Those leagues that stuck to the traditional start day of the third Saturday in April even though this year it clashed with the Easter weekend were rewarded with weather that surely can never have been bettered for opening day. I dipped my toe into the relatively calm waters of Division Two of the Nidderdale League and a match at Lightmire Lane where Ouseburn II were entertaining Thornton le Moor I. A small crowd had assembled before I arrived
but as the afternoon wore on the excellent viewing area in front of the pavilion filled up with familiar and unfamiliar faces and the bar staff were kept busy. The ground lies in Great Ouseburn, a village which lost its pub four years ago, so for those seeking to slake parched throats the cricket clubhouse affords a welcome oasis.
On the field Thornton, aka 'The Curlews', were batting and helped by some short stuff which suited those whose propensity is to hit to leg reached 214 for 7 with Tom Stead hitting 70 and new signing Craig Easton a useful 48 not out. Ouseburn were handicapped by an injury to opening bowler Jonathan Webb which necessitated a trip to A and E and thus batted one short. Skipper John Moorhouse who has recently undergone knee surgery batted down the order and despite 39 for Stephen Raine and 52 for Harry Smith Ouseburn fell 26 short when they were all out for 188. The afternoon was not without drama for one of the Thornton fielders collided with the sightscreen when attempting a catch and he too had to be hospitalised.
Earlier in the day whilst shopping in Northallerton I picked up a copy of the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald, some way off its home patch but unlike papers in the Harrogate Advertiser group it found space for some cricket news. One item of interest was a name change for the North Lancs and Cumbria League, now to be known as the Cumbria Cricket League. Clubs playing in the Premier Division include Workington, Cockermouth, Carlisle, and Furness (based in Barrow). Much of the article focused on Keswick and an interview with club official Keith Richardson lamenting the delayed arrival of the season's pro, Sri Lankan Geeth Kumara. In his absence Keswick started with a heavy defeat at the hands of Millom.
An item of interest to pcws concerned the arrival of a 53 strong touring party of Australian cricketers from Victoria who are coming over to watch the Ashes but will be staying in Keswick for a week and will compete in a T20 competition on 4th August at Fitz Park, Keswick's ground.
As its title suggests the paper has a wide brief and a lengthy piece brought news of the Northern Premier League which too started on Saturday. Clubs playing here include Blackpool, Fleetwood, Barrow and Penrith. The last of these were in action against St Annes. Pro for Penrith is Asher Hart who left Durham for Hampshire in 2017. He picked up two wickets on Saturday in what was a narrow defeat for his new club.
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