The semi-finals and final of the four Yorkshire Premier Leagues Championship have had a difficult time with games called off due to bad weather and re-arranged at different venues, with different start times. It all came right in the end and despite two rather one sided semi-finals yesterday at Scarborough and Headingley, today's final at the Yorkshire headquarters produced a stunning finale to the season.
This competition was first played last season when the final was controversially played in Abu Dhabi of all places. Fortunately common sense has prevailed this time and the final was played where it should always be - at Headingley. The surprise champions of last year Wakefield Thornes, from the Yorkshire Premier League south, again eased their way into the final by beating Great Ayton from the North Yorkshire and South Durham league very easily at Scarborough yesterday. Their opponents today, rather to some surprise were the Bradford League's Hanging Heaton who disposed of Yorkshire League north champions, York CC, with a comfortable 122 run victory.
Today's final was a much closer affair going right to the last ball. Hanging Heaton are the new champions by the narrow margin of three runs and Wakefield Thornes only had themselves to blame as their abysmally slow over rate ended with them conceding five penalty runs despite a very generous addition of time to the allotted three hours ten minutes by the umpires.
The over rate was painfully slow during the first half of the innings with only twenty five overs bowled in the first two hours. Things did improve with the introduction of the spinners but surely it is possible to bowl fifty overs in three hours ten minutes. This whole problem of course applies at all levels of the game and is a real blight on proceedings.
That having been said the Wakefield bowlers were all very accurate and restricted Hanging Heaton's batsman considerably after yesterday's 312 against York. Opening bowler Rasool struck the first vital blow having Heaton's star man Gary Fellows caught behind for just one and continuing to finish with 2-34 from ten overs. Spinner Isanka was also very tidy and produced figures of 4-53 from thirteen overs. The main man for Heaton, as yesterday, was Callum Geldart, another former Yorkshire player like Fellows. He made 90 not out yesterday and today again top scored with 85 before sweeping once too often to be brilliantly caught by Morgan on the deep square leg boundary.
Morgan, a slow left armer, was the only bowler to take much punishment towards the end and his eleven overs brought figures of 2-73. Overall though Wakefield's bowlers had restricted Hanging Heaton's powerful batting line up and an all out total of 231 did not seem too onerous. The general feeling seemed to be that this game, unlike both semi-finals yesterday, would produce a close finish.
How right that was.
Jared Warner, the current Yorkshire player, returning to his former club had produced a very accurate spell with the ball and now opened the innings for Thornes. His partner Wolfenden was into his stride first and they put on 49 in eleven overs before Wolfenden was bowled by David Stiff, yet another former Yorkshire and Somerset player. Enter David Toft, by far Thornes' star batsman, a century maker in the final last year as he was yesterday at Scarborough. Today was not his day as he was brilliantly run out by bowler Rameez at the non-striker's end for just 20. This was perhaps the crucial turning point and the scoring rate began to slow.
Warner kept his end up well, but boundaries were not coming and left arm spinner Rameez tied up one end with fifteen overs bringing him 3-47. Probably a match winning performance particularly when he dismissed Warner for a patient 68. It was still anybody's game at this stage and it was not until the final few overs when Isanka, who was capable of quick runs, went down the pitch and was smartly stumped by Imran Dawood off Rameez, that things began to fall apart. Fourteen were required from the final over, which despite a four off the last ball, proved too much and Hanging Heaton were champions by a margin of just three runs.
A shame such a great finish was watched by a very small crowd which turned out for what proved to be such a tight contest and great advert for premier league cricket in Yorkshire. No doubt this competition will be equally competitive next season and perhaps it is time we saw a side from the North Yorkshire and South Durham League in the final. Rumour has it that Gary Pratt's Richmondshire side, who narrowly missed out this season, may have a valuable reinforcement in the pipe line.
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