Not my best season

posted by John Winn

When I left the Riverside at tea last Monday I did not anticipate it would be my last cricket watching of the season for I expected to return on Wednesday at least but as Tony has described the weather took charge of proceedings from Tuesday onwards as it did over the rest of the country with the result that all nine championship matches ended in draws. Events at Bristol where only 73 overs were bowled were sufficient to guarantee Gloucestershire promotion and means that next season they will resume championship rivalry with neighbours Somerset for the first time since 2005, a must see match for me, let's hope the fixture list gives me two bites at that particular cherry.

The summer has been notable for its extremes of weather. On Saturday I had to retreat to the back of the Trueman stand at Headingley to escape the heat, three days later the drains in my local high street were struggling to cope with torrential rain. Some counties have suffered more than others, 14 matches in the T20 Blast were washed out, Yorkshire losing four to add to the one they lost in the one day cup and it was frustrating that just when they had got themselves into a promising position at Edgbaston a week ago Jupiter Pluvius should frustrate them once more. At least the weather allowed Kohler Cadmore and Loten the chance to offer a measure of cheer after the Kent debacle.

For Durham given that they lost the first four matches but ended up with five victories and an unbeaten run of twelve games  their supporters should not be too downhearted. Bancroft, who will return for all forms of the game next year, was a success as an overseas player and the two signings from Leicestershire, Eckersley and Raine have been outstanding. Of course problems remain, an opening partner for Lees, at least one other top order batsman and a spinner would be high on my wanted list.

Beginning with first class cricket on the 26th of March, a first for me and finishing on the 23rd of September, I saw cricket on 63 days, my lowest total for some years. It would be easy but wrong to blame the weather but rather it is simply that I have found it difficult at times to motivate myself to 'start the car'. None of my listed matches were available and of course new grounds involve longer and longer journeys and on the whole the highlights of my season have been relatively close to home. A bonus and thanks largely  to the ICC for this but I saw first class cricket on three new grounds, Weetwood, York and Sedbergh. The four days at York were splendid, apart from the result, a wonderful social occasion as well as a closely fought match and I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at Sedbergh, a feeling not shared with the Lancashire Action Group whose tweets continue to reflect their anger about playing in  'a school field in Yorkshire'.

Other highlights include two very good games at Scarborough, I even had the good fortune to miss Kim Hughes, accidentally coming across cricket at Ambleside and a last ball win for the Yorkshire Diamonds against Southern Vipers just minutes after Ben Stokes had written history at Headingley. This last occasion, like Laker's 19 wickets at Old Trafford will as time goes by turn out to be one of those events where it will be hard to find anybody who wasn't there.

Overall however 2019 must go down as a somewhat flat season for me and my report card should be marked 'could do better' which is what Mr Hancock said about my French home work in 1958. The blog will not of course close down in winter and Tony will no doubt bring us news from the displaced Arthington Festival. Keep logging on and Winter Well.

End of season washout at Riverside

Posted by Tony Hutton

When we made out plans to spend the last days of the county championship season at Riverside there was still a possibility that both teams i.e. Durham and Glamorgan could be involved in the Division Two promotion race. As it turned out, with Durham losing at Northampton, Glamorgan were the only ones with an outside chance of promotion, depending upon the result of the game between the two most likely contenders Gloucester and Northants at Bristol.

Perhaps we should expect at the end of September that the weather would have the final say in proceedings in both divisions in fact. Heavy rain on the afternoon of the second day ended the game with no chance of play at all on days three and four. So Gloucester and Northants were both promoted, along with Lancashire, and Durham and Glamorgan will continue hostilities in the lower division again next season.

It all started so well eventually on day one, although the overnight rain had got underneath the covers resulting in a new wicket being cut at the farthest extremity of the square on the Lumley Castle side. A fine sunny day then saw Durham batting for the remainder of the day in which 71 overs were bowled which was more than anywhere else in the country as the rain gradually spread northwards.

After losing the wickets of Cameron Steel and Angus Robson early on, Alex Lees and new import from New Zealand, B.J. Watling, put Durham in the driving seat. Watling was signed for the last two games when Durham still had an outside chance of promotion but these hasty deals, as done by other counties including Yorkshire, almost beggar belief. However the test match wicket keeper/batsman certainly proved his ability and stood on 83 not out at the end of the day when Durham had totalled 197-6.

Short term Durham signing - B.J. Watling from New Zealand.

The Glamorgan side is something of a mixed bag, with Australians, South Africans, a Yorkshireman (Billy Root) and even one or two Welshmen. The veteran Australian Mike Hogan was certainly the pick of the bowlers with four wickets. He certainly proved too good for 18 year old Solomon Bell, making his first championship appearance, who was clean bowled off stump for only one. His turn will no doubt come again next season.

The weather forecasts for Tuesday varied somewhat and we took hope from the Met Office forecast, which unlike the BBC, suggested a brief dry window until noon before a monsoon would apparently arrive. To our great surprise, this proved correct and we, together with only a handful of other spectators, actually saw an hour's cricket when play got underway soon after 11 a.m. when a couple of showers had further delayed things. De Lange was soon into the action by bowling Raine with the third ball of the morning, but Watling continued in his confident way, in the company of the rather more belligerent Carse, who scored a quickfire 27.

Cricket in the gloom at Riverside on day two morning.

