Another Overseas player for Yorkshire

Posted by Tony Hutton

The original headline on Yorkshire county cricket club's prolific website yesterday was a little misleading. I think it may have changed now, but it gave the impression that Australian Women's International player Beth Mooney was to be added to the first team squad along with the four other overseas players already signed.

However, it appears she has been signed for the Yorkshire Women's team for the coming season as a wicket-keeper batsman. This may add to the grumblings, already going the rounds, about the volume of overseas players reducing the prospects for our home grown talent. Cannot Yorkshire women find a wicketkeeper?

This is just a small part of the usual pre-season discontent, which for once is not confined to Yorkshire. It seems that nine of the New Zealand squad to tour England this summer have been signed on for the Indian Premier League. This means that they will only get to England some two days before the first test match. This has already caused problems for two warm up games against counties and the one at Worcester has already been declared non first-class, so that it can be used as effectively net practice for the players who will be available, possibly including a few from league cricket.

This same thing happened at Derby last season when the tourist game was ruined and became a travesty of a proper competitive cricket match. Many people, including myself, may not now travel to Worcester and the sales of hospitality packages will inevitably suffer. The Australians are due to play a three day game at Derby later in the summer, before the Test matches start and one wonders whether the same will apply here. One of the reasons I renewed my Derbyshire membership was the hope of seeing a proper game of cricket, but this now seems very unlikely.

Never mind Colin Graves is now in control and we hope that he will have a positive input into the many problems which face the game in this country, including the question of T20 city franchises.

Fortunately the professional cricket watchers have many alternatives and I feel that many more may turn their backs on the first class game and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Minor Counties, county second XI, junior and schools cricket. The attached picture from the cover of the newly published Cumberland year book shows one such place - the lovely ground at Sedbergh School. Roll on the first week in July when Cumberland will play Lincolnshire over three days on this ground.

 

Sedbergh School ground

 

One further item of bad news from Headingley this week has been the closure of the rugby stand seating for all cricket due to long term health and safety problems. This will be a blow to all those who enjoyed the best view of the ground from the top deck,despite the very cold temperatures endured as this part of the ground never got any sun. However the last item is good news, in that James Middlebrook, the popular former Yorkshire, Essex and Northants all rounder, whose services were dispensed with by the latter county, has been appointed to captain Minor County Bedfordshire for the coming season. We are sure he will do a good job and wish him well.

 

 

 

 

Serendipity

posted by John Winn

Serendipity: 'making fortunate discoveries by accident' Chambers Dictionary

Earlier this week, having about fifteen minutes left before my parking permit expired I popped into the excellent Local Studies Room at Darlington Public Library where there were several displays relating to World War 1 and on a side table the bound volume of copies from January to June 1919,  of  The Northern Despatch, a local evening paper first published in 1914 'to bring you news of the war'. Latterly known as The Evening Despatch the paper ceased publication in 1986.

Access to back copies of this and its sister papers, The Northern Echo and The Darlington Stockton Times, is normally via micro film, a somewhat fiddly process. especially when we have become spoiled by the search engine,  and I opened the volume with the intention of looking at the state of local cricket in the first summer of peace. It fell open at the edition of Saturday March 1st and my eye was immediately arrested by this headline

 

HIS INNINGS ENDED AND HE PLAYED IT WELL

 

Death of a Brilliant Local Cricketer

 

 

 

The cricketer in question is seated on the grass, padded up, in this 1906 photograph of Haughton Le Skerne CC, his name was Albert Watson. The other player on the grass is my paternal grandfather, John Winn and the scorer is Roland Winn, my father's eldest brother, and captain of the club in the 1920s. Albert, despite long standing poor health was indeed a 'brilliant cricketer' for in age when outfields were mowed by grazing livestock and wickets were at best unpredictable, he headed the batting averages for six seasons out of seven and at a time when team scores often failed to reach three figures he regularly averaged twenty. In 1913 his aggregate was 404 with a top score of 53 and on a memorable day in 1907 he scored 113 not out of Haughton's total of 224 for 7 declared. Opponents Manfield and Cliffe were dismissed for 60. Cliffe CC ( and Haughton) continue to play in the Darlington District League to this day. When Cliffe parted company with neighbouring village Manfield is not known.

