I think it was Edward Heath who invented the three day week and that is what we had as far as cricket watching was concerned this week. Three very different games but all highly enjoyable, with good weather, good company and an exciting finish to round things off. Tuesday was very much a local affair with the two Yorkshire over 60s sides playing each other in the Northern counties group.
The first XI were playing the Yorkshire Ridings XI, essentially the second team, although to complicate matters the Ridings XI also have a second team which play in the North West Group.
Much confusion among the varied band of elderly spectators at the pleasant Kirkstall Educational ground in Leeds, where one of our number had seen the aforesaid Ridings XI second team playing Warwickshire at Streethouse yesterday. He had great difficulty, as had we all, in working out why a team from Yorkshire plus indeed Warwickshire and Norfolk apparently, are all in the North West Group!
Enough of that as the game provided good entertainment, played in the best of spirits, with quick over rates and a determination to get on with the game which one rarely sees these days. The Ridings team batted first which was not really in the best interests of the spectators as they were bowled out for a modest total of 98. Both sides contained well known names from league cricket of yesteryear with some still playing regularly today. The five bowlers were all extremely accurate as one would expect from Martin Ivill, Mick Scott an Aire Wharfe stalwart, Michael Kenyon, Robert Kettlewell and Phil Taylor, a Bradford League man, who bowled a total of nine maidens between them and gave away nothing.
Ready for a sit down, if not a lie down!
Zahid Ali, once the main man at St Chads CC in Leeds, but now of Sicklinghall, top scored for the Ridings with 28, and David Fairbank was not far behind with 24. Very few of the others contributed much and four of them were out for a duck. However a very different story when Yorkshire batted as the experienced opening pair of Martin Ivill, once of Barnsley and captain of the side and John Flintoff, from Sessay, who have both scored centuries already this season, almost knocked off the runs together. Flintoff was out for 45, Ivill also 45 not out and another prodigious scorer Colin Frank of Pickering 7 not out as Yorkshire beat the Ridings by eight wickets.
The entertainment was provided by such as Brian Senior, John Rex and the unmistakable John Taplin, who all kept everyone amused throughout the afternoon. Hillary Oliver put in a hardworking stint as scorer while her husband Barry was umpiring not far away at New Rover cricket club. Later research revealed that Yorkshire and inevitably Lancashire are just two points apart at the top of the table both having won five out of six games so far. If you get the chance go along and watch over sixties cricket and sample the game as it used to be played.
Tuesday provided a very different kettle of fish so to speak with an interesting journey into the Derbyshire Dales to Belper Meadows where Derbyshire second eleven were taking on Glamorgan second eleven in a three day friendly match. Much of second eleven cricket these days is made up of friendlies which often sees sides travelling the length and breadth of the country. Why can't they play more second eleven championship games we often wonder.
The main problem today was the wind which blew all day. Fortunately it was a warm wind but made life a little uncomfortable for players and the handful of spectators alike. Glamorgan batted first and quickly lost early wickets. We scarely had time to identify the batsmen from the Second XI annual and the helpful scorecard provided by Derbyshire's lady scorer, as they came and went so rapidly.
The Derbyshire opening bowlers Davis and Hartley removed the first five for only 41 runs and it took captain Aneurin Donald to restore their fortunes in a big way.
Donald made his name as a 19 year old in 2016 when he equalled the fastest ever first class double century, also against Derbyshire, which included no fewer than fifteen sixes. He has perhaps not quite lived up to that since (who could?) but played a really fine innings here at Belper which put his side back on track. He did not really cut loose until he reached his century but then hit a series of huge sixes which required running repairs to his bat. He was finally out, caught off a skier, for 127 having hit nine fours and six sixes when the score had just reached 200. Donald got very little support only Smith with 29 really contributed to the all out total of 210.
Good to see Derbyshire's new president Edwin Smith, who I well remember as a young spin bowler many years ago, watching the match and deep in conversation with Kim Barnett about how the game has changed. Still easily recognisable today even at the age of 84. Happy memories from long ago.
Among the usual batch of interesting players appearing today was Derbyshire's Under 15s wicket keeper Anoop Chima, of Indian origin but born in Toronto, Canada and now attending Repton school. He looked a very tidy keeper and also batted well later in the game. We saw the start of Derbyshire's first innings with Chesney Hughes, famous for a double century at Headingley some years ago, who was re-appearing after a year's absence. It was a little confusing that three of the first Derbyshire batsman had sweaters with the name Wood on the back, only the number four was in fact the real Wood. On day two Derby made a big score 378 all out with first team keeper Smit scoring a century.
Glamorgan also made 300 in their second innings but Derby won the game comfortably by eight wickets on day three.
Yesterday (Thursday) we managed our annual pilgrimage to Sedbergh School in Cumbria, which is normally for a Minor Counties game, but this year Cumberland were unable to get a home fixture in August when the ground is available so it seemed unlikely we would get there. However our source of much information from that side of the Pennines, Ian from Lancaster, came up with two games at Sedbergh this week. Lancashire Academy were the visitors on Wednesday and we saw the Durham Academy yesterday.
Not only did we have a wonderful sunny day at one of the most beautiful grounds in the country with the backcloth of the Howgill Fells, but we had an exciting finish with just ten balls remaining when the School achieved a famous victory thanks almost solely to George Hill, the Yorkshire Academy player. Only a handful of spectators present but our walk around the ground took some time as we kept finding people of similar persuasion to ourselves, who we knew, enjoying this perfect venue.
The Academy batted first and Tom Hewitson from Stockton held the innings together and was on the verge of a century when he was clean bowled for 94 with the score on 145-3. No one else played a major innings and Durham failed to accelerate towards the end finishing with a below par 196-6 in their fifty overs. Interesting to see the school side persevering with three spin bowlers.
Sedbergh's reply followed a similar pattern with just one outstanding batsman, George Hill who has been a regular for the Yorkshire Academy this season and has already played for the county second eleven. Wickets fell at regular intervals and with the score on 114-6 it looked like a certain victory for the visitors. Hill eventually found good support from number eight batsman Theo Manihera, who helped him put on sixty runs for the seventh wicket. Although Durham kept it tight and gave nothing away, the school were always ahead of the rate and had overs in hand as long as Hill could stay there.
Stay he did, reaching his century just before the end and with continued support from the valiant tailenders hit the winning boundary from the second ball of the penultimate over. What a marvellous finish to what turned out to be a perfect day. Sedbergh is a must visit venue for all true cricket lovers. Long may it continue.
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