By then Watling had completed a well deserved century which had taken just over five hours of patient batting. Durham had reached 262-8 in a total of 86.4 overs when the forecast rain returned with a vengeance. A  torrential downpour soon put paid to any further play that day and as it turned out for the remainder of the match. So a drawn game with seven points to each side in an unsatisfactory end to the county season. However as we retreated to the shelter of the 'Sticky Wicket' bar the huge TV screens were showing that Somerset and Essex had just re-started play in the Division one championship decider at Taunton.

So with suitable liquid refreshment, we were able to conclude our county season in fine style.

Exciting finish at Headingley

Posted by Tony Hutton

Saturday 21st September saw the final of the Yorkshire Premier Leagues Trophy between Sheriff Hutton Bridge, champions of the Yorkshire League North, and Woodlands, champions of the Bradford League. The final was played at Headingley and an evenly balanced contest was anticipated, especially as Yorkshire had stipulated that SHB's star man, Matthew Fisher, could not play because of an unimportant county match starting on Monday.

The Bridge did have two other Yorkshire county players in the ranks, Ed Barnes, the all rounder recently awarded his second team cap, and Karl Carver, the slow left arm bowler whose services have recently been dispensed with. The main man for Woodlands was their overseas professional Brad Schmulian, born in South Africa but who made a double century on his first class debut while living in New Zealand. He scored a century in last week's semi final win over Doncaster.

Clear blue sky over Headingley for the final.

The hot sunny weather, which lasted throughout the day, made it feel more like flaming June than late September and a reasonable crowd attended. I can understand that it is a special occasion for the players and supporters to attend a Test ground for the game, but there is a lack of atmosphere with so many empty seats. However it proved to be a memorable game with a last ball finish to end proceedings.

Chris Brice bowling as tightly as ever for Woodlands.

Chris Brice, presumably in his younger days.

Sheriff Hutton Bridge batted first and after the early loss of opener Foxton, put on a century partnership between skipper Adam Fisher and Ed Barnes to produce a score of 123-2 after 30 overs.
They somehow failed to accelerate and Fisher became bogged down in the sixties and was finally out for 75. The tight spin bowling of Chris Brice, who took three wickets, and Kez Ahmed kept things under control. Eventually Karl Carver, coming in at number six did provide some much needed increase to the scoring rate with a rapid 38 not out, but the general feeling was that a score of 212-6 in the fifty overs was somewhat below par.

However opening bowlers Barnes and Hemstock gave the Bridge an immediate advantage by dismissing the first three batsmen, Frankland, Jackson and Garner with the total on only 18. Dave Hemstock, a left arm seam bowler, only opened the bowling due to Matthew Fisher's absence but soon proved his worth. The fourth wicket then did not fall until the Woodlands total had reached 60. but this was probably the decisive moment of the match as Carver had Schmulian lbw for just 16.

Not bad for late September.

Then it was the turn of Liam Collins to turn the game back towards Woodlands. He took chances but rode his luck to finish as the game's top scorer with 85 runs off 102 balls, which included nine fours and one six. Wickets continued to fall at the other end and Collins was finally dismissed by a fine catch by Ed Barnes at third man, running backwards to hold it and Woodlands were 194-8. They then needed just nineteen runs from seventeen balls with Eliot Richardson and Kez Ahmed at the wicket.

Liam Collins hits out at Headingley.

They edged their way closer and closer until the last over of the game which was bowled by Hemstock, rather than the more experienced Carver. It came down to the very last ball of the game when three runs were required for victory. Ahmed connected well and the ball at first seemed on it's way to the boundary but a fine running catch by Tom Hudson ended the game with Woodlands on 210-9. Sheriff Hutton Bridge winners by two runs! A splendid game of cricket with credit to both sides.

Sheriff Hutton Bridge - Yorkshire Leagues Champions.

A new approach needed by Yorkshire

Posted by Tony Hutton

John Winn has summed up the events in Yorkshire's match with Kent last week very nicely. Fortunately I only saw the final two days and was spared the earlier humiliations at the hands of Darren Stevens and Sam Billings. Their partnership of 346 for the sixth wicket brought back memories for me of a match in 1949 when the Sussex pair of James Langridge and George Cox put on 326 for the fourth wicket and batted all of the last day at Headingley in a drawn match. Langridge made 133 not out and Cox 212 not out. Needless to say Yorkshire went on to share the championship with Middlesex.

So having followed the fortunes of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for over 70 years now I perhaps feel somewhat qualified to comment on the present sad state of affairs. It is disappointing to see in today's cricketing press quotes suggesting that the answer is to bring in two experienced batsmen from either other counties or overseas. To me this does not seem the answer. The recent policies of recruiting players from outside the county has failed completely. In my humble opinion only two of the recent recruits from elsewhere seem to have fitted in. These are Kohler-Cadmore and Fraine, who both had previous Yorkshire connections.

Many of my friends, like myself, are totally opposed to the importation of overseas players on short term contracts. Over recent seasons a whole list of failures have appeared, the only one to have distinguished himself was Maharaj, whose future seems clouded in uncertainty. The performance of the latest acquisition in the Kent match equalled that of Billings with centuries in each innings but of course off his bowling.

Yorkshire's second innings bowling figures. Only Fisher looks the part.

Surely the management should look at the latent talent within the county rather than outside. It was good to see Revis given his chance against Kent and to see that Tom Loten is in the squad for tomorrow's game with Warwickshire. These two along with Wharton and Hill should be the players that Yorkshire give regular games to next season, not just the odd token appearance. Give players time to develop and to gain experience. I for one would not complain if a young side were relegated, but given time and the ability to bond together as a team (which seems sadly lacking at present) for the long term future.

