posted by John Winn
May 1st Second XI Championship Middlesex v Glos Uxbridge, Somerset v Surrey Taunton Vale,
Second XI Trophy Unicorns v Essex Saffron Walden, Worcestershire v Warwickshire Barnt Green,
May 2nd SET Leicestershire v Northaants Leicester,
Second XI Friendly (3 days) Hants v Glamorgan Southampton
May 3rd SET Derbyshire v Worcestershire Alvaston & Boulton , Notts v Warwickshire Notts Sports Club
May 4th SET Yorkshire v Leicestershire Stamford Bridge
May 7th SET Glos v Surrey Rockhampton SEC Derbyshire v Warwickshire Hem Heath
May 8th SET Hants v Sussex, Southampton, Kent v Middlesex Beckenham, MCCYCs v Worcestershire Northwood, Northants v Lancs Wantage Road, Somerset v Surrey Taunton Vale, Yorkshire v Durham Headingley,
May 9th SEC Kent v Middlesex Beckenham, MCCYCs v Worcestershire High Wycombe, Northants v Lancs Milton Keynes, Yorkshire v Durham Headingley
SET Glos v Glamorgan Rockhampton ,
May 10th SET Derbyshire v Warwickshire Hem Heath, Somerset v Glamorgan Taunton Vale,
May 13th SET Middlesex v Unicorns Uxbridge
May14th SET Glamorgan v Sussex Newport, Hants v Kent, Southampton, Northants v Notts Dunstable, Surrey v Sussex New Malden, Unicorns v Somerset Newbury,
T20 Warwickshire v Durham Moseley
May 15th SEC Glamorgan v Sussex Newport, Hants vKent Southampton
SET Lancs v Yorkshire Liverpool, MCCYCs v Durham Northwood, Middlesex v Glos Southgate,
Warwickshire v Leicestershire Barnt Green, Worcestershire v Notts Kidderminster
May 16th SET Derbyshire v Yorkshire Repton School, Somerset v Gloucestershire Taunton Vale,
May 17th Durham v Worcestershire Hartlepool, Essex v Middlesex Garon Park, Southend, Lancashire v Derbyshire Northern,
May 21st SET Durham v Northants Riverside, Essex v Hants Billericay CC, Glos v Kent Bristol CC, Leicestershire v Notts, Lutterworth, Warwickshire v Yorkshire Edgbaston, Worcestershire v Lancs Barnt Green
May 22nd SEC Durham v Northants Riverside, Essex v Hants Billericay, Glamorgan v Somerset Newport, Leicestershire v Notts Kibworth, Warwickshire v Yorkshire tbc, Worcestershire v Lancs Barnt Green SET Middlesex v Surrey Sunbury
May 24th SET Surrey v Sussex New Malden Unicorns v Glos Bristol CC,
May 25th SET Glamorgan v Unicorns Cardiff,
May 28th SEC Middlesex v Surrey Southgate, Notts v Durham Notts Sports Club,
Four Day Friendly, Gloucestershire v Worcestershire Cheltenham College
May 29th SEC Northants v Derbyshire Wantage Road
May 30th SEC Glamorgan v Hants Neath, Sussex v Kent Hove.
May 31st SET Notts v Durham Grantham Warwickshire v MCCYCs Edgabston
Monday 30 April 2018
May Fixtures involving county sides
posted by John Winn
Thursday May 3rd Warwickshire v Derbyshire (4 days)
Friday May 4th Essex vYorkshire Chelmsford, Lancashire v Somerset Old Trafford, Surrey v Worcestershire The Oval, Notts v Hants Trent Bridge, Durham v Leicestershire The Riverside, Glamorgan v Kent Cardiff, Sussex v Middlesex Hove, All four days.
Northants v The Pakistanis (3 day).
Friday May 11th Notts v Lancashire Trent Bridge, Somerset v Hants Taunton, Surrey v Yorkshire The Oval, Worcestershire v Essex New Road, Derbyshire v Durham Derby, Kent v Sussex, Canterbury, Leicestershire v Glamorgan Grace Road, Middlesex v Gloucestershire Lord's, Warwickshire v Northants Edgbaston All four days.
Thursday 17th May Royal London Cup 50 overs
Lancashire v Notts, Middlesex v Essex, Northants v Leicestershire, Sussex v Kent, Warwickshire v Derbyshire,
Friday 18th May Royal London Cup 50 overs
Durham v Yorkshire, Glamorgan v Gloucestershire, Surrey v Somerset
Saturday 19th May Leicestershire v The Pakistanis ( and Sunday)
Royal London Cup Sussex v Hants Worcestershire v Derbyshire
Sunday 20th May Royal London Cup
Gloucestershire v Essex Lancashire v Durham Middlesex v Kent Notts v Northants Somerset v Glamorgan Yorkshire v Warwickshire
Monday 21st May Royal London Cup Hants v Surrey
Tuesday 22nd May Royal London Cup Somerset v Sussex
Wednesday 23rd May Royal London Cup
Derbyshire v Durham, Glamorgan v Middlesex, Hants v Essex, Leicestershire v Notts, Northants v Lancashire, Surrey v Gloucestershire, Yorkshire v Worcestershire
Thursday May 24th First Test Match England v Pakistan Lord's.
Friday 25th May Royal London Cup Derbyshire v Lancashire, Durham v Worcestershire, Essex v Somerset, Gloucestershire v Hants, Kent v Glamorgan, Lancashire v Warwickshire, Sussex v Middlesex, Yorkshire v Notts
Sunday May 27th Royal London Cup, Essex v Surrey, Glos v Sussex, Hants v Kent, Leicestershire v Yorkshire, Northants v Durham, Notts v Warwickshire, Somerset v Middlesex, Worcs v Lancs
Tuesday May 29th Royal London Cup Kent v Somerset, Surrey v Sussex Worcs v Leicestershire
Wednesday May 30th Royal London Cup Derbyshire v Yorkshire Essex v Glamorgan, Middlesex v Hampshire, Warwickshire v Northants
Thursday May 31st Royal London Cup Leicestershire v Lancashire
West Indies v World XI at Lord's
Thursday May 3rd Warwickshire v Derbyshire (4 days)
Friday May 4th Essex vYorkshire Chelmsford, Lancashire v Somerset Old Trafford, Surrey v Worcestershire The Oval, Notts v Hants Trent Bridge, Durham v Leicestershire The Riverside, Glamorgan v Kent Cardiff, Sussex v Middlesex Hove, All four days.
Northants v The Pakistanis (3 day).
Friday May 11th Notts v Lancashire Trent Bridge, Somerset v Hants Taunton, Surrey v Yorkshire The Oval, Worcestershire v Essex New Road, Derbyshire v Durham Derby, Kent v Sussex, Canterbury, Leicestershire v Glamorgan Grace Road, Middlesex v Gloucestershire Lord's, Warwickshire v Northants Edgbaston All four days.
Thursday 17th May Royal London Cup 50 overs
Lancashire v Notts, Middlesex v Essex, Northants v Leicestershire, Sussex v Kent, Warwickshire v Derbyshire,
Friday 18th May Royal London Cup 50 overs
Durham v Yorkshire, Glamorgan v Gloucestershire, Surrey v Somerset
Saturday 19th May Leicestershire v The Pakistanis ( and Sunday)
Royal London Cup Sussex v Hants Worcestershire v Derbyshire
Sunday 20th May Royal London Cup
Gloucestershire v Essex Lancashire v Durham Middlesex v Kent Notts v Northants Somerset v Glamorgan Yorkshire v Warwickshire
Monday 21st May Royal London Cup Hants v Surrey
Tuesday 22nd May Royal London Cup Somerset v Sussex
Wednesday 23rd May Royal London Cup
Derbyshire v Durham, Glamorgan v Middlesex, Hants v Essex, Leicestershire v Notts, Northants v Lancashire, Surrey v Gloucestershire, Yorkshire v Worcestershire
Thursday May 24th First Test Match England v Pakistan Lord's.
Friday 25th May Royal London Cup Derbyshire v Lancashire, Durham v Worcestershire, Essex v Somerset, Gloucestershire v Hants, Kent v Glamorgan, Lancashire v Warwickshire, Sussex v Middlesex, Yorkshire v Notts
Sunday May 27th Royal London Cup, Essex v Surrey, Glos v Sussex, Hants v Kent, Leicestershire v Yorkshire, Northants v Durham, Notts v Warwickshire, Somerset v Middlesex, Worcs v Lancs
Tuesday May 29th Royal London Cup Kent v Somerset, Surrey v Sussex Worcs v Leicestershire
Wednesday May 30th Royal London Cup Derbyshire v Yorkshire Essex v Glamorgan, Middlesex v Hampshire, Warwickshire v Northants
Thursday May 31st Royal London Cup Leicestershire v Lancashire
West Indies v World XI at Lord's
A good start for Sessay.
posted by John Winn
Two years ago when the top tier of league cricket in Yorkshire assumed its present form I took myself off to the south west corner of York to see a game between Acomb, for whom it was their first game at this level, against Harrogate. On Saturday I drove the fifteen or so miles to Sessay, newly promoted to this level and their opponents, you've guessed it, were Acomb. The league website suggested a late start but when I arrived the village side were already five down and on an understandably soft wicket and with the outfield slow after heavy rain on Friday, runs very hard to come by. A cautious stand took the score to 63 before the sixth wicket fell but the tail took a more aggressive approach and number nine Christopher Till scored at better than a run a ball including a six hit towards the White Horse in the last over and the innings closed on 139 for 8. Not a great start but defendable seemed to be the view of the locals.
A dry day had been forecast and such proved to be the case but the temperature was far removed from those we experienced last weekend and in the tea interval I brought my car into the field and settled for watching the rest of the game from behind glass. Acomb found runs even harder to come by,none of their top seven reached double figures, and not until the eighth over did the run rate creep above 1. Sessay's opening attack of Stuart Pierse and Tim Hall both kept an admirable line and only a 'beamer' from the latter which hit a helmet giving five penalty runs provided any relief. The bowlers were well supported in the field with Jacob Spencer snapping up a couple of slip catches and at 42 for 7 the chances of Acomb getting another 100 runs seemed very unlikely. Some resistance did come however with Schofield and O'Connor putting on 33 before Sri Lankan spinner Kavikara bowled O'Connor. A 'start the car' moment for me but I can barely have been out of the village before the innings was wrapped up for 79 and Sessay had their first win at this level under their belts.
Regular readers may recall previous reports I have made from Sessay mainly covering their village cup exploits, they have been to Lord's three times, and their promotion to Premier status means the second XI must represent them in this competition this season but the firsts have already tasted National KO success with a victory over Barnsley Woolley Miners last Sunday. Their reward for that success is a home tie with Chesterfield which will be played at Sessay on Sunday* and weather permitting will be my match of the day. For what it is worth the forecast for next weekend is for 18 degrees and sunny intervals. Could mean a first airing for the deck chair.
* I only have this date on the authority of a Sessay committee man and as yet can find no confirmation. I will seek further evidence and report on the blog. Sunday 29 April 2018
Hard task for new look Yorkshire Academy
Posted by Tony Hutton
Yesterday saw the first round of fixtures in the Yorkshire Premier League North, which had been put back a week due to the bad weather. A new generation of Yorkshire Academy players took to the field against champions York in what proved to be something of a baptism of fire. Several of last season's regulars have moved back to league clubs and of course Harry Brook is now a first team regular. A few of last year's squad remain, but at least six were newcomers to this standard of cricket.
