Posted by Tony Hutton
Yesterday's round of league cricket in Yorkshire, played in perfect weather, saw good performances from a lot of familiar names as well as some emerging talent. In the game that I saw, at Leeds University's Weetwood ground, a very young new intake of Yorkshire Academy players took on Scarborough on the first day of the Yorkshire Premier League North season.
Both these teams opted out of last season's truncated league and Scarborough have recruited a few new faces including former Yorkshire second eleven left arm seamer James Wainman. The Academy batted first and found it hard work against the pace of Wainman and the other opening bowler Jack Holt. The new opening pair of Yash Vagadia, from Middlesborough, and Matthew Weston, from Barkisland, put on twenty one for the first wicket, before both were caught behind.
The Academy's new captain William Luxton, from Steeton, who has done well for the under 17s, came in at number three, followed by Harry Allinson, from Harrogate, at number four. Both were soon out and the Academy were in trouble at 35-4. Brief resistance from Dan Ford and Noah Priestley saw the score advance to 70-5, but the advent of spinners Ben Elvidge and Linden Gray saw off the tail in quick fashion and the Academy were all out for 97. Elvidge finishing with the best figures of 4-13.
Despite the small total Scarborough did not race away but took their time in knocking off the runs in 26.5 overs, opener Cian Dickinson top scoring with 57 not out. There was some good seam bowling from Charlie Bourne and Ben Cliff and encouraging spin from Harry Sullivan and Yash Vagadia. However a hard lesson for the youngsters and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the season.
In the other games in this league Castleford were the top scorers in a high scoring game at Harrogate. The visitors made 317-9 thanks mainly to Chesney Hughes who top scored with 94. I assume this is the former Derbyshire West Indian player who famously scored 270 against Yorkshire at Headingly some years ago. Harrogate were never likely to chase this score but managed a creditable 241-8 of which Lancastrian opener Henry Thompson batted through the innings for 137 not out.
Elsewhere Woodhouse Grange beat York, Stamford Bridge with four Leeds/Bradford University players beat Clifton Alliance, Dunnington made short work of beating Sheriff Hutton Bridge and Acomb won a high scoring game with Driffield.
In the Bradford League New Farnley's skipper Lee Goddard, once of Derbyshire and Durham, scored his second century in two weeks in a win over Bradford and Bingley. Hanging Heaton had a narrow nine run win over Pudsey St Lawrence and these two teams will no doubt be in contention with New Farnley for the title. Methley will also be in with a shout and have recruited former Yorkshire left arm spinner James Logan, who it was good to see had a game for Worcestershire seconds in mid-week.
Yesterday he scored 40 and took 3-16 against Wrenthorpe, but the star of the show was teenage opener Alex Cree with an innings of 128 which shows great promise for the future. Good to see former Academy wicketkeeper Jonathan Read scoring 94 in Farsley's win over Morley. Further down the Bradford League scale it was also good to hear of another former Yorkshire Academy player in Tabassum Bhatti scoring a century for Windhill, who still lost against Great Preston. Bhatti played for the Academy in the days of Gale, Bresnan, Sayers and Rashid.
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