Matthew Revis, with head down, out for a duck. His day will come and if it is any consolation Sir Leonard Hutton made a duck in his first match.

Cricket is unfortunately becoming more and more like football with managers and coaches feeling that instant success is all that matters and the fear of being sacked if relegation happens overrides everything else. One final point, we are Yorkshire and should be proud of our traditions and history.
Surely our representatives should be leading the way in taking on the ECB and questioning their every action to ruin the game we love instead of sitting back and taking the money.

Back to the action on the field. It is difficult to forget that on day one Kent were 39-5 and managed to total 482-8. On day three their second innings seemed unduly prolonged before the declaration eventually came. Before then young wicket keeper Ollie Robinson, was unfortunate to miss out on a century, when dismissed for 97. Sam Billings, not content with his first innings century, went on and on, treating all the bowling with disdain and was 122 not out when he finally declared.

Darren Stevens, with rather good bowling figures over his shoulder.

Even so Billings' performance could not earn him the title of man of the match and this undoubtedly went to the wonderful 43 year old Darren Stevens - 237 with the bat and 5-20 with the ball in the second innings. When returning to his fielding position on the fine leg boundary after bowling another successful over he was greeted with a voice from the crowd saying 'why don't you come and play for us', to which his reply was 'well, I'm unemployed as we speak'. Not for long I'm sure.

By the way I forgot to mention that Kent won by 433 runs.

Yorkshire wither, whither Yorkshire

There was a cricket match at Headingley last week which proved a statistician's delight, a delight for Kentish men and women and men and women of Kent but one which has provoked dismay even anger among Yorkshire members. I was there for the first three days basking in the sunshine and on the opening day enjoying the batting of a forty three year old man who became only the second man aged over forty and the first since Queen Victoria was on the throne to score a double century and take five wickets in an innings in a first class match. Almost inevitably we have to go back to WG Grace to find the last time before Darren Stevens that a quadragenerian achieved the feat for it was at Bristol in 1895 when WG, then aged 46 and 303 days hit 288 and took five for 87 for Gloucestershire v Somerset at Bristol. Stevens, aged 43 and 142 days when he had his septimana mirabilis, scored 237 and took five for thirteen. The next oldest to register such an all round effort was 38* year old Ted Bowley of Sussex who hit an unbeaten 280 and took 6 for 31 for Sussex against 'Glos' at Hove in 1929.

September shadows at Headingley

Enough of stats, especially such that bring back memories to those trying to forget last week's events in LS6, events which were still being discussed at yesterday's cup final at the ground. The Yorkshire hierarchy have made all the right noises, Director of Cricket Martin Moxon has found the manner of defeat in the last two matches 'massively disappointing', and will 'try to bring in two domestic batsmen' for 2020. Coach Andrew Gale has used Matthew Fisher as an example of the sort of effort Yorkshire's players should be putting in  and between the lines suggested that there are some who have not matched Fisher's commitment to the cause. Skipper Steve Patterson 'hurting after Kent loss' does not exclude himself from his appraisal of his team, 'we were all very, very below what we are capable of.'

But fine words, or any other sort, butter no parsnips and if comments on White Rose Forum are to be believed then the next four days at Edgbaston may well have a significant effect on next year's membership numbers. Members can't sack Moxon, Gale or Patterson but they can keep their money in their pockets, especially if like me and many of my friends you only watch championship cricket which if the ECB has its way in 2020 may be covered by the BBC in a new Sunday tea time slot coupled with Ski Sunday. At least the theme tune's good.

In my local hostelry yesterday evening I tried to take a slightly more balanced view pointing out to John and John, yes three of us round the table, that Yorkshire could still finish third which would not be a bad show given the obvious superiority of Essex and Somerset. Nobody said fiddlesticks but it would have been an appropriate comment and at times like that I have to remind myself that according to Tony Hancock's rule only about one armful of my blood was made in Yorkshire, the rest north of the River Tees.

Yorkshire have announced their squad for the trip to Birmingham under the heading' Big Match Preview'. Bresnan is the notable absentee, otherwise it is the same as last week's twelve with the addition of Coad and Loten. Some I know would have wielded a more savage knife. Fisher was rested from the Yorkshire Premier League KO final at Headingley and he must be nailed on to play tomorrow and despite his absence his club side Sheriff Hutton Bridge beat Bradford League winners Woodlands at HQ yesterday by just two runs. Matthew's brother Adam top scored for SHB with assistance from Karl Carver and Ed Barnes. A feature of the day was some excellent spin bowling, Chris Brice for Woodlands and Carver and Dulash Udayanga for the victors. Perhaps the player most deserving our sympathy was Liam Collins who coming in  when Woodlands were 18 for 3 and seemingly down and out but despite suffering from cramp made 92 before falling to the very impressive David Henstock with the score at 194 for 8. A great afternoon and I suspect we might hear more about it from Tony.

* which I thinks makes him a tricenarian.

September sunshine at Scarborough.

Posted by Tony Hutton

Yet another clash of fixtures on Monday 16th September with Yorkshire taking on Kent at Headingley in the county championship and Yorkshire second eleven playing Durham seconds in a three day friendly at North Marine Road, Scarborough. Never in doubt where we would go for the first two days, as members of both counties, Scarborough was first choice to see a crop of promising youngsters in both sides, who will hopefully be the future of county cricket rather than the current rash of overseas mercenaries littering the first class game.