 

Cliffe cricket ground

Albert's reputation and performances were known to me and I was aware that he had 'met a premature end' and given his absence from the village war memorial it was unlikely that he had been a casualty of the war. As the report of his funeral describes his poor physical condition had made him vulnerable to illness and his death on Thursday February 27th aged 39 was from influenza. Tragedy is heaped on this sadness by the fact that his wife, also suffering from 'flu, had given birth to a still born baby just a day before her husband's death. Not surprisingly she is not amongst the list of mourners who were led by his father, sister and two brothers. Five of the other listed mourners are on the above photograph and amongst the pall bearers are Herbert Buckton, a Darlington footballer and standing next to the umpire in the picture, and my Uncle Roland, listed as Sergeant R Winn after war service in Mesopotamia.

 

The Despatch reports that 'Amongst the floral tributes was a beautiful wreath, 'In remembrance of Albert,from the Cricket Club-His innings ended and he played it well'. Nearly a hundred years on we might think this a bit corny, but not a bad way for cricketer to be thought of. And for me another piece in the jigsaw that makes up the history of the village were I was born.

What might be

posted by John Winn

Monday 22nd May2017

Fixtures for the week ahead

Friday 26th May

 

Super Smash T20 (7;00 starts)

 

Birmingham Bears v Southampton Solent

 

Knights of St John's Wood v Kennington Ovals

 

Sunderland Blizzards* v Nottingham Trent

 

Wales v Bristol Temple Meads

 

Yorkshire Fitzwilliam v Manchester Heat

 

* In the event that the lights at The Riverside are not ready this game will be switched to The Stadium of Light

 

Spectators travelling to the London derby at Lidl's Lord's  are reminded that St John's Wood tube station will be closed thirty minutes after stumps to allow for overnight engineering work on Crossrail 2.  Deputy Prime Minister Johnson will bowl the first delivery in this game.

 

Saturday 27th June

 

County Championship Div 2

 

Derbyshire v Essex

 

Leicestershire v Northants

 

Somerset v Worcestershire

 

Sussex v Kent

 

Wickets pitched 11:00am (pm in the case of the all night game at Hove)

 

Sussex President John Snow has reiterated that the eight Division 2 counties will continue to fight for the reinstatement of promotion between Divisions 1 and 2.

 

 

In other news the Prime Minister was in Leeds today to attend the investiture of Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Sir Harold Bird, Sir Jason Gillespie and Sir Harry Gration. Interviewed in the Headingley Long Room after the ceremony Ms Sturgeon said that the granting of Devo Max to Yorkshire had been a great success and was hopeful that it would soon be rolled out to other counties.

 

 

 

 

National KO Cup

posted by John Winn


Brendon McCullum having provided me with a little more spare time than expected today my thoughts turned towards the National KO Cup, the draw for which was made a few weeks ago. In my neck of the woods, and it is a giraffe's neck stretching as it does up to Northumberland and South Northumberland in cricketing terms, for the Newcastle Club have a bye in group 1. In the same group 2012 winners York go straight through to Round 2 but there are some attractive fixtures pitting County Durham teams against Yorkshire sides. Scarborough will host another Newcastle side when Benwell visit North Marine Road on April 26th. Passing Benwell on the A1 will be Harrogate en route to Ropery Lane, the home of Chester le Street and a venue for first class matches before Durham moved the short distance to The Riverside: twenty years ago would you believe.

