Boxing Day cricket continued

Posted by Tony Hutton

Judging by the surprising reaction to my two recent blogs on Boxing Day cricket this seems to have created far more interest than I ever envisaged. So on several counts I thought a third instalment might be called for.

One item of interest related to the record number of appearances in this long running fixture. This I believe is held by Johnny Lawrence, formerly of Somerset county cricket club and numerous league cricket clubs in Yorkshire. I am reliably informed that he made thirty appearances on Boxing Day but am not sure whether these were consecutive or not. Be that as it may, but it was mentioned at the game this week that the redoubtable Barry Singleton of North Leeds CC is close to beating this record of appearances.

I am hoping that Steven Bindman, who has been doing considerable research on the career of Johnny Lawrence, may be able to add more information on this topic. He may also be able to confirm whether Mr. Lawrence ever took a hat trick in the course of his thirty games.

However one amazing record which I am able to confirm is even more remarkable. That is held by my candidate for Cricket Watcher of the Year, Jennifer Ellison. She attended her first Boxing Day game, at a very young age, back in 1957. Since that time she has missed only one game (in 1964) which I calculate as fifty nine matches in all !

Jennifer Ellison

Jennifer is still a regular at Headingley and Scarborough, but really prefers to follow the Yorkshire Academy and 2nd XI sides, which she has done for many years. She travelled the country together with her late husband, John, watching 2nd XI cricket when very few others did.

In addition she also finds time to be a very accomplished proof reader for all my entries on this blog, which can be prone to the occasional spelling mistake.








                                                                                                                                       

The hat trick nobody noticed

Posted by Tony Hutton

Yesterday's blog on this year's Boxing Day match in Leeds set me off again as to whether anybody else had ever taken a hat trick in England on Boxing Day. Barry Singleton of North Leeds CC performed this feat yesterday and it will no doubt take some considerable research by the Northern Cricket Society cognoscenti as to whether anyone else has ever done it.

Barry Singleton of North Leeds CC

I can shed some light on what might be the very first Boxing Day hat trick, which goes back as far as 1955. I recently obtained, in a second hand book shop, a copy of a book entitled 'Village Cricket' by A.J. Forrest. To my surprise the whole of the first chapter of this most interesting volume concerned the Northern Cricket Society Boxing Day game in 1955, in which the author actually played. This chapter has the intriguing title 'The hat trick nobody noticed'.

He had been invited to play as a guest by the founder of the Society, Ron Yeomans, who was aware that Mr Forrest was touring the country writing about village cricket.
Ron Yeomans is described as one of the world's most ardent cricket enthusiasts, being the founder, honorary secretary and guiding spirit of the Northern Cricket Society which then had a membership of six hundred people.

To cut a very long story short, the match, which was then played at Alwoodley cricket club in Leeds, was interrupted by rain. NCS with such luminaries as J.R. Burnett and Brian Stott of Yorkshire together with Peter Rochford the Gloucester wicketkeeper made a total of 82-8. The Northern were captained by Johnny Lawrence, the Yorkshire born leg spinner who played for many years with Somerset and became a Boxing Day regular over a very long period of time. He might well be in the frame as another hat trick contender. The long rain delay between innings eventually ended and Lawrence enquired 'Who hasn't batted?', 'Yeomans' was the immediate retort.

So it was that Ron Yeomans opened the bowling with spinners which had not seen the light of day in recent times. He did however manage to take two wickets in the over, one with the very last ball. With all the comings and goings of batsmen, this fact had been forgotten by the time Yeoman's second over started and he immediately clean bowled the batsman with a full toss. The incoming batsman was promptly out lbw next ball. One more for the hat trick everyone said, unaware, as was the bowler, that he had already achieved the feat. The next man middled the ball and everyone thought the hat trick had gone.

Rain finally ended the proceedings with a score of 21-5 and about fifty players, friends and supporters retired to the Wharfedale Inn, Arthington for a buffet celebration lunch.
Speeches were made and a good time was had by all. The author, Mr Forrest, was entertained that evening by the Alwoodley Chairman, George Featherstone, whose wife had apparently served three hundred cups of coffee during the match!  The Trophy the teams played for yesterday is still the George Featherstone trophy.

At around 8 p.m. the phone rang and it was none other than the aforementioned Ron Yeomans, with the excited news that the Press Association had just checked the score sheets of the game and had discovered his hat trick! So to end this story I can do no better than to quote the author's words at the end of this very long chapter.

'Such triumphs of hope snatch some harshness out of winter. They do not just refresh us, but set our fingers tingling in anticipation of joys to come, next season's fixtures. May they go on and on, amid snow and ice, a symbol of cricket's indestructibility as the loveliest and most challenging of games.' I am certain he would be glad to know the tradition continues to this day - more than sixty years later and that another hat trick has been recorded.

Sun shines on Boxing Day cricket

Posted by Tony Hutton

Although the current issue of the Cricketer Magazine produced an article about Boxing Day cricket, they seemed to be oblivious of the fact that the most well known Boxing Day match in the country has taken place in the Leeds area for no less than sixty seven consecutive years.

Today's game at North Leeds cricket club enjoyed clear blue skies and sunshine, spoilt only by a chill wind blowing the fallen leaves across the ground. This was in marked contrast to the deluge which arrived twelve months ago causing serious flooding in many parts of Yorkshire. Amazingly the game did go on then, if only for ten overs a side, but the record of playing every year since 1949, whatever the weather, remained intact.

This year's game was twenty five overs a side. The visitors, Northern Cricket Society, batted first on the artificial wicket. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals they managed to compile a total of 78 all out, with just one ball remaining. NCS, fielding a somewhat mixed bag of a side of local league cricketers started quite well and at one stage were 54-3. However three quick wickets for Keon Williams were followed by a hat trick by the home sides slow left armer, Barry Singleton.

It must be stressed that the game is always played properly, with little room for comedy, however this was provided by the last over bowled by the inimitable enthusiast Steven Bindman. After fetching a couple of balls back as they never reached the batsman and extending the over with one or two wides, he managed to take the final wicket with his fifth legitimate ball. One which the unfortunate batsman will never be allowed to forget as he was stumped trying to hit the ball out of the ground.

Some impressive bowling figures then with Singleton taking 4-4, Keon Williams 3-18 and Mr Bindman will be delighted with 1-6. Top score for NCS was Andy Stoddard with 14, still a very useful performer with the bat despite his difficulties running between the wickets. A two never looks on these days!

    Fellow blogger John Winn (right) and our Hartlepool correspondent Mike Taylerson

The North Leeds club, aided today by several guest players, did lose two early wickets but after that they strolled to rather an easy six wicket victory. They unfortunately lost star man Harwood Williams for a duck and Robert Nelson for eight, but then a good partnership between Jamie Hughes and Barry Singleton  took them to within sight of victory, before both were out for 28.