The view from the pavilion balcony at Scarborough.

It was slow going on the first morning as Yorkshire's batsmen, mainly from the Academy side, adjusted their game to play long innings. On a greenish wicket Wharton and Bean played cautiously before lunch, both getting into the twenties but no further. The innings of the day came from Academy captain, Tom Loten, with 64 in just over two hours, which was the top score of the innings. Ben Birkhead chipped in with a useful 42 at the end before being last man out following a tenth wicket partnership of 45 with Josh Sullivan. Yorkshire all out for 222.

Scarborough in the sunshine for two days was a delight and with an attendance of no more than fifty people it was a pleasure to enjoy the pavilion facilities with the splendid view from the balcony and time to peruse all the many photographs from the past on show inside the pavilion. In addition a brisk wind made the shelter of the pavilion the best vantage point by far.

The tea room stayed open all day, despite only a handful of spectators.

Durham's best bowler was Jonathan Bushnell, a product of Durham school, who showed that he can bowl at a brisk medium pace as well as bat. His figures were 15-3-34-3. There were also wickets for Weighell, Potts, Hanley and Whitehead. When Durham batted there was an early collapse to 53-5 but the experience of Weighell and Poynter improved things before Potts, coming in at number eight made top score of 69 not out, with Poynter having made 53. Durham somewhat surprisingly then declared behind on 206-7.

The empty terraces at North Marine Road.

The Academy quick bowler Dominic Leech had an economical spell of 2-21 from ten overs and it was good to see the leg spinner Josh Sullivan get the valuable wicket of Poynter. When Yorkshire batted again Wharton was out early on but Bean played a good innings of 40 to extend Yorkshire's lead. Yorkshire progressed to 126-5 by the close of day two, a lead of 142, with the prospect of a declaration the next morning to set Durham a target.

After we had departed en route for Headingley's last two days, Jordan Thompson's 76 and Ed Barnes' 34 not out set the scene for a declaration on 262-7 leaving Durham to chase 279 for victory. This they achieved by four wickets in 54.4 overs thanks mainly to Sol Bell with 109 and Bushnell with 69.
It may have only been an end of season friendly but several good performances on both sides gives one hope for the future.

End of the league cricket season

Posted by Tony Hutton

Saturday 14th September was the last day of the league cricket season in Yorkshire. With the four premier league titles already decided it was an opportunity to see cricket at a slightly lower level and we chose a gentle meander up Wharfedale calling in at couple of attractive grounds with nothing really at stake other than saying fond farewells to the season.

Cricket at Bolton Abbey.

First stop was at Bolton Abbey cricket club of the Nidderdale League, tucked away behind the rather up market Devonshire Arms, but surrounded by wonderful Dales scenery. The Dales Way long distance footpath passes alongside the ground on the banks of the River Wharfe heading north on it's long journey into Cumbria. Today's game was against Spofforth, recent recruits to the Nidderdale League, but with a history of success in the Wetherby League in the past.

The home side were batting and well on their way towards a useful total of 210-9 in their forty overs.
The major contribution came from opening batsman Tom Burton with 83, which included eight fours and three sixes. Not long before our attention wandered from the cricket to walk alongside the river for a while before calling in at the excellent cafe just across the road, which caters for walkers, cyclists and motorists throughout the year.

End of season sunshine at Bolton Abbey.

A few more overs were bowled and a few more wickets fell as the first innings reached it's conclusion. The players looked ready for their tea in the pavilion after a warm afternoon in the sun and we left them to it to drive a few miles further south for a repeat visit to Ilkley cricket club. Sad to say their next door neighbours, Olicanian cricket club, which we also visited recently, has since had their pavilion completely destroyed by fire. Even worse was the fact that the pavilion doubled as a nursery school for young children. This plague of vandalism which has affected many clubs throughout the country continued last week with a fire at Scarborough College's cricket pavilion.

The sad remains of Olicanian's cricket pavilion.

However the game was still going on at Olicanian, despite the lack of facilities. The game we watched at nearby Ilkley in the Airedale & Wharfedale League produced one of the most exciting finishes of the season. All seemed rather sedate with a low scoring game going on. Ilkley had been bowled out by Horsforth for 108, but the visitors soon fought back taking five quick wickets for just 25 runs.

A sixth wicket partnership then developed and just one over of spin seemed to turn the tide with 14 valuable runs coming quickly. Malik and Lambert took the score to 97-5 with only twelve more runs required for a Horsforth victory. Opening bowler Paul Dover than completed a five wicket haul by dismissing Malik for 36 and Myers for nought, to make it 103-7. Just six runs required. Enter opening batsman Robert Spivey, who had earlier top scored for Ilkley with 29. After four more runs had been scored he had Lambert caught for 49.

With two runs to win Spivey then dismissed the last two batsmen and Ilkley were the unlikely victors by the margin of just one run! So although the game had no real significance other than final league table positions it produced one of cricket's enduring pleasures which saw Horsforth snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. So all over the country clubs were shutting up shop for the winter months ahead, while the groundsmen were ready and poised to spring into action to do their work on the grounds. We hope they all winter well.

Durham at Lord's (Part two)

Posted by Tony Hutton

Thanks to John Winn for his summary of events at Lord's where Durham pulled off an amazing win and are still very much in the promotion race to Division one with two games to go. As John suggests next week's game at Northampton will be vital and will be followed by a home match against Glamorgan to end the season at Riverside.

