What has now become the traditional end of season Yorkshire premier leagues champions play-off competition got under way at North Marine Road, Scarborough on Saturday 15th September.
Such is the complexity of including the North Yorkshire & South Durham League in this entirely Yorkshire based competition, means that the actual champions, Barnard Castle, are not allowed to compete due to being situated north of the River Tees and in county Durham.
In their place we have runners up Great Ayton, which despite the modern anachronisms of Teeside and Cleveland, were originally well inside North Yorkshire. Again we seem to be falling into the football trap where the Champions League includes teams which are not in fact champions. Be that as it may, there were no doubts about their opponents Pudsey St Lawrence, who were well and truly Bradford League champions after a close run thing.
The other semi-final was between the two Yorkshire Premier Leagues, North and South, at the ground of Doncaster Town and assuming he traversed the St Leger race traffic, hopefully John Winn will be reporting on that game.
Great Ayton, famous as the boyhood home of Captain Cook, batted first and the innings initially seemed to stumble along somewhat as opener Thompson was run out with the total on 28 when both batsmen were making for the same end. Chris Batchelor, a former graduate of the Yorkshire Academy, who has given Great Ayton great service over the years, was caught behind off the bowling of first change Charlie Parker, followed quickly by Leng for a duck. Ayton were now 54-3 and in some difficulties.
Enter Mitchell Davis, from Brisbane, playing as an overseas amateur and looking full of runs. He batted beautifully to make by far the top score of the day with 79, before being caught by Waite in the deep off skipper Chris Marsden. His partnership with the Sri Lankan Jeewantha turned the game back Great Ayton's way as they put on 75 together. After a bright and breezy 18 from heavyweight Steve Pennock at number six, the Ayton innings rather fell away against Pudsey's three spinnners.
Skipper Chris Marsden, another former Yorkshire Academy player, destroyed the tail very rapidly after initially taking the valuable wicket of Davis. He finished with by far the best figures of the day with 5-28 and led his team off the field no doubt thinking they were favourites to go through to the final chasing a relatively modest total of 179.
Ayton got off to a great start dismissing opener Waite bowled by Marsay for just one, thus splitting up the powerful opening pair who do so well for Pudsey. His prolific partner, Mark Robertshaw, stayed around for some time, but lost Best and county player Thompson, to a disputed lbw decision, with the score on 54-3. Batchelor, who had dismissed Thompson, then struck another vital blow by removing Robertshaw caught behind for 39.
Number six Harry Cullingford, a youngster who achieved fame last season for a double century in a record breaking partnership during a second eleven cup game, stuck around in very dour fashion.
He scored few runs but held one end up while the middle-order of Jim Smith, Chris Marsden and Charlie Parker all got quick runs, but not really enough. Marsden went clean bowled after a huge swing and the return of Great Ayton's opening bowlers, Marsay and Jeewantha finished off the innings very rapidly. Jeewantha taking 4-34 and Marsay 4-48.
Great Ayton were worthy winners by a margin of only 18 runs and produced a real team effort. Pudsey were let down by some of their big name players, who did not perform, and sadly several members of the side were guilty of showing dissent of varying degrees following their dismissals.
Great Ayton will now face the winners of today's other semi-final at Doncaster, in the final next Saturday at Headingley.
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My report on the Wakefield Thornes v York will appear tomorrow
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