Northern Cricket Society Chairman Andrew Mawson presented the trophy to North Leeds skipper Singleton, who also claimed the Man of the Match award of a bottle of whisky. The proceeds of the raffle, which was very well supported by a good sized crowd, including many professional cricket watchers from as far afield as Hartlepool, Lancaster and Huddersfield, go to the St Gemma's Hospice in Leeds.

                            Professional cricket watchers on the march.

'I've known it colder at Weetwood'

Ballance to skipper Yorkshire

posted by John Winn

Yesterday's announcement that Gary Ballance will next season skipper Yorkshire in all formats seems to have been met with approval. Naturally Gale and Moxon are fully supportive and Ballance himself expressed his delight and the honour he felt at being named as Club Captain. It is always interesting on these occasions to check how the man on the Headingley omnibus feels about the announcement and here too the appointment seems to have been welcomed although nobody appears to be in raptures. 'Sound choice and the right one', 'the natural choice', 'good choice' are typical responses and even the removal of Alex Lees from any captaincy duties is given a positive spin both by the coaching staff and supporters in that it will allow the Halifax man to 'rediscover his batting touch'.

Ballance by his own admission is not 'a massive speaker' but 'I will be looking to lead by example and get the lads to follow me'. Fine words butter no parsnips of course but he is a very experienced cricketer, 21 test caps, and Andrew Gale recalls how well Gary did in leading the side against Notts at Scarborough. Proof of the pudding and all that and the new skipper will come under close scrutiny when, 16 weeks today, he leads his side against Hampshire in the opening championship match of the season at Headingley.

Elsewhere I received a text from our Golcar correspondent yesterday to the effect that at a meeting on Wednesday six clubs from the Huddersfield Central League were accepted into the Drakes League leaving Augustinians as the 'only club in limbo'.

April 22nd has emerged as the day when most cricket leagues will open for business in 2017 and joining the list recently has been Yorkshire Premier League North. The two promoted clubs begin with home matches, Clifton Alliance will entertain Scarborough and Easingwold have the attraction of Yorkshire Academy as visitors to Back Lane. Match of the day here might be Sheriff Hutton Bridge v 2016 champions Harrogate.

Busy winter period

Posted by Tony Hutton

Close season it may be but plenty of cricket activity going on not only in India and U.A.E. The cricket society season is in full swing with many interesting speakers to entertain cricket enthusiasts during the winter months. 

Brian Sanderson recently gave an excellent talk to the Yorkshire Supporters Association at Headingley on the work of the Yorkshire archives committee of which he is a very active member. Those of you who frequent the long room at Headingley will have seen Brian's various displays of memorabilia during the last season which are always of great interest not only to Yorkshire members, but to many visiting members as well.

Brian Sanderson

 

Brian outlined his cricketing career both as a player and a spectator, together with the people he met along the way who pointed him in the right direction to become a collector both of memorabilia and of cricket grounds, the more obscure the better!
Yorkshire do possess a great number of items, most recently from the estates of Bob Appleyard and Philip Sharpe. Most of the items are stored at the Yorkshire archives in Morley.

Brian also talked about the very successful museum now well established at Headingley which is not really big enough for all the items they would like to put on show. There are hopes that room can be made for both an extension and a much needed library, which would be a fitting memorial for the late Tony Woodhouse who was such an inspiration as both a historian and archivist for the club.

The Northern Cricket Society, who also meet monthly at Headingley, have had an excellent group of speakers already this winter. This started with Martin Howe, author of a recent book on former Yorkshire and England captain Norman Yardley. Martin was accompanied by Norman's twin sons who added to the occasion with many memories of their famous father. Then we had Dr. Dean Allen, University lecturer, who has written another excellent book on Empire, War and Cricket in South Africa. He gave a most entertaining talk on little known facts of the development of cricket in the multi-racial atmosphere of that country.

Last week the speaker was Mark Chilton, Yorkshire born but brought up in Lancashire for whom he played throughout his career and actually captaining the county for a few seasons just prior to being a member, eventually, of their championship winning team.
It did take a long time but he was very proud to be a member of that side despite being told that many better players than him had never won it.

                                                      Mark Chilton

His early days with Lancashire were a bit of a struggle with established stars like Crawley, Fairbrother, Stuart Law and Flintoff in the side. He also talked about the different atmosphere of the second team dressing room at Old Trafford compared with all the public schoolboys he played alongside at Durham University, like Strauss and Martin Jenkins.

Mark is now a coach with Lancashire 2nd XI and is obviously a very clever man. A graduate of Durham University, he has just completed a Masters Degree with a dissertation on leadership, which is a subject very close to his heart. He talked a lot about the qualities needed to be a good captain and a good coach and is very enthusiastic about the work of Peter Moores at Lancashire. He feels strongly that he is the best coach he has worked under and is rather surprised he was not more of a success with England. Mark also felt Moores would do well at Notts next season.

He is obviously very proud of the success of young Hameed with England and also feels that Jones, a batsman who came to prominence at the end of last season, will also make his mark as well as leg spinner Parkinson He described Jones as a hundred percent team man, compared with many players who these days think only of themselves, cocooned as they are in their own little worlds of their mobile phones.

So a collection of very interesting speakers with lots more still to come. The Yorkshire supporters will have a double act of Martyn Moxon and Dave Callaghan on Sunday 29th January at 2.30 p.m. The Northern Cricket Society will have Ian Fisher, former spin bowler and now conditioning coach at Yorkshire on Tuesday 3rd January at 7.45 p.m. and Paul Grayson, now coach at Durham University on Tuesday 7th February, also at 7.45. All meetings are in the Long Room at Headingley and new members will be made very welcome.

Before all this the traditional Boxing Day cricket match will take place at 10.30 a.m. when North Leeds cricket club entertain the Northern Cricket Society XI at the Homestead, Old Park Road, Roundhay adjacent to the Soldiers Field, Roundhay Park.

New fixture list adds to the confusion

Posted by Tony Hutton

I must admit that I have been somewhat pre-occupied in recent weeks completing my football blog for season 1953-54 (Grandad's football blog for new readers). This was a season when I followed the fortunes of League champions Wolves, cup Winners West Bromwich Albion and lowly Walsall who had to apply for re-election for the third season in succession. Enough of that, but thanks to John Winn for keeping the cricket blog going.
                                                                                                                                      Following the announcement of the county cricket fixtures for 2017 last week I have started work on my first draft of a cricket watching programme for the season. The first thing I noticed is how many gaps remain to be filled. I appreciate that the ECB's philosophy of trying to attract 'new' cricket watchers means that we must have blocks of fifty over matches and blocks of T20 games with county championship matches somehow squeezed in around them.