The Lord's pavilion.

No cricket season can be complete without a visit to Lord's and it was a pleasure to be there for the entire game which finished in the early afternoon of the third day. Suffice to say that the Durham players were still celebrating in the Tavern pub next to the ground at 6 p.m. when we called in for our evening meal.

Middlesex won the toss and put Durham in to bat possibly hoping that their new signing for the remainder of the season (a common trend unfortunately) West Indian Test bowler Miguel Cummings would get among the wickets. While he bowled quite tidily, he never really troubled the Durham batsmen, who got off to the best of starts with a fifty opening partnership between Lees and Cameron Steel. The fall of Lees' wicket, lbw to Harris, brought in Angus Robson the younger brother of Middlesex opener Sam Robson, playing only his second game for the visitors.

The new Warner stand at Lord's.

Things then began to turn back Middlesex's way as Cameron Steel, who had looked in good form, played on to Finn and then Cummings claimed his only wicket of the innings having Robson caught at slip without scoring. Gareth Harte was out to the last ball before lunch and it was left to the Australian Handscomb to improve the position with a useful fifty before being bowled by Tim Murtagh. Scott Steel, playing his first championship game, was lbw to Murtagh for only two and the tail then subsided rapidly to the pace of Steven Finn who finished with 4-41. Durham 147 all out.

Durham's backs to the wall in the first innings with the scoreboard showing 86-5.

First round to Middlesex you might say, but Durham soon bounced back with an early wicket, this time Carse taking over Rushworth's mantle, with the wicket of Gubbins before a run was scored. Rimmington soon got in on the act when coming on as first change and bowling Eskinazi for 24 and then it was Rushworth's turn having Robson caught behind and then Holden, after his big century for the seconds last week, caught by Harte at square leg. Middlesex in disarray at 59-4.

Scott Steel, on debut for Durham, enjoys Middlesex 0-1.

Worse was to follow for the home side in the final session when Ben Raine got to work from the Nursery End, not distracted by the demolition work going on behind him, with work having already started on the re-building of the Compton and Edrich stands. In just eleven balls Raine took three wickets, those of Scott, Simpson and skipper Malan. When bad light stopped play despite the floodlights being on Middlesex were left struggling on 87-7.

Overnight score on day one.

On day two the Middlesex tailenders flung the bat and picked up a few useful runs before Ben Raine added to his tally with two more wickets to end with magnificent figures of 12-5-26-5. Rushworth had 3-46 and Middlesex were all out for 143, just four runs behind Durham. The visitors opening pair again added a 50 partnership before the bowlers began to hit back again. However it was a sad misjudgement by Alex Lees, which led to his downfall. Setting off for a single, hesitating, then setting off again saw him run out by yards when Steel sent him back.

Lord's ground staff hard at work.

Cameron Steel made another useful contribution of 39, but top scorer in the second innings was Angus Robson, whose resolute batting for nearly four hours in compiling the top score of the match so far turned the game slightly back Durham's way. He was helped by debutant Scott Steel whose innings of 39, including six fours, proved equally valuable. There was little contribution from the rest but a total of 191 all out meant that Middlesex had to make the highest score of this bowler dominated game to win. They got off to a confident start when Gubbins hit the first two balls from Rushworth for four and ended the day on 21-0.

Rushworth bowling from the Nursery end.

The warm, cloudy weather continued on day three but cleared to fine sunshine by lunchtime. Middlesex had reached 31-0 before Gubbins was held at slip by Lees off Carse, who was generating pace as he did against Leicestershire in the last home match. Two of the main men, Eskinazi and Malan then went cheaply to Rushworth and Raine and Durham had the upper hand again on 45-3. The elder Robson, Sam, held the innings together for two and a half hours and the turning point came just four balls after the lunch interval when Rushworth got him to edge to Eckersley behind the stumps. Robson became the highest scorer of the game beating his brother by just one run.

Carse working up speed from the pavilion end.

Perhaps time for a word of praise to Ned Eckersley, as undemonstrative as skipper as he is behind the stumps. His move from Leicestershire has certainly paid off and his track record since taking over from Cameron Bancroft is exceptional. Now was the hour (or even less) for the man of the match to make his mark. Brydon Carse is a 24 year old South African who missed the whole of last season with a serious knee injury, but has proved his worth as a quick bowler in recent games.

Some people are on the pitch. It's not quite all over - but it soon will be.

In the afternoon sunshine he charged in from the pavilion end with the Middlesex score on 124-5 still requiring 72 more runs for victory. Carse had Scott caught behind before bowling Harris two balls later and it was suddenly 124-7. The travelling Durham support could hardly contain themselves when first Cummings and then the ever reliable Simpson were both clean bowled by Carse to make the score 139-9. A flurry of fours from the last pair took the score onto 151 before Carse finished
things off by bowling Murtagh to give Durham victory by 44 runs.

Brydon Carse, ball in hand, leads Durham off the field.

What an amazing finish with Carse beating his previous best bowling performance, against Leicestershire recently, with figures of 9.4 - 2 - 26 - 6. He led the Durham players from the field to tremendous applause from all present. No doubt the strains of 'The Blaydon Races' together with traditional bat banging on the floor was in full spate in double quick time. So an exciting finale to the county championship promotion race in prospect over the next two weeks.