In the East Riding, Driffield take on strong opposition in Burnmoor, champions of the Durham Cricket league in its inaugural season (2013) and now members of North East Premier League. Group 2 embraces clubs in West and South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Ties include Methley v Chesterfield and Hanging Heaton v Wickersley Old Village. The latter are a Rotherham outfit, members of the much enlarged South Yorkshire Cricket League.

In Group 3 holders Sandiacre Town are excused boots until the second round where they will entertain the winners of Loughborough Town and Welbeck CC. In the same group 2013 winners Nottingham's West Indian Cavaliers are drawn away to Sileby CC, near Loughborough.

The full draw is to be found ecb.play-cricket.com. There are sixteen groups in all and although there are some matches scheduled for April 19th, which is only 8 weeks on Sunday the majority of first round matches are the following week..

 

Signs of Spring

Geoffrey get's it right

Posted by Tony Hutton

Quote of the day by Geoffrey Boycott - 'cricket is not rocket science'.

How true! So why do we need this world wide army of pundits, summarisers and so-called commentators trying to persuade us that it is?

I could go on, but can only point you in the direction of Geoff Lemon's excellent piece entitled 'How channel nine are destroying a legacy' which can be found at
www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/13
It is the last item on this page.

County cricket is alive and well

Posted by Tony Hutton

 County ground at Worcester

School half term is upon us. A time when all grandparents should have undergone a concentrated fitness course to prepare them for the week ahead. The good news however, is that eight weeks today Yorkshire will be stepping out at Worcester to start the defence of the county cricket championship. That assumes of course that the ground will not be under water, as it often is at this time of the year.
Before that happens we will have to endure the cricket world cup, the Indian premier league and an England tour of the West Indies, which will be still going on when the proper cricket starts here. Yorkshire, probably missing about half their first team on England duty, will be playing the MCC towards the end of March in Abu Dhabi in front of a few hardened travelling followers and even more camels.
This travesty of what used to be the traditional opening game of the season at Lord's is yet another symptom of the proliferation of T20 cricket to the exclusion of all else. If the tradition of a game at the end of April could continue, a much larger contingent of Yorkshire members might travel to Lord's at a slightly lower cost than flying out to the desert.
Still there is more good news. A circular from Stephen Chalke, possibly the crown prince of current cricket writers, confirms that his latest book 'Summer's Crown', a history of the county championship, will be published late in March at a price of £20. I am sure it will prove to be an absolute bargain. Stephen had to postpone a trip to the Northern Cricket Society as the book took longer than anticipated to write, but will be doing a tour of Yorkshire cricket Societies in September and October.
The dates for these are 29th September at Halifax 13 Cricket Society, 6th October at Northern Cricket Society, Headingley and 8th October at Wombwell Cricket Lovers, Barnsley.
Apart from Yorkshire's signing of three well publicised overseas players, one hopes that several of the younger generation will also get a chance in the first team this season, particularly as many of the regulars may be on England duty. Probably next in line as batsmen are Jack Leaning and Will Rhodes, but Ryan Gibson who was outstanding for the Academy last season might also get a chance. Of the bowlers it would be nice to see Moin Ashraf back to form and fitness, but apparently he has suffered another injury while playing in Australia. Other bowlers who have impressed are the England Under 19 trio of Shaw, Fisher and Carver, the slow left arm bowler.
There have been a good few changes in personnel moving from various counties. Lancashire for instance, having lost Kyle Hogg through injury and released Oliver Newby and Kabir Ali, look short of pace bowlers, but have recruited Nathan Buck from Leicester and George Edwards from Surrey. Joe Denly has left Middlesex to return to his original county Kent who have lost Geraint Jones, who will captain Gloucester, and Mark Davies, the former Durham player, who has retired.
Gloucester have perhaps suffered the greatest loss as both Gidman brothers have moved on. Will to Notts and Alex to Worcester. Andre Adams, the very useful New Zealander, has left Notts to join Hampshire. Derbyshire could have made a good move in signing the young all rounder Shiv Thakor, who was troubled by injury at Leicester, but has always looked a very good prospect.
Steve Kirby has retired at Somerset and Nick Compton has also returned to his original county of Middlesex to replace Denly.
There are quite a few more movers and shakers and I will do another summary as the season approaches. All that remains is to study the proliferation of county, minor county, university and second eleven fixtures now available and try to work out the best possible programme despite, as usual, many unfortunate clashes.

