Magic Weekend continued

Monday 21st May is a date I am unlikely to forget as over recent weeks I have been repeatedly asked for my date of birth by a whole series of doctors, nurses and receptionists at a variety of venues.
However today medical matters could be forgotten as it was off to another most wanted ground, which has long been on my list. This was the home of Lutterworth cricket club in Leicestershire, just off the M1 motorway and again well worth a visit. Leicestershire second eleven were playing Notts second eleven in a one day Trophy again. Once more of course a coloured clothing game, but needs must I suppose.

Another attractive venue, near the town centre with all amenities close by and overlooked by the parish church. A very old club too, founded as far back as 1789. Plenty of old photographs inside the pavilion and only a small handful of spectators to see Notts batting first.

The tree-lined Lutterworth ground.

Leafy Lutterworth.

Notts batted first with many familiar names from their appearance at Scarborough earlier in the season. One newcomer since then was the Bermudan Leverock who played for Sussex seconds last season. He rescued Notts from a poor start having lost James, Libby and Budinger with the score on 39. Leverock's four fours and two sixes certainly enlivened proceedings as he went quickly to 44 and the only other batsman to make a score was wicket keeper Keast with 46.

A club with a long history - Lutterworth C.C. established in 1789.

The visitors rather stuttered their way to 193 all out in only 37.5 overs but by then we were on our way for an easy hour's drive back to Edgbaston where Warwickshire seconds were playing Yorkshire seconds in yet another one day Trophy game. We timed our arrival perfectly just in time to see former Yorkshire player Will Rhodes complete an excellent century against his former employers. Something that seems to happen regularly when players move elsewhere. Rhodes never really got a regular place with Yorkshire and certainly deserved much more time in the first team.

Rhodes and Hannon-Dolby return to the pavilion.

His innings today of 107 came off 91 balls and included thirteen fours and two sixes. He was the last man out after putting on thirty runs for the last wicket along with another former Yorkshire player Oliver Hannon-Dalby. Warwickshire made 287 all out to the first ball of the final over. Matthew Fisher, hopefully now back to full fitness, was the best bowler with 4-42.

 The vast Edgbaston pavilion.

It was a difficult target for the very young Yorkshire side, but with Alex Lees and Johnny Tattersall opening the batting they got off to a positive start with a partnership of 71 in thirteen overs. Thompson, who like Tattersall, has been in good form recently made top score of 73 and when he was out at 215-5 it looked as if the game would swing Warwickshire's way. Not so, as Fisher, the youngster Hill and Shaw all made useful runs to keep Yorkshire in the chase.

The old scoreboard is almost the only remaining feature on the ground since my boyhood days here.

The decisive period came when the opening bowlers Wright and Hannon-Dalby returned for the final four overs and poor Karl Carver could not lay bat on ball at all against Wright, a very experienced bowler. Hill had managed to hit danger man Poysden, the leg spinner, for a big six to the shortest boundary, but his team mates could not match it. In the end Yorkshire lost by just twelve runs and one feels that two more sixes to this tempting short boundary could have clinched it.

Beyond the boundary - a view of the River Rea, a contrast with the concrete jungle of Edgbaston.

Warwickshire can be congratulated for at least providing excellent refreshment facilities for the small band of enthusiasts who came to watch, but as with Lutterworth earlier in the day neither county could be bothered to provide scorecards, which in this day and age can be run off by pressing a few buttons on a printer.