(As ever click on photos to enlarge)

YPN too good for NYSD

posted by John Winn

Yesterday was semi-finals day in the KO  competition between the four Yorkshire ECB Premier League champions. This year the organisers were saved the embarrassment of the NYSD being won by a team from north of the River Tees for it was Richmondshire who had that honour and entertained Sheriff Hutton Bridge, winners of the Yorkshire Premier North. Less than an hours drive took me to Hurgill Road, a ground where I always enjoy watching cricket.

I was joined by Keith and Leslie from Darlington and tapped in to their extensive knowledge of all things NYSD and later by Starbeck Steve who is similarly on the ball when it comes to the various Yorkshire leagues. Richmond won the toss and chose to field and after a stand of 27 for the first wicket the decision began to bear fruit with the wickets of Louis Foxton and Ed Barnes falling in close order. Wickets continued to fall  and despite a bit of a recovery mainly through Dulash Udayanga, at 94 for 6 it looked like the Dalesmans' match to lose. 

Cometh the hour and all that, in this case Matthew Fisher, and the game changed very quickly. Stands of 43 and 57 for the seventh and eight wickets had the pundits shifting their positions and when the innings closed on 208 for 9 the hot money was on Bridge. Fisher out for 87 including four sixes. And that was as good as it got for RCC for they were shot out for 42, Ed Barnes the chief destroyer with four for 12 off seven overs and two wickets each for Mark and Matthew Fisher and David Henstock aided by  some sharp catches in the slips and behind the stumps. Top score was 8 not out for number 10 Craig Swainston and the highest partnership 12 for the fourth wicket. All done and dusted in one hour twenty minutes. 

Meanwhile seventy miles south another one sided match was deciding who Sheriff Hutton Bridge would face in the final at Headingley next Saturday (wickets pitched 10:30). This fixture was at Albert Terrace, Bradford, the ground of Bradford league champions Woodlands CC where Doncaster Town were the visitors. Here the home team had  been put in to bat and rattled up one short one of three hundred for 8 wickets with New Zealander Brad Schmulian leading the way with 122. Doncaster fared a little better than Richmond but never threatened such a formidable total and had no answer to the bowling of Chris Brice who took 6 for 20 off his twelve overs. I look forward to seeing these two in action at Headingley next Saturday. Let's hope for a closer contest than last year's final when Wakefield Thornes gave Great Ayton the run around. If last year is a guide then we might expect the game to be played on the wicket to be used in the Yorkshire v Kent match starting tomorrow and scheduled to last four days. We shall see. 

Durham at Lord's

posted by John Winn

Yesterday Durham beat Middlesex at Lord's for only the third time in a championship game. I had spent the first two days there, travelling home on Wednesday evening but I believe Tony was there yesterday and if so we can expect a fuller report from him in due course. Suffice to say it was a low scoring game with all four innings completed without two hundred being reached by either side. At lunch yesterday Middlesex looked favourites but we reckoned without Brydon Carse who after lunch took 5 for 11 in 4.4 overs. Surrey thought to be showing interest .

The win took Durham up to third place although this is not likely to last much beyond lunch today by which time Northants should have beaten Leicestershire, a win that will lift them into the promotion places. Durham go to Wantage Road on Monday on the back of an unbeaten run of eight matches. I am listening to the other game still in progress in Division Two where at Bristol Gloucestershire seem to be in a hurry to lose to Sussex. This will make the situation at the top of the division very close as we go into the last two rounds of matches.

The statistic with which I began the posting, namely that yesterday's win was only Durham's third in St John's Wood was quoted several times yesterday afternoon but without the additional information as to when the other two victories had occurred. One stuck in my mind because I attended on the second day and it finished in most dramatic way. It was played in the first week in June 1998 and Durham won by one wicket with Melvyn Betts hitting 'Tuffers' for six in the penultimate over and then running three off the next ball with 'rising star' Steve Harmison. The win took Durham up to the then dizzy heights of second in the table but  it was to be their last win of the season and they finished fourteenth, at that time their highest placing. 

Durham's second win at Lord's came in more recent times for we only have to go back to this time of the year in 2014 when Durham overcame their hosts by 141 runs. 176 for Scott Borthwick was the highlight of the Durham batting and Malan got 97 for Middlesex. I wasn't present on that occasion opting instead for three glorious days at Trent Bridge when Yorkshire clinched the championship. Durham finished fifth and Middlesex seventh. 

Perhaps a little of the gloss has gone off Monday's game at Headingley given the events at Taunton yesterday but assuming the key to the red ball cupboard can be found it will be nice to welcome back championship cricket to Headingley after a two month absence. Kent, fresh from mauling the hapless Notts yesterday will be formidable opponents. In the meantime I will be at Richmondshire tomorrow when the champions of the NYSD take on Yorkshire Premier North winners Sheriff Hutton Bridge. The Richmond website confirms wickets pitched 11:00. 

Make the most of it

posted by John Winn

An usual event will occur tomorrow when all 18 counties will be in championship action with a reasonable spread of matches across the country. This rarity will be repeated twice more before the season ends on September 26th.Following yesterday's events at Old Trafford some of the fizz has gone out of the final test beginning at The Oval on Wednesday and once that finishes on Sunday only the T20 finals day on Saturday week is left to distract our attention from cricket's oldest competition. Plenty remains to be resolved and if we can have the sort of weather we enjoyed yesterday and not the rain that is falling as I type, then there should be some good cricket to watch.

