came to North Marine Road with a test match win over England ten days ago on their honours board but found yesterday's conditions utterly alien and must be praying that when they have to repeat the exercise tomorrow the temperature will be several degrees higher. The recent craze for dousing people in buckets of icy water might have been useful preparation.

The 9:40 train from York on which at festival time it is often standing room only, was busy but seats were available and the company was more buckets and spades than bat and ball. I arrived at the ground and paid the fiver for admittance. I qualified on two grounds for this reduced rate but this I was informed did not mean free admission. Yorkshire membership was one criterion, I leave you to guess the other. By the time I took my seat alongside two Grahams from Huddersfield, India had lost a wicket and Shrubsole soon added another to her collection but Mandhana and skipper Raj came to the rescue and despite a couple of run outs some hitting by the tail saw the innings close on 193 for 8.

The wind that kept the two nations' flags horizontal came straight out of Columbus Ravine and brought with it some showers that stopped play at one point, shortening the innings by three overs. During the break in play I took the opportunity to visit England sponsor's Waitrose's tent where a rather nice pork pie was available to sample. It was here later in the day that I saw Jennifer Ellison taking advantage of the same offer and along with the two Grahams she was the only other person I recognised in a crowd that perhaps touched 400. One facet of the supermarket's sponsorship is that they have donated £100 for each boundary struck in the matches involving England's men and women this summer. Waitrose shareholders should be grateful to the efforts of India's men in recent weeks.

England began their reply at a rapid pace and Edwards and Knight had 44 on the board mainly in boundaries off five overs before rain again sent the players back to the warmth of dressing rooms. The Indian women must have been particularly relieved at this for fielding in such cold damp conditions had exposed some deficiencies in this aspect of their game. When play resumed Duckworth Lewis joined in and by the time I left to catch an earlier train than intended, England were well on the way. Eventually rain washed out the day with England winning by seven wickets under D/L regs. Not sure anybody would have felt short changed unlike this blogger who having shelled out a quid for a scorecard found it lacked the names of the two teams, the umpires and scorers.. Mustn't grumble though for as you can see it clearly states the month and year.

Following Tuesday's posting I had an email from David Thorpe gently reminding me that Yorkshire Under 15 girls had reached the same stage in their ecb competition as the boys. This can now be upgraded for in yesterday's semi finals, while the boys were receiving a drubbing from Surrey, the girls administered similar treatment to Warwickshire and will play Gloucestershire in today's final at Lullington Park CC near Swadlincote in south Derbyshire with a 10:45 start. The boy's final will be between Surrey and Middlesex at Kibworth in Leicestershire.

 One other update from Tuesday's posting: the Minor Counties Championship final will be at South Wiltshire CC in Salisbury from 7th to 10th September.

Finally most readers will now be aware that Yorkshire topped their group in the 50 over competition and now have a quarter final against Durham on Thursday next at Headingley at 10:30. This may require some skilful fence sitting for those of us with dual nationality and whilst I have in the past said that blood is thicker than water there were times at Scarborough yesterday when I was not sure if this was true.

A chilly reminder

posted by John Winn

This morning, whilst sunny, is chilly enough to remind me that we are on the last page of fixtures in 'Playfair' and that although the first class season still has five weeks to run we are certainly approaching the 'business end'. Today and tomorrow there are the final matches in the group stages of the 50 over competition and these will determine next week's quarter final line up.

This Saturday the T20 semis and finals will be played at Edgbaston and next Tuesday sees the semi finals of the second XI one day competition. The line up here is Leicester v Middlesex at Grace Road and Sussex v Lancashire at Horsham. The final is scheduled for Monday 8th September, venue to be confirmed. There are still a number of games to be played in the second XI championship the final of which is to be from September 16th to 19th.


In Minor Counties cricket the championship final will be between Wiltshire and Staffordshire on 7th to 10th September (venue tbc). Wiltshire's win over Shropshire yesterday meant they pipped Herefordshire and gives them the opportunity to host the final. The MCCA  KO Trophy final is at Wormsley next week (Wednesday 20th with Thursday as reserve) and will be between Oxfordshire and Devon.

