The rainy season arrives

Posted by Tony Hutton

The month of June has not distinguished itself, certainly in the eyes of the cricket watching fraternity. We did manage to get a full game in on the first of the month at Weetwood when the Yorkshire Academy managed to beat Scarborough by seven wickets thanks to fifties from the 'Sedbergh two' - Hill and Revis, despite a century for the visitors from Ben Elvidge. After that every game we have seen has been interrupted at some stage by rain.

A familiar scene at Harrogate cricket club.

We did manage two days in County Durham last week before three completely blank days when Leeds/Bradford University were due to play Loughborough to decide the Universities championship under the new complicated rules, with points for all three formats of the game. Apparently Leeds/Bradford somehow came out on top by the narrowest of margins to win what was once decided by a Lord's final. Yet another retrograde step as the game of cricket as we knew it is gradually dismantled.

Add to that the fact that it seems to have rained on every Saturday for the last month, as we saw another abandonment at Weetwood when the Academy were dismissed for 193 by Woodhouse Grange, only for the rains to come when the visitors reached 33-0. Wharton was the outstanding batsman of the day with 85 for the Yorkshire youngsters. More rain on Monday when we decided not to take in the much heralded championship game at York and settled, as we thought, for the more quiet and peaceful atmosphere of second eleven cricket between Yorkshire and Durham at Harrogate.

Play eventually gets underway at Harrogate.

However we should have known better as the poor facilities at this once regular first team venue meant that play on day one was called off very early. Things improved on Tuesday when we had a full day's play and Durham gave the opportunity of some much needed batting practice for a few first teamers, including Australian captain Cameron Bancroft. Not that he got much practice after a long wait while Jones (45) and Pringle (59) added 97 for the first wicket. He stayed around for about half an hour before being lbw to Matthew Fisher for just 13.

Cameron Bancroft awaits his turn to bat.

Graham Clark gave his first team chances a boost with a two hour stay which brought him 74 runs, including ten fours and one six. Although Fisher bowled sixteen tidy overs to take 1-36, the remaining battery of seam bowlers proved largely ineffective. Acting captain Poysden did manage to take four wickets with his leg spin, but received rather a battering at the end of the day when Irish international Stuart Poynter cut loose in the penultimate over of the day.

 Graham Clark

Stuart Poynter.

Poynter raced to a not out century in style with no less than 28 runs in the over consisting of  6 4 4 2 6 6. Durham finished the day (and the match as it turned out) on 388-6, with Poynter on 102 not out and Poysden's previously excellent figures enhanced to 4-92. As we suspected overnight rain prevented any further play on day three but fortunately we had already made alternative plans to visit a rather more weather proof venue.