York of course have a very experienced side, led by Cheshire left arm spinner Dan Woods and with a powerful batting line up to which Yorkshire player Johnny Tattersall has been added, together with Oliver Batchelor from Leeds/Bradford University. After overnight rain the outfield was very soggy at one end and the umpires decided to postpone the start by an hour to 1 p.m. The conditions were unpleasantly cold for both players and spectators, but at least the wind from the north east was behind the pavilion and enabled those sheltering under the balcony to have some protection.
The Academy batted first and made a good start with the Huddersfield pair of James Wharton and Ben Birkhead putting on fifty for the first wicket. The introduction of Woods to the attack saw Wharton caught for 19 and Birkhead followed soon afterwards to an unfortunate lbw decision again in favour of Woods for 29. Bilal Anjum, who had been trying his best to keep warm throughout this opening stand, seemed to be caught cold by Woods off the bowling of Charlie Elliot for just 3.
Anjum, who bowled so well at Scarborough for the seconds last week, was able to tell us that he has left Sheffield United to join Doncaster this season and will be playing for them against Harrogate in the National Club Knockout on Sunday.
So 50-0 had become 53-3 very quickly but the tall figure of Tom Loten, from Pocklington School and George Hill from Sedbergh School got things back on track very well. Hill outscored Loten and reached 50 fairly rapidly against the varied York attack. Loten also reached his half century during a partnership of 109 for the fourth wicket. Hill was the first to go for 60 when looking for a big hit he miscued to youngster Finlay Bean who took a good catch at long on off action man Tattersall.
Last week he was keeping wicket for Yorkshire and now bowling spin for York.
From a score of 162-3 the Academy innings disintegrated somewhat in the chase for quick runs towards the end of the innings. Matthew Revis, a prodigious scorer of runs at Ilkley Grammar School, was bowled by Woods. Barnes and Taylor both caught going for big hits and then in a frantic final over both Dominic Leech (Normanby Hall) and Harry Harding (Stokesley) were needlessly run out to hand York two further points for a complete win by being all out for 198.
With the threat of more rain ever present, York's talented opening pair of Tattersall and Snell made a rapid start to their innings. The two senior bowlers Barnes and Taylor made no impression early on and in all the Academy used seven bowlers who all found it hard work against the prolific York pair.
It was not until they had added 137 that Barnes returned to bowl Tattersall for a fine 68. Soon after this with Snell on 61 not out the umpires took the players off for bad light, which always seemed to be a likely end to the day after the delayed start. So it proved and York were declared winners by nine wickets under the Duckworth Lewis method.
So a difficult introduction to the top flight for some of the Yorkshire youngsters but they all acquitted themselves well and will look forward to meeting another top side away at Harrogate next Saturday.
Yesterday saw the first round of fixtures in the Yorkshire Premier League North, which had been put back a week due to the bad weather. A new generation of Yorkshire Academy players took to the field against champions York in what proved to be something of a baptism of fire. Several of last season's regulars have moved back to league clubs and of course Harry Brook is now a first team regular. A few of last year's squad remain, but at least six were newcomers to this standard of cricket.
York of course have a very experienced side, led by Cheshire left arm spinner Dan Woods and with a powerful batting line up to which Yorkshire player Johnny Tattersall has been added, together with Oliver Batchelor from Leeds/Bradford University. After overnight rain the outfield was very soggy at one end and the umpires decided to postpone the start by an hour to 1 p.m. The conditions were unpleasantly cold for both players and spectators, but at least the wind from the north east was behind the pavilion and enabled those sheltering under the balcony to have some protection.
The Academy batted first and made a good start with the Huddersfield pair of James Wharton and Ben Birkhead putting on fifty for the first wicket. The introduction of Woods to the attack saw Wharton caught for 19 and Birkhead followed soon afterwards to an unfortunate lbw decision again in favour of Woods for 29. Bilal Anjum, who had been trying his best to keep warm throughout this opening stand, seemed to be caught cold by Woods off the bowling of Charlie Elliot for just 3.
Anjum, who bowled so well at Scarborough for the seconds last week, was able to tell us that he has left Sheffield United to join Doncaster this season and will be playing for them against Harrogate in the National Club Knockout on Sunday.
So 50-0 had become 53-3 very quickly but the tall figure of Tom Loten, from Pocklington School and George Hill from Sedbergh School got things back on track very well. Hill outscored Loten and reached 50 fairly rapidly against the varied York attack. Loten also reached his half century during a partnership of 109 for the fourth wicket. Hill was the first to go for 60 when looking for a big hit he miscued to youngster Finlay Bean who took a good catch at long on off action man Tattersall.
Last week he was keeping wicket for Yorkshire and now bowling spin for York.
From a score of 162-3 the Academy innings disintegrated somewhat in the chase for quick runs towards the end of the innings. Matthew Revis, a prodigious scorer of runs at Ilkley Grammar School, was bowled by Woods. Barnes and Taylor both caught going for big hits and then in a frantic final over both Dominic Leech (Normanby Hall) and Harry Harding (Stokesley) were needlessly run out to hand York two further points for a complete win by being all out for 198.
With the threat of more rain ever present, York's talented opening pair of Tattersall and Snell made a rapid start to their innings. The two senior bowlers Barnes and Taylor made no impression early on and in all the Academy used seven bowlers who all found it hard work against the prolific York pair.
It was not until they had added 137 that Barnes returned to bowl Tattersall for a fine 68. Soon after this with Snell on 61 not out the umpires took the players off for bad light, which always seemed to be a likely end to the day after the delayed start. So it proved and York were declared winners by nine wickets under the Duckworth Lewis method.
So a difficult introduction to the top flight for some of the Yorkshire youngsters but they all acquitted themselves well and will look forward to meeting another top side away at Harrogate next Saturday.
Friday 27 April 2018
First win of season for Leeds/Bradford MCCU
Posted by Tony Hutton
After a dreadful start to the season with all three of their games against county sides washed out Leeds/Bradford started their season last week at Cambridge. Unfortunately both the one day match and the two day game ended in defeats. However due to our early departure from Scarborough we were able to see all but the first hour of their first victory of the season in the BUCS one day game with Durham MCCU at Weetwood, Leeds on Wednesday.
Unlike Scarborough where there was no play at all a prompt start was made in this fifty overs a side game with Durham making a poor start in the overcast conditions after winning the toss and batting first. Skipper Will Fraine, from the Huddersfield league was out early on quickly followed by Marshall, Plater and Macdonell. Harry Stow of Harrogate got two of the wickets and Ollie Bocking, who I believe is to play league cricket with Stamford Bridge and newcomer Ironside took the others.
Cooke, last year's captain, who made a century against Leeds/Bradford last season, stuck around for a while but was the fifth man out with the total on only 82. Ruffell soon followed, again bowled by Ironside, a Suffolk Minor Counties spinner, and it was left to the seventh wicket pair of Graves and Sohal to get Durham out of trouble. Vicram Sohal is an off spinner from Bedford School and has played for Northants 2nd XI. Benedict Graves has little information other than being born in Hammersmith, Middlesex - 21 years ago.
Graves produced the innings of the day so far with a well constructed century in exactly two hours which included eight fours and one six. Graves and Sohal put on 79 for the seventh wicket, but then Graves got little support from the tailenders and was last man out stumped for an impressive 105. The Durham total of 205 had an element of respectability after a poor start.
Leeds/Bradford also lost an early wicket when wicketkeeper Potticary was bowled by Russell, but after that it was plain sailing all the way for 'The Yellows'. Andersson and Batchelor, of Middlesex and Surrey respectively, put on a stand of 82, so that on 112-2 they were in a comfortable position.
Durham tried seven bowlers but they could not break the Andersson partnership with skipper Bullen.
Leeds/Bradford won in a canter with the only item of interest being whether Andersson would reach his century. Bullen had other ideas hitting a couple of fours near the end to leave the Middlesex man on 95 not out. Batchelor had made 40 and Bullen was 46 not out at the end. A comfortable victory which should give them confidence for the two day game the following day.
Weetwood on a sunny day last season.
To our surprise after overnight rain a prompt start was made on Thursday in cold, damp and windy conditions. The home side won the toss and invited Durham to bat. This was perhaps a decision they regretted later in the day when steady batting by nearly all the Durham men took them to an impressive 335-7. Top scorer was Cooke with 81, followed by skipper Fraine with 69 and Graves, yet again, with 59 not out at the close. Most of the handful of brave spectators had departed long before the end as the cold wind from the west took it's toll.
Sadly this morning the rain arrived early and it was impossible to re-start the game at all. So abandoned as a draw - Leeds/Bradford eight points, Durham nine points. Weetwood will welcome Cardiff for another double header next week, so we hope for drier weather by then.
After a dreadful start to the season with all three of their games against county sides washed out Leeds/Bradford started their season last week at Cambridge. Unfortunately both the one day match and the two day game ended in defeats. However due to our early departure from Scarborough we were able to see all but the first hour of their first victory of the season in the BUCS one day game with Durham MCCU at Weetwood, Leeds on Wednesday.
Unlike Scarborough where there was no play at all a prompt start was made in this fifty overs a side game with Durham making a poor start in the overcast conditions after winning the toss and batting first. Skipper Will Fraine, from the Huddersfield league was out early on quickly followed by Marshall, Plater and Macdonell. Harry Stow of Harrogate got two of the wickets and Ollie Bocking, who I believe is to play league cricket with Stamford Bridge and newcomer Ironside took the others.
Cooke, last year's captain, who made a century against Leeds/Bradford last season, stuck around for a while but was the fifth man out with the total on only 82. Ruffell soon followed, again bowled by Ironside, a Suffolk Minor Counties spinner, and it was left to the seventh wicket pair of Graves and Sohal to get Durham out of trouble. Vicram Sohal is an off spinner from Bedford School and has played for Northants 2nd XI. Benedict Graves has little information other than being born in Hammersmith, Middlesex - 21 years ago.
Graves produced the innings of the day so far with a well constructed century in exactly two hours which included eight fours and one six. Graves and Sohal put on 79 for the seventh wicket, but then Graves got little support from the tailenders and was last man out stumped for an impressive 105. The Durham total of 205 had an element of respectability after a poor start.
Leeds/Bradford also lost an early wicket when wicketkeeper Potticary was bowled by Russell, but after that it was plain sailing all the way for 'The Yellows'. Andersson and Batchelor, of Middlesex and Surrey respectively, put on a stand of 82, so that on 112-2 they were in a comfortable position.
Durham tried seven bowlers but they could not break the Andersson partnership with skipper Bullen.
Leeds/Bradford won in a canter with the only item of interest being whether Andersson would reach his century. Bullen had other ideas hitting a couple of fours near the end to leave the Middlesex man on 95 not out. Batchelor had made 40 and Bullen was 46 not out at the end. A comfortable victory which should give them confidence for the two day game the following day.
To our surprise after overnight rain a prompt start was made on Thursday in cold, damp and windy conditions. The home side won the toss and invited Durham to bat. This was perhaps a decision they regretted later in the day when steady batting by nearly all the Durham men took them to an impressive 335-7. Top scorer was Cooke with 81, followed by skipper Fraine with 69 and Graves, yet again, with 59 not out at the close. Most of the handful of brave spectators had departed long before the end as the cold wind from the west took it's toll.
Sadly this morning the rain arrived early and it was impossible to re-start the game at all. So abandoned as a draw - Leeds/Bradford eight points, Durham nine points. Weetwood will welcome Cardiff for another double header next week, so we hope for drier weather by then.
Cricket at Scarborough
Posted by Tony Hutton
This was the scene on Monday 23rd April when only a handful of spectators turned up to watch Yorkshire 2nd XI take on Nottinghamshire 2nd XI at North Marine Road, Scarborough. The ground had been flooded only a short time ago and groundsman John Dodds, often working single handed, had done a wonderful job to get things ready for a three day friendly match, to be followed by a one day game on Thursday.
