Hard graft from Cheshire youngsters

 Posted by Tony Hutton

A welcome return to three day cricket action came to Weetwood's Leeds University ground this week when Cheshire Under 18s visited, to play their Yorkshire counterparts, in a game which like so many recently remained in doubt due to Covid problems with the Yorkshire Academy squad. However all was well and Tuesday saw a prompt start to a match which attracted several eminent professional cricket watchers from the other side of the Pennines, together with a group of camp followers sheltering under vast blue umbrellas in one corner of the often windswept ground.

The visit of any Cheshire side always reminds me of the good old days when the late, much lamented, Sandy Scrimgeour would bring a Cheshire county second eleven to play the Yorkshire Academy either here at Weetwood or earlier across the Leeds ring road at the New Rover Ground. Sandy, together with his then Yorkshire counterpart Steve Oldham would always somehow time declarations to perfection, which regularly seemed to ensure that the games would come to a thrilling conclusion. 

Cheshire second XI 2004 at New Rover with Sandy Scrimgeour, almost hidden in the back row.

Unfortunately this year's age group game was a very different kettle of fish, with the first day in particular proving rather slow progress, with less than 200 runs scored by the visitors in a total of 104 overs. For those unaware of the Cheshire side's last match this may have been rather puzzling. However those who had seen them bowled all out for 112 by Lancashire at Grappenhall last week might well have understood. One imagines that the Cheshire coaches may well have given them the hard word and emphasised that this is three day cricket and told the lads to get their heads down.

This they did to great effect, after the loss of an early wicket, in a second wicket partnership of 71 between James O'Sullivan (57) and Noah Vickery (48). Thereafter things got even slower and the accurate slow left arm of Harry Sullivan and the medium pace of Noah Priestley in particular proved very difficult to score off. Vickery took 185 balls for his 48, Matthew Strong scored 10 from 49 balls and so it continued. William Valentine 31 from 95 balls and Matt Kilcourse 26 from 88 balls.

By the end of day one the score had reached 197-7 from 104 overs. Enough to send some of the spectators to sleep or for their attention to wander elsewhere. Entertainment as ever was provided by Weetwood's ever present John Taplin, happily recovered from his recent illness, who was in fine form interrogating every passing spectator with his very own version of the Spanish Inquisition.

The familiar scene at Weetwood.

Day two provided a very different story with the visitor's tail end batsman enjoying themselves once Ben Balderson's marathon 55 from 132 balls had ended. Jack Kesteven made 32 at number nine, before the last pair Harvey Walker and Charlie Barnard provided the best entertainment of the match so far with a fifty partnership which delayed the lunch interval until the declaration finally came with the score an astonishing 361-9 in 144 overs with 164 runs being added in the morning session.

Cheshire's cunning plan now was presumably to try and make Yorkshire follow on. This seemed a very likely possibility when the pace of the two opening bowlers Harvey Walker and Ben Balderson had Yorkshire stumbling at 4-2 and then 31-3. Jacob Slator a recent newcomer to the Yorkshire side, from the Pudsey Congs club, managed to drop anchor and after brief cameos for Allinson, Noah Kelly and and Noah Priestley who all pushed the score along nicely, was joined by wicket keeper Alex Kaye.

This pair not only put on 71 for the sixth wicket but took Yorkshire beyond the follow on target. Kaye played an almost Cheshire like innings, but stubbornly supported Slator to a well deserved century just before the close of play. We were not present on day three but Yorkshire were eventually bowled out for 281 giving Cheshire a first innings lead of 80 runs. This rather unpredictable game then took another surprising turn when Yorkshire's two youngest pace bowlers dismissed Botes and Vickery with only one run on the board.

The wickets continued to fall until at 63- 6 a major upset looked on the cards with the unlikely possibility of a Yorkshire victory seeming very much on. However Cheshire were rescued by some valuable runs from wicket keeper O'Shay Reddy (32) and Ben Balderson (36*) which enabled them to declare their second innings on 137-8. Yorkshire then batted out time on 55-1 as the game ended rather tamely in a draw. Yorkshire 12 points and Cheshire 13 points which was all rather academic as no play offs between the different regional winners are to be played this season.

Weetwood happily continued it's successful staging of cricket at all different levels this season which has proved of great benefit to the handful of regulars and visitors alike. Sadly tomorrow's scheduled game between the Yorkshire Academy and Acomb has been called off due to problems within the Acomb squad.