At least we seem to have more proper cricket in June this year, but the vast majority of county championship games seem to be either in April or September, when for most of the elderly spectators the cold weather can be quite a problem. That would have no effect on the ECB mandarins, still with their total lack of geographical knowledge and the fact that professional cricket watchers do watch other counties from time to time, apart from their home teams.

John Winn has already pointed out that during five of their seven championship home games Durham and Yorkshire are at home at the same time. However the classical case of this is the 5th September when all five northern counties, Yorks, Lancs, Durham, Notts and Derby are at home on the same four days. What absolute nonsense!
In addition the start days, which seem to be mainly on Friday, still change almost weekly back to Sunday again or in the case of Yorkshire's two visits to London a Monday start applies.

However I seem to have been making these same complaints for ever, so let's try to be positive. The gaps which already appear on my chart can be filled in with a variety of cricket for those of us keen enough to search it out. Minor Counties cricket, one dayers always on Sundays, three day matches on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are always a delight, but again the fixtures, provisional so far, have only appeared for four of the twenty counties.

We have the fixtures for the major universites against counties, but again the inter varsity two day fixtures will take some time to locate. Finally if all else fails there will be an absolute plethora of MCC out matches on almost every mid-week day mainly against public schools again on delightful grounds for the most part. Age group cricket both for juniors and seniors also comes into the equation, so the gaps will gradually fill as the season gets ever nearer.

One final whinge. Last season I seemed to suffer more than ever before of having to listen to other people's conversations at cricket matches. I think it was Jean-Paul Sartre who famously wrote 'Hell is other people'. How right he was. Perhaps the ECB might attract more new spectators by introducing quiet zones at cricket grounds similar to quiet coaches on trains. Although I have a nasty premonition that these new spectators might turn out to be even more noisy ones!

Yorkshire Schools' Cricket Association

Posted by Tony Hutton

I recently received some very sad news in the shape of a letter from this longstanding and much respected organisation entitled 'The End of an Era'. YSCA was founded as far back as 1923 and has a remarkable record of running age group cricket since that time which has produced many cricketers of note. They include many who had success not only with Yorkshire, England and other counties, but a vast army of league cricketers whose careers were nourished at this early age.

Under the new arrangements announced for the coming season all county and recreational cricket will come under the banner of 'Yorkshire Cricket', i.e. the county club, who will operated an 'Elite Junior Management Group'. The dedicated team of Managers, Coaches and Officials is being disbanded, although I understand that many of the coaches are being re-appointed under the new regime.

It remains to be seen how the new system will operate and whether they will be able to generate the same level of funding which enabled YSCA to produce such a wide ranging fixture programme at all age groups. One example of this was the proceeds of the second hand book stall at Headingley run by Geoff Holmes and Vivien Stone which has been a great source of support for YSCA over a long period of time. In addition many Yorkshire members and supporters made generous contribution to the association's funds.

Having known Chairman Bernard Knowles and Secretary Harold Galley for many years, I am well aware of the time and effort they have put into YSCA and remember with great affection meeting them both at Weymouth some years ago in the middle of an Under 15s tour of the south west, which was always such a great part of their programme. The list of Yorkshire cricketers who made their first steps on the ladder at places like Werrington in Cornwall and other such grounds in Devon and Dorset is endless.

Fortunately all is not bad news. The YSCA is an independent body and will continue to run the six inter school competitions which attract more entries that at any other county, as well as the long standing under 19 Festival at St. Peter's School, York, now in its 48th year. In addition they will be running a new five day festival at Ampleforth College for an under 16/17 squad which will mark a welcome return to that splendid venue.

More sad news

Posted by John Winn

After yesterday's posting about the travails of Denholme Clough CC more sad news has reached me, this time from the York Vale League where Stillingfleet, founder members of the league in 1933, have been forced to pull out of Saturday cricket. Unlike Denholme who have a good hand of players but no ground, Fleet have a large playing area and modern dressing rooms but are short of players. They had a previous period of absence from the league after WWII but since rejoining in 1967 have had 49 years continuous membership, the longest by any village club. They hope to keep the game alive in the village by playing evening cricket in the Foss League.

To sweeten the pill for pcws, or all the ones I know, Tony has pointed out to me that the fixtures for the Yorkshire Premier League South released last week include the dates for the semi final and finals of the Yorkshire Premier Championship, namely September 16th and 23rd which would suggest, Mr Holmes, that the final will be played within the Broad Acres and not in Abu Dhabi. Thank you Dr Watson.

Finally the county fixtures for 2107 will be released at midnight Thursday, which I suspect for many of us means we can look at them with our tea and toast on Friday morning. Those of you looking for Durham's first fixture remember you will need to cast your eyes as far down as the second division and if you think I've forgiven the ecb you would be wrong. 😡*

PS this is the 1800th posting on the blog.

*on some devices this face will be coloured a deep red

Last tango for Denholme?

posted by John Winn

Bit by bit the fallout from the demise of the Huddersfield Central League is being sorted out. At the Halifax League's AGM last week the four clubs who had made application were successful although with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Most welcome were Birchencliffe for whom all 29 clubs voted yes, Mount were less cordially welcomed, 19 to 10 and Bradley and Colnebridge and Leymoor came in between. The Halifax Courier describes how the new clubs brings the league's strength up to 34 but that a question mark hangs over the future of Division Two champions Denholme Clough.

Earlier this month the Keighley News  reported that Denholme's future was in doubt due to a steep rent rise imposed upon them by their new landlord which asked them to pay £625 a month for their Keighley Road ground. In an article dated November 13th Club Secretary Mohammed Yousaf was still optimistic of finding a new ground for 2017 but just four days later in a posting on facebook, my new best friend, Mr Yousaf announced the closure of the club as several possible new grounds were no longer available.This seems a remarkable change in the situation in just four days and one feels that we may not have heard the last of this story.

Denholme Clough CC

The next chapter in the Central League saga will unfold at the AGM of the Huddersfield League on December 14th, a league to which several of the displaced clubs have made application. As usual, watch this space.

Cricket in California

posted by John Winn


'Sir Charles Aubrey Smith was famous in the world of cricket before ,,,,becoming a universal favourite on the films,,,,,,,' thus began C Aubrey Smith's obituary in the 1949 Wisden. His cricketing cv was remarkable and included the captaincy of Sussex, captaining a side in Australia and the first English side to tour South Africa. His unusual run up gave him the soubriquet of 'Round the Corner Smith'. In his film career he was an ideal candidate for roles that required the tall, stereotypical Englishmen with a stiff upper lip.

Smith's two worlds came together in 1932 when he founded the Hollywood Cricket Club which played against some distinguished opposition including Australian XIs led by Vic Richardson and Don Bradman. Other famous actors who were members of the club included Boris Karloff, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant , David Niven and Laurence Olivier. Clearly the club was not just restricted to men for it numbered Olivia de Haviland and Joan Fontaine among its members. Whether the two sisters, who could not stand each other played cricket is not known.