NYSD expansion

posted by John Winn

'Shildon Railway becomes the latest club to join the NYSD family' is a headline taken from the Darlington CC website dated 18th January and there follows a detailed history of the South West Durham club. Founded in 1909 and known for many years as Shildon BR, the town's railway heritage is still recognised in the club's name. Even the club's address, Hackworth Road, reflects the era of steam for the road is named after Timothy Hackworth, the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

When first established the club largely served as a recreational outlet for men employed at the local wagon works which closed in 1984. Its first experience of league cricket was in the Mid-Durham Senior League before joining the Durham County League in the 1950s. The club's honours board records three championships and numerous cup wins. Dame Fortune's bus pass has not taken her  to Hackworth Road in recent years and the move to the NYSD is seen as an opportunity to allow a young side to develop. The first team will begin life in the third division with a trip to Wolviston, near Billingham, on the 18th of April. The first visitors to Hackworth Road will  be Northallerton II, the following Saturday. I believe both Tony and Brian can count Shildon on their long lists of grounds visited but should I make the trip it will be a first for me.

 

Expansion has come relatively recently to the NYSD. That newcomers were not welcome is illustrated by the experience of Richmondshire CC. In the seventies they were among the strongest clubs in the Darlington and District League but their annual application to the NYSD brought no profit until 1981, when to their amazement they were accepted. This seems to have been the result of significant ground improvements including social facilities. That their playing strength merited promotion was shown by several successful campaigns in the 80s and their eyes turned towards A Division cricket but there were some in high places within the league who were opposed to any promotion/relegation between the two divisions. Club President then and now, David Crane* spoke of an 'aggressive despondency'** within the club over the issue which was not relieved until 1994 when pressure from second division clubs overcame the resistance and allowed the Swaledale club to become one of the most successful clubs in the league in recent years winning the championship in 1995, 2012 and 2013 and runners up to Darlington in 2104.

 

Darlington v Richmondshire 2014

This dramatic move came one year after the league celebrated its centenary, no point rushing things, but with almost indecent haste 2011 saw the introduction of two up two down between the A and B Divisions. If accusations of a closed shop were appropriate in the past they cannot be made today for the league seems to have taken on an expansionist position. Evidence for this is of course provided by Shildon's entry and the news that the league is in discussions with two long standing and successful members of the Darlington and District League, Rockcliffe Park and Barton who have expressed interest in joining the league.

Finally the answers to last week's quiz which asked for the ten oldest living English test players. They are as follows, caps in brackets and with their years of birth.

DV Smith Sussex (3), 1923, F Ridgeway Kent (5), 1923, R Appleyard Yorkshire (9) 1924, GHG Doggart Sussex (2) 1925, DJ Insole Essex (9) 1926, JG Dewes Middlesex (5) 1926, DB Carr Derbyshire (2) 1926, TW Graveney Gloucestershire and Worcestershire (79) 1927, JJ Warr Middlesex (2) 1927 NI Thompson Sussex (5) 1929

If you want to chew this list over with like minded folk you might like to consider who should have had more caps than they got and who were lucky to get as many  as they did.

ps Jim the Dog visits one of his favourite kennels on Wednesday, Todmorden CC, 12:30 for 1:00

* and co-author with Randall Orchard of NOT OUT!, the excellent club history published in 2010.

** a quote from an article by Mike Amos supporting the club's cause in 1991 although judging by Mike's luxuriant facial hair the accompanying  photograph was taken when Noddy Holder was in his pomp

 

I am grateful to Tony Hutton for this picture of cricket at Shildon in 2005

1 goes exploring in Wensleydale.

posted by John Winn

With February having so far being dry and at times sunny, I took advantage of a lovely day last Friday to fulfil a promise I made to myself a while back, namely to look for the ground formerly played on by Cover Bridge CC.