The weather for day one was dry, but very windy, and it soon became obvious that the only place to watch cricket from in comfort was the balcony bar upstairs in the pavilion. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat with a very young side captained by Mark Footitt, the left arm quick bowler, returning to his original county after spells with Derbyshire and Surrey. I can remember seeing him play for England Under 19s on this ground way back in 2005.
The rest of the side were nearly all teenagers and two of them Chris Gibson an 18 year old from Cornwall and Soloman Budinger, also 18, born in Zimbabwe but recruited by Notts from Sussex where he played last season, opened the batting. Budinger was the first to go, caught in the slips off Waite for 12, but Gibson got his head down and played a responsible innings of 51 before being dismissed caught behind off Warner just after lunch.
The view from the pavilion.
Billy Root, younger brother of England captain Joe, came in at number three after being twelfth man for the first team at Headingley last week. It is a mystery to me why Billy has not yet got a regular place in the Notts first team. He has scored large amounts of runs in second XI and league cricket and had a county championship century at the end of last season. However Notts' policy of recruiting players from elsewhere like Nash from Sussex and Taylor from New Zealand is keeping him out of the team.
Today Root made 30 in quick time, including six fours, before being caught behind by Tattersall off the bowling of Ed Barnes. Tattersall, previously known only as a batsman, took up the wicketkeeping gloves on the pre-season tour of South Africa and rumour has it that he is being groomed for this role in white ball cricket. Lyndon James, a local lad from Worksop was out cheaply bowled by left arm spinner Karl Carver before the partnership of the day was established by two more teenagers.
Savin Perera is a diminutive left hander from Sri Lanka, who went to school in England and has played for England Under 19s recently, while progressing through the Middlesex age group system.
He seems to have changed counties at a very early age. After a slow start he progressed to an excellent fifty in partnership with wicketkeeper Tom Keast, who also got to 50. The pair had put on 107 to take the score to 212-4 before Keast was dismissed by the last ball of Bilal Anjum's first over.
Keast is still only 19, but seems to have been around a long time. I remember seeing him keep wicket for Cleethorpes cricket club when only 15. Bilal Anjum, now with Doncaster cricket club is a Yorkshire Academy batsman, not regarded as a regular bowler. However, today was his day, running through the tail to take a wicket in each of his four overs and finishing with a remarkable analysis of
4-1-12-4. The visitors lost their last six wickets for just twenty runs and were all out for 232.
Yorkshire started their innings in the gathering gloom with Kohler-Cadmore and Tattersall. Both were dismissed by Matt Milnes, former Durham University player, and both caught behind by Keast.
Bad light eventually curtailed proceedings and Yorkshire ended the day on 42-2.
Day two was not quite as windy as day one but still a stiff westerly breeze. Anjum made 22 before falling to another catch behind, this time off Blatherwick and Waite went cheaply to give Milnes his third wicket. Thompson and Birkhead added 67 for the fourth wicket and Thompson who seems to enjoy batting on this ground made a valuable 56 before being caught by Root off the left arm spinner Patterson-White. Birkhead went for 34 just before lunch and with things appearing well balanced with Yorkshire on 163-6 the rain sadly brought an end to proceedings for the day.
There was heavy rain most of that evening which prevented any play before lunch on Wednesday and we decided to call it a day and head back to Leeds with the hope of play at Weetwood in the University game. We made the right choice as further rain in Scarborough meant the game was abandoned as a draw.
Fortunately the two teams were able to get a completed one day game on Thursday.
This was the scene on Monday 23rd April when only a handful of spectators turned up to watch Yorkshire 2nd XI take on Nottinghamshire 2nd XI at North Marine Road, Scarborough. The ground had been flooded only a short time ago and groundsman John Dodds, often working single handed, had done a wonderful job to get things ready for a three day friendly match, to be followed by a one day game on Thursday.
The weather for day one was dry, but very windy, and it soon became obvious that the only place to watch cricket from in comfort was the balcony bar upstairs in the pavilion. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat with a very young side captained by Mark Footitt, the left arm quick bowler, returning to his original county after spells with Derbyshire and Surrey. I can remember seeing him play for England Under 19s on this ground way back in 2005.
The rest of the side were nearly all teenagers and two of them Chris Gibson an 18 year old from Cornwall and Soloman Budinger, also 18, born in Zimbabwe but recruited by Notts from Sussex where he played last season, opened the batting. Budinger was the first to go, caught in the slips off Waite for 12, but Gibson got his head down and played a responsible innings of 51 before being dismissed caught behind off Warner just after lunch.
Billy Root, younger brother of England captain Joe, came in at number three after being twelfth man for the first team at Headingley last week. It is a mystery to me why Billy has not yet got a regular place in the Notts first team. He has scored large amounts of runs in second XI and league cricket and had a county championship century at the end of last season. However Notts' policy of recruiting players from elsewhere like Nash from Sussex and Taylor from New Zealand is keeping him out of the team.
Today Root made 30 in quick time, including six fours, before being caught behind by Tattersall off the bowling of Ed Barnes. Tattersall, previously known only as a batsman, took up the wicketkeeping gloves on the pre-season tour of South Africa and rumour has it that he is being groomed for this role in white ball cricket. Lyndon James, a local lad from Worksop was out cheaply bowled by left arm spinner Karl Carver before the partnership of the day was established by two more teenagers.
Savin Perera is a diminutive left hander from Sri Lanka, who went to school in England and has played for England Under 19s recently, while progressing through the Middlesex age group system.
He seems to have changed counties at a very early age. After a slow start he progressed to an excellent fifty in partnership with wicketkeeper Tom Keast, who also got to 50. The pair had put on 107 to take the score to 212-4 before Keast was dismissed by the last ball of Bilal Anjum's first over.
Keast is still only 19, but seems to have been around a long time. I remember seeing him keep wicket for Cleethorpes cricket club when only 15. Bilal Anjum, now with Doncaster cricket club is a Yorkshire Academy batsman, not regarded as a regular bowler. However, today was his day, running through the tail to take a wicket in each of his four overs and finishing with a remarkable analysis of
4-1-12-4. The visitors lost their last six wickets for just twenty runs and were all out for 232.
Yorkshire started their innings in the gathering gloom with Kohler-Cadmore and Tattersall. Both were dismissed by Matt Milnes, former Durham University player, and both caught behind by Keast.
Bad light eventually curtailed proceedings and Yorkshire ended the day on 42-2.
Day two was not quite as windy as day one but still a stiff westerly breeze. Anjum made 22 before falling to another catch behind, this time off Blatherwick and Waite went cheaply to give Milnes his third wicket. Thompson and Birkhead added 67 for the fourth wicket and Thompson who seems to enjoy batting on this ground made a valuable 56 before being caught by Root off the left arm spinner Patterson-White. Birkhead went for 34 just before lunch and with things appearing well balanced with Yorkshire on 163-6 the rain sadly brought an end to proceedings for the day.
There was heavy rain most of that evening which prevented any play before lunch on Wednesday and we decided to call it a day and head back to Leeds with the hope of play at Weetwood in the University game. We made the right choice as further rain in Scarborough meant the game was abandoned as a draw.
Fortunately the two teams were able to get a completed one day game on Thursday.
Thursday 26 April 2018
League cricketers get underway at last
Posted by Tony Hutton
Despite all the recent wet weather, three leagues in Yorkshire did get underway last Saturday.
The Aire/Wharfe League, the Halifax League and the South Yorkshire League all managed to get the majority of matches played, whereas most of the other leagues hope to get underway next Saturday.
Our first encounter with league cricketers came the following day, Sunday 22nd April which was the first day of the Royal London club cricket knock out competition in which cricket teams from all over the country take part in various regionalised groups. We were on our way for a few days in Scarborough where Yorkshire 2nd XI were playing friendly three day and one day games with Notts starting on Monday. A convenient stopping off point to break our journey was the attractive Stamford Bridge ground who were taking on Barnard Castle in this first round game.
Stamford Bridge is an excellent club and regularly stages Yorkshire 2nd XI fixtures, in front of very sizable crowds which is unheard of in most other counties. Sadly they have only been awarded a single one day fixture this season which had upset a large number of regular supporters.
Good support for Stamford Bridge.
Sunday saw a fair few locals in attendance to support a team which had a very good season last year and is one of the top clubs in the Yorkshire Premier League North. One of their top players opening batsman Ryan Gibson, formerly a Yorkshire 2nd XI performer, was dismissed very early on, but two newcomers Sutcliffe and Grey rectified matters with a partnership of 63. Grey played a grafting innings which brought him fifty with only three fours, but he helped lay the foundations for a pretty good score.
Stamford Bridge piling up the runs.
In the allotted forty overs Ryan McKendry, formerly with York, made a rapid 35 and McIver a spin bowler from Leeds/Bradford University an equally quick 43, which despite the fall of several late wickets brought a respectable total of 204-7. Barnard Castle who have had a lot of recent success in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League, were perhaps a bit of an unknown quantity for the home side as they are obviously not regular opponents. They have lost two of their top players this season as skipper James Finch and Simon Tennant have joined Woodhouse Grange in the Yorkshire Premier League North.
However, the visitors made a confident start with openers Appleby and Alderson putting on 61 for the first wicket. Appleby top scored with a quickfire 45 in only 34 balls, which included eight fours and one six. Once he was out things went very much the home side's way and wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Both spinners, McKendry and MacIver, took 3 wickets for 12 runs and Ryan Gibson took 3-23. Barnard Castle were all out for 115 in just 31 overs and Stamford Bridge go through to the second round with high hopes of progressing further.
Despite all the recent wet weather, three leagues in Yorkshire did get underway last Saturday.
The Aire/Wharfe League, the Halifax League and the South Yorkshire League all managed to get the majority of matches played, whereas most of the other leagues hope to get underway next Saturday.
Our first encounter with league cricketers came the following day, Sunday 22nd April which was the first day of the Royal London club cricket knock out competition in which cricket teams from all over the country take part in various regionalised groups. We were on our way for a few days in Scarborough where Yorkshire 2nd XI were playing friendly three day and one day games with Notts starting on Monday. A convenient stopping off point to break our journey was the attractive Stamford Bridge ground who were taking on Barnard Castle in this first round game.
Stamford Bridge is an excellent club and regularly stages Yorkshire 2nd XI fixtures, in front of very sizable crowds which is unheard of in most other counties. Sadly they have only been awarded a single one day fixture this season which had upset a large number of regular supporters.
Sunday saw a fair few locals in attendance to support a team which had a very good season last year and is one of the top clubs in the Yorkshire Premier League North. One of their top players opening batsman Ryan Gibson, formerly a Yorkshire 2nd XI performer, was dismissed very early on, but two newcomers Sutcliffe and Grey rectified matters with a partnership of 63. Grey played a grafting innings which brought him fifty with only three fours, but he helped lay the foundations for a pretty good score.
In the allotted forty overs Ryan McKendry, formerly with York, made a rapid 35 and McIver a spin bowler from Leeds/Bradford University an equally quick 43, which despite the fall of several late wickets brought a respectable total of 204-7. Barnard Castle who have had a lot of recent success in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League, were perhaps a bit of an unknown quantity for the home side as they are obviously not regular opponents. They have lost two of their top players this season as skipper James Finch and Simon Tennant have joined Woodhouse Grange in the Yorkshire Premier League North.