The club survives to this day and is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association. A permanent ground was made at Griffith Park in Burbank, near the film studios but is no longer used for cricket. The game still thrives in The Golden State, however, for earlier this month LA hosted the World Cricket League Division Four Championship.

The competing nations were USA, Oman, Denmark, Bermuda, Jersey and Italy and they finished in that order as a result of which USA and Oman will play in WCL Division Three early next year with Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and hosts Uganda. Despite beating USA, Jersey are now relegated with Italy to Division Five where they will meet local rivals Guernsey. The other teams in that group are yet to be decided.

Jersey suffered an injury crisis in LA to the extent that team manager Tony Carylon (46) played against Italy in the same XI as his 15 year old son, Harrison. Losses to Denmark, Oman and Bermuda were enough to send them down.

The games were played at Woodley Park, the home of the Leo Magnus Cricket Complex which has five pitches, The Marder, The Wong, The Wright, The Severn and The Village Green. The complex is named after 'Jingles' Magnus a former Jamaican cricketer who played and coached in California. It is considered to be amongst the best cricket facilities in the USA and is located in the Van Nuys district of LA, a neighbourhood in the central San Fernando valley with a majority Hispanic population. Van Nuys High School, which disappointingly does not offer cricket in its sports curriculum, does have a link to Sir Aubrey however, for it numbers both Marilyn Monroe and Robert Redford amongst its notable alumni. Now be honest you didn't expect to learn that today.

Finally its time to start adding next year's fixtures to your 2017 diary. Some Minor County fixtures are already out and in league cricket the Yorkshire Premier South and Aire Wharfe dates have appeared in the last few days. The county fixtures are understood to be with the counties for their perusal and are expected to be published in a couple of weeks.

C Aubrey Smith 1863 -1948

One I missed earlier

posted by John Winn

I was alerted yesterday evening to another club on the move. As far back as March Knaresborough CC applied to join the York and District Cricket League and within a couple of weeks an EGM of the York League accepted their request by 69 votes to 8. In 2017 they will play in Division 1, just one step away from the Premier Division and two promotions away from the Yorkshire Premier League North. This placement will take them above Pannal who 'crossed over' from the Nidderdale league last season and give them local derby matches against Ripon who were promoted this year.

Why this move? Simple, the Aire-Wharfe league that Knaresborough leave behind are not part of the Yorkshire pyramid that leads to possible ECB Premier status. KCC were champions of the Aire-Wharfe for six successive years in the late seventies but last picked up that piece of silverware more than 30 years ago and three years ago were relegated to Division Two. Club spokesman, Jonathan Corcoran, speaking to the Harrogate Advertiser in April, believes that the change of leagues will attract better players to their Aspin Lane ground. Knaresborough played in Division Two in 2016 where they finished third behind promoted clubs Colton and Guiseley.

More clubs moving leagues

posted by John Winn

In a recent posting I referred to the movement of St Chad's I and II from the Wetherby League to the Aire-Wharfe. This inward movement has however been more than off set by departures, Illingworth CC, the only club in the A-W with a Halifax postcode, are going to where their address suggests they ought to be, viz the Halifax League, a league where they last played 96 years ago. Based three miles north of the town the club was established in 1884. It was with some sadness that, back in September the club played its last game in the AWSCL on the picturesque ground at Follifoot near Harrogate. Speaking to the Halifax Courier in January, Illingworth President Andrew Smith said that the decision to apply to move had been approved by a vast majority of the club's players. Illingworth will be very much at the centre of things in the HCL and they felt that they would prefer the 45 over game, a format to which the HCL is very much committed.

Illingworth were founder members of the Halifax Parish League in 1914, the Parish was dropped in 1926, but left to join the Yorkshire Council in 1920. Their  entry into the Halifax League along with the clubs joining from the Huddersfield Central will boost membership but any satisfaction arising from this has been tempered by the very recent news of the resignation of Old Crossleyans CC which has been accepted by the league executive. A report in The Courier speaks of friction within the 'Old Crocs' and the resignation en bloc of the committee.

Illingworth CC

Also on the move from the Aire Wharfe are Upper Wharfedale CC. A report in this week's Harrogate Advertiser says that 'following a difficult couple of years where the club has struggled to field two teams' 2107 will see them in Division 8 of The Nidderdale league. Initially the Grassington based outfit will field just one side in the lowest tier of their new home. UWCC Chairman Jon Slater expressed the club's delight at the readiness with which the Nidderdale League has accepted their application. If my calculations are correct their longest journey will take them from the Upper Wharfe to the Lower Ure, a distance of about 40 miles. Their local derby will be with Dacre Banks II, just a fifteen mile trip.

Upper Wharfedale


A number of leagues are holding their AGMs this month and it is expected that some of the changes I have described in recent postings will be confirmed at these meetings and other changes may become known. Expect a further posting on this topic when there is more definite news.

News from the Lancashire League

Posted by Tony Hutton

John Winn has brought us up to date with recent events in the Yorkshire Leagues as this period of change for many of them continues. Thanks to the excellent Lancashire League website and a recent meeting with some of my Lancashire friends, I have various items of information to impart from the 'wrong side' of the Pennines.

The Lancashire League, which has been a closed shop for it's entire history, will celebrate 125 years of cricket next season. Various events are planned including a league dinner with Geoff Miller as guest of honour and several representative games are to be played (no details yet). The big news is that for the first time in the league's existence three new clubs are to be admitted next season.

These are Clitheroe, Darwen and Great Harwood. Darwen move from the Northern League and the other two from the Ribblesdale League. I wonder if this will lead to Policeman Bob transferring his allegiance from East Lancashire to his home town team Darwen. This move seems to have taken a long time to reach fruition with all sorts of arguments along the way. Much talk about whether the leagues record books will be re-written and even whether the records for pre-limited overs games, introduced some years ago now, should be ring fenced as a totally different game.

Cliffe Park, Great Harwood

The good news is that the complete list of fixtures for league, Worsley cup and the T20 competition have already been published and can be found on the league website.
The first game of the season will be the traditional Ron Singleton Colne Trophy game on Sunday 9th April. This will be hosted by Worsley Cup winners Burnley at Turf Moor against league champions Ramsbottom. Other news from over the border involves the controversial spin bowler Toby Bulcock, who has moved from Richmondshire in the North Yorkshire South Durham League back to his native Lancashire with Ribblesdale League club Whalley (who always proudly tell us that they are the home of the first ever Roses Match).