The club took  its name from the River Cover, a short river which rises near Buckden Pike and ends at its confluence with the River Ure at Cover Bridge near Middleham. In my research into cricket in Wensleydale I became interested in the van Straubenzee family, generous patrons of cricket in the area, especially Spennithorne CC. In his autobiography Colonel * Philip van Straubenzee relates how as a young man he played cricket for Cover Bridge because at that time his home village of Spennithorne had no team. He  describes how the ground lay midway between the rivers Cover and Ure ( although he prefers the old name for the Ure, the Yore) and how it was possible for sixes to be hit into both rivers.

Straubenzee was in his late teens when he played between the rivers and he describes how Cover Bridge which doesn't even merit the title of a hamlet drew its players from nearby villages like Middleham and Leyburn. The field was owned by the landlord of the Cover Bridge Inn, Dick Stott. What more suitable place to begin my exploration of the area than in this pub (above) which has survived since 1674. Refreshed by an excellent lunch and a pint chosen from an interesting list of real ales, I without too much difficulty found the area of land between the two rivers where I believe cricket was played. Sadly access is prevented by relatively recent buildings but the land where wickets were pitched can be clearly seen from the River Cover side and is shown between the two trees in this photograph. From my vantage point there was no evidence that cricket had ever been played there but the area is large enough and flat enough. The belt of trees in the background mark the line of the Ure.

Could sixes have been hit into both rivers? Not by me they couldn't but the aforementioned Dick Stott weighed 18st and he and others with arms developed by farming in the area,  might have done it, depending perhaps where the wicket was pitched. Having missed the first three years of its existence Cover Bridge took up membership of The Wensleydale league in 1950 and lasted until 1969. Records form that period are incomplete but as far as one can tell they were never champions, and when the league experimented with two divisions in the 1950s they spent time in the lower section. Given. however that they were competing for players with the larger communities of Leyburn, Middleham and Spennithorne their record is commendable but as today, clubs had difficulty raising sides and the writing was on the wall when Cover Bridge could only raise four for a trip to Spennithorne  only a mile and a half away.

 No surprise when their membership lapsed the following year. Spennithorne and Middleham are today members of The Nidderdale League, Leyburn play only evening cricket and not too far downstream the Ure flows past the lovely ground at Masham. So for pcws who have not visited this area before, it has possibilities for an excellent afternoon's cricket watching with lunch at The Cover Bridge Inn to set you up.

As the quiz about Geoff Pullar led to a number of spin off topics for postings here is another quiz for you. Name the ten oldest surviving English test players. Their years of birth range from 1923 to 1929 and one has almost twice as many caps as the rest put together. Answers next time. And finally all second eleven county fixtures are available at ecb.co.uk although in a number of cases venues are unconfirmed.

* see my posting National and local hero for more about the Colonel.

Gone - but not forgotten

Posted by Tony Hutton

The recent spate of information generated by John Winn's tantalising quiz questions on the late Geoff Pullar's opening partners has perhaps almost run its course.

However a few more snippets have now been generated from various sources. Peter France, one of our regular followers, advised that he had played against the almost forgotten Gerald Knox in a Sykes Cup semi-final between Paddock and Holmfirth. Peter was on the winning side and Paddock went on to win the cup (team picture on the Paddock section of the cricket heritage website). Knox was professional for Holmfirth and perhaps the first of a long string of Lancashire players who turned out for them.
A little while earlier Peter, as a seventeen year old, played in goal for Huddersfield Town reserves against Bolton Wanderers. The opposition goalkeeper was yet another Lancastrian cricketer, Ken Grieves.

