A busy weekend for Stamford Bridge cricket club and their growing band of followers as they went in search of a league and cup double in the Yorkshire Premier League. The battle for top spot in Yorkshire League North could not be closer with three contenders in Yorkshire Academy, York CC and Stamford Bridge all in the frame. So Saturday's game at Weetwood between the Academy and Stamford Bridge was all important and turned into an absolute cliff hanger going to the last over of the day.
To add some spice to the proceedings the Bridge fielded two players who are leaving Yorkshire county cricket club in rather different circumstances. The powerful batsman and useful bowler Ryan Gibson has already left for disciplinary reasons following an altercation with an umpire in the Bradford League. Will Rhodes, another batsman with an excellent track record, who can also bowl, is leaving at the end of the season to join Warwickshire, who seem to be recruiting in a big way. It seemed that both were determined to go out with something of a bang.
The Academy batted first and Harry Brook, scorer of a century for the under 19s in midweek, looked in excellent form from the word go. One of his trademark shots, the square cut for four, bringing plenty of runs which removed Will Rhodes from the attack after only two overs. He was replaced by Gibson who struck the first important blow of the day by clean bowling Brook for 47. You felt even at this early stage that a long innings from Brook would have been decisive.
However his opening partner, the ever improving Ben Birkhead, played the major role in a second wicket partnership with Anjum which put on 66. The Academy seemed to be coasting at 145-1 against the varied Stamford Bridge attack, but then Anjum went for 18 to Ryan McKendry's first ball and Birkhead soon followed for 72. Enter Matthew Fisher, who has had an up and down season, now appearing to play more as a batsman than a bowler. He certainly turned on the style today hitting a fine 50 off only 59 balls before being run out.
The Academy's innings closed on 252-5 which on most day's would have seemed enough, but today it was felt that they were perhaps 20 or 30 runs short of a winning total. However they were not bowled out so the Bridge could only get a maximum of eight points rather than ten for a complete win. News was by then coming through that the other contenders, York, had run up a huge score against Clifton Alliance and would probably get ten points to take them into the lead.
Still all to play for at Weetwood and Ryan Gibson, opening with Stuart Boyle, came out with all guns blazing. He certainly took a fancy to Ed Barnes' bowling as his first four overs went for forty runs. Gibson made 46 in very quick time with six fours and one six before he was caught at deep mid on by Harry Brook off Jack Shutt's bowling. The score was 77-1 in only twelve overs and the Bridge well ahead of the required rate.
Enter Will Rhodes, the main man as far as the Bridge were concerned. He started slowly if not leisurely just strolling his singles, but looking well in control from the word go. His partner Boyle, seemed stuck on 38 for a long time, but eventually fell lbw to Shutt for a hard earned 49. It was now 130-2 in twenty eight overs so the Academy had pegged back the scoring rate. The thirty sixth over, bowled by Fisher could have been decisive when Fisher claimed two wickets, first having the dangerous McKendry caught behind by Read, and then clean bowling McIver three balls later.
This made it 165-4 with 88 still required from 14 overs, but by now Rhodes, who had earlier been dropped by Harry Brook, was beginning to accelerate. Partnered now by the West Indian, Donovan Sinclair, he took the game away from the Academy with some powerful hitting which included four huge sixes towards the end and the Bridge to victory by six wickets with just three balls to spare.
With York getting the expected ten points this leaves them top with 166 points, Stamford Bridge second with 164 and the Academy third with 160. With just one game to play the Academy should pick up ten points against already relegated Easingwold but that would not be enough to win the title even if York were rained off as they would get five points to take them one clear. York must now be favourites but strange things can happen and the Bridge could still pull it off at the last gasp. All to play for next week.
As John Winn has already described the following day at Sheriff Hutton Bridge Stamford Bridge won the two premier leagues' Rudgate cup trophy fairly easily against a rather dispirited Harrogate side who looked a long way below the form they showed last season to win the league title. They were missing skipper George Ross, whose all round skills might well have made it a closer contest.
A surprisingly large crowd turned up as John said, mainly to support the Bridge as Harrogate fail to attract more than a handful of supporters at the best of times. The whole occasion was not really to my taste with coloured clothing - Harrogate in bright green shirts and Stamford Bridge in black and dark green, something like camouflage colours. Even worse was the loud music on the public address at every boundary and break in play. In addition many of the Stamford Bridge followers, as they did yesterday at Weetwood, continually walked round the boundary edge throughout the match blocking the view of many seated spectators as they did so. Whatever happened to good manners?
As far as the cricket was concerned it became the McKendry and Rhodes show with fine batting by this experienced pair, who were never in trouble against the varied Harrogate attack. Full marks to Geeson-Brown, the best bowler and chief motivator for Harrogate but the Bridge deservedly took the trophy and will still think they can pinch the league title as well next weekend.
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