Nostalgia - the cure for cricket's current ills.

Posted by Tony Hutton

Trying hard to think of something positive to write rather than concentrating on the rather wayward thinking of both the ECB and Yorkshire County cricket club, a further bombshell dropped this week with the announcement that the traditional opening game of the ENGLISH season, between MCC and the champion county, Essex, will next year take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This is to recognise the fact that MCC's current president is the admirable Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara. We can only hope that the next president is not the man in the moon!

However enough of all that. I have been sorting through some old photo albums in my vast collection of cricket ground pictures and came across some pictures from July 1996. I had embarked on a journey across the West Midlands, and even into Wales, for a wonderful cricket tour which took in twenty different grounds over a ten day period.

Strange to say not one county championship game was on my itinerary, which covered Nat West Trophy, Minor Counties, County Second Elevens, many league cricket games, a couple of school games and a benefit match. Day one, en route to our hotel in Ross-on-Wye, we called in first at St Godwalds Park, Bromsgrove where Worcester seconds were playing Gloucester seconds in what was then the Bain Hogg one day trophy. Worcester knocked up a good score but the game was halted by rain later in the day. By which time we had ventured into Wales to see Glamorgan seconds playing Hampshire seconds at Monmouth School in the same competition.

Two pictures of the Monmouth School ground.

An attractive ground, but the weather reduced the overs with Hampshire winning on faster scoring rate. Remember chatting to Tim Tremlett, then the Hampshire second eleven coach, who told me something about all his players. The following day, Saturday, we managed to fit in two league games and a school game. The league games were both on Herefordshire Minor Counties grounds at Eastnor and Colwall, under the wonderful Malvern Hills and then on into Malvern itself to see the college side taking on Free Foresters. All delightful places to watch cricket and definitely ones to return to in the future.

Two pictures of the Eastnor ground.

Two pictures of the Colwall ground.

Malvern College ground.

Sunday was spent watching Herefordshire play Devon at the Hereford Racecourse ground. A rather strange atmosphere with cricket in the middle of the course and seeming a long way from the spectators. However Worcestershire did play a first class match there some time previously. On this occasion Hereford did well to beat a very strong Devon side captained by Peter Roebuck formerly of Somerset. Roebuck turned himself into a bowler in Minor Counties cricket and took three wickets in each innings.

Then it was back into Wales for a Minor Counties game at Pontypridd (Ynysangharad Park to be precise) Wales v Shropshire for whom former Warwickshire man Asif Din scored a century. On the same day Glamorgan seconds were playing Leicester seconds at Usk (merely The Cricket Field). Here we saw a forgotten man, Vince Clarke, score 189 for Leicester. Despite playing for three counties during the 1990s he never became a regular county cricketer.

 Pontypridd ground.

The cricket field, Usk.

Before I get too carried away with this look at cricket in the past, I will call it a day for now and finish this journey in part two.

Danby make it at the first attempt

In early June I reported on a visit I made to the north eastern corner of Yorkshire to complete my set of all the grounds in The Langbaurgh League. Two  more contrasting grounds it is hard to imagine and the two home clubs that I saw that day, Dormanstown and Danby have experienced contrasting fortunes on the cricket field since my early season trip.

First call on the first Saturday in June was at  Dormanstown on the outskirts of Redcar where Kildale were the visitors in a match that at that time was between two sides that had found the early season going rather tough. Dormanstown won comfortably that day but the two clubs remained relegation candidates throughout the campaign and only the hapless Ingleby Greenhow who failed to win a match all season saved one from relegation. Both teams finished on 26 points and with five wins apiece were separated only by their run wicket differential which went in favour of Kildale. So Dormanstown, who until recently were members of the now defunct Cleveland League, find themselves back in Division Two after only one season in the top flight while Kildale live to fight another season at least in that august company.

Meanwhile not too far away but in the North Yorkshire National Park, Danby, newcomers to the league in 2019, have won promotion at the first bite. On the day of my visit Danby were easy winners over Thimbleby, a result that left them third and Thimbleby near the bottom. The final table for Division Two shows Danby second to Hartlepool Power Station and thus promoted while only Norton IV keep Thimbleby off the bottom, one place lower than they finished in 2018.

Danby take the field after tea.

Meanwhile although the 2019 county championship season only finished three weeks ago amongst the twitterati at least thoughts have turned to next season's fixtures and in particular the system whereby it will be decided who plays who twice in the now ten team first division. There is even a rumour that Yorkshire might play Lancashire at Scarborough, something that hasn't happened since 1991. Looking back to that occasion on the third to sixth of September 28 years ago, Yorkshire captained by Martin Moxon won the toss and after being 18 for 3 ran up over 500 with centuries for Byas and Robinson (P). Lancashire declared 98 behind and this time it was Moxon's turn to  reach three figures. Needing 343 to win Lancashire slumped to 129 for 8, Darren Gough the main destroyer, but thanks to an Ian Austin century with support from John Fitton and Peter Martin the last two wickets added 165 to keep things interesting. With Yorkshire looking worried Peter Hartley snaffled the last wicket to conclude four wonderful day's entertainment. 1442 runs in the match from 406 overs suggests cracking stuff  and faster over rates than twenty first century crowds are used to.

End of season sunk without trace.

Posted by Tony Hutton

Arthington cricket club's traditional end of season festival was unfortunately curtailed somewhat by the weather. The game at Burton Salmon on Saturday 5th October (which I unfortunately missed) did take place, but the subsequent games scheduled for Harewood House were washed out by the rain. As I have been a regular spectator for almost the full thirty years of this happy end of season event, it is sad to record that the often sunny mid-October weather for once deserted us. We are assured that next season the festival will return to the club's own ground following the recent renovations supervised by the ubiquitous David Hodgson (groundsman supreme).