Presumably Bulcock will continue to play Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland where he has had great success, as he had at Richmond until running into disciplinary problems last season. Another Lancastrian returning to home territory is Graham 'Foxy' Fowler. He has recently written a book 'Absolutely Foxed' about his eventful career in cricket both as a player and a coach. The book has received some excellent reviews and he will be appearing at the Grand Theatre, Clitheroe on November 23rd to tell many stories about his life with Lancashire, Durham and England as well as his period as coach at Durham University

Changing Channels

posted by John Winn

A major change comes to the televising of test cricket in the next twenty four hours when BT Sport will broadcast the 1st test between Australia and South Africa from the WACA, 10:30 local time, 2:30 GMT. Viewing is available via live streaming as well as on TV. Coverage begins at 2:00 GMT.

BT announced earlier this week that they have agreed a five year deal with Cricket Australia which means that they will have the rights to the 17-18 Ashes series, the first overseas tests involving England since 1990 not to be shown on SKY. As part of the agreement BT will show all Australian Test Matches, they have two tests with Pakistan coming up after the three match series with South Africa, ODIs, T20s and the Big Bash. The deal also covers Australian women's cricket.

For those with access to BT Sport on TV, coverage is on BT Sport 3 and continues until 11:15 am GMT. If I have read my Radio Times correctly highlights are on BT Sport 2 at 18:30 GMT. BT's team is headed by Greg James, 'most famous' for hosting the drive time show on Radio 1 each day. Greg will be joined by the seemingly ubiquitous Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Graeme Swann and, wait for it, Kevin Pietersen, Can't win 'em all,

Just in case you are wondering I am not in the pay of BT, I shell out plenty of money each month to SKY, but do have BT sport for a relatively modest sum as part of my phone and broadband deal and if insomnia brought on by wondering why Finn still gets picked for England continues to trouble me then I might have a look tonight. In the interests of balance I should point out that Sky retain the rights to the next domestic Ashes series in 2019 and that year's World Cup but expect BT to be very competitive when the ECB's current deal with SKY comes to an end that year.

Around the leagues

Tong Park where I enjoyed an afternoon in July

posted by John Winn

With the league cricket season finally put to bed in Abu Dhabi last week, and Tony has made it very clear what he thinks about the choice of that venue to decide the 'Champions of Yorkshire', my usual round up of winners and losers in North Yorkshire has been much delayed although the temperature yesterday, warm enough to tempt me into the garden, would have made for not unpleasant cricket watching.

My report card for watching cricket in my area in 2016 will be marked 'could do better' for in terms of new grounds visited it has been the poorest for at least ten years. After a good start with an afternoon in the Pontefract League in early May it soon fizzled away into a pattern of a trip to York or Harrogate followed by tea at my local club, Ouseburn CC. Let's hope I show more enterprise in 2017 and my travels and travails provide more interesting fare for our readers.

Living where I do the A1 and A19 roads provide good access to cricket in North Yorkshire and County Durham and by the start of next season the upgrading of the former to motorway status from Leeming to Barton will be complete so there will be even less excuse for inertia. The A19 is my path to The Langbaurgh League which was won by Kirby Sigston, a rather isolated club to the east of  Northallerton. Relegated from Division 1 are Moorsholm and Hutton Rudby who are replaced by Chop Gate and Dormanstown, the latter a side quickly finding its feet after joining from the defunct Cleveland League and who are the only outfit in this league I have not visited.

A bit further north and spreading up into County Durham is The Darlington and District League and I had a nostalgic afternoon early in the season calling in at Rockcliffe Park and Barton. Champions here were my father's old club, Haughton, captained by Mark Dobinson, a grandson of a cousin of mine. The strugglers in Division A were Brompton on Swale and Rockcliffe III and their places will be taken next year by Nunthorpe*another former Cleveland League club who have enjoyed successive promotions since switching in 2015, and Middleton in Teesdale. The 47 miles between the two promoted clubs somewhat stretches the concept of ''and District'.  Relegated from Division B are Catterick Village and the hapless Witton le Wear who won only one game and conceded six.

The NYSD Premier champions were Barnard Castle but who were ineligible to represent the league in the 'Yorkshire Championship'. Their place was taken by runners-up, Great Ayton who lost to Pudsey SL in the semi-final. The NYSD is undergoing some restructuring and the two relegated clubs, Normanby Hall and Billingham Synthonia will be replaced by only one, Marton.

Top dogs in the Wetherby League were Kirk Deighton with Bilton in Ainsty second. Just two days ago the league posted its structure for 2017 and here the cat has really got among the pigeons with the departure of two clubs to new pastures. Bilton are moving into the York League but leaving behind their second XI while St Chad's Broomfield are taking two sides into the Aire Wharfe with their thirds provisionally placed in Wetherby Division 3.

Where these clubs will be placed in their new homes I have been unable to find but more leagues next time.
*Nunthorpe have made application to join the NYSD. Officials of the league are to visit the club's ground

End of season rant

Posted by Tony Hutton

It is now some weeks since the end of the 2016 cricket season, and some time since my blogging colleague John Winn reminded me the I had not done my usual end of season rant. Perhaps I am mellowing in my old age, but perhaps not as there are several subjects I am happy to have a go at.

First of all let us consider the final of the competition for various Yorkshire League champions which took place yesterday in Abu Dhabi. Congratulations to the winners Wakefield Thornes and to runners up Pudsey St Lawrence for putting on a fine show, after losing early wickets in pursuit of a huge total. Much has been made of the large audience on twitter and live streaming from the ground, with figures of up to 10,000 people said to have been involved.

However am I a lone voice, in this sea of euphoria, who feels that a Yorkshire competition final should be played in Yorkshire. Then perhaps this alleged figure of 10,000 people might have been able to watch the game live, ideally as part of the Scarborough cricket festival.

We already have the nonsense of the early season MCC game with the champion
county being played at this overseas venue, when many of the champion county's members and supporters would like the chance of seeing their team start the season at Lord's. This leads me onto another subject regarding the treatment of county cricket's long standing and traditional supporters. Apparently the frantic search for 'new people' to watch cricket takes no account of the traditionalists, who are regarded as all of an age who are going to die out in the near future

Be that as it may, but surely such longstanding support deserves some recognition by the money men who now seem to rule the game. The administrators in their headlong dash for more money making ideas, which all seem to revolve around T20 in whatever shape they can think of next, must realise that the county championship is a competition to be valued in it's own right, not merely as a source of England cricketers.

The competition should be marketed, not ignored. The Test players must have time to play in it. Highlights programmes should be shown regularly on TV and Sky should be persuaded to show more games live than the token one or two per season. The interest aroused by the Middlesex v Yorkshire game at Lord's was just one example of the cricket that is on offer, but so often ignored by the media at all levels.