However, the visitors made a confident start with openers Appleby and Alderson putting on 61 for the first wicket. Appleby top scored with a quickfire 45 in only 34 balls, which included eight fours and one six. Once he was out things went very much the home side's way and wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Both spinners, McKendry and MacIver, took 3 wickets for 12 runs and Ryan Gibson took 3-23. Barnard Castle were all out for 115 in just 31 overs and Stamford Bridge go through to the second round with high hopes of progressing further.
Unpredictability of the County Championship
Posted by Tony Hutton
John Winn has reported on his days at Headingley and Riverside for the two recent championship games involving Yorkshire against Notts and Durham against Kent. I went to both venues on different days to John and think we would both agree on the total unpredictability of these games.
Day two at the Riverside, which proved to be the last of the scheduled four, was an outstanding example of how the twists and turns of such contests are so hard to predict. Before setting out we were a little dubious of how long the game would last as Durham had been bowled out for 91 on the first morning and after Kent had taken a first innings lead of 78, the home side were 13-1 overnight.
Early morning action at Riverside.
Nevertheless, after a much smoother journey up the A1 than last season, there we were in position alongside our Hartlepool correspondent, for the first ball of the day. Despite a non-stop flow of interesting conversation, we somehow managed to keep our eyes on events on the field. We were soon told that according to one local sage the dismissal of new South African signing Markram for a pair, on the same day, yesterday was the first time this had ever happened to any player in the history of first class cricket.
True or not the carnage continued very rapidly with Kent's New Zealand quick bowler Henry again the main destroyer. Will Smith, returned to the Durham fold this season, soon went caught in the slips off Henry, followed by Harte clean bowled by the same bowler. 23-3 soon became 25-5 as Stevens removed Clark and Collingwood both without scoring. Like Headingley yesterday, thoughts were on Durham being all out before lunch.
Plans for an early finish centred on the fact that Durham Academy were playing Chester Le Street in the opening North East premier league game of the season just up the road at Ropery Lane. However as things turned out Durham did put up something of a rearguard action, centred initially on night watchman Potts who had surveyed all the initial collapse from the non-striker's end. Problems continued for a while as Richardson and Poynter also fell to the rampant Henry, making if 39-7.
The low point of Durham's second innings.
Young Potts together with the number nine batsman, James Weighell, now managed to put on a partnership of 36 runs, riches indeed after what had gone before. Weighell from Stokesley is an all rounder of some ability and was by no means overawed by the perilous situation. When the two of them had seen off the dangerous Henry and his opening bowling partner Stevens, Potts who had batted with the utmost confidence was surprisingly dismissed by change bowler Podmore for an impressive 36. The score at this point was 75-8, almost enough to make Kent bat again.
The left handed Weighell now decided that attack was the best form of defence and took on the second string Kent bowlers in partnership with Australian bowler Rimmington to great effect.
The game went into the second session after all and when Rimmington was out for a confident 25 the pair had put on a fifty partnership and the total was 129-9 and Durham were building a small lead.
It took the return of Henry to get rid of Rimmington but even then Weighell continued on his merry way.
James Weighell brings up his fifty.
In partnership with Rushworth, who has few pretentions as a batsman, he added a further 41 runs, before he was eventually caught off the persevering Henry for 84, which included three huge sixes to the longest boundary and six fours. Indeed you felt he could have made a hundred with a little more care. He ensured that Rushworth only had to face ten balls and was left nought not out. Durham were all out out for 170, a vast improvement on 39-7, and Kent now needed just 95 to win. Henry was obviously already the man of the match, unless one of the Durham bowlers could match him, with figures of 7-45 in the second innings, despite some late punishment, and match figures of 12-73. An outstanding performance by the New Zealander who revelled in the bowler friendly conditions.
Rimmington did manage to dismiss opener Dickson cheaply but there were no more surprises and the second wicket pair of Bell-Drummond and the first innings top scorer, Kuhn, saw Kent home to a very comfortable nine wicket victory around tea time. So an action packed day out in the sunshine and even the handful of travelling Kent supporters must have been surprised at the ease of their team's victory which obviously robbed them of two more days cricket, but no doubt most welcome after Kent had been sent packing in similar style in their first match by Gloucestershire. Unpredictable or what?
John Winn has reported on his days at Headingley and Riverside for the two recent championship games involving Yorkshire against Notts and Durham against Kent. I went to both venues on different days to John and think we would both agree on the total unpredictability of these games.
Day two at the Riverside, which proved to be the last of the scheduled four, was an outstanding example of how the twists and turns of such contests are so hard to predict. Before setting out we were a little dubious of how long the game would last as Durham had been bowled out for 91 on the first morning and after Kent had taken a first innings lead of 78, the home side were 13-1 overnight.
Nevertheless, after a much smoother journey up the A1 than last season, there we were in position alongside our Hartlepool correspondent, for the first ball of the day. Despite a non-stop flow of interesting conversation, we somehow managed to keep our eyes on events on the field. We were soon told that according to one local sage the dismissal of new South African signing Markram for a pair, on the same day, yesterday was the first time this had ever happened to any player in the history of first class cricket.
True or not the carnage continued very rapidly with Kent's New Zealand quick bowler Henry again the main destroyer. Will Smith, returned to the Durham fold this season, soon went caught in the slips off Henry, followed by Harte clean bowled by the same bowler. 23-3 soon became 25-5 as Stevens removed Clark and Collingwood both without scoring. Like Headingley yesterday, thoughts were on Durham being all out before lunch.
Plans for an early finish centred on the fact that Durham Academy were playing Chester Le Street in the opening North East premier league game of the season just up the road at Ropery Lane. However as things turned out Durham did put up something of a rearguard action, centred initially on night watchman Potts who had surveyed all the initial collapse from the non-striker's end. Problems continued for a while as Richardson and Poynter also fell to the rampant Henry, making if 39-7.
Young Potts together with the number nine batsman, James Weighell, now managed to put on a partnership of 36 runs, riches indeed after what had gone before. Weighell from Stokesley is an all rounder of some ability and was by no means overawed by the perilous situation. When the two of them had seen off the dangerous Henry and his opening bowling partner Stevens, Potts who had batted with the utmost confidence was surprisingly dismissed by change bowler Podmore for an impressive 36. The score at this point was 75-8, almost enough to make Kent bat again.
The left handed Weighell now decided that attack was the best form of defence and took on the second string Kent bowlers in partnership with Australian bowler Rimmington to great effect.
The game went into the second session after all and when Rimmington was out for a confident 25 the pair had put on a fifty partnership and the total was 129-9 and Durham were building a small lead.
It took the return of Henry to get rid of Rimmington but even then Weighell continued on his merry way.
In partnership with Rushworth, who has few pretentions as a batsman, he added a further 41 runs, before he was eventually caught off the persevering Henry for 84, which included three huge sixes to the longest boundary and six fours. Indeed you felt he could have made a hundred with a little more care. He ensured that Rushworth only had to face ten balls and was left nought not out. Durham were all out out for 170, a vast improvement on 39-7, and Kent now needed just 95 to win. Henry was obviously already the man of the match, unless one of the Durham bowlers could match him, with figures of 7-45 in the second innings, despite some late punishment, and match figures of 12-73. An outstanding performance by the New Zealander who revelled in the bowler friendly conditions.
Rimmington did manage to dismiss opener Dickson cheaply but there were no more surprises and the second wicket pair of Bell-Drummond and the first innings top scorer, Kuhn, saw Kent home to a very comfortable nine wicket victory around tea time. So an action packed day out in the sunshine and even the handful of travelling Kent supporters must have been surprised at the ease of their team's victory which obviously robbed them of two more days cricket, but no doubt most welcome after Kent had been sent packing in similar style in their first match by Gloucestershire. Unpredictable or what?
Tuesday 24 April 2018
You Couldn't Make It Up....but the ECB did.
posted by John Winn
During the quieter passages of play at Headingley on Sunday the thoughts of the Upper North East cognoscenti turned to a scholarly consideration of the ECB's latest proposals to bring back the traditional variety show, namely their announcement last week that the proposed city based T20 will in fact be a shortened version with each innings lasting 100 balls. Our Hartlepool Correspondent has described the NYSD 15s as a game for those who find T20 too intellectually challenging. Out of the mouths of Oxford graduates ......
Just in case you missed the launch of 'The Hundred' the format is that there would be 15 six ball overs with a final over of ten balls, (6 x 15) + 10 = 100, thus producing a shorter game that would, even if there were delays, finish in time for the ten o'clock news to be broadcast on time, that, with a nod towards the metric system, would be easier to follow and rebuffs the criticism that we don't need another T20 because this is not T20. Get it?
Entering into the spirit of things and keen to see the new competition a success we put forward a number of ideas that at the time may have seemed frivolous but not quite so this morning. One suggestion that I brought to the table but which I had first heard on Five Live Extra and very much aimed at the target audience of mums and toddlers, look out for Andrew Strauss handing out fliers at the school gate, was that the stumps be made of jelly. To add further interest it was suggested that monochrome stumps were too boring so let's have different coloured jellies for each stump and that if somebody is bowled middle jelly then it counts double so the next man is out as well. David Thorpe's best idea was that for the 'super over' each outfielder would bowl one ball which ticks the inclusivity box. Not quite so radical a thought as it seemed on Sunday for the ECB now proposes that three bowlers might share the last over.
From this it is but a short step to crowd participation. Some of you may recall the 'The Price is Right' which graced our screens thirty years ago with its catch phrase 'Come on Down' which was the signal for audience members to become contestants. Imagine the thrill as Joe Pasquale calls you onto the Headingley turf to bowl the last ball of the night to Virat Kohli with four still needed.
Of course I may have taken this a little too far but who thought a week ago that 2020 would not see a new T20 competition but something based on 100 balls per innings and who thought yesterday that the ten ball over might be shared by three bowlers? What else is lurking in the fine print? This morning's papers are reporting that the new proposals have not gone down well with the PCA whose representatives were only given twenty four hours notice and according to The Guardian 'the format is understood to have caused anger and disbelief among committee members of the Professional Cricketers Association.' The ECB will meet players' representatives next month to discuss the proposals.
In the meantime the county championship whose very existence is threatened by the new competition responded in the best possible way with decent crowds watching some competitive matches in for the first two days at least, lovely weather. Yorkshire spared my blushes by finishing off Notts in 40 minutes yesterday but it was late in the day by the time Surrey, Derbyshire and Glamorgan clinched victories. The drawn match, that at Grace Road, was the only one where the home team did not bat first. Another round begins on Friday with four games in each division. Kent and Warwickshire miss out but the former are hosts to the Pakistanis at Canterbury in a game beginning on Saturday. . Given last week's washout it is perhaps surprising to find Yorkshire and Essex in first and second places in Division 1 but Essex are only there because E comes before H and their visit to Southampton is perhaps the most intriguing match in Division 1. In the second tier Warwickshire lead the way and in their absence Middlesex, second, meet Glamorgan, third, in what should attract a few to Lord's.
During the quieter passages of play at Headingley on Sunday the thoughts of the Upper North East cognoscenti turned to a scholarly consideration of the ECB's latest proposals to bring back the traditional variety show, namely their announcement last week that the proposed city based T20 will in fact be a shortened version with each innings lasting 100 balls. Our Hartlepool Correspondent has described the NYSD 15s as a game for those who find T20 too intellectually challenging. Out of the mouths of Oxford graduates ......
Just in case you missed the launch of 'The Hundred' the format is that there would be 15 six ball overs with a final over of ten balls, (6 x 15) + 10 = 100, thus producing a shorter game that would, even if there were delays, finish in time for the ten o'clock news to be broadcast on time, that, with a nod towards the metric system, would be easier to follow and rebuffs the criticism that we don't need another T20 because this is not T20. Get it?