In the first division match of the week is at Taunton where Yorkshire are the visitors and while I am usually reticent to use the phrase 'must win match' this is one occasion when it is justified for the white rose county. 35 points behind Somerset and a further two behind top side Essex are big gaps to close and should Essex win at Edgbaston and Yorkshire not do so at Taunton then even the most optimistic would have to concede the title will not come to LS6 this year. Yorkshire's squad still appears to be under wraps but is sure to include Maharaj in what will be his last game of the season and he was certainly given plenty of bowling in Yorkshire's practice game at Weetwood last week. He will be replaced for the last two matches by Mumbai born but New Zealand test player Ajaz Patel. Spinner Ajaz is leading wicket taker in the Surrey Championship, albeit his club Cranleigh play in the second tier
Somerset too have strengthened their side for the run in being joined by India top order batsman Murali Vijay.

Down at the bottom it looks pretty dire for Notts, 42 points behind seventh placed Warwickshire and without a win in 18 championship matches, a run stretching back to last June. A glance at the Trent Bridge website suggests they are well and truly focused on the T20 finals.  If they do have hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon and the single relegation spot then the 'must win match' phrase needs to be used again. Otherwise the doors of the last chance saloon which have been swinging in the wind all summer will be well and truly shut. Neither Essex's twitter account or website give any indication that they are expected in Birmingham for a 10:30 start tomorrow but presumably a coach containing players and backroom staff will be making its way up  from Chelmsford to Edgabston today.


With three promotion places on offer in the second division there is plenty to play for over the next three weeks and even 8th placed Derbyshire might be considered to have a chance. Lancashire, who threw away their Blast quarter final against Essex last week, are twenty nine points clear and the visit of the Peakites to Old Trafford should guarantee enough points to justify opening the champagne. Behind them Gloucestershire have a 14 point advantage over Northants but can expect a tough fight when Sussex come to Nevil Road. Should Glos go up then that would give them at least one game against Somerset next season which will be a must see for me, number 152 out of 153 in my quest to see every county play every other county.

Northants will fancy their chances at Grace Road, and Durham who having lost their first four matches have gone unbeaten in seven will be looking forward to their trip to Lord's to face a Middlesex side that have disappointed their followers this season. The last time these two met at  HQ in 2016 Middlesex were en route to the championship and give Durham a fearful pasting. From the Durham XI that played in that match only two, Burnham and Rushworth are likely to play tomorrow. The remaining match in this division is at New Road where third placed Glamorgan are the visitors. Remember it is 10:30 start in all the games. Try and get to a game for who knows what the championship will look like next season.

MCC member anticipates a big crowd at Lord's tomorrow.

End of season for Yorkshire Premier Leagues.

Posted by Tony Hutton

Nothing at stake for the last round of matches in the four Yorkshire premier leagues, apart from Richmondshire avoiding defeat by nearest rivals Nunthorpe to clinch the North Yorkshire and South Durham League title. Apparently there is a change to previous years when the champions knock out semi-finals were played on neutral grounds so that Richmondshire will host Sheriff Hutton Bridge and Woodlands, of the Bradford League, will be at home to Doncaster Town. Both games to be played on Saturday 14th September with the NYSDL website suggesting an 11 a.m. start. The final will be at Headingley on Saturday 21st September.

We spent the day on Saturday at Weetwood for Yorkshire Academy's final game of the season against Harrogate. With the visitors having avoided relegation with Sessay and Beverley going back to the York Senior League, they put out a side missing several regulars and lost a rather one sided contest by a margin of 77 runs. The Academy have had rather a mixed season often missing players through injury or representative calls and not able to field a settled side. They finished just below half way in the league table but produced several excellent performances along the way.

Yorkshire Academy squad in pre-season (Picture from YCCC website)

James Wharton and Matthew Revis, the latter fresh from an appearance for MCC Schools at Lord's, put on a century partnership for the first wicket. Both of them got half centuries, Wharton 67 and Revis 51. Wharton got rather bogged down after Revis was out and it was down to Finlay Bean, who top scored with 70, to increase the scoring rate. As ever Tom Geeson-Brown was the stand out bowler for Harrogate, although a little expensive, with 3-64.

Stand in wicket keeper Harry Stothard played his part with three catches and a stumping but a fair number of wides took the extras total to 27. Harrogate's Sri Lankan spinner Abeysekera did not have the best of days, his two wickets coming at the cost of 82 runs. A late flurry with a rapid 26 from Harry Duke took the Academy score to what looked a winning total of 269-7 in their 50 overs.

Weetwood pavilion.

With veteran Alexis Twigg out early, Harrogate relied on their deputy captain Josh Atkinson who held things together with useful contributions from youthful Harry Allinson (23) and Harry Stothard (39) before the introduction of left arm spinner Harry Sullivan saw him caught and bowled for 46. After that there was only token resistance from a rather longish tail and the two Sullivan brothers (Harry and Josh)  saw the Academy home with three overs to spare and seven wickets between them.

George Hill was top scorer for the season with 514 runs in only ten appearances, with James Wharton 504 runs in 18 appearances. Harrison Quarmby was the leading wicket taker with 22 wickets followed closely by the two Sullivan brothers with 21 each.

The Academy in action at Weetwood earlier in the season.

