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.
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.
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