A tour of middle England.

 Posted by Tony Hutton

Combining a visit to my grandson at Cambridge University with a daily dose of cricket watching, by breaking the journey in each direction, proved an interesting experience in logistics. However all worked out well, despite a great variation in temperatures along the way. Our first port of call was at Kibworth cricket club in Leicestershire, a pleasant ground we had visited before, when Harry Brook made his maiden century for Yorkshire second eleven. By the end of the week we would have seen him on the way to his highest ever first class score of 194.

Leicester seconds in the field at Kibworth.

Monday's game was day one of a four day second eleven championship game between Leicestershire and Northants second elevens. The visitors batted and made rather slow progress during the rather overcast morning conditions. Three wickets fell with the total on only 66 to the battery of Leicester seam bowlers, including that of the third Curran brother. The experienced Thurston, who captained the side, soon looked comfortable in partnership with James Sales, son of that wonderful Northants batsman, David Sales.

Welcome to Kibworth.    

Sales junior did well for England Under 19s in the West Indies during the winter and looks a promising all rounder. He fell lbw to Greg Mike for only 17, but after we had left by mid-afternoon, it was no surprise to learn that Thurston had progressed to a century. His innings with good support from the tail gave Northants a first innings total of 362 and sent them well on their way to victory on day four by 267 runs.

The Kibworth pavilion.

Next day we were at Fenner's in Cambridge for a one day game between the University and the United Kingdom Armed Forces Cricket Association, which is a modern version of the old Combined Services side. The only name in the Services side we were familiar with was the skipper Flight Lieutenant A. M. Fisher, known to us as  Adam Mark Fisher, not only captain of Sheriff Hutton Bridge cricket club in the Yorkshire League North, but also the elder brother of Matthew Fisher, now of both Yorkshire and England.

A close contest ensued in front of a handful of spectators, Cambridge making 217-8 in 50 overs thanks to 64 from their captain A.J. Moen, yet another product of Tonbridge School, and 57 from opening bat N.J. Taylor. The excellent scorecard told us that the best bowler for the Services was Sergeant Denson Narayan of the Royal Logistics Corps, no less, with 3-37.

The gateway to Fenner's.

The services brisk reply was led by Corporal V. Bali of the King's Royal Hussars who top scored with 71 before becoming the fifth man out with the total on 149. The run chase continued with skipper Fisher making 25 and fellow R.A.F. man Corporal Adam Sutcliffe 24 not out. However with the tail-enders unable to give sufficient support, the Services side were all out for 208 in the 47th over, leaving the University the winners by just nine runs.

The following day, after formal dinner at my grandson's college, we were back at Fenner's  for a BUCS fifty overs match with Loughborough University, who are still one of the stronger University sides, something which sadly cannot be said of Cambridge these days. Still for people with long memories, like myself, always fascinating to see the famous names on the board in the pavilion from the sides of the 1940s and 1950s.

Cambridge teams from the past.

Loughborough fielders patrol the boundary at Fenner's.

Cambridge batted, but lost two early wickets, and it was left to opener Taylor and Fernandes to put runs on the board with 34 and 37 respectively. After that there was something of a mid innings collapse until Dryden, at number seven, held things together until the end of the innings with some good hitting in his 48 not out which included two fours and three sixes. Cambridge all out for 195. Loughborough's spinner George Tait had the best figures of 3-41 with Northants' slow left armer Freddie Heldreich taking 2-30.

Cambridge batting against Loughborough.

Loughborough made easy work of their target with 79 from Tom Hinley from Sussex, 31 from Ajay Khunti, who has played for Leicester seconds and 39 not out from Nils Priestley, their captain who has played for Derbyshire. A slight hiccup in losing four wickets near the end, but Loughborough comfortable winners by three wickets with ten overs to spare.

The Loughborough team leave the field after bowling Cambridge out.

During the game with Loughborough news filtered in from another match being played across the City at the Fitzwilliam College ground. Cambridge University women had made an incredible score of 296-5 in only thirty overs against University of Warwick ladies (a fine distinction that!). To make things even worse for the visitors they were bowled all out for just 24. Was their journey really necessary?

Next day on our journey home we visited Trent Bridge for day one of the championship game between Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire. The headlines were all expected to be about the return to action of England hero Stuart Broad. However after he took the first wicket of the Worcester innings, it was Dane Paterson the South African bowler who took the next eight wickets in succession to finish with career best figures of 8-52. Getting some difficult lift from a length at the pavilion end Paterson had four wickets caught behind and Worcester, all out 159 had no answer.

Dane Paterson on his way to career best figures.

Dane Paterson bowling from the pavilion end.

Due to the cold temperatures, we left by mid afternoon to make our way home. Despite a rear-guard action from Ed Barnard with 163 in the second innings Notts were winners by five wickets on day three. By this time we had exchanged the cold of Nottingham for the warmth of Headingley on day two of Yorkshire's game with Kent. Here after a desperately slow start to the Yorkshire innings, we were royally entertained by a huge partnership of 269 between two centurions Dawid Malan and Harry Brook for the fourth wicket. Brook in particular found the gaps in the field brilliantly and scored most of his runs in boundaries.

This game continues as I write, but all in all a memorable week of cricket at all levels.