For the record Burton Salmon were bowled out for a modest 116 with three wickets each for Simon Mace and Nick Briggs and despite another duck for Andy Stoddart, Arthington cantered to a rather easy five wicket victory thanks to 32 not out from Andy Conboy. So there we are all done and dusted, with the next live cricket in these parts not scheduled until Boxing Day when as ever, and whatever the weather, North Leeds will take on the Northern Cricket Society.

Of course we are already well into the various cricket societies evening speaker's events and although the much anticipated visit of Fred Rumsey and Stephen Chalke to the Northern at Headingley had to be cancelled an excellent replacement came off the sub's bench at the last minute in the shape of Brian Sanderson.

Brian, who does an amazing amount of work for the Yorkshire Archives Committee, did a very interesting talk on the career of Ted Peate one of the first of Yorkshire's long line of slow left arm bowlers. He had a long and illustrious career but is most famously remembered for being the last man out in England's second innings of the final Test of 1882 at the Oval. With only seven required for victory he tried a big hit and was bowled rather than giving the more experienced batsman at the other end the chance to get the runs. It was after that game that the famous newspaper quotation created the notion of the 'Ashes' of English cricket which continues to this day.

While next season seems a long way off and is perhaps being looked forward to with some apprehension, I am sure that those of us who watch cricket at all levels will always find sufficient games of 'proper cricket' to watch throughout the season. It seems unlikely that we will spend much time watching Yorkshire's first eleven, as we are threatened by the powers that be with even more imports for next season. It did not actually happen last season, but Yorkshire could well have fielded a team of eleven 'imports' from other counties or countries. Hopefully a return to sanity might happen one day but somehow I doubt it. Winter well.

Cricket lingers on in Yorkshire

Posted by Tony Hutton

As John Winn has mentioned cricket in Yorkshire still lingers on well into October with the traditional Arthington Festival, for the first time in living memory, upping sticks after playing only one game at home on Sunday 15th September. Essential work on the square, which has been in constant use until mid-October for more years than I can remember, has meant this year's fixtures being spread elsewhere.

The one home game against Romany was a high scoring affair in which the home team, after the early loss of Geoffrey Barker, put on a second wicket partnership of 125. Star of the show was very much Kamrosh Khan with an inning of 109 before retiring. His partner Ayoub Khan made only 28 of the big partnership but played his part to perfection. This was followed by some big hitting from Tom Conboy who made exactly 50 (with nine fours and two sixes) and 48 from Gareth Meredith (with seven fours and one six).

Arthington completed their forty overs with a grand total of 293-4, which seemed a distant prospect when Romany opened their innings. However the first four batsman all came out with guns blazing and Richard Leach and Thomas Egerton put on 127 for the second wicket matching Arthington's effort for the same wicket. At one stage the Romany score was 201-3 but the later batsmen could not give much assistance and following three run outs, Arthington were winners by the margin of 44 runs.

East Keswick pavilion.

I missed out on the next weekend's fixtures, both of which were played on the nearby ground of East Keswick. Arthington had an easy 7 wicket victory over Cambridge Methodists on Saturday 21/9 after bowling the visitors out for  99, with the help of a Boycott like innings from Andy Stoddart with 24 not out in almost as many overs, together with Steve Bindman's umpiring. I missed this game due to the league final at Headingley and also Sunday's game due to the poor weather.

The weather did not deter the players in the match on Sunday 22/9 with Halifax Nomads, for whom Harry Wilkinson made 123 not out in a total of 185-3. The rain intensified and eventually the game was abandoned with Arthington on 128-3. I was able to see some part of the game with The Hawks on Saturday 28/9, also played at East Keswick, which is a much larger ground than I remembered.

Geoff Barker in hot pursuit at East Keswick.

The Hawks fielded a team of well known league cricketers of varying vintages, together with guest star Steven Bindman. Ian Priestley, together with his son Ricky, and Charlie Parker have all represented Pudsey St. Lawrence. David ('Ted') Lester stalwart with Menston for many years captained the side. Also Dennis Rock, a big hitter, who I remember seeing with Horsforth Hall Park many years ago, together with Damon Reeve now with Otley and Chris Wain another stalwart of the Airedale and Wharfedale League.

The trees beginning to turn at East Keswick.

Despite 51 from Parker, the visitors were all out for 133 in the last over of a 35 overs per side game.
However the Hawk's bowling attack proved far too good for Arthington, although another guest star James van der Merwe made 34 and Andrew Stoddart another backs to the wall effort of 21. They rather crept their way to a total of 113-7 at the end of the 35th over and Hawks were declared the winners by 20 runs. Damon Reeve's figures of 3-8 in seven overs definitely took the bowling honours.

More runs for the Hawks.

I assume that the heavy rain washed out the scheduled game with The Druids on Sunday 29/9, but do not despair yet more cricket is planned for the next two weekends. Arthington will travel further afield on Saturday 6/10 with a game at Burton Salmon and on Sunday 7/10 will face King James' of Bishop Auckland at Harewood House. Suggestions are that play will take place whatever the weather, but that remains to be seen.

Finally the season will eventually come to an end on the weekend of 13th/14th October with a game between Arthington and St. George's Church again at Harewood House. Apparently play will take place on the better day according the weather forecast and may even stretch into a two day affair.