In the county Under 15 Group A it is semi finals day tomorrow at Kibworth in Leicestershire with Middlesex playing Derbyshire and Surrey playing Yorkshire. Both matches begin at 10:45 on adjacent pitches. The final will be played on Friday. . The B Division final will be played at Kenilworth Wanderers CC on Tuesday 26th August between Scotland and Gloucestershire. I have no start time as yet for this match.

 

Kibworth CC

 

Finally congratulations to Ireland's women who had a clean sweep in all their matches at Rugby School last week in the triangular tournament with Scotland and Netherlands.
 Here is  the successful team

FOUR AND HALF DAYS OF CRICKET

By Brian Sanderson,

On Thursday morning I went to Weetwood to watch a fifty over match between Yorkshire Under 17  against Lancashire.After their victory in the two day match against Yorkshire , Lancashire must have been confident when they batted first.

Again Tyler Mc Gladdery batted well to score 53 but it was Josh Bohannon caught the eye.Bohannon in June had been named the Bolton League,s batsman of the month and captains the under 18 side.On Thursday scored 95 and is seen going into the changing room.Lancashire score 274 for 6 after fifty overs.

At this stage I set off to Scarborough to see the Yorkshire and Sussex four day championship match. I found out later after eight overs of the Yorkshire innings it rained and the match was abandoned.

First day at Scarborough John has given his report and we sat in the cold of the Trafalgar end watching Joyce score a excellent 130.

On Saturday we decided to go and watch Marske against Richmondshire in the North Yorkshire  and South Durham Cricket League.

Richmondshire,s Mike Layfield scored his second century of the season in his first innings since recovering from a broken bone in his hand. His delicately stroked an 118 ball 103, which included nine fours and three sixes, was out of 235 for 8.Pro Nadera Nawaela (4 for 58 ), took three wickets in one over.Craig Marshall (4 for 46 )  and Shani Dissanayake(4 for 34 ) skittled out the hosts for 119 for an 116 run victory. Marske have not won for 14 matches.There was a cold wind so we had to find  some cover next to a hedge.

Sunday was back to Scarborough to see Williamson and Bresnan put on a stand of 156 which became the highest seventh wicket partnership for Yorkshire against Sussex. It beat the Hirst and Denton partnership in 1905 of 138.. This was Williamson maiden Yorkshire century after 32nd innings in all competitive cricket for the county. He scored a masterful 189  off 320 balls, including 22 fours, as Yorkshire were bowled out for 493 with a 125 run lead.

When Sussex batted they were soon 48 for 4 with Luke Wright  then scoring aggressive fifty of 53 balls.Again there was a cold wind and everybody had their winter clothes on.

Monday and the last day of the match. It had rained during the morning causing a delay of twenty minutes.
During the morning it was the Luke Wright show going on to score a hundred but Piolet was out in the penultimte over before lunch on the score 175 for 5.

After lunch Wright when on to score 113 and Sussex were out for 230 with a 125 runs lead.After tea Lyth and Lees took the score to 88 before Lees was out. It was left to Williamson to help to win the match and Yorkshire go to the top of the Championship.

Excellent holday which was  helped by Yorkshire victory and good company.

International cricket at Trent Bridge

posted by John Winn

I took the train to Nottingham yesterday looking forward to seeing South Africa U19s on their furthest trip north during their short tour. They faced their English counterparts in the third of a five match ODI series, already two down. Twenty years ago I was at Canterbury to see South Africa play their first first class match in this country after their exile from international cricket. It would have seemed impossible then, even at the start of the rainbow nation, that a team like yesterday's which appeared roughly equally composed of youngsters with African and European heritage would be led by one Sibonelo Makhanya.

I arrived too late for the start of the England innings and skipper Will Rhodes was already dismissed with England  42 for 1. Admission to this lovely ground  was free and access allowed for all to the pavilion, which gave me the chance to revel in the cricket history that is displayed there: the old paintings and photographs, memorabilia like Larwood's cap and rows of ancient bats, some of which were  used by immortals of the game like Gunn and Shrewsbury. Oh yes and a decent pint of real ale.

