After a good night's rest in our Cheshire base it was a nice easy ride on the dual carriageway into Staffordshire and the centre of Stoke on Trent. Another new ground quite easy to find in the area surrounding Stoke City's football ground, where all the roads are named after famous footballers. After negotiating the most famous of them all - Stanley Matthews Way - we found our target Dennis Violett Avenue the home of Hem Heath cricket club. For the last couple of seasons Derbyshire county cricket club have taken second eleven cricket to this newish ground, established I gather in 2002. Today Derbyshire seconds were playing their last championship three day game against Northants seconds.
It took a little researching to find out the origins of the Hem Heath club, but apparently they were a colliery side who played in the grounds of the colliery just down the road, between Trentham and Longton. The new ground is in an area known as Trentham Lakes. It has a somewhat urban atmosphere on the edge of a factory estate, with an apparently disused Stoke City Academy building next door. However an attractive line of trees on one side of the large playing area adds a rural note.
With only a small handful of spectators, partly because Staffordshire were playing Cumberland in the Minor Counties just a few miles down the road at Checkley, there was nobody to get very excited when Derby took two very early wickets through veteran Tony Palladino, this year's beneficiary, and young hopeful Alfie Gleadall. This brought together two batsmen who were to dominate most of the rest of the day.
I had heard good reports of Emilio Gay, a young man from Bedford School (like Alistair Cook) who has recently earned himself a contract with Northants after scoring 180 not out to achieve a notable nine wicket victory over Warwickshire seconds. He was joined by Saif Ali Zaib, who has been at Northants for six years, without ever really gaining a regular first team place. He is a left hand bat and a slow left arm bowler.
After a slowish start these two made run scoring look easy against a very varied attack. When first team leg spinner Matt Critchley appeared Zaib immediately took a fancy to his bowling hitting him for four huge sixes. Up till then Gay had led the way, with lots of runs nudged round the corner on the leg side, but Zaib gradually caught him up and it was neck and neck as to who would get to the century mark first. They reached a 200 partnership with with Gay on 95 and Zaib on 94 and it was the latter who reached his century first shortly followed by his young partner.
When Zaib was eventually out caught behind by Harvey Hosein off Gleadall for 136 he had hit fourteen fours and seven sixes in a third wicket partnership of 272. Gay soon followed stumped by Hosein off Lacey's bowling for 125 with sixteen fours and just one six. Some quick late runs from Ben Hutton (once with Notts) and Tom Keast, the wicket keeper from Lincolnshire, helped Northants to a total of 353-6 declared.
Apparently the following two days continued to show the pitch was a batsman's paradise. Derby made 472 all out, with Critchley, who has played for England Lions, making 156. Northants then batted out for a draw with 216-5 on the final day. Match drawn.
The following day, Tuesday 6th August, it was a quick run up the M6 and M58 to Ormskirk in Lancashire where Lancashire Under 17s were taking on Yorkshire in a vital championship game which could possibly decide the Northern Division winner to go through to the semi-finals.
However en route we passed close by the Grappenhall ground where Cheshire, also very much in contention were to take on Derbyshire.
Lancashire batted first after a delayed start following early morning rain showers and made a good fist of it with an opening stand of 71, between Fielding and Matthew Jones. Fielding got a big century and a fifty in Lancashire's win over Durham at Hartlepool last week and was in good form again.
Fielding a left hander, is the son of the former Lancashire spin bowler who became a well known league professional.
The game began to turn Yorkshire's way thanks to an excellent spell of left arm spin bowling from Harry Sullivan. He was very accurate and gave nothing away and soon took two valuable wickets after Matthew Revis had got rid of both openers, including Fielding for 79. Lancashire were struggling at that point on 126-5 but Yorkshire rather fell apart during the rest of the day with the support bowlers not really performing.
A partnership of 146 for the sixth wicket between George Bell and Subhaan Mahmood took the game away from Yorkshire. Bell went for 76, but Mahmood batted on to the close making 103 not out as Lancashire claimed maximum batting points by passing the 300 mark.
Unfortunately there was no play on day two due to further rain, which robbed both teams of the chance of qualifying for the semi final. Not too far away Cheshire were able to complete a full day's play and coasted to an impressive innings victory on day three with 24 points, when Yorkshire just batted out for 215-7 at Ormskirk, where the match was drawn. Cheshire go through to the national semi-final where they will play Nottinghamshire at home over three days commencing Tuesday next 13th August.
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