David Williams, a life long Manchester City supporter, adds more information on Jack Dyson, who apparently played his first game for City against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, then still a county cricket ground, in 1955. The result 1-1 and Dyson scored. David also states that you can't imagine any premier league footballers playing cricket these days. Most of them wouldn't know what it is.

Finally, another moment of self-indulgence. I found my scrapbook for the 1955-56 soccer season and a report I had written of the West Bromwich Albion game with Manchester City on 10.3.56. (I was blogging even then!). One extract reads as follows-

'Eight minutes before the end, came the goal of the match. The Lancashire cricketer Dyson got the ball on the edge of the penalty area with a packed defence in front of him. He picked his way round Brookes and Summers with very little room to manoeuvre and as Sanders ran out of goal, sent him the wrong way, walked round him and put the ball in the net. A brilliant piece of ball control.'

Gone, but certainly not forgotten.

More news from the leagues

posted by John Winn

In a posting I made last month I touched upon the possibility of a merger between The South Yorkshire Cricket League and The South Yorkshire Cricket Alliance, the latter itself the result of a fairly recent merger between The Doncaster and District and The Sheffield Leagues. A bit of deeper digging into the website of The SYSCL reveals that this seems to be a fait accompli. At a meeting in October Alliance clubs voted overwhelmingly to join the Senior League and despite some reservations over grounds the Management Committee of the SYSCL agreed to recommend the takeover.

An article in the Doncaster Free Press dated late November confirmed that clubs had voted in favour of the new structure which will have 56 clubs, 108 teams and will be spread over nine divisions, the lower six split on an east/west basis. Provisional fixtures have been issued on this basis and show two games scheduled for April 11th at Eden Grove Parklands and Shiregreen in Divs Four (East) and Five (West) respectively. The main programme begins the following Saturday. On that day homes teams in the top (Premier) division are Aston Hall, Coal Aston, Hallam, Treeton, Wath and Wickersley Old Village CC.

Inevitably a 'merger' of this encounters snags, there were voices in favour of the regionalised divisions being on a north/south basis for example. Some of the problems and hoped for solutions are discussed on sycl.play-cricket.com, click on news then, in the drop down menu, on news articles then scroll down to update on future of SYCA.

Turning to Central Yorkshire the league news page welcomes two new member clubs, Crossbank Methodists from Huddersfield Central and Great Preston from the Wetherby League. Both these clubs have long histories and their cvs are a roll call of now extinct leagues: Dewsbury and Batley Sunday School League, the Dewsbury and District League and the Wakefield Union in the former's case and for Great Preston the Woodlesford and District, the Barkston Ash and the Leeds.

The website also has the draw for the first round of the Jack Hampshire Cup with first round ties to be played on Sunday 17th May. Holders Methley are at home to Adwalton while in the Black Sheep they will visit Elsecar. Like most leagues CYCL start on April 18th.

Finally I refer to another posting I made in January when I mentioned that I was reading a biography of Ewart Astill, the Leicestershire and England all rounder, by AR Littlewood. Pussyfooting about as usual I hinted that some might find this book, especially the early chapters, a bit of a chew. I was interested to find when the latest issue of the ACS journal came through my letter box yesterday that I was not alone in thinking this, for in his review of the book Douglas Miller pulls no punches in describing it as 'too encyclopaedic' and that Chapter Seven was 'pure drudgery' and Miller's feeling is that 'the editors should have demanded a shorter book'. I did get through the book and indeed the second half which describes Astill's test career and frequent overseas tours is a much easier read, but you probably need to be a very keen Leicestershire follower to find the early chapters anything but a sedative. Wow, that's telling 'em.

