After Tuesday's complete wash out, including Yorkshire's scheduled T20 game at Northampton on Sky Sports, it was our first day without cricket in July. We more than made up for it on Wednesday with two attractive games in close proximity in the City of York. Yorkshire 2nd eleven were taking on Northants on day two of a three day game (having lost day one yesterday) and literally just down the road at St Peter's School, Yorkshire Schools under 19 cricket side were entertaining none other than our friends from earlier in the week the New South Wales Combined High Schools in a one day game.
First stop Clifton Park home of York cricket club where Yorkshire seconds won the toss and batted on what is normally a high scoring ground. So it proved with Alex Lees, who has been out of form in the first team this season, finding runs easier to get at this level. After a quiet start when he was briefly behind partner Johnny Tattersall, he took complete control of affairs against a a fairly friendly Northants attack. Shortly before lunch he fell just short of a century given out lbw to a ball that kept low, but might have been missing leg stump, for ninety seven. Exit one disgruntled batsman - a common site these days.
After lunch with Yorkshire already on a healthy 176-1 Tattersall proceeded along without haste to a workmanlike century which included eleven fours. Callis had been out for 23 with the total on 225, but Rhodes, who is going to Warwickshire at the end of the season, helped Tattersall put on 79 for the third wicket before he was bowled by Bilal for 46, with the total now 304-3. Wicket keeper Hodd, an underrated batsman hit a brisk 51 not out from only 52 balls before Yorkshire declared on 402-5.
Northants soon lost opener Adair to a fine slip catch by Alex Lees off Fisher and it became something of a war of attrition with the visitors so far behind. So off we went for the second time that day down the road to St Peter's School just in time to see the finish of the game there. Yorkshire Schools had been bowled out for 169 and New South Wales Schools were comfortable winners by five wickets with seven overs still remaining. Srivastava, as on Monday, was in the runs again with an innings of 43 and the Australian tourists had an enjoyable victory after their wash out yesterday.
The following day was a bit hectic to say the least with a visit to the Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate in the morning and then back to York again in the afternoon. It was initially hard to work out what was happening at Clifton Park, as no Total Cricket Scorer in operation, but eventually we were told that Northants 2nd XI had declared on their overnight score of 71-2, Yorkshire batted again briefly to make 30-0 before they too declared. This left Northants a target of 362 to win.
They were well on their way when we arrived after lunch with Adair, a product of Shrewsbury school, batting well until he was stumped by Hodd off the bowling of off spinner Shutt for 80. So at 172 for five it looked as though the game would be Yorkshire's for the taking. With that in mind we returned to St Peter's where Yorkshire Schools were taking on the same Lancashire Under 19s we had seen at Todmorden on Monday. Yorkshire had made a par score of 224 with Loten from Dunnington top scoring with 94. Lancashire wickets were falling steadily when we arrived and a very pleasant couple of hours ended with a Yorkshire victory by 59 runs
An added bonus, apart from the first class view from the bank behind the wicket, was the presence of many Yorkshire cricketing luminaries in the smallish crowd. These included Yorkshire schools leading lights Dr. Knowles, Harold Galley and Chris Hassall, as well as Tony Vann, Ralph Middlebrook, Festival organiser Garry Hebden, new scorer Barry Oliver, together with Brian Senior and the inevitable John Taplin.
Meanwhile back at Clifton Park, as we eventually learnt the following day, Northants' last pair had batted out the last 10.3 overs to secure a draw thanks mainly to a long innings from A. Kapil, a trialist from Surrey who made 66 in an hour and fifty minutes. Fisher had the best bowling figures of 4-43 but Yorkshire just could not finish them off.
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