Village Cup gets up speed

posted by John Winn

Brian has summed up perfectly the conditions at St George's Road yesterday, cold, windy and wet and what made it worse was that it appeared to have been localised for 25 miles away in York it was a much better day. Are we downhearted? Perhaps a little but Look North says today will improve and blue sky is visible through my window as I type and that tomorrow will be the best Saturday of the season so far. Sunday I'm off to Southport to take a rare opportunity to see championship cricket on a ground not previously visited and Tony is similarly minded although in his case it is a trip to Beckenham for Kent v Surrey which back in the days of Woolley and Hobbs was a traditional Bank Holiday fixture although I believe Blackheath was the venue.

Southport CC

 

Meanwhile the Davidstow Village Cup has reached the semi finals of the group stages and these will be played on Sunday May 31st. In North Yorkshire (North) my local club Ouseburn  will visit the winners of Harome and Moorsholm and the other tie will be between Ebberston and Sessay. In North Yorkshire (South) it is Sheriff Hutton Bridge, former winners, against Staxton and last winners Woodhouse Grange will host Heslerton,

Moving to the North East the intriguingly named Bates Cottage from Northumberland play NYSD club Wolviston and the other tie is between Sacriston Colliery and Stocksfield, members of the Northumberland and Tyneside League. In West and South Yorkshire the top half of the draw pits Ackworth against Thornton and the other semi is between Houghton Main and Streethouse.  As there are 32 groups in total you will forgive me going through them all but full details are available at the cricketer.com.

There have already been some surprises in the competition: two-time winners Shipston-under Wychwood lost to Challow and Childrey in the Oxfordshire group. C and C will play Cumnor next week while in the other half of this group last year's beaten finalists Great and Little Tew are at home to Oxford Downs. In the far south west three times winners in the first five years of the competition Cornish outfit Troon lost interest for after a bye in the first round they went out to Boconnoc who play in Cornwall Division Two East and whose picturesque Deer Park is much admired. Look out for an update on the competition in a couple of weeks.

Finally for today the results of this week's quiz. The three Yorkshire players who went on to win England caps were Ballance, Bairstow and Shahzad, Waiwright switched to Derbyshire, Simon Guy kept wicket for Yorkshire and Tom Poynton kept wicket for Derbyshire. And if you are in the mood to scratch the little grey cells again which three England players are playing at Lord's this week who played in the first test agains Bangladesh in May 2010? Answers next time.