On Saturday I spent a lovely September afternoon at Headingley watching a close fought play off between Pudsey St Lawrence and Great Ayton, the winners booking their flights to Abu Dhabi where they will meet the winners of the other playoff which was being contested concurrently at Scarborough.
Both sides had brought enthusiastic groups of supporters and there were a number of familiar faces among those who might have been considered neutrals. Perhaps as many as 300 of us altogether took advantage of the free admission but programmes, available for a £1 had a very limited circulation. PSL, who had I seen defeated just six days earlier in the Black Sheep final, and qualifying via the championship of the Bradford league won the toss and elected to bat. Their innings was anchored by Mark Robertshaw who batted almost three hours for his 93 but found it difficult to get the rate much above three an over. Harper and Allinson struck early blows to reduce Pudsey to 38 for 2 until a good stand for the third wicket brought them to a point where a score beyond 200 looked possible but the Ayton spinners kept good mid innings control and only Lamb managed a run a ball late in the order. 200 for 8 after 50 overs made me think Ayton were slight favourites but on a slow wicket only slight.
In the interval I walked into Headingley where the many cafes were teeming with customers, including Yorkshire bowler Jack Brooks, later spotted in the ground, enjoying r and r before the trip to Lord's this week. The Great Ayton innings followed the pattern of St Lawrence's, namely an anchor role from an opener, in this case NYSD top scorer Chris Batchelor who made 87 and was sixth out but like Robertshaw was never able to step up the scoring rate and finished with an almost identical strike rate. At no point were the team from the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, qualified as the highest placed Yorkshire club in the NYSD, a contentious point with some pcws, up with the modest required four runs an over. Again the spinners bowled well, particularly Chris Marsden who showed no sign of the injury he sustained in the Black Sheep final and conceded only 18 from his ten overs. A few lusty blows from Marsay kept the pot boiling and with 18 needed off 2 overs NYSD hopes were alive but two wickets fell in close order and 13 off the last over proved too much for the last pair and PSL were home with 7 runs to spare, compensation for their losses in the Priestley and Black Sheep finals.
So the sun went down on another season at Headingley but I have yet to meet anybody who doesn't think that there should be one more match, namely the final of this four team competition. Instead it will be in Abu Dhabi and there, after warm up matches, St Lawrence will take on Wakefield Thornes who overcame Harrogate at North Marine Road. Spectator packages start just short of £1300, see you at Arthington.
Tomorrow sees the start of the last round of championship matches with the four first division games all of significance. Hampshire could survive with a draw but it would need Lancashire to give Warwickshire an almighty pasting or vice versa for that to be the case and I am sure they will regard it as a must win match. Durham need nine points to ensure fourth place, a repeat of last year's position, but fewer might do the trick. Warwickshire and Lancashire will find it hard not to follow events on the south coast and if Warwickshire go down it would free up a couple of my 'must see matches' in 2017.
At Taunton Somerset take on relegated Notts knowing that by Friday night they might be champions for the first time of a competition in which they have competed since the late nineteenth century. If the wicket is similar to those used recently then it is hard to imagine full batting points being won by either side and they too will be concerned about events elsewhere, namely Lord's where Yorkshire are the visitors. The ifs and buts of this encounter are best left to each individual's imagination but as if the current table hasn't been the cause of sleepless nights then the refusal of the ECB to allow Bairstow to play has thrown some red hot chillies into the pot. Bairstow has played only five days cricket in the last five weeks and will not play again until October and most importantly feels refreshed and last week Stokes and Wood, both of whom have had major injuries this summer were allowed to play for Durham, the former bowling his boots off on the last afternoon to guarantee his county another season in the top flight. Andrew Strauss along with coach Trevor Bayliss is a key mover in this decision and is likely to face some stiff questions from Yorkshire members at Lord's tomorrow, if he decides to watch his former county in action.
Long shadows at Headingley on Saturday.
Tomorrow sees the start of the last round of
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