The small band of regular Academy supporters were rewarded first with biscuits bought for them by the players and later by chocolates from groundsman Richard Robinson, who really deserves a much bigger reward for the excellent job he has done at Weetwood all season, first for Leeds/Bradford University and then for the Academy. A day when the weather conditions relented for once and we were able to enjoy the sunshine for most of the day which brought our league season to a very pleasant end.

Sheriff Hutton Bridge win Yorkshire League North

Posted by Tony Hutton

Saturday 31st August, 2019 Harrogate v Sheriff Hutton Bridge.

The Yorkshire League North has produced a close battle for the title this season, unlike some recent seasons when York have been runaway winners. York did make a late challenge and Woodhouse Grange were also contenders for some time but in the end the consistency of Sheriff Hutton Bridge brought them the title with a win over Harrogate at St Georges Road.

Sheriff Hutton and their supporters celebrate their league title at Harrogate.

The Bridge will now compete for the champions trophy with the other three premier league winners - Woodlands from the Bradford League, Doncaster Town from the Yorkshire League South and most likely Richmondshire from the North Yorkshire and South Durham League. If they get through to the Headingley final they will remember their memorable league victory over Yorkshire Academy on that ground earlier in the season.

It has been a great team effort with every member of the squad contributing to their success, although it must be said that the ability to have produced three Yorkshire players in Matthew Fisher, Ed Barnes and Karl Carver has been a real bonus. Karl Carver was without doubt the man of the match today when he chipped away at the Harrogate batsmen in a twelve over spell which brought him the excellent figures of 6-38. He was also there at the end of the Bridge's innings to make the winning runs in partnership with Matthew Fisher who steadied the ship with 44 not out.

Karl Carver holds the ball which brought him six wickets at Harrogate.

The Harrogate innings, having won the toss, never really got off the ground. Most of the batsmen got into the teens but no further and top score by a long way was extras with 29, of which 25 were wides!
Sri Lankan Dulash Udayanga, who has also made valuable contributions, got the final wicket as Harrogate were all out for 143 in 44.4 overs.

Geeson-Brown, as ever, fought hard for Harrogate and took three wickets, including that of Udayanga for 41, but in the gathering gloom with an ever-present risk of the earlier rain returning, Sheriff Hutton Bridge reached the target in the fortieth over and achieved victory by six wickets to the delight of their small band of supporters.

We hope to be able to see them in action again in the semi-final against Richmondshire on Saturday  14th of September when the venue is eventually announced and possibly yet again in the final at Headingley a week later. Well played the Bridge!

(Pictures from the Sheriff Hutton Facebook pages).

A day at Denby

Posted by Tony Hutton

Tuesday 3rd September and off to deepest Derbyshire where the county second eleven were playing a friendly game with Middlesex seconds at the delightful Denby ground just north of Derby.
I have been a regular visitor to this excellent venue for many years now, always for county second eleven games and usually with plenty of runs being scored. Today was no exception on day two of this four day game and a very strong looking Middlesex side, having dismissed Derby for 219 yesterday, were piling on the runs.

Middlesex started the day on 13-0 with the experienced pair of Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins, regular opening batsmen in championship cricket, but obviously surplus to requirements in the present T20 competition. Gubbins, who has not been in the best of form this season surprisingly stepped across his wicket to be bowled leg stump by Taylor for 10 and he was soon followed by another product of Leeds/Bradford MCCU, Andersson a prolific scorer at the University, caught behind by Hosein off Hutchinson for 5.

The ground at Denby looked in excellent condition in the morning sunshine.

By this time Robson was well into his stride and occupied the crease until mid-afternoon in a partnership with Max Holden which put on 166 runs for the third wicket. Robson was finally out lbw to the new South African signing Dustin Melton, who played against Australia for the county first team last week. Robson made a fluent 122 with nineteen fours and two sixes. Holden, the left hander, was somewhat more circumspect, but he too went to his century later in the day. The young man from Afghanistan, Hamidullah Qadri, toiled away without reward for much of the day bowling his off spin and finishing the day with figures of 0-99.

Robson straight drives Qadri for four.

Despite a fresh breeze blowing across the ground, which is situated in a bowl enabling spectators to watch from the top of a bank on one side of the wicket, the sun shone for much of the day before the cloud came down later on. Middlesex had relied on the experience of another first teamer to bowl Derby out yesterday as Tim Murtagh had excellent figures of 5-25. Unfortunately Derbyshire had no such experience among their rather limited bowling attack. The close of play score was 351-4 with Holden still going strong on 151 not out.

First team scorer John Brown takes a busman's holiday to watch from the boundary.

A most enjoyable day with half a dozen Middlesex youngsters who had played for the under nineteens side at Todmorden on our recent visit there. We were rather disappointed not to see one man named on the scorecard, who we had heard much about, in Dan Lincoln, a non-league football goalkeeper and hard hitting club batsman who has recently joined Middlesex. In fact he had been playing for Berkshire as they won the Minor Counties West Division during the first two days of this game. However he did apparently turn up the following day, taking Murtagh's place and scoring 34 runs as Middlesex took their total to 474 not out.

The Denby pavilion in the background.

Middlesex went on to win the game by bowling out Derby for 261 in their second innings, despite a fine century by Mattie McKiernan, who we had seen doing so well for Cumberland in the past. He was finally dismissed for 134 by the very occasional bowling of Sam Robson, who managed to finish with figures of 3-17 and probably surprised himself in the process. Despite losing Gubbins for nought, Middlesex knocked off the seven runs required for victory by nine wickets.