Entering into the spirit of things and keen to see the new competition a success we put forward a number of ideas that at the time may have seemed frivolous but not quite so this morning. One suggestion that I brought to the table but which I had first heard on Five Live Extra and very much aimed at the target audience of mums and toddlers, look out for Andrew Strauss handing out fliers at the school gate, was that the stumps be made of jelly. To add further interest it was suggested that monochrome stumps were too boring so let's have different coloured jellies for each stump and that if somebody is bowled middle jelly then it counts double so the next man is out as well. David Thorpe's best idea was that for the 'super over' each outfielder would bowl one ball which ticks the inclusivity box. Not quite so radical a thought as it seemed on Sunday for the ECB now proposes that three bowlers might share the last over.
From this it is but a short step to crowd participation. Some of you may recall the 'The Price is Right' which graced our screens thirty years ago with its catch phrase 'Come on Down' which was the signal for audience members to become contestants. Imagine the thrill as Joe Pasquale calls you onto the Headingley turf to bowl the last ball of the night to Virat Kohli with four still needed.
Of course I may have taken this a little too far but who thought a week ago that 2020 would not see a new T20 competition but something based on 100 balls per innings and who thought yesterday that the ten ball over might be shared by three bowlers? What else is lurking in the fine print? This morning's papers are reporting that the new proposals have not gone down well with the PCA whose representatives were only given twenty four hours notice and according to The Guardian 'the format is understood to have caused anger and disbelief among committee members of the Professional Cricketers Association.' The ECB will meet players' representatives next month to discuss the proposals.
In the meantime the county championship whose very existence is threatened by the new competition responded in the best possible way with decent crowds watching some competitive matches in for the first two days at least, lovely weather. Yorkshire spared my blushes by finishing off Notts in 40 minutes yesterday but it was late in the day by the time Surrey, Derbyshire and Glamorgan clinched victories. The drawn match, that at Grace Road, was the only one where the home team did not bat first. Another round begins on Friday with four games in each division. Kent and Warwickshire miss out but the former are hosts to the Pakistanis at Canterbury in a game beginning on Saturday. . Given last week's washout it is perhaps surprising to find Yorkshire and Essex in first and second places in Division 1 but Essex are only there because E comes before H and their visit to Southampton is perhaps the most intriguing match in Division 1. In the second tier Warwickshire lead the way and in their absence Middlesex, second, meet Glamorgan, third, in what should attract a few to Lord's.
Monday 23 April 2018
Not Quite All in The April Evening
posted by John Winn
I have spent the last two days at Headingley and had anticipated that I would be back there today and indeed as I left shortly after six last night just as Coad sent Libby's stumps spinning my last words to Graham Sykes who left at the same time were a confident 'See you tomorrow'. Driving home I searched in vain for score updates on the car radio but to no avail. Five Live Sports News avoided any mention of cricket, Five Live Extra entertained us with commentary on a women's football match and Radio Leeds offered helpful hints on how to make the perfect curry, something I feel is not entirely suited to radio. Arriving home I tuned to on line coverage from Headingley and after a short break in transmission discovered Yorkshire had taken the extra half hour and Notts had but three wickets in hand to save the match. Shortly before the 7:40 close the admirable Coad sent Wood on his way to make the decision not to travel today a relatively easy one.
Resurfacing at Adel* caused me to be a couple of minutes late in arriving at the ground yesterday but a slightly delayed start meant I had missed no play. After eight balls and eight runs the rain came back and lunch was taken early. When play resumed Gurney struck three times but Notts' somewhat listless approach continued and Bresnan took over Ballance's mantle with good support from Coad who hit his highest first class score in a last wicket partnership of 77 which ended at tea and probably put the game beyond the visitors' reach.
Yesterday's weather was typical early season and those wise enough to bring some warm clothing were rewarded, particularly after tea. Saturday was just about perfect and it was good to be back, to see familiar faces in familiar places, worry a little about some who were absent but who in most cases turned up yesterday looking well . Pigeons rather than wagtails provided the outfield entertainment, there was some over zealous stewarding which brought the word gestapo to one of our company's lips, but Yorkshire caught well, the bowling was in the main disciplined and enough people made runs. The rub, and it is a big rub, is that after today there will be no more championship cricket in LS8 for 18 weeks until on August 29th when Somerset will come to town. Crackers.
Assuming Yorkshire do the necessary tidying up this morning, victory over Notts, who vanquished Lancashire in the first round of matches will go a long way to easing the disappointment of last weekend's washout and mean that by close of play today it is likely that no side will have two victories to their name. Two teams, Worcestershire and Lancashire, have already registered full marks in the losses column.
And now to Friday when on another perfect day I met up with plenty of old friends at The Riverside, several of whom I had not seen since last September. Kent had been on the wrong end of a pasting by Gloucestershire in the first round and twice last season had wriggled out of defeat against Durham. Not too formidable opposition for a Durham side minus the three defectors, Jennings, Onions and Coughlin(P) and who had their overseas star the South African Markram. The main talking point in the south east corner was the omission of Cameron Steel, one of the few rays of sunshine in a dismal 2017. The returning Will Smith, not good enough to get a game at Hampshire last season, opened with Markram in Steel's place. Markram opened his account with a duck, he was to repeat that score later in the day and never did it look like anything other than a debacle. Ironic cheers when Durham passed 67, their lowest score ever, offered no comfort and only some tail end resistance saw us into the extra half hour before lunch. This was but a few minutes old when Rushworth holed out.
After the early loss of Bell-Drummond, Dickson and the patient Kuhn added 63 but a mid order collapse and not much from the tail saw Kent all out shortly before the close with a lead of 78 and there was just time for Markham to enter the record books before the close. Durham's plight went from bad to worse on Saturday and at one point numbers four to eight inclusive fell for an aggregate of ten runs and an innings defeat in four sessions looked likely. Potts however stuck it out for nearly two hours and Weighell who hit 84 added almost a hundred for the last two wickets with Rimmington and Rushworth. Despite the early loss of Dickson, Kent made it look easy winning by nine wickets before a delayed
tea, a humiliating defeat for Durham, who are at Wantage Road on Friday to face Northants who are two points better off but have played a game more. With Gloucestershire and Middlesex facing defeat today it seems likely that no side in Division Two will have two wins from two games.
* I had seen a notice on Saturday warning me of this but for some reason didn't think it applied to me.
Coad and Bresnan batting at Headingley yesterday
I have spent the last two days at Headingley and had anticipated that I would be back there today and indeed as I left shortly after six last night just as Coad sent Libby's stumps spinning my last words to Graham Sykes who left at the same time were a confident 'See you tomorrow'. Driving home I searched in vain for score updates on the car radio but to no avail. Five Live Sports News avoided any mention of cricket, Five Live Extra entertained us with commentary on a women's football match and Radio Leeds offered helpful hints on how to make the perfect curry, something I feel is not entirely suited to radio. Arriving home I tuned to on line coverage from Headingley and after a short break in transmission discovered Yorkshire had taken the extra half hour and Notts had but three wickets in hand to save the match. Shortly before the 7:40 close the admirable Coad sent Wood on his way to make the decision not to travel today a relatively easy one.
Resurfacing at Adel* caused me to be a couple of minutes late in arriving at the ground yesterday but a slightly delayed start meant I had missed no play. After eight balls and eight runs the rain came back and lunch was taken early. When play resumed Gurney struck three times but Notts' somewhat listless approach continued and Bresnan took over Ballance's mantle with good support from Coad who hit his highest first class score in a last wicket partnership of 77 which ended at tea and probably put the game beyond the visitors' reach.
Yesterday's weather was typical early season and those wise enough to bring some warm clothing were rewarded, particularly after tea. Saturday was just about perfect and it was good to be back, to see familiar faces in familiar places, worry a little about some who were absent but who in most cases turned up yesterday looking well . Pigeons rather than wagtails provided the outfield entertainment, there was some over zealous stewarding which brought the word gestapo to one of our company's lips, but Yorkshire caught well, the bowling was in the main disciplined and enough people made runs. The rub, and it is a big rub, is that after today there will be no more championship cricket in LS8 for 18 weeks until on August 29th when Somerset will come to town. Crackers.
Assuming Yorkshire do the necessary tidying up this morning, victory over Notts, who vanquished Lancashire in the first round of matches will go a long way to easing the disappointment of last weekend's washout and mean that by close of play today it is likely that no side will have two victories to their name. Two teams, Worcestershire and Lancashire, have already registered full marks in the losses column.
And now to Friday when on another perfect day I met up with plenty of old friends at The Riverside, several of whom I had not seen since last September. Kent had been on the wrong end of a pasting by Gloucestershire in the first round and twice last season had wriggled out of defeat against Durham. Not too formidable opposition for a Durham side minus the three defectors, Jennings, Onions and Coughlin(P) and who had their overseas star the South African Markram. The main talking point in the south east corner was the omission of Cameron Steel, one of the few rays of sunshine in a dismal 2017. The returning Will Smith, not good enough to get a game at Hampshire last season, opened with Markram in Steel's place. Markram opened his account with a duck, he was to repeat that score later in the day and never did it look like anything other than a debacle. Ironic cheers when Durham passed 67, their lowest score ever, offered no comfort and only some tail end resistance saw us into the extra half hour before lunch. This was but a few minutes old when Rushworth holed out.
After the early loss of Bell-Drummond, Dickson and the patient Kuhn added 63 but a mid order collapse and not much from the tail saw Kent all out shortly before the close with a lead of 78 and there was just time for Markham to enter the record books before the close. Durham's plight went from bad to worse on Saturday and at one point numbers four to eight inclusive fell for an aggregate of ten runs and an innings defeat in four sessions looked likely. Potts however stuck it out for nearly two hours and Weighell who hit 84 added almost a hundred for the last two wickets with Rimmington and Rushworth. Despite the early loss of Dickson, Kent made it look easy winning by nine wickets before a delayed
tea, a humiliating defeat for Durham, who are at Wantage Road on Friday to face Northants who are two points better off but have played a game more. With Gloucestershire and Middlesex facing defeat today it seems likely that no side in Division Two will have two wins from two games.
* I had seen a notice on Saturday warning me of this but for some reason didn't think it applied to me.Coad and Bresnan batting at Headingley yesterday
Saturday 21 April 2018
Apres le deluge c'est moi
Posted by Tony Hutton
To misquote Louis XV, or even Madame de Pompadour, is perhaps an apt way to start our coverage of the County Championship. The original quote came just before the French Revolution and it is perhaps the coming revolution to English cricket which is preoccupying the world of the professional cricket watchers.
However I will try and avoid all such matters and leave it to the professional wordsmiths to make of it what they will. Here at least I hope we can concentrate on matters on the field of play. It was with some relief that I was able to see the first day's play of Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire at Headingley yesterday, after the complete abandonment of games with Leeds/Bradford University and Essex in recent weeks.
Patient spectators at Headingley waiting in vain for the game with Essex to start.
Nottinghamshire, fresh from their crushing defeat of Lancashire at Old Trafford last week, will no doubt be full of confidence and it was inevitable, given all the recent weather problems, that they would invite Yorkshire to bat first without risking the toss of a coin. Given Yorkshire's lack of match practise since their pre-season tour of South Africa, which seems a long time ago now, you did not really fancy their chances against the rampant Notts pace attack of Ball, Fletcher and Gurney.
As we met up with innumerable friends and acquaintances not seen since last season conjecture was rife. Would Yorkshire lose five wickets before lunch or even in some quarters might they be all out before the interval. As usual everyone had his or her opinion. Certainly the good weather had attracted an excellent crowd, but with the new stand under construction at the Rugby ground end, with attended bangs and crashes throughout the day, and the members' Trueman stand half closed due to the siting of the wicket and site screen, everyone seemed jammed in together.