Nostalgia in full bloom again posted by Tony Hutton

My fellow blogger, John Winn, is well aware that any remark he makes is likely to set me off down the long road of sporting nostalgia. Last week, following his very interesting story of Lancashire's opening pair of Dyson and Wharton being the only two batsman to occupy the crease in the whole match with Leicester in July 1956, I sent him an e-mail on an unrelated matter.
Before he opened it, he assumed that I would be telling him that I was there on that famous occasion at Old Trafford. Sadly, for once, he got it wrong. I was living in the Midlands at the time and did not get to Old Trafford until the Roses match of 1980. Of course I could not let the matter rest and wondered where I was on 17th July 1956. My extensive archives revealed that I was in fact serving in the RAF on National Service and had just completed three months training at RAF Credenhill, Hereford. On the day in question I was spending a few days at RAF Innsworth, Gloucester prior to flying out for 18 months in Gibraltar.
As it happened on the Saturday I was watching Gloucestershire play Middlesex at Tuffley Avenue, Gloucester. The home side were bowled out for only 69, with J.J. Warr taking 6-33. Then Middlesex piled up a big score with Jack Robertson scoring a century. On the Sunday, which was a rest day in county cricket, I saw a benefit game between the Gloucester Aircraft Company and the Gloucester county side. Tom Graveney scored 61 and Sam Cook took 6-15.The following day I probably flew to Gibraltar.
I could not leave it there as Dyson had played in the FA cup final during May 1956. I had seen the semi-final (at Villa Park) and final (at Wembley) the previous season, when Man City were beaten by Newcastle, but Dyson was not then in the team. In the 1950s I regularly saw a semi-final at Villa Park, so what happened in 1956. Further research revealed that Man City beat Spurs at Villa Park 1-0 on 17th March. However my records show I was not there, but watching Hereford United play Headington United (later Oxford United) in the Southern League!
Purely by chance I spotted in my record book that the previous Saturday 10.3.56 I had seen West Bromwich Albion loose 4-0 at home to Manchester City. Guess who scored the fourth goal - yes of course it was Jack Dyson!

In case you can't wait

Posted by John Winn

County friendlies

Monday March 23rd Somerset v Glamorgan 3 day friendly Taunton

Tuesday March 24th Essex v Middlesex 2 day friendly Chelmsford

Wednesday 25 March Worcestershire v Gloucestershire 3 day friendly New Road

Monday 30th March Notts v Northants 2 day friendly Trent Bridge

So if you can get to Taunton you've only got seven weeks to wait

News from the leagues

posted by John Winn

With a February date at the head of this posting pcws can look forward to seeing some cricket in just a couple of months. Time for the blog to have a look at a few league websites to see if anything is stirring.

The Aire Wharfe welcomes Old Modernians from the Wetherby League who replace Woodhouse CC, no news yet of where Woodhouse might play. Rumour suggests that Old Mods might cast the years aside and just be known as Modernian

In Nidderdale the draw has been made for the senior cup competition, the Atkinson Swires KO Cup. This is open to the top sixteen clubs from the previous season's league tables. The final will be played at Burton Leonard CC on August 16th. There is a detailed account of the league AGM with some interesting statistics on participation and number of matches conceded. When the new season opens on April 18th newcomers Whixley will begin with a home match against Galphay and Winksley in Div 3. The Cherrymen's seconds must start at the bottom and not until May 2nd when they will travel to Wath and Melmerby for their Division 9 opener.

Boroughbridge and Staveley have merged but will retain both grounds. They will have teams in Divisions 5 and 7.

The York Vale League will begin with 40 teams playing in four divisions. Wickets will be pitched for the first time on April 25th but with two matches starting a day later at Clifton Alliance and Acomb. Two grounds worth a visit and not too far apart in York. Thixendale, who were suspended during last season are reinstated in Div 4. Good to see such an attractive ground back in use.

The York Senior League draws attention to the draw for the National Village Trophy Draw of which one of their members, Woodhouse Grange are holders. Round 1 is on Sunday May 3rd and the full draw is available at thecricketer.com. The holders start at home with Addingham the visitors.

