Busy three day week

Posted by Tony Hutton

With weather conditions still not ideal for cricket watchers, it was really a matter of keeping moving for our busy three day week between Tuesday 18th April and Thursday 20th April. With yet again two games in Leeds not far apart, at Headingley and Weetwood, it was a question of commuting between the two on Tuesday and Thursday with a day out in North Yorkshire at Richmond inbetween.

First stop Headingley on Tuesday morning where Yorkshire 2nd XI were taking on Gloucester 2nd XI in a three day friendly. The place is always something like the Marie Celeste for such fixtures and the fact that the Yorkshire guide for members suggested the game started the following day meant there were even less people present than normal. John has covered the cause of this problem at some length but the first morning and the last morning were spoilt by endless noise, first as if sitting in a metal scrapyard in the Trueman enclosure while endless seats for the pavilion balcony were being unloaded and then on Thursday very noisy drilling while seats were being put in place. No consideration whatsoever for players or the admittedly few spectators.

Yorkshire batted and lost opener Elliot Callis to the very first ball of the match, when the crowd had barely reached double figures. He wafted at one outside leg stump and was easily caught by wicketkeeper Bracey off the bowling of Mark Taylor. We had already seen Bracey performing well with the bat earlier this season for Loughborough University. Apparently his brother also played for Gloucester a few years ago, but sadly I cannot claim to have seen a pair of Braceys play cricket.

Sanity was restored after the early wicket with a good century partnership between Tattersall and Rhodes both with over 70 to their credit. Nice to see Tattersall back in the fold, even if it is only a very short term contract initially. Rhodes, as we saw at Old Trafford, is already in good form and unlucky not to be in the first team, but with Root and Bairstow making rare appearances on Friday he may have to wait a while. Yorkshire batted on all day to be finally all out for 332, with Jack Leaning needing runs making a solid 64 with useful time at the crease.

During the afternoon we moved on to Weetwood for some peace and quiet
as Leeds/Bradford MCCU were taking on Oxford MCCU in a one day BUCS game. The home side, after their defeat by Cambridge, were very much in control and the star of the show was Middlesex batsman Martin Andersson with a splendid innings of 138 before he was sixth man out with the total already beyond 300. Opener and acting captain Steve Bullen made 50 and Scottish wicketkeeper Craig Wallace 53, before a late order collapse produced an all out score of 344. Tom Heathfield, who has played for Northants was Oxford's best bowler with 4-72.

Wednesday brought a change of scenery at the pleasant Richmondshire CC ground in Richmond, North Yorkshire where Durham Academy were taking on Yorkshire Academy in the first of two one day games. Durham had aleady beaten the Lancashire Academy on this ground the day before and must have been pretty confident. However Yorkshire all rounder Jared Warner, who spent much of last season with an injury which prevented him bowling, has obviously been polishing his batting skills and dominated the Yorkshire innings, ending on 131 not out with thirteen fours and one six.

Yorkshire Academy batting at scenic Richmond

The other batsmen didn't get much of a look in, apart from newcomer Snooks with 28, until a savage late partnership of 87 in very quick time with Ed Barnes, who made a quick fire 47 not out, really took Durham to the cleaners. Yorkshire ended their 50 overs on 290-5. Durham's reply was very confident indeed with Hewitson and McBride the openers both making fifties and putting on exactly one hundred for the first wicket. With the persistent cold winds blowing we departed mid-afternoon with the game still very much in the balance.

Jared Warner hits out for the Yorkshire Academy.

We learned the following day that Yorkshire dismissed Durham for 249 so won by 41 runs. After the two openers were out only Scott Steel with 76 was in the runs and the rest were sunk without trace. Three wickets for newcomer Alec Drury from Driffield as well as two for another youngster Harry Harding. Lots of good talent on show from both sides, showing their ability so early in the season.

A brief return to Headingley on Thursday morning spoilt by the persistent drilling noise from the pavilion balcony which prompted a phone call to the office to complain. A very polite lady answered saying that they only had a very short time scale to put the new seats in (presumably for the one day international), but seemed unimpressed with my comments about the annoyance to both players and the few spectators.

So again it was back to Weetwood for the afternoon where Oxford were bowled out for 214, despite 70 from night watchman Heathfield. Pace bowler Bocking had the best figures with 4-58. Leeds batted again and collected more bonus points with a second innings of 177-8, Scotsman Wallace again in the runs with 78 not out. So 21 points for Leeds/Bradford and only 9 for Oxford.