Another of my ongoing complaints is the standard of cricket photography in the press these days. Despite all the high powered modern equipment available today's photographers do not seem to have the patience to capture the moment, when something actually happens. They only press the button after it has happened and invariably come up with players celebrating rather than a batsman's shot or the stumps being disturbed in a magic moment. I could go on about press reports made up largely of unintelligible quotes from players, but will spare you from that.

Now what about the long delay in obtaining county fixtures for next season, which may of course be delayed further this year because of Kent's legal challenge regarding possible promotion. County second XI, Minor Counties and University fixtures take even longer to produce and when they do appear the venues are often still not arranged.
Perhaps the powers that be should be introduced to the officials of the Derbyshire Cricket League who find it possible to produce a full fixture list for ten divisions, north and south by the 8th October!

Finally it is good to see that a petition has been started to persuade the ECB that their points deduction from Durham in all competitions next season is overkill. Relegation was bad enough but to compound this already excessive punishment with even more is morally unjustified and does the game no good at all.

 
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Nostalgia time again

Posted by Tony Hutton

Cartworth Moor cricket club

Thanks to John Winn for his excellent account of the future plans for clubs from the Huddersfield Central League. Good to see that cricket will continue at such attractive grounds as Cartworth Moor, Holmbridge and Almondburians. This is a league I took quite an interest in about ten years ago and indeed remember well my elation at completing visits to see cricket at all of the grounds. The last one was Greenmoor, which always seemed much nearer to Sheffield than to Huddersfield, perched on a hill top overlooking Stocksbridge. So a new home in the South Yorkshire league seems to make sense geographically, a subject which many cricket administrators seem unaware of.

My visit to Greenmoor, to achieve the full set of grounds, is memorable as along with Brian Senior and the late Mick Bourne we opened the car doors to almost have them ripped off the hinges by the howling gale. Cricket was going on as we stumbled up the hill to the shelter of the pavilion. At the end of the over the home team wicket keeper ran off the pitch to greet Mick, who had coached him as a junior, and held up play for a while so delighted was he to see Mick again.

Greenmoor cricket club

One of the locals pointed out the history of the club in the pavilion and told us that on a clear day you could see the Humber Bridge from this elevated vantage point. Sadly there was a lot of cloud about and we were unable to test his remarkable statement.
On a more serious note it is sad to see the demise of another league and to hear of many sides in this and other leagues who are unable to field second elevens in the future. Interest in playing cricket, particularly on two days of a weekend, is certainly on the wain and it is very difficult to see how this trend can be countered.

John also wrote an interesting piece about his boyhood visit to the Scarborough Cricket Festival in 1955. Out of curiosity I looked up my detailed archives to see what cricket I saw that year. I was 18 years old and had just started playing club cricket for my
employer's office team in Birmingham on a delightful ground which was one of the first to be sold off for building houses in the late 1960s. So my cricket watching that season was rather limited.

I saw a Sunday benefit match in April between Sutton Coldfield and Warwickshire in
which Fred Gardner, a stonewaller in county cricket, scored rather a quick hundred and then Eric Hollies bowled the club side out for 78 by taking 5-18. Then I had a morning's cricket at Lord's (Middlesex v Derby) before catching the tube to Wembley for the cup final between Newcastle United and Manchester City.

On holiday at the end of May with relations near Morecambe I saw Cumberland play Yorkshire 2nd XI at Carlisle with the likes of Padgett, Bird, Leadbeater and Van Gelovan in the line up. That same week I saw Australian Bill Alley score a century for Blackpool at Lancaster, just before he took up county cricket with Somerset. A couple of day's county cricket at Edgbaston and finally a benefit match for the Walsall club professional Arthur Booth, the former Yorkshire spin bowler, with the Bedser twins as umpires!

Like John happy memories of long ago.

Central League clubs go every which way

posted by John Winn

As far back as May The Huddersfield Examiner reported that 2016 might be the last season for The Huddersfield Central Cricket League. At that time the talk was of a possible merger with The Halifax League but since then there have been several twists and turns and at this point it looks as though the 16 member clubs will be dispersed to not one but four leagues for next season if, as expected,  the HCCL management board confirms at its AGM in November that after over 100 years of existence stumps have been pulled for the last time.

With help from Our Golcar Correspondent I have spent time this week trawling through various websites trying to establish where each of the 16 clubs will be when play is called next April, no easy task for even now there are ifs and buts in the Kirklees and Calderdale air that mean that the list below comes with a health warning that it may well need updating before the dust finally settles. As if to underline this uncertainty as recently as the 6th of October The Examiner carried a headline saying that cricket in the area was still in a state of flux and that the Huddersfield League was still not clear how many clubs it would be accommodating.

On Tuesday of this week, October 18th, at a meeting of The Halifax League the four clubs still wishing to join that league made presentations and the executive committee encouraged the existing members to 'endorse these applications'. All four clubs are within a ten mile radius of Halifax town centre and this seem their natural new home. The four are Mount, Birchencliffe, Leymoor and Bradley and Colnebridge.

Of the remaining twelve, seven  seem likely to end up in The Huddersfield League, they are Cartworth Moor, Augustinians, Almondburians, Edgerton and Dalton, Nortonthorpe, Holmbridge, and Flockton. Green Moor and Higham  have been accepted into the South Yorkshire League, Denby Grange and Calder Grove to Pontefract which would appear to leave only Horbury Bridge with no fixed abode although their location suggests they too might favour joining Denby Grange and Calder Grove. Watch this space.

Holmbridge Cricket Club who next year will play in The Huddersfield Drakes League.

A memorable summer

posted by John Winn

The summer just passed is not the one referred to in the title of the posting but one far back in time and possibly before some of our readers were born but my memories of 1955 have been prompted by a book I have read recently, I Declare by Jack Cheetham, an account by the then South African skipper of his side's tour of England in that summer.

It is a summer remembered for fine weather, an exciting test series and on a personal level as the year when I left my little village school to move on to Darlington Grammar School. This important change in my life had the added bonus of two extra weeks holiday, the last of which was spent at Scarborough watching firstly Gentlemen v Players and to finish the week, TN Pearce's XI v South Africans, a game the tourists won by four wickets with one ball to spare, the winning hit being made on the stroke of time by Cheetham himself off the bowling of Johnny Wardle.

At the end of the match I was one of many who sought the autographs of the men from the Veld and in a small green book, still in my possession, are the signatures of six of the party who had the patience to sign after a tour that had begun when they had flown from Jan Smuts Airport Johannesburg on April 23rd and would finish with a drawn game at Carlisle on Saturday, September 10th the day after they had finished at North Marine Road, a little over 20 weeks since they had left South Africa. In that time they played 28 first class matches, including the five tests, nine of these matches being before the first test which, as was traditional at that time, was played at Trent Bridge.