It would surely have been appropriate to open a section of the old Western Terrace for this game, but we are told the cost of stewarding is too great, and it has not been opened for county championship cricket for years. An absolute nonsense which does not seem to effect other county grounds.
However let's get back to the action, which was preceded by a touching minute's applause from players and spectators in memory of Dave Callaghan the long serving BBC cricket commentator who was indeed the voice of Yorkshire cricket.
Lyth and Lees, both trying to recapture their form of the championship seasons, opened for Yorkshire.
Lees, who also failed to make runs for the second team at Old Trafford last week was the first to go, smartly caught by New Zealander Taylor, who has replaced his Zimbabwean namesake, in the slips off Jake Ball. The Indian Test player Pujara, looked to have one or two differences of opinion regarding runs with Lyth, before he was soon palpably lbw to the hostile Luke Fletcher.
Captain Ballance came and went very quickly caught by Samit Patel and it was 37-3 with all out before lunch looking a distinct possibility. However the young hopeful Harry Brook managed to steady the ship somewhat alongside a confident looking Adam Lyth. Brook looked to be well set having played some attractive boundary shots before he was suprisingly clean bowled by Notts fourth seamer Wood.
Lyth was another lbw victim, this time to left armer Gurney for a well made 45. Jack Leaning managed to hang around for quite a while but the real saviour of the day for Yorkshire was wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, who has a good habit of making runs when the side is in trouble. His 62 was the highlight of the innings aided and abetted with a good old fashioned last wicket partnership between Jack Brooks and Ben Coad which added 44 valuable runs. 256 all out was a reasonable total considering the uneasy beginning to the day.
Those who stayed around for the last hour or so really enjoyed the evening sunshine as Brooks again assisted by Coad, carved apart the Notts top order in no time at all. Brooks had Notts skipper Mullaney playing on to his second ball and then in his next over dismissed Nash, the newcomer from Sussex caught by Hodd. From the other end Coad then immediately dismissed Libby lbw and Notts were unbelievably 6-3. Ross Taylor was the only batsman to look comfortable and finished the day on 34 not out, but not before Brooks had also got rid of the dangerous Patel to another lbw decision.
A good day in the end for Yorkshire and hopes were high for another day of success, which hopefully John Winn will report for you after his venture to an eventful day one at the Riverside.
To misquote Louis XV, or even Madame de Pompadour, is perhaps an apt way to start our coverage of the County Championship. The original quote came just before the French Revolution and it is perhaps the coming revolution to English cricket which is preoccupying the world of the professional cricket watchers.
However I will try and avoid all such matters and leave it to the professional wordsmiths to make of it what they will. Here at least I hope we can concentrate on matters on the field of play. It was with some relief that I was able to see the first day's play of Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire at Headingley yesterday, after the complete abandonment of games with Leeds/Bradford University and Essex in recent weeks.
Nottinghamshire, fresh from their crushing defeat of Lancashire at Old Trafford last week, will no doubt be full of confidence and it was inevitable, given all the recent weather problems, that they would invite Yorkshire to bat first without risking the toss of a coin. Given Yorkshire's lack of match practise since their pre-season tour of South Africa, which seems a long time ago now, you did not really fancy their chances against the rampant Notts pace attack of Ball, Fletcher and Gurney.
As we met up with innumerable friends and acquaintances not seen since last season conjecture was rife. Would Yorkshire lose five wickets before lunch or even in some quarters might they be all out before the interval. As usual everyone had his or her opinion. Certainly the good weather had attracted an excellent crowd, but with the new stand under construction at the Rugby ground end, with attended bangs and crashes throughout the day, and the members' Trueman stand half closed due to the siting of the wicket and site screen, everyone seemed jammed in together.
It would surely have been appropriate to open a section of the old Western Terrace for this game, but we are told the cost of stewarding is too great, and it has not been opened for county championship cricket for years. An absolute nonsense which does not seem to effect other county grounds.
However let's get back to the action, which was preceded by a touching minute's applause from players and spectators in memory of Dave Callaghan the long serving BBC cricket commentator who was indeed the voice of Yorkshire cricket.
Lyth and Lees, both trying to recapture their form of the championship seasons, opened for Yorkshire.
Lees, who also failed to make runs for the second team at Old Trafford last week was the first to go, smartly caught by New Zealander Taylor, who has replaced his Zimbabwean namesake, in the slips off Jake Ball. The Indian Test player Pujara, looked to have one or two differences of opinion regarding runs with Lyth, before he was soon palpably lbw to the hostile Luke Fletcher.
Captain Ballance came and went very quickly caught by Samit Patel and it was 37-3 with all out before lunch looking a distinct possibility. However the young hopeful Harry Brook managed to steady the ship somewhat alongside a confident looking Adam Lyth. Brook looked to be well set having played some attractive boundary shots before he was suprisingly clean bowled by Notts fourth seamer Wood.
Lyth was another lbw victim, this time to left armer Gurney for a well made 45. Jack Leaning managed to hang around for quite a while but the real saviour of the day for Yorkshire was wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, who has a good habit of making runs when the side is in trouble. His 62 was the highlight of the innings aided and abetted with a good old fashioned last wicket partnership between Jack Brooks and Ben Coad which added 44 valuable runs. 256 all out was a reasonable total considering the uneasy beginning to the day.
Those who stayed around for the last hour or so really enjoyed the evening sunshine as Brooks again assisted by Coad, carved apart the Notts top order in no time at all. Brooks had Notts skipper Mullaney playing on to his second ball and then in his next over dismissed Nash, the newcomer from Sussex caught by Hodd. From the other end Coad then immediately dismissed Libby lbw and Notts were unbelievably 6-3. Ross Taylor was the only batsman to look comfortable and finished the day on 34 not out, but not before Brooks had also got rid of the dangerous Patel to another lbw decision.
A good day in the end for Yorkshire and hopes were high for another day of success, which hopefully John Winn will report for you after his venture to an eventful day one at the Riverside.
Here we go again - at last
Posted by Tony Hutton
Just when the game of cricket seemed to be slowly reaching a terminal stage of it's long and proud history, becoming a subject for newspaper debate rather than action on the field of play, it suddenly came to life again this week. After weeks of frustrating postponements due the continued wet
weather I finally saw my first ball bowled on Thursday 19th April.
The sun shone all day at the Leeds University ground at Weetwood where perhaps appropriately, in the season when a female cricketer appears on the front cover of Wisden and three England women's internationals are selected as members of the exclusive five Wisden cricketers of the year, it was a game between Leeds/Bradford university women and MCC women.
Weetwood regulars John Taplin and Brian Senior stake their places for the season.
So in perfect cricketing weather a forty overs a side began shortly after twelve noon with what looked and sounded like a northern edition of the MCC with a good few Lancastrians in evidence, batting first. An uneventful opening partnership of 59 and a score of 94-3 promised a useful total, but when Rebecca Duckworth from Preston (a good Lancastrian name) was out for an excellent 56, things began to fall apart.
The season gets underway at Weetwood.
It was good to see some proper spin bowling from the University side, with the ball being given plenty of air which seemed to confuse the tailenders and the MCC innings disintegrated to 134 all out.
The home side started very slowly indeed and at the half way point of their innings it seemed as if the total would be well beyond them. However after losing five wickets a good partnership for the sixth wicket took them to an exciting victory with an over or so to spare. A sound start to the season but perhaps they need to sharpen up the fielding a bit against tougher opposition to come. Few complaints though for an excellent start to the season in pleasant surroundings with nothing to interrupt the quiet flow of the day.
Full marks to groundsman Richard Robinson for producing not only a wicket to play on but for his unstinting two hundred plus hours of work in getting everything prepared after the abandonment of the three day men's match with Derbyshire last week.
(Click on photographs to enlarge).
Just when the game of cricket seemed to be slowly reaching a terminal stage of it's long and proud history, becoming a subject for newspaper debate rather than action on the field of play, it suddenly came to life again this week. After weeks of frustrating postponements due the continued wet
weather I finally saw my first ball bowled on Thursday 19th April.
The sun shone all day at the Leeds University ground at Weetwood where perhaps appropriately, in the season when a female cricketer appears on the front cover of Wisden and three England women's internationals are selected as members of the exclusive five Wisden cricketers of the year, it was a game between Leeds/Bradford university women and MCC women.
So in perfect cricketing weather a forty overs a side began shortly after twelve noon with what looked and sounded like a northern edition of the MCC with a good few Lancastrians in evidence, batting first. An uneventful opening partnership of 59 and a score of 94-3 promised a useful total, but when Rebecca Duckworth from Preston (a good Lancastrian name) was out for an excellent 56, things began to fall apart.
It was good to see some proper spin bowling from the University side, with the ball being given plenty of air which seemed to confuse the tailenders and the MCC innings disintegrated to 134 all out.
The home side started very slowly indeed and at the half way point of their innings it seemed as if the total would be well beyond them. However after losing five wickets a good partnership for the sixth wicket took them to an exciting victory with an over or so to spare. A sound start to the season but perhaps they need to sharpen up the fielding a bit against tougher opposition to come. Few complaints though for an excellent start to the season in pleasant surroundings with nothing to interrupt the quiet flow of the day.
Full marks to groundsman Richard Robinson for producing not only a wicket to play on but for his unstinting two hundred plus hours of work in getting everything prepared after the abandonment of the three day men's match with Derbyshire last week.
(Click on photographs to enlarge).
Tuesday 17 April 2018
Let the games begin.....but when?
posted by John Winn
Looking back to its beginnings in 2009 four times the blog has reported on cricket played in England in March and five times in April, the latest date being Tuesday 6th April 2010 when under the heading 'First Match' Brian Sanderson described a game played at Headingley in front of a crowd that barely touched double figures and featured two sides of Yorkshire players. Brian reported a fine day but with a cold breeze which made watching 'uncomfortable. Eight years on that record has been smashed and it looks as though it could be Friday, the 20th before Tony and I see any cricket. If the forecast is to be believed temperatures tomorrow afternoon and Thursday should make even Headingley fit for play before Notts new captain, Steven Mullaney almost certainly exercises his prerogative and invites Yorkshire to bat.
Tony plans to be at Headingley while I will travel to Riverside where Kent, fresh from a mauling at the hands of Gloucestershire will be the visitors. On Saturday we will swap places, a day on which a few weeks ago our April fixture list anticipated that most league cricket would start. The impact of the weather has been such that of the leagues we traditionally cover a majority will not now hear the call of play until April 28th. Just this morning I received an email from the secretary of Cockerton CC with the news that the Darlington and District League has postponed this week's fixtures. It is probably safe to assume there
will be no more changes although the Halifax League, which has come out firmly against any delay, are still allowing clubs who fear their grounds may not be fit to report to the league by 10:00 tonight.
After what Tony described in a March posting as a 'winter of discontent' the last thing the beleaguered county championship was a rain affected start which of cause washed out the whole four days at Headingley. Just today an article on cricinfo talks of an ECB working party which will consider the introduction of a 'FA Cup style KO competition and the restructuring of the championship into a conference system'. Under the chairmanship of Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan the working party will 'discuss options for the domestic season once the new T20 starts in 2020'. The only certainty seems to be that Messrs Graves, Harrison and Strauss are determined to get their way and introduce this new competition. Boo.
Finally, just to show how late spring is this year these two photographs were taken outside my house, the one on the right a year ago today, the one on the left yesterday.