Evening cricket at Sheriff Hutton

Finally turning to the Bradford League the main item here is a tribute to league legend Brian Clough who died last week aged 82. In a career spanning seven decades Brian scored over 10,000 runs for Spen Victoria, Lightcliffe, Bradford and Bowling Old Lane. The funeral is on Tuesday February 10th at St Paul's Church Birkenshaw at midday. There are numerous tributes to Brian on the website.

More next time

Dyson sweeps the winning runs

posted by John Winn

Despite its sad end (described in Friday's posting) Jack Dyson's life had moments that are only dreams for those of us who never got near playing cricket or football professionally. On May 5th 1956 Dyson scored Manchester City's second goal in their 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the FA Cup Final, his place in footballing history assured. In July of the same year Jack became part of cricket lore when Lancashire were the first team to win a first class match without losing a wicket and the Oldham man was on the field throughout the game.

The match was played at Old Trafford on July 14, 16 and 17 with Leicestershire the visitors. The Foxes batted first and were all out for 108, Statham four for 32 and then Wharton and Dyson had an unbroken stand of 166 before Lancashire declared. Leicestershire were again dismissed cheaply, 122 all out after Lester and Hallam had put on 59 or the first wicket. Chief destroyer this time, Malcolm Hilton with figures of 26-17-23-5. Wharton and Dyson knocked off the 65 required for victory to complete the ten wicket win.

Happy days for Dyson but they were not to last. Before things turned sour, however, he was involved in a memorable roses match (Yorkshire supporters look away now). This took place in Manchester in July/August 1960 and was a joint benefit match for Lancashire spinners Tattersall and Hilton. The match was watched over three days by 74000, today what county wouldn't love to have those numbers for a season's watching, let alone three days. In 2013 Yorkshire's total championship attendance in a good summer was a shade over 40000.

Yorkshire, captained by JV Wilson, took first knock and were all out for 154, DB Close 63. Lancashire replied with 226, Wharton top scorer with 83. Yorkshire fared slightly worse second time around being dismissed for 149 after being 36 for 5. Lancashire were left to get 78 in two hours during which Trueman and Ryan, bowling unchanged, sent down 31 overs. The climax of the game is described in detail in Stephen Chalke's wonderful book 'Caught in the Memory' through the eyes of Don Wilson.

To cut to the chase, Lancashire found themselves at 62 for 6. Dyson had not batted at his usual three and he still did not come down the pavilion steps when the seventh wicket fell at 72. Apparently our hero was a man who would go walkabout when things got a bit tense but at last, cometh the hour cometh a shaking Dyson,  with four balls left and five to get and Fred Trueman with the ball in his hand. It all comes down to the last ball by which time Yorkshire can only draw or lose but Lancashire can complete their first roses double since 1893 and in the meantime Fred has refrained from running out Clayton when the Lancshire wicketkeeper backed up excessively. The last ball is full and straight and Dyson gets an inside edge onto his pads for four sneaky runs and victory by two wickets. Grown men wept, not least Mel Ryan who had taken five of the eight wickets.

If the preceding paragraphs were difficult reading for Yorkshire followers then the rest of the season became a horror story for Lancashire. Victory over Leicestershire two weeks later kept them top of the table but they lost four and drew two of their last six matches. Yorkshire went top on August 16th and clinched the championship two weeks later at Harrogate. As for Dyson he cracked no pots in the next two games but hit 53 in the win over Leicestershire and 60 in  a losing cause at Southend. He fared poorly in a defeat at Northants and that was his last championship appearance until he returned to his home county in 1963.

Bon Voyage - posted by Tony Hutton

Hopefully not too many of you will be suffering from terminal boredom having read my extremely long account of my travels some twenty years ago. Just felt it was rather appropriate as our good friend David Thorpe and a party of friends will be setting off shortly for a trip to Australia and New Zealand to watch not only cricket, but rugby league, rugby union and horse racing. We are sure they will have a great time and wish them well. A certain amount of arm twisting may be necessary on their return to get them to do a report of their activities. Bon voyage.