Cheetham's book gives a very detailed account of his team's five months in England and Wales, they played Glamorgan at Swansea, and whilst he is no Neville Cardus he gives an insight into what was then a very different world and in which he avoids any controversy. One of the most surprising features of the tour to me was the number of receptions the tourists were expected to attend beginning in April with an appointment at South Africa House and ending at Scarborough Town Hall. The tour began in poor weather, a wet pitch at New Road contributing to a heavy defeat in the first match and the following week it was bitterly cold at Derby, plus ca change. The summer redeemed itself from July and for the first time all five tests were played to a definite conclusion: three in favour of England and two for South Africa, the first time they had achieved that feat in England. The tests were generally low scoring affairs with an average of just over 25 runs per wicket. In the decisive test at The Oval forty wickets fell for just 618 runs, 21 of them to spin.

Cheetham himself had a modest tour, a middle order batsman he averaged 24.00 in the three tests he played with a top score of 54. Injury kept him out of the third and fourth tests where under the captaincy of McGlew the South Africans had their two victories. Cheethams describes in the book how he was 'loathe to play' in the final test but was persuaded by McGlew and tour manager Ken Viljoen that he should . Back in South Africa his wife received many anonymous phone calls forcefully suggesting he should not return to the side. The beginnings of social media perhaps? The bespectacled* Paul Winslow, who had scored a century in the third test at Old Trafford, made way for his skipper.
*Percy Mansell, a fine slip fielder also wore glasses

The South Africans were let down by their batting but they had a strong hand of quicks and the off spin of Tayfield who took 143 wickets on the tour. Their strongest suit however was their fielding and I have a clear memory of them practising catching in front of the Scarborough pavilion, a pursuit we take for granted now but which was unusual, possibly unique, at that time.

Cheetham's book describes how after that final first class victory the band at Scarborough played Auld Lang Syne but does not record the names of the schoolboys who queued for his team's autographs. The signatures I have are those of Adcock, McGlew, Mansell, McLean, Smith and Goddard. For many years I believed that I was one of considerable number who wanted wicketkeeper batsman John Waite to sign and that he said he would oblige just twelve of us. I have many times recounted how I was 13th in line and that he took pity on me but as his signature is not in my book I must have imagined the incident.

In the concluding chapter of the book Cheetham gives an appraisal of each of the fifteen players under his captaincy and expresses his faith in the future of South African cricket. Wisden shared his confidence and in the last sentence of its account of the tour visit it predicts that (England) 'will find these talented Springboks even more formidable on their native Veld.' Wise words for two years later in South Africa they again conceded the first two tests to England but after a drawn third test fought back to share the series. When Cheetham left the field at The Oval on August 17th 1955, lbw Laker 9, it was his last appearance in test match cricket. He died in 1980, aged just 60. Two of his sons played first class cricket.

Cricket in October

Posted by Tony Hutton

The Arthington cricket festival took it's usual course with four weekends of friendly cricket to bring the curtain down on the cricket season. I was otherwise engaged for the first two weekends, but the weather was kind and I managed to see the last four games during the first two weekends of October.

Next man in waits his turn

Saturday 1st October and Arthington took on the Hawks a long established Wharfedale wandering side. A nice mixture of youth and experience, with leading light as ever David 'Ted' Lester scoring a hard hitting fifty. The Hawks were reinforced by the addition of the Priestley family from Pudsey St Lawrence, Ian a veteran performer who played one game for Yorkshire some years ago together with his two young sons. Number one son made a fine 31, but the youngest member was a bit put out to be dismissed cheaply.
                                            The Hawks line up

The Hawks final total of 189 all out looked a decent score, particularly when opening bowler Wilkinson took 4-4 in his early spell. Arthington were soon reduced to  51-6 when the rains, which had threatened earlier, finally arrived and the game was called off as a draw. This was the only game of the festival not to reach a positive result and reinforced the feeling of many regulars that October weather can be excellent.

Regular spectators Harold Todd and Reg Parker

The following day saw the visit of Doghouse, again a very well established Sunday wandering side from Teeside. At one time they had a wonderful fixture list of games all over North Yorkshire and the North East on some of the most beautiful grounds around. Sadly in recent years the number of fixtures has decreased rapidly due to the problems of raising a team on Sundays. Unfortunately we learned that this might indeed be their last match ever, the end of a great tradition.

Cricket in the October sunshine

For years they fielded many strong players from the North Yorkshire and South Durham League and the opening pair reflected that with David Cross from Norton and Ben Usher from Bishop Auckland soon piling up the runs. Usher made 49 and Cross went on to make a fine 72, but after that the scoring rate declined somewhat and even so a total of 223-9 looked like a winning score.

80 year old Dennis Nash still taking wickets

Unfortunately the Doghouse bowling did not match the early batting and Arthington cruised to an excellent victory by six wickets, making 224-4, thanks mainly to a century by youngster James Lord from the Crossbank Methodists side in the lower reaches of the Bradford cricket league.

That end of season feeling

On the final weekend, Saturday 8th October saw a rather one sided game against Cambridge Methodists, who were bowled out very quickly for only 82. Vince Greaves-Newell took 3-7, Dougie Jones 3-15 on his 21st birthday and veteran Geoff Barker finished them off with two wickets. Arthington raced to victory with Richard Spry scoring 60 not out and Joe Nash (son of Dennis) 21 not out.

Steve Bindman batting for Cambridge Methodists

The end of the game was enlivened by a longish over from the one and only Steven Bindman, whose first two deliveries were so slow he could have retrieved them before they reached the batsman. However he then found his length and Mr Spry treated several balls with great respect before hitting one through mid wicket for four to win the game.

Arthington secretary Martin Binks enjoys the win

Sunday 9th October and the last match of the season ended in anti-climax, as it often does. Visitors St Georges Church, who play their home games in the grounds of nearby
Harewood House, made a useful total of 193-4 in their forty overs. Star performer was a young man from Zimbabwe, via school in Botswana, and now studying at Leeds University. He had the unpronounceable name of Stephen Parirenyatna (if I have spelt it correctly), but he could certainly bat and made an excellent 71 in partnership with another veteran Andrew Stoddard who ended not out on 59.

Andrew Stoddard (left) marches off undefeated

Apparently Mr Stoddard yesterday completed his one thousand runs in all forms of cricket this season, although he strongly denied that this included some scored on the beach at Scarborough. The two batsmen had put on around 120 for the fifth wicket after an early collapse but sadly Arthington never really approached the run rate required for victory. Opener Greaves-Newell made 40, but the only other batsman to make runs was last week's hero James Lord with anothe fine 50. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the game petered out just after six o'clock in the evening in the gathering gloom. Final score 156-8 so St Georges won by 37 runs. The players and umpires shook hands and said their farewells. The small band of spectators who had stayed in the cold to see the last rites made their way home and no doubt all will be making plans for next season before too long.