Looking back to its beginnings in 2009 four times the blog has reported on cricket played in England in March and five times in April, the latest date being Tuesday 6th April 2010 when under the heading 'First Match' Brian Sanderson described a game played at Headingley in front of a crowd that barely touched double figures and featured two sides of Yorkshire players. Brian reported a fine day but with a cold breeze which made watching 'uncomfortable. Eight years on that record has been smashed and it looks as though it could be Friday, the 20th before Tony and I see any cricket. If the forecast is to be believed temperatures tomorrow afternoon and Thursday should make even Headingley fit for play before Notts new captain, Steven Mullaney almost certainly exercises his prerogative and invites Yorkshire to bat.
Tony plans to be at Headingley while I will travel to Riverside where Kent, fresh from a mauling at the hands of Gloucestershire will be the visitors. On Saturday we will swap places, a day on which a few weeks ago our April fixture list anticipated that most league cricket would start. The impact of the weather has been such that of the leagues we traditionally cover a majority will not now hear the call of play until April 28th. Just this morning I received an email from the secretary of Cockerton CC with the news that the Darlington and District League has postponed this week's fixtures. It is probably safe to assume there
will be no more changes although the Halifax League, which has come out firmly against any delay, are still allowing clubs who fear their grounds may not be fit to report to the league by 10:00 tonight.
After what Tony described in a March posting as a 'winter of discontent' the last thing the beleaguered county championship was a rain affected start which of cause washed out the whole four days at Headingley. Just today an article on cricinfo talks of an ECB working party which will consider the introduction of a 'FA Cup style KO competition and the restructuring of the championship into a conference system'. Under the chairmanship of Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan the working party will 'discuss options for the domestic season once the new T20 starts in 2020'. The only certainty seems to be that Messrs Graves, Harrison and Strauss are determined to get their way and introduce this new competition. Boo.
Finally, just to show how late spring is this year these two photographs were taken outside my house, the one on the right a year ago today, the one on the left yesterday.
Monday 9 April 2018
Revised dates for League Cricket opening matches
posted by John Winn
Saturday April 21st
North East Premier League, Langbaurgh League, Bradford League, Pontefract League, Yorkshire/Derbyshire League, Halifax League*, Aire/Wharfe League, Bradford Mutual Sunday School League, Dales Council League
Sunday April 22nd
Saturday April 21st
North East Premier League, Langbaurgh League, Bradford League, Pontefract League, Yorkshire/Derbyshire League, Halifax League*, Aire/Wharfe League, Bradford Mutual Sunday School League, Dales Council League
Sunday April 22nd
Scarborough Beckett League (Premier Division)
Saturday April 28th
Yorkshire Premier Leagues North and South, York and District League, York Vale League, Wetherby League, Nidderdale League,NYSD, Huddersfield League, Durham Cricket League, Craven and District League, Darlington and District League
Saturday May 5th
Eskdale League
* The Halifax League have issued a statement firmly setting out the case for NOT postponing this Saturday's fixtures but clubs have until 10:00 tonight to let the league know if their ground is likely to be unfit.
* The Halifax League have issued a statement firmly setting out the case for NOT postponing this Saturday's fixtures but clubs have until 10:00 tonight to let the league know if their ground is likely to be unfit.
Sunday 8 April 2018
The waiting game
Posted by Tony Hutton
Still waiting to see our first ball bowled this season after the predictable cancellation of the game at Headingley between Yorkshire and Leeds/Bradford MCCU this weekend. This was the student's second wash out after their visit to Worcestershire was also abandoned. League cricket in Yorkshire seems to be getting later and later, with Aire/Wharfe league pushing opening day back from 14th April to 21st April and Yorkshire Premier League North and York and District League now starting a week later on April 28th. No doubt other leagues will follow suit as the wet conditions take their toll.
However off field activity continues to entertain us starting with the Northern Cricket Society annual dinner at Sandmoor Golf Club, Leeds on 20th March. The guest speaker was non other than Farook Engineer replacing the original choice Paul Nixon, who is now obviously busy organising Leicestershire County Cricket club. Farook was in splendid form with endless tales of his cricketing career with Lancashire and India.
The following evening at Headingley we saw a presentation by the Yorkshire Film Archive with a film originally shown on ITV some years ago following the fortunes of Pudsey St Lawrence in the Bradford League. Lots of familiar faces from the past in a wonderful documentary of the life of a league cricket club. However the highlight of the evening was the late arrival of Brian Sanderson, of the Yorkshire Archives Committee, hot foot from London with a mysterious parcel under his arm.
This proved to be a real treasure, on loan to Yorkshire from MCC, the bat with which Sir Leonard Hutton scored his record 364 against Australia at the Oval. Tony Moss, from Pudsey St Lawrence, Sir Leonard's original club, was obviously delighted to have the chance to hold this treasured memento as seen in the picture below.
The Yorkshire Film Archive is always looking for film of Yorkshire life from the past, not just of sporting events, but at least it gave me an idea where to deposit my old collection of sporting videos.
Saturday 24th March and we were at Headingley yet again for the Yorkshire county cricket club annual general meeting. Quite a pleasant occasion with assurances from all concerned that this season will be better than last and that a lot of hard work has gone into pre-season training. It was a bit difficult to take in all the projections for future repayment of the club's considerable debts, but there did seem a general air of confidence that things will improve in the next few years.
I did have some differences of opinion on social media last season with the Yorkshire chairman, but must congratulate him on his running of the meeting throughout with a general air of efficiency and humour as well. Well done Steve Denison.
Next on the agenda was the Northern Cricket Society's final meeting of the winter season with John Fuller, a professional cricket journalist who runs an excellent website - Cricket Yorkshire. John gave an excellent presentation of how he works and how he put together his recent book - All Wickets Great and Small - on grassroots cricket in Yorkshire. Very much a must read book for all professional cricket watchers. He also fielded very capably with a barrage of questions on all sorts of cricketing subjects.
Finally Friday 6th April rounded off this pre-season lull very nicely with an excellent Yorkshire county cricket club lunch again at Headingley in the Long Room. A very large turnout enjoyed a good meal with views of the new stand quickly growing before our eyes at the Rugby side of the
ground. Stars of the show were the two guest speakers Matthew Hoggard and Geoff Miller.
Hoggard protested that he had been put on a table with Yorkshire's Director of cricket who sacked him and former Chairman of England selectors who dropped him, but kept everyone amused with his tales of his part in that great Ashes win, after which the drunken celebrations went on and on.
Geoff Miller could have been a professional comedian and some might say he has had far more success as an after dinner speaker than he did as a player or test selector. However he really did have the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter at his stories of Derbyshire and England cricket from years gone by, including the famous snow stopped play game at Buxton. A great occasion.
So there we are - still waiting for the action to start - hopefully on Friday next when we might well be spoilt for choice, Yorkshire v Essex at Headingley and just up the road Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Derbyshire at Weetwood, the ground of Leeds University. Just hoping for some dry weather and even just possibly some sunshine.
Still waiting to see our first ball bowled this season after the predictable cancellation of the game at Headingley between Yorkshire and Leeds/Bradford MCCU this weekend. This was the student's second wash out after their visit to Worcestershire was also abandoned. League cricket in Yorkshire seems to be getting later and later, with Aire/Wharfe league pushing opening day back from 14th April to 21st April and Yorkshire Premier League North and York and District League now starting a week later on April 28th. No doubt other leagues will follow suit as the wet conditions take their toll.
However off field activity continues to entertain us starting with the Northern Cricket Society annual dinner at Sandmoor Golf Club, Leeds on 20th March. The guest speaker was non other than Farook Engineer replacing the original choice Paul Nixon, who is now obviously busy organising Leicestershire County Cricket club. Farook was in splendid form with endless tales of his cricketing career with Lancashire and India.
The following evening at Headingley we saw a presentation by the Yorkshire Film Archive with a film originally shown on ITV some years ago following the fortunes of Pudsey St Lawrence in the Bradford League. Lots of familiar faces from the past in a wonderful documentary of the life of a league cricket club. However the highlight of the evening was the late arrival of Brian Sanderson, of the Yorkshire Archives Committee, hot foot from London with a mysterious parcel under his arm.
This proved to be a real treasure, on loan to Yorkshire from MCC, the bat with which Sir Leonard Hutton scored his record 364 against Australia at the Oval. Tony Moss, from Pudsey St Lawrence, Sir Leonard's original club, was obviously delighted to have the chance to hold this treasured memento as seen in the picture below.
The Yorkshire Film Archive is always looking for film of Yorkshire life from the past, not just of sporting events, but at least it gave me an idea where to deposit my old collection of sporting videos.
Saturday 24th March and we were at Headingley yet again for the Yorkshire county cricket club annual general meeting. Quite a pleasant occasion with assurances from all concerned that this season will be better than last and that a lot of hard work has gone into pre-season training. It was a bit difficult to take in all the projections for future repayment of the club's considerable debts, but there did seem a general air of confidence that things will improve in the next few years.
I did have some differences of opinion on social media last season with the Yorkshire chairman, but must congratulate him on his running of the meeting throughout with a general air of efficiency and humour as well. Well done Steve Denison.
Next on the agenda was the Northern Cricket Society's final meeting of the winter season with John Fuller, a professional cricket journalist who runs an excellent website - Cricket Yorkshire. John gave an excellent presentation of how he works and how he put together his recent book - All Wickets Great and Small - on grassroots cricket in Yorkshire. Very much a must read book for all professional cricket watchers. He also fielded very capably with a barrage of questions on all sorts of cricketing subjects.
Finally Friday 6th April rounded off this pre-season lull very nicely with an excellent Yorkshire county cricket club lunch again at Headingley in the Long Room. A very large turnout enjoyed a good meal with views of the new stand quickly growing before our eyes at the Rugby side of the
ground. Stars of the show were the two guest speakers Matthew Hoggard and Geoff Miller.
Hoggard protested that he had been put on a table with Yorkshire's Director of cricket who sacked him and former Chairman of England selectors who dropped him, but kept everyone amused with his tales of his part in that great Ashes win, after which the drunken celebrations went on and on.
Geoff Miller could have been a professional comedian and some might say he has had far more success as an after dinner speaker than he did as a player or test selector. However he really did have the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter at his stories of Derbyshire and England cricket from years gone by, including the famous snow stopped play game at Buxton. A great occasion.
So there we are - still waiting for the action to start - hopefully on Friday next when we might well be spoilt for choice, Yorkshire v Essex at Headingley and just up the road Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Derbyshire at Weetwood, the ground of Leeds University. Just hoping for some dry weather and even just possibly some sunshine.
Sunday 1 April 2018
April Fool's Day
Posted by Tony Hutton
Thanks to John for his comprehensive fixture list for April. We feel it is rather appropriate that the first class season should open on April Fool's Day as having organised a pre-season trip to the Midlands in the hope of seeing some county friendlies, we returned home yesterday without having seen a ball bowled. We fortunately had an excellent plan 'B' which means that we already are in profit on our National Trust subscription for the coming year.
We started at Edgbaston last Monday, only to find that Warwickshire's three day game with Somerset had been been put back to start on Tuesday. We returned the following day when hopes were high and a fair few potential spectators were gathered in the excellent Tom Dollery member's suite where ample food and drink was available. The first hint that something might be amiss (not Amiss) was that the scorecard had no players' names on it.
The dismal scene at Edgbaston.
The ground was being prepared and despite the lack of a prompt start we thought play might begin before lunch. Creases were being painted, the large sheet covers removed and all looked well with the world until predictably the rain returned. By early afternoon play was called off for the day and the assembled throng reluctantly did the equivalent of the retreat from Moscow.
