University cricket lives, for now.

Posted by Tony Hutton

For several years the six leading cricketing universities were sponsored by the M.C.C. and all had the title of M.C.C.U. Nice and easy that one which everyone understood as M.C.C. Universities. This very successful sponsorship, which produced a whole host of first class cricketers, ceased after the 2019 season and they were taken under the unwelcoming wing of the E.C.B. The 2020 University season never got started, but it was assumed that all would revert to their original names of U.C.C.E.s. which stood for University Centres of Cricketing Excellence.

However this week with some of the University teams involved in friendly games against first class counties there still seems some confusion. Mostly they do seem to have reverted to U.C.C.E. but some are still described as M.C.C.U. To add further confusion Loughborough University now seem to be known as MPCS which apparently stands for Men's Performance Cricket Squad. By the way they all seem to have now lost their first class status.

Live streaming at Headingley showcases University cricket at it's best.

However enough of that, although it is still not clear whether inter varsity three day cricket will return and more likely that the new sponsors will continue to advance the cause of one day and T20 cricket as they have already done with Minor Counties and County Cricket. The good news of course is that teams like Oxford, Cardiff, Loughborough and Leeds/Bradford have already been able to put teams into the field against counties, despite the difficulties of university life during the pandemic and the obvious lack of practice.

The three day game at Headingley between Yorkshire and Leeds/Bradford which terminated today has given University cricket a real shot in the arm. There should have been another game at the Racecourse Ground, Durham, where the University were due to play Durham county, but the local authorities were refused permission to play because of the difficulty in closing the ground to spectators. 

No spectators of course at Headingley but we were able to watch live streaming, without any commentary though.  The University were at first up against it with Yorkshire batting on into the second morning to compile a huge score of 485-5 declared. All the top five batsmen scored well over 50 with Kohler-Cadmore going on to a century before retiring. When the University side batted, no doubt exhausted after more than a day in the field in amazingly high temperatures for March, they immediately lost a wicket and further humiliation seemed in store.

Two happy batsmen, Cornall and De Caries, at the close of day two.            Picture by John Heald.

However, the two batsmen Taylor Cornall and Josh De Caries got their heads down and gave the Yorkshire bowlers an early season lesson they are unlikely to forget. Between them they put on a partnership of 270 for the second wicket, which was a Leeds/Bradford record. Both players were into the nineties at the end of day two and both completed their centuries soon after play started this morning. The left handed Taylor Cornall, who has played for  Lancashire seconds and comes from Lytham St Annes, was the first to that landmark, shortly followed by Josh De Caries, who just happens to be the son of Mike Atherton.

Taylor Cornall celebrates his century.                                               Picture by John Heald.

We had seen De Caries, who was making his debut for Leeds/Bradford, play for Middlesex Under 19s at Todmorden a couple of years ago and he has in fact signed a three year rookie contract with Middlesex. He retired from the fray on 118 with sixteen fours, but Cornall batted on to make 142, with twenty one fours and one six, before being dismissed by  Yorkshire's eighth bowler Matt Revis, who proceeded to take two more wickets as the middle order disintegrated. A stubborn last wicket stand lasted until tea when the University declared at 382-9.

Josh de Caries celebrates his century.                                  Picture by John Heald.

Yorkshire batted again but only briefly and the game ended in a draw, but with full marks to the University players for a splendid effort. No doubt we shall hear much more of both these young players in the years to come.