On the field the action was dominated by seventeen year old Haseeb Hameed who at a run a ball hit 125. His partnership with Tom Alsop for the second wicket added 144 before Alsop was bowled essaying an enormous yahoo. To try and stem the flow Makhanya had brought himself on and when his first ball was a dot, extra cover raced to punch fists with his skipper. What if he bowled a maiden? Would we see this nonsense five more times? Successive fours ended any speculation and let the fielder save his energy for the real business.

After Hameed was out the England innings rather faltered with four wickets going down for 21 but an unbeaten stand in quick time between local hero Luke Wood and Hampshire's Brad Taylor took the total to 295 for 8. South Africa, disappointingly for the country that produced Colin Bland and Jonty Rhodes, were rather let down by their fielding and when the reply began England confirmed their superiority in this department. The wicket was towards the new stand which left a long boundary on the Fox Road side and the contrast in the throwing of the two teams from this area was marked.

South Africa lost wicket keeper Roelofsen for 1 to Matt Fisher and were always behind the run rate despite some good running between the wickets. Boundaries were hard to get and when I left to catch my train at 5:30 the rate was over ten. Just as I left Karl Carver was brought back into the attack and his three wickets meant that Yorkshire bowlers had 8 between them (Fisher 2 and Rhodes 3). The visitors fell 39 short and thus went 3-0 down in the series which continues at Grace Road tomorrow. The crowd yesterday was between 150 and 200, I don't suppose it will be any bigger in Leicester.

During the afternoon the excellent pa announced that Notts had beaten Northants to go top of the championship. There was no amendment when Yorkshire won at North Marine Road. I will return to Trent Bridge next month when the crowds will be much bigger and many of those who cross the almost 150 year old bridge will be of the white rose persuasion. In the meantime Yorkshire take on the other coloured rose and Notts go to Durham, who following their excruciatingly narrow defeat to Lancs yesterday, occupy eighth spot in the table. All building up nicely, let's hope the weather returns to something more settled.

Williamson does a Joyce

posted by John Winn

I have spent two absorbing days at Scarborough where in each innings the batting side has been dug out of,if not its grave, then the long grass at the edge of the cemetery by quality batting. For Sussex who having been put in by Gale, and this surprised all those within earshot of the McCain's Chips banner at the north end of the ground, had been 45 for 2 with both openers back in the pavilion, Joyce came to the rescue. To effect the recovery he had help first of all from Cachopa, the pronunciation of whose name caused the man on the pa a bit of bother. New Zealander he may be but I understand he can trace Portuguese ancestry and it is this that enables him to play as non overseas. He made 53 and then the Sussex skipper was joined by Luke Wright whose energetic approach showed why he is highly valued in T20 cricket.

Joyce's dismissal for 130 brought stumps and the loss of four wickets in the last session left the game nicely poised. By dint of an early departure from the Lower Ure Valley we had arrived in good time and had chosen our spot for the day on the basis that the wind was blowing off the chilly waters of Peasholm Park, where yesterday our boys gave the Graf Spee what for. This position gave us shelter from the wind and at times we enjoyed pleasant warm sunshine while some of those who prefer the Trafalgar Square end were wrapped in blankets. Wherever they chose to sit they came in numbers that would make the treasurers of counties like Leicestershire and Northants wonder if it is the same game. There were goodly numbers from Sussex including two long standing friends of mine from my time in that county who when the day grew cold retired to their guest house from whence they could follow play. Nesh or what?

Yesterday we returned to the same vantage point but the wind direction was less predictable and the jumperless moment was very short. Sussex had the best of the morning thanks to Magoffin and Hatchett with the bat and when Lyth and Lees could only muster three between them I swear I heard somebody whisper 'That's the championship gone', but Gale batted positively and Williamson stood firm. The day did not pass without controversy for when the New Zealander edged to Treadwell* a catch was claimed and he (Williamson) looked as though he had accepted it was legitimate and set off for the pavilion but he was encouraged to stay by his team mates and in the end an umpires conference ruled in his favour.