Our original plans, assuming a week of heat wave conditions, included optimistic thoughts of trips from our Malvern base to Bristol and Oxford where other friendly matches were scheduled. However while we did find some dry spells between the showers to visit local National Trust properties, particularly a fine day on Good Friday, it did not seem prudent to travel any distance in search of cricket.
We did however pay a visit to Worcester's Royal Grammar School, whose ground Flagge Meadow was due to host a first class match with Leeds/Bradford University starting today. I had eventually received an e-mail reply to my queries about parking, seating and refreshment facilities at this venue which to say the least were not encouraging. Certainly no parking whatsoever on the ground, street parking only I was told.
I had only visited this ground once before, back in 1992 for a second eleven match in which David Fulton of Kent scored a double century. Other than the fact that a canal ran alongside the ground my memories were rather hazy. We found a startling banner outside the ground saying this was now Worcestershire's second home - despite the lack of facilities and were not impressed with the chances of finding street parking anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
As it turned out a monsoon like rain appeared on Friday night and Saturday morning by which time it seemed impossible for any cricket to be played on Sunday (which has proved to be true) and in view of the forecast unlikely for the remaining two days. So we packed our bags and came home a day early yesterday in time to see Test Match cricket on TV.
Thanks to John for his comprehensive fixture list for April. We feel it is rather appropriate that the first class season should open on April Fool's Day as having organised a pre-season trip to the Midlands in the hope of seeing some county friendlies, we returned home yesterday without having seen a ball bowled. We fortunately had an excellent plan 'B' which means that we already are in profit on our National Trust subscription for the coming year.
We started at Edgbaston last Monday, only to find that Warwickshire's three day game with Somerset had been been put back to start on Tuesday. We returned the following day when hopes were high and a fair few potential spectators were gathered in the excellent Tom Dollery member's suite where ample food and drink was available. The first hint that something might be amiss (not Amiss) was that the scorecard had no players' names on it.
The ground was being prepared and despite the lack of a prompt start we thought play might begin before lunch. Creases were being painted, the large sheet covers removed and all looked well with the world until predictably the rain returned. By early afternoon play was called off for the day and the assembled throng reluctantly did the equivalent of the retreat from Moscow.
Our original plans, assuming a week of heat wave conditions, included optimistic thoughts of trips from our Malvern base to Bristol and Oxford where other friendly matches were scheduled. However while we did find some dry spells between the showers to visit local National Trust properties, particularly a fine day on Good Friday, it did not seem prudent to travel any distance in search of cricket.
We did however pay a visit to Worcester's Royal Grammar School, whose ground Flagge Meadow was due to host a first class match with Leeds/Bradford University starting today. I had eventually received an e-mail reply to my queries about parking, seating and refreshment facilities at this venue which to say the least were not encouraging. Certainly no parking whatsoever on the ground, street parking only I was told.
I had only visited this ground once before, back in 1992 for a second eleven match in which David Fulton of Kent scored a double century. Other than the fact that a canal ran alongside the ground my memories were rather hazy. We found a startling banner outside the ground saying this was now Worcestershire's second home - despite the lack of facilities and were not impressed with the chances of finding street parking anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
As it turned out a monsoon like rain appeared on Friday night and Saturday morning by which time it seemed impossible for any cricket to be played on Sunday (which has proved to be true) and in view of the forecast unlikely for the remaining two days. So we packed our bags and came home a day early yesterday in time to see Test Match cricket on TV.
April Fixtures
posted by John Winn
Sunday April 1st MCCU fixtures at Canterbury*, Edgbaston, Fenner's, Worcester RGS, Hove, Bristol
Matches at Fenner's and Worcs RGS abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday April 7th MCCU fixtures at Southampton, , Fenner's, Loughborough, Merchant Taylors', The Parks
Monday April 9th Derbyshire II v Warwickshire II (3 day friendly) Derby
Tuesday April 10th Gloucs II v Yorks II ( 4 day friendly) Bristol, Essex II v MCC YC ( 3 day friendly) Billericay, Northants II v Kent II (3 day friendly) Wantage Road
Friday April 13th
County Championship begins Hants v Worcestershire, Lancashire v Notts, Yorks v Essex
Kent v Gloucs, Warwickshire v Sussex, Middlesex v Northants
MCCU matches at Riverside, The Oval, Cardiff, Taunton, Grace Road, Weetwood
Saturday April 14th
North East Premier League begins
Monday April 16th Leicestershire II v MCC YC (SEC) Kibworth
Notts II v Derbyshire II (SEC) Notts Sports Club
Sussex II v Essex II (SET) Hove
Middlesex II V Durham II (4 day friendly) Radlett
Tuesday April 17th Sussex II v Essex II (SEC) Hove
Gloucs II v Ireland (1 day friendly) Rockhampton
KentII/NorthantsII v Warwickshire II (4 day friendly) Beckenham
Lancs II v Yorks II ( 3 day friendly) Old Trafford
Wednesday April 18th Glamorgan II v Gloucestershire II (3 day friendly) Cardiff
Somerset II v Worcestershire II (3 day friendly) Taunton Vale
Friday April 20th County Championship
Essex v Lancs Chelmsford, Somerset v Worcs Taunton, Surrey v Hants The Oval, Yorks v Notts Headingley
Derbyshire v Middlesex Derby, Durham v Kent Riverside, Gloucestershire v Glamorgan Bristol, Leicestershire v Sussex Grace Road, Northants v Warwickshire Wantage Road
Saturday April 21st most other league cricket begins including Aire Wharf postponed from April 14th
Monday April 23rd Lancs II v Derbyshire II (SEC) Liverpool
MCCYC v Northants II (SEC) High Wycombe
Kent II v Somerset II (SET) Polo Farm Canterbury
Yorks II v Notts II ( 3 day friendly) Scarborough
Hants II/ Surrey II v EssexII/SussexII Southampton
Gloucs II v Scotland Bristol CC
Tuesday April 24th Kent II (SEC) Polo Farm
Warwickshire II V Worcestershire II (SEC) Portland Road
Durham II v Leicestershire II (1 day friendly) Brandon
Wednesday April 25th Durham II v Leicestershire II (3 day friendly) Riverside
Thursday April 26th MCCYC v Northants II (SET) High Wycombe
Yorks II v Notts II (1 day friendly) Scarborough
Friday 27th April County Championship Hants v Leics ( Southampton) Lancashire v Surrey (Old Trafford) Somerset v Yorkshire (Taunton) Worcestershire v Notts (New Road)
Leicestershire v Derbyshire ( Grace Road) Middlesex v Glamorgan (Lord's) Northants v Durham (Wantage Road)
Saturday April 28th Kent v Pakistanis (Canterbury)
Wetherby and York Vale leagues begin
Monday April 30th Hants II v Unicorns (SET) Saffron Walden
Northants II v Derbyshire II (SET) Ampthill (tbc)
Other matches in April (weather permitting)
Saturday 14th April (Friendlies) York v Barnard Castle, Driffield v Stamford Bridge
Sunday 15th April Lancashire League fixtures begin
(Friendly) Durham Academy v Yorkshire Academy (Barnard Castle)
Wednesday & Thursday 18th/19th April Durham Academy v Yorkshire Academy (Richmondshire)
Sunday 22nd April Royal London National Club KO (first round) includes the following:-
Clifton Alliance v Richmondshire
Doncaster v Harrogate
Stamford Bridge v Barnard Castle
Tuesday 24th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Solent University (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Wednesday 25th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Durham MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Thursday & Friday 26/27th April Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Durham MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Monday 30th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Cardiff MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Sunday April 1st MCCU fixtures at Canterbury*, Edgbaston, Fenner's, Worcester RGS, Hove, Bristol
Matches at Fenner's and Worcs RGS abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday April 7th MCCU fixtures at Southampton, , Fenner's, Loughborough, Merchant Taylors', The Parks
Monday April 9th Derbyshire II v Warwickshire II (3 day friendly) Derby
Tuesday April 10th Gloucs II v Yorks II ( 4 day friendly) Bristol, Essex II v MCC YC ( 3 day friendly) Billericay, Northants II v Kent II (3 day friendly) Wantage Road
Friday April 13th
County Championship begins Hants v Worcestershire, Lancashire v Notts, Yorks v Essex
Kent v Gloucs, Warwickshire v Sussex, Middlesex v Northants
MCCU matches at Riverside, The Oval, Cardiff, Taunton, Grace Road, Weetwood
Saturday April 14th
North East Premier League begins
Monday April 16th Leicestershire II v MCC YC (SEC) Kibworth
Notts II v Derbyshire II (SEC) Notts Sports Club
Sussex II v Essex II (SET) Hove
Middlesex II V Durham II (4 day friendly) Radlett
Tuesday April 17th Sussex II v Essex II (SEC) Hove
Gloucs II v Ireland (1 day friendly) Rockhampton
KentII/NorthantsII v Warwickshire II (4 day friendly) Beckenham
Lancs II v Yorks II ( 3 day friendly) Old Trafford
Wednesday April 18th Glamorgan II v Gloucestershire II (3 day friendly) Cardiff
Somerset II v Worcestershire II (3 day friendly) Taunton Vale
Friday April 20th County Championship
Essex v Lancs Chelmsford, Somerset v Worcs Taunton, Surrey v Hants The Oval, Yorks v Notts Headingley
Derbyshire v Middlesex Derby, Durham v Kent Riverside, Gloucestershire v Glamorgan Bristol, Leicestershire v Sussex Grace Road, Northants v Warwickshire Wantage Road
Saturday April 21st most other league cricket begins including Aire Wharf postponed from April 14th
Monday April 23rd Lancs II v Derbyshire II (SEC) Liverpool
MCCYC v Northants II (SEC) High Wycombe
Kent II v Somerset II (SET) Polo Farm Canterbury
Yorks II v Notts II ( 3 day friendly) Scarborough
Hants II/ Surrey II v EssexII/SussexII Southampton
Gloucs II v Scotland Bristol CC
Tuesday April 24th Kent II (SEC) Polo Farm
Warwickshire II V Worcestershire II (SEC) Portland Road
Durham II v Leicestershire II (1 day friendly) Brandon
Wednesday April 25th Durham II v Leicestershire II (3 day friendly) Riverside
Thursday April 26th MCCYC v Northants II (SET) High Wycombe
Yorks II v Notts II (1 day friendly) Scarborough
Friday 27th April County Championship Hants v Leics ( Southampton) Lancashire v Surrey (Old Trafford) Somerset v Yorkshire (Taunton) Worcestershire v Notts (New Road)
Leicestershire v Derbyshire ( Grace Road) Middlesex v Glamorgan (Lord's) Northants v Durham (Wantage Road)
Saturday April 28th Kent v Pakistanis (Canterbury)
Wetherby and York Vale leagues begin
Monday April 30th Hants II v Unicorns (SET) Saffron Walden
Northants II v Derbyshire II (SET) Ampthill (tbc)
Other matches in April (weather permitting)
Saturday 14th April (Friendlies) York v Barnard Castle, Driffield v Stamford Bridge
Sunday 15th April Lancashire League fixtures begin
(Friendly) Durham Academy v Yorkshire Academy (Barnard Castle)
Wednesday & Thursday 18th/19th April Durham Academy v Yorkshire Academy (Richmondshire)
Sunday 22nd April Royal London National Club KO (first round) includes the following:-
Clifton Alliance v Richmondshire
Doncaster v Harrogate
Stamford Bridge v Barnard Castle
Tuesday 24th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Solent University (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Wednesday 25th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Durham MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Thursday & Friday 26/27th April Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Durham MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
Monday 30th April (Bucs 1 day) Leeds/Bradford MCCU v Cardiff MCCU (Weetwood) 11 a.m.
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