It is eleven days since my last blog, as we have been travelling around the North of England on a sort of grand tour trying to make the most of things as the season, apart from the county championship, seems to be rapidly nearing it's end.
First of all a couple of apologies. Not surprisingly my attempt at trying to list all the re-arranged local cup finals, due to one wet Sunday, came unstuck slightly. The Black Sheep semi-final between Pudsey St Lawrence and Wakefield Thornes was not decided on the toss of a coin as I had been told, but took place last Sunday with Thornes the winners. The final will be played at Cleckheaton, this coming Sunday 9th September between Hanging Heaton and Wakefield Thornes.
The second apology is a much more serious matter, as I was promptly advised as soon as I encountered my Cumberland friend Gilbert Johnstone at Carlisle last weekend. In my previous Minor Counties report from Furness cricket club I had spelled his name incorrectly as Johnson, to which he rightly took great exception. It has now been corrected and built into my personal spell checker's memory for all time.
A few more cup finals to round up, with congratulations to Yorkshire's under 17s for winning the national county title in their three day game with Surrey at Arundel. The match ended in a draw with Yorkshire taking the title for their considerable first innings lead despite the play-cricket website reporting that they had won by 341 runs. Skipper James Wharton led the way with 88, well supported by George Hill with 68 and Finlay Bean 54 out of an all out total of 353.
Surrey were then bowled out for 216 with Josh Sullivan yet again the main man in dismissing the top three batsmen for 45 runs in sixteen overs. Archie Greaves then disposed of the tail very rapidly with 4-13. Yorkshire batted again and sixty apiece from Vikram Sharma and Harry Duke saw them home comfortably.
While this game was going on yet another cup final in the South of England, as is unhappily becoming the norm, took place at Wormsley where Cheshire beat Devon by just two runs in a high scoring Minor Counties Trophy final. A few days later the national over sixties county final took place, you guessed it down south again, when Lancashire, who we had seen beat Yorkshire at Heywood, accounted for Hertfordshire at Aston Rowant in Oxfordshire.
I understand that venues are often arranged at the start of the season for various finals, but this coming Sunday 9th September the over fifties final between Yorkshire and Lancashire will take place at Kibworth in Leicestershire! Surely a little change of plan could have taken place for it to be played more locally, ideally of course at Todmorden cricket club where a large attendance could be guaranteed. They might have had to change the date as Todmorden CC are at home that day, but surely it could have been played somewhere nearer to home for both sides.
Reports of the matches we have seen on our recent travels will follow shortly.
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