Many thanks to Brian Sanderson for keeping the blog going so well during my absence on a ten day circular tour of the south and the south west ending up in North Wales. John Winn was also away for a short holiday so full marks to Brian.
It may take some time to bring the reports of my travels up to date, but I will make a start with day one which was Friday 10th July. My first port of call was the county ground at Northampton, where on a very hot day I was able to join a crowd of about twenty others to watch the third day of a second eleven championship game between Northampton and Durham.
County ground, Northampton
My sort of game and I suppose my sort of ground, although much improved in recent years, the old fashioned atmosphere complete with an old railway signal box still prevails. Former player and umpire Peter Willey was in residence, with presumably a grandchild in tow, as Durham continued their substantial first innings which stood at 542-7 overnight. Graham Clark had made 151 and Ed Pollock a newcomer from Durham University 107 on the previous day.
Northampton, complete with signal box (centre)
This was in reply to Northants' total of 378-8 declared on day one, in which there were also two century makers, Charlie Thurston with 203 not out and 17 year old Saif Zaib
with 106. So obviously something of a batsman's paradise. Durham showed no inclination to declare and former Woodhouse Grove schoolboy Dylan Budge and former Yorkshire Academy bowler Gurman Randhawe added quick runs before the visitors were finally all out for 590.
Northants were content to bat out the rest of the day for a draw and this time it was wicketkeeper David Murphy, formerly with Loughborough University, who became the fifth century maker of the match. Randhawe bowled a useful early spell picking up a couple of wickets with his left arm spin and one hopes he might still make a success as a county player.
The modern stand which replaced the old football stand
A pleasant lunchtime walk in the large Abington Park just across the road added to the enjoyment with lots of people sunbathing and enjoying the fine weather. On consulting my archives I realised that it was almost fifty years since my first visit to the Northampton ground. August 1965 to be precise, when they beat a strong Kent side, which included Colin Cowdrey, Alan Knott and Derek Underwood. The Northampton side contained Test players such as Colin Milburn, David Steele, Keith Andrew and David Larter, but it was county stalwart Brian Crump, from Staffordshire, who won the match with 66 in the first innings and four wickets, all clean bowled in the second.
It was then a very different ground, with Northampton Town soccer team, the Cobblers, still in residence at one end which produced a rather bumpy outfield for the cricketers. Times have changed, the Cobblers now reside at Sixfield Stadium, but the county ground retains a great cricketing history
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