Saturday 2nd July already in situ at Scarborough ready for Championship cricket on Sunday and it was only a short drive to Driffield across the Wolds to see the Yorkshire Academy in action again at the pleasant Kings Mill Road ground. Several years since my last visit but still in good condition with two games for the price of one as Driffield Third eleven took on Hull seconds on the adjacent second ground.
Only snag was the persistent wind which meant watching from the car was a necessity. There was a threat of rain and we could see the rain clouds passing not far away, but fortunately it stayed dry. Driffield batted first and got off to a good start with a brisk opening stand of 64 from Asad and Dobson. Ed Barnes, possibly the youngest player in the Academy side, then removed them both fairly quickly and the innings began to fall apart.
Driffield cricket club
Number three Casey Rudd held things together with a workmanlike 50 but he got little
support from his team mates with the Drury family not contributing much for once.
When Rudd was out Grant Halder held the tail together with another 50 which contained eight fours and enabled Driffield to finish on 197-7. Perhaps a little below par thanks to accurate spells from both spinners Logan and Shutt.
Memorial for a Yorkshire great of long ago.
The Academy reply got off to a disastrous start and in no time three wickets had gone down for only 26, with Brown, Ainsley and Waite all back in the pavilion. But the two men in good form recently Mosun Hussain and Jordan Thompson fought back well with 27 from Hussain and match winning performances from Thompson with 80 from 98 balls and Barnes 50 not out at the end off only 55 balls. A fine performance by the youngsters in trying conditions due to the strong wind.
Next day back in Scarborough for the game with Middlesex. As usual an excellent crowd particularly at the Trafalgar Square End where the Tea Room was doing an excellent trade throughout the day. Of course a very different atmosphere to our recent visit for the Second eleven match when the ground was almost deserted. Unfortunately the major problem with such a large crowd is the members of the chattering classes who feel obliged to talk all day on every subject under the sun, not only to their neighbours but to the distraction of everyone within about a twenty yard radius.
Full house at Scarborough
However back to the cricket and sadly Adam Lyth, on his home ground, was out caught behind to the first ball of the match. Yorkshire re-grouped and it was good to see Alex Lees back to something like the form we remember so well. The hero of the day proved to be Garry Ballance, another who has been out of form recently. Today he got his head down and although never looking completely comfortable achieved a workmanlike century, which was very well received, just before the close.
Overnight score at Scarborough
Day two saw Yorkshire consolidate their recovery to get just over the 400 mark, which should enable them to avoid defeat. Remembering recent games between these two teams makes one very wary of making such predictions and towards the end of the day, before an early finish due to bad light, the game seemed to be turning back in the visitors favour. Robson and Gubbins, a double century maker last week, started well. When they were both out, Bailey, the Australian and Eskinazi, the South African played themselves in and of course, the latter's big century propelled Middlesex into the lead on day three, by which time we had moved on.
A draw must look the most likely result now but recent history suggests this game may still provide a surprise or two.
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