A trip to Guildford

posted by John Winn

Yorkshire, and no doubt many of their supporters will travel to Woodbridge Road, Guildford on June 10th for a championship match with champions Surrey. Matches between the two teams at this venue are a bit like the proverbial London bus, namely that you wait over a hundred years for one to appear then three come along in less than thirty years for Yorkshire having been entertained at The Oval since the mid nineteenth century, in 1991 Guildford was chosen to host a match between the two teams. Although I suspect I was not aware of its significance at that time I was lucky enough to be at the first day of  this match together with a close friend John Simpson.

Yorkshire's match was part of 'Guildford Week' and Gloucestershire had played there earlier in the week losing by two wickets, seven wickets for Waqar Younis in the Gloucestershire first innings. Surrey won the toss, chose to field and at close of play Yorkshire were 256 for 8 with the runs having come from Moxon, 73 and Robinson, 74. Wisden attributed the rather turgid progress to a slow wicket but equal blame could be placed on the excessively long grass in the outfield. Moxon's knock took four hours, Robinson overcame the problem by hitting three sixes. Not much else sticks in my mind nearly thirty years on other than that as the day wore on the atmosphere became somewhat like that we now associate with twenty twenty cricket. Febrile hardly does it justice and the authorities closed the bars for two hours in the afternoon.

On the second day Yorkshire added another 33 runs and Surrey batted enterprisingly through Bicknell, Alikhan and Stewart, Hartley, Fletcher and Pickles going wicketless, and a declaration at 250 for 2 kept the game open. Those lucky enough to be there on the third day, the final day at that time of course, saw a marvellous day's cricket. More runs for Moxon, but Yorkshire's middle order was well and truly Waqared, he took for five for 8 in one spell which left Surrey needing 193 off 58 overs. Carrick and Batty (J) got amongst the wickets and when 54 were needed off the last six overs and eight wickets were down, Yorkshire must have been favourites but Waqar added 31 runs to his wickets and although he was out in the last over Surrey got home by one wicket with two balls to spare. 44 points for Surrey that week, opponents 6.

Yorkshire's second visit to Woodbridge Road came in August 2002 with only one player, Richard Blakey, surviving from 11 years earlier although Stewart and Thorpe were on test duty. This time Yorkshire won the toss, chose to bat and fared dismally, all out 172, McGrath top scorer with 26. Batty (JN) top scored for Surrey, 99 before being bowled by Sidebottom (R). A century by Michael Lumb was the backbone of a much better second effort from Yorkshire and 446 all out left Surrey needing 237. A century from Ian Ward, well supported by Ian Salisbury gave Adam Hollioake's men a comfortable six wicket win.

Wisden tells an amusing story from this match for with Hollioake having declined to take the new ball in Yorkshire's second innings a four hit into the press tent by Blakey was chewed by the Times' correspondent's dog Bumper. The presence of its teeth marks prompted Hollioake to change his mind and Yorkshire's last four went down for 33 runs.

I have mentioned four of the Yorkshire team that played in 2001, can you, from memory, name the other seven? Answers next time.