Strength in numbers for Sussex

What a mess we have got in with this mode of dismissal. The fielder knows better than anybody whether he has made a clean catch and replays are often inconclusive but it is perhaps the technology that has made us doubt the fieldsman's word and so where there is no replay we have unpleasant situations like yesterday. In such cases we must accept the umpire's verdict but batsmen are increasingly inclined not to do that for a variety of dismissals. Piolet for example seemed to have stepped in Evostik when given out lbw yesterday. As I type more than 24 hours later, Williamson is approaching a double century: let me know if he receives rapturous applause from the Sussex side if he reaches that milestone.

A day off for me today and despite the possibility of an interesting day at North Marine Road tomorrow I am 99% certain to go to Trent Bridge to see England Under 19s take on their South African counterparts but will be back at Scarborough on Thursday for England v India women's elevens.

Finally some of you will be aware that Tony Hutton had heart surgery on Thursday at the LGI but I have had an email from Tony today in which he reports good progress. I am sure all who know him  will wish him a speedy recovery. If I have any further news I will pass it on via another posting.

* In the tea interval I was told by a man who had been told by another man that Tredwell had previous of this type of behaviour at Scarborough. This must have been in 2008 when he was in Kent's colours which of course he still wears but not when the ball is red and that's another cockamamie situation altogether. Wisden shows that he pouched three in that match but does not mention if any were dubious.

A remarkable recovery

posted by John Winn

The above photograph was posted  as part of  a posting I made on October 31st 2013 ('work still to be done') and shows a large part of the outfield of Threlkeld CC near Keswick. It shows the ground in the early stages of recovery from the torrent that swept across it June 2012 causing damage that would have spelt the end for many clubs. The photograph below was taken two days ago when my wife and I were passing the ground on our way to a short break in the Northern Lakes.

 

 

Readers will be able to see what a wonderful recovery has taken place at The George Hutton Oval and it is pleasing to be able to report that Threlkeld are back playing on their home turf, albeit on an artificial wicket, the edge of which can be seen in the bottom corner of the picture. To effect this transformation the club needed to raise thousands of pounds and this was achieved mainly through sales of a remarkable calendar for 2014. Each month showed a picture of cricket being played in bizarre locations like a slate mine, on a lakeside pier and on the top of a nearby fell.

 

 

 

 

As the table below shows Threlkeld are nicely placed in the second division (third tier) of The Eden Valley League although Carlisle outfit Carleton CC would seem to have top spot in their grasp. I'm sure pcws will wish Threlkeld a successful future, a club that can show such remarkable resilience surely deserves to do well on the field. Finally I could not resist this picture of their delightful heavy and light rollers.





BACK AGAIN TO WEETWOOD

By Brian Sanderson,

The rain was falling again when I left home to go to the second day of the Yorkshire under 17 against Lancashire.When I arrived Jenny and Tony were sat the same spot as yesterday but the rain had stopped and the match started on time with  Lancashire batting.Last night the total scorer website had Parkinson opening he batting however this was wrong. The two openers were Turner and Mc Gladdery. Arriving next was Peter France from Huddersfield were the rain was still falling when they left.Talk through the morning ranged from Huddersfield football in 1949 to Under 15 final at Copley last Friday.

Again the scoring was slow  but the object of the day was for Lancashire to beat Yorkshire score of 224 and go to the final of the group.The interesting batsman was Tyler Mc Gladdery who plays for Nelson in the Leancashire League, previously he had played for Yorkshire under 15 as a  left arm spin bowler.Today he batted 211 minutes to score 93 .There was a drinks break this afternoon and he knew he was seven runs short of his century but he was stumped of Donnelly.Tyler and Laker put on a highest stand of the match of 99 which proved to be the basis of Lancashire innings.

By tea time they were 3 runs short of Yorkshire total with four wickets in hand. So the session after tea was pointless until Lancashire declared on 300 for 8 and won the match. I thought Yorkshire best bowler was Morrison who bowled left arm spin and figures of 25-9-68-1.However it was Mc Clean who took 4 for 26.

Tomorrow is a one day match between the same sides.

A photograph of Tyler Mc Gladdery , a name to remember.