Dennis Nash put out to graze

More feathers to fly

posted by John Winn

In my last posting, Wednesday 5th October, I expressed my great disappointment over the punishment handed out to Durham by the ECB for their financial woes. Durham's response has cheered me a little with news of promising young players signing new contracts and an encouraging uptake of memberships for next season despite the loss of first division status. And there is even a little solace in that we will see some new faces in championship action at The Riverside, it is some years for example since the likes of Leicestershire and Glamorgan came to play first class cricket.

Yesterday however the story took another twist with an article in The Times by Elizabeth Ammon under the headline 'Kent may sue after missing promotion' in which she quotes from a letter 'seen by The Times' in which it is alleged that Durham were told in May that they would be relegated at the end of the season. My first thought, expressed in a tweet to my friend Alan Pinkney, was that this meant Durham's last match against Hampshire, the result of which sent the south coast team down, was a sham. Alan replied that of course it went much further than this for if Durham knew in May then the whole season from that point was a sham, that the excitement and tension generated in the last couple of rounds of matches when anyone of four clubs appeared to be in danger of relegation  with Notts was just a balloon that could be pricked at any moment if this were to be leaked. To quote Ms Ammon ' .....calling into question the integrity of the whole championship season'.

Later in the morning Durham issued a very brief statement stating 'that they were not told in May that the club would be relegated at the end of the season.' So who do we believe? While Durham suffered something of a slump in the second half of the season anybody who saw their performance on the fourth afternoon of their match with Surrey when, having looked likely losers at tea they fought back to win by 21 runs, a result which at the time seemed to have secured first division cricket for the twelfth season in a row at The Riverside, would not believe they were watching a team who knew it was all a waste of time. Would Mark Wood, by his own admission only 60% fit, have played in that match under such circumstances? And if the Durham dressing room had known for five months that they were part of a charade designed to dupe the paying public into thinking they were watching an honest game would there not have been rumours to that effect leaked to the members, several of whom are blood relatives of the players?

If we can discount the suggestion that the players knew their time was up then it does I suppose leave open the possibility that the DCCC hierarchy had been told of their fate in May but that such a devastating blow had been kept secret from coach Jon Lewis, skipper Paul Collingwood, Durham's backroom staff and least likely of all, Our Hartlepool Correspondent., come on!

Back to Kent, who are on the warpath for they have threatened legal action against the ECB if the latter are not prepared to go to independent arbitration over the decision to reprieve Hants from relegation and deny Kent, who finished second in Division Two, promotion. I know who I am rooting for.

Arthington last Sunday when tea was taken at three during the last match of the season.

End of season blues

Posted by Tony Hutton

So soon after the euphoria created by the Middlesex v Yorkshire game to decide the championship came the decision to relegate Durham, with considerable other penalties as well, which John Winn and many others have expressed their outrage. I share these views and feel that the ECB have shot themselves in the foot with several recent decisions which do the county game no good at all.

It is a sad time anyway with only two games remaining this coming weekend at Arthington, which will really be the end of season. I am hoping to do a comprehensive blog covering all the games of the Arthington festival, which last Sunday saw what is likely to be the last match played by the Teeside based wandering club Doghouse. They have entertained us right royally for many years and not that long ago had a full fixture list of Sunday matches throughout North Yorkshire and the North East on some of the loveliest grounds around. Sadly in today's environment they struggle to raise a side for more than a handful of games, a problem not confined to Sunday cricket.

Anyway as today is national poetry day, I feel moved to try and write something more cheerful on a rare venture into this alternative genre.

END OF SEASON

The cricket season's over
and we never got to Dover.
We went to many places,
all with familiar faces.
Of course to Scarborough fair,
a place beyond compare.

We ended up at Lord's,
surrounded by the hoards,
but that ending cannot beat
the Minor Counties treat.

We had been to Tattenhall,
to Whitchurch and Colwall,
Kendal and Sedbergh School,
enough to make you drool.
We enjoyed the peace and quiet
and a very healthy diet!

Now a plug for two cricket books to enjoy during the months ahead. Firstly I was fortunate enough to attend the Northern Cricket Society meeting at Headingley last Tuesday when author Martin Howe talked about his recent book on former Yorkshire and England captain Norman Yardley. To assist him he brought along the twin sons of Yardley and all three of them contributed to an excellent evening, particularly for those of us who remember the 1940s and 1950s. The book is published by ACS (The Association of Cricket Statisticians).

The second volume is the sort of book I would like to write myself  'Sweet Shires' by Dave Morton published by SilverWood Books of Bristol. It is a paperback story of his cricket watching all over the country and is full of excellent colour photographs - I just wish mine were of the same high standard. Dave was born in Yorkshire and seems to have overcome the handicap of spending most of his life in Lancashire very well. A wonderful book ideal for people who collect cricket grounds.

'unjust, unprecedented and alien to cricket's code of fair play'

posted by John Winn

'Build it and they will come' unless it is against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side in May and just eight days after a test at Headingley and the genius who came up with the piece of scheduling knew nothing of meterology, geography and the depths of people's pockets.A  condition attached to the granting of first class status to Durham 25 years ago was that they should construct a ground fit for international cricket and in 2003 Riverside became England's first new test venue for 101 years when Zimbabwe were the visitors. Wisden drew attention to modest crowds on the first and second days but linked that to the quality of the opposition and since then England have paid five further tests at the ground, although they had to wait until 2013 before Australia dropped in, only one of which has been played in the school holidays.

Set this against the ECB's bidding system, since dropped, which encouraged counties to overreach themselves, an increasing number of grounds competing to host tests and the difficulty of establishing a tradition of attendance when only six tests are played in a fourteen year period, mostly against the less attractive opposition in a town where only one north bound train stops between 10:03 and 14:03, fewer than was the case in 2003.

That was the hand Durham were dealt in 1992 and perhaps they have not played it well but the woes arising from the staging of tests and other internationals have brought my native county to its knees culminating in this week's devastating news that they will start next season in Division Two, when despite  playing the recent season without an overseas player they finished 45 points above Hampshire who are thus reprieved, and furthermore Durham will start next year on minus 48. A clear message from the ECB here that Durham are not fit to be in the top flight and will not be so for some time to come. Of course I have an axe to grind here, I was born a couple of miles north of the River Tees and have been a Durham member since 1992, but I do not know of any of the major cricket writers, the title of my posting is from the Daily Telegraph's Scyld Berry, who do not think Durham's punishement harsh in the extreme. Points deduction for next season or simple relegation, either of these I could just about take but both? No sir.

One understands there is no right of appeal and nobody from the ECB will be required to justify the butchery of the hopes of county which in its short existence has produced several England test players and whose policy of  dependence on mainly home produced players has won three championships in the last nine years. A sad week for Durham and for domestic cricket.