LAST MATCH FOR UNICORNS AT HEADINGLEY

By Brian Sanderson,

I visited Weetwood first in the morning were Yorkshire Academy were playing Scotland Development X1 in a two day match and a one day match on Thursday.When I arrived Tony Hutton and Jenny were already waiting for the start of the match.This gave us time to catch up were everybody had been in the last few days.The Yorkshire Academy side looked very weak as we could only recognise only about four players.
One of there was Stabler who got two wickets before he got a back injury and had to hobble off. Beenwhile David Thorpe arrived who explained the scoring system for the under nine matches which would take to long in this blog.

I left a lunch-time to go to Headingley with the score 111 for 2 with prospect of a big score for Scotland.The photograph below is of the Academy before the start of play.

After lunch I went to the stadium to see the forty over match against the  Unicorns who will finish after this season as this competition is finishing and be replaced by a fifty over competition.Yorkshire again had a weak side out.

Yorkshire batted first an the innings was dominated by Garry Ballance and scored his highest one day score for Yorkshire of 139 which  lasted 113 balls and scored 15 fours and 3 sixes in a total of 266 for 6.He could have been out on a number of occasions .The Unicorn side consisted mainly of Minor County players.

After the break the main innings was by Matthew Linekar who has played for Notts, and Derby but now plays for Lincolnshire.As I had seen him at Cleethorpes  when he played against  Cumberland.To-day he scored 107 in 105 balls and was a excellent innings.However after the top four batsmen no-body stopped with him long enough to win.The shock bowler was Jack Leaning who took five wickets for the first time His bowling  figures were five for twenty-two.Unicorns lost six wickets for twenty-two runs.Yorkshire won the match by 32 runs but it could have been a different story if the Unicorns had found another batsman like Lineker.

TWINS OPENING THE INNINGS FOR YORKSHIRE

By Brian Sanderson,

David Thorpe of Golcar mention that Yorkshire Girls U 15 were playing Shropshire at Harrogate in a forty over match so I decded to see the match and pleased I did.Yorkshire Seconds were playing at South Northumberland and after the poor showing last week I decided not to go.

Yorkshire girls opened the batting with  Yvonne and Teresa Graves who are twins.It is a good quiz qestion if this ever happen before,I think the answer is no.Yvonne was soon out L.B.W but told the umpire she hit it first however Teresa went on to score 98 runs in 98 balls.She was also involved in a large partnership with Madeline Walsh ,a Golcar girl.She lives very close to the ground and has been playing cricket since she was 7.Madeline was not out with 68 in a total of 202.

At tea -time we heard that Teresa would have been given a £300 bat by her father if she had scored a hundred.She was out caught and bowled as seem very tired at the end of the innings.Shropshire started batting well but as soon as Amy Gibson came on to bowl wickets started to fall and  she took the first four wickets.As I was leaving Shropshire were 98 for 6 with eight over to go so it  looked as Yorkshire won another match.They are playing Lancashire on Saturday and have a chance to go through to the semi-finals.

All the very best to the girls on Saturday and in their future.

Bowlers' day at Aspin Lane

posted by John Winn

 

 

This morning's Yorkshire Post describes yesterday's Waddilove Cup Final at Aspin Lane, Knaresborough as 'one of the most extraordinary ever' and although my experience of such events is very limited I would not dispute this claim for who would have predicted that two sides as strong as Beckwithshaw, who despite a recent stutter should claim the Aire Wharfe title before the end of the month, and one  of their closest challengers, Burley in Wharfdale, would lose twenty wickets for less than 160 runs.

It is but a twenty minute drive for me to the Knaresborough ground and I arrived just as the players took the field in front of a large crowd, one of whom was Brian Cobb who remarked on the profusion of cup finals at a pcw's disposal yesterday. I took my seat in the company of Tom Burrell and his family. Tom is the grandson of my former next door neighbour and his son Dan plays for Knaresborough Under 9s.

On a blustery afternoon when the sun made only brief appearances and temperatures were similar to those we had in May  Burley chose to bat and the early overs set the pattern for the rest of the afternoon with tight bowling and keen fielding keeping the run rate at only a whisker above two an over. Only two men in the Wharfedale side made double figures, opener Nick Brook and lower order batsman Danny Bryan. Teenager Ollie Hotchkiss took 3 for 12 and Stuart Hudson picked up two wickets in a nine over spell that included seven maidens.

The gloom on the faces of the Burley supporters suggested that 87 was never likely to be a winning score and on what had now turned to a miserable afternoon with rain driving the players from the field at one point, many must have felt that their journey down the dale had been a mistake. Clearly the Burley players thought otherwise and top scorer Nick Brook produced a remarkable spell of bowling with 4 for 4 off  9 overs. He was well supported by Shane Etherington and  Ed Brown and although a ninth wicket stand of 27 brought hope to the Beckwithshaw camp, possible  saviour Hudson, like his namesake Henry, was cast adrift on 18 not out when number eleven Wademan fell in the 36th over.

Burley have now won the trophy nine times, thrice in the last four years. I wonder if any of their previous successes could rival the tension of yesterday's events.

VISTOR FROM OVER THE HILL

By Brian Sanderson,

There were a number of cup finals to visit but decided on the above.One web-site said 1.00 P.M and another said 1.30 P.M for the start of the match and it turn out to be 1,30 with Methley batting first.I spoke to the groundsman as he came off with a set of red wickets which turn out to have  no grooves on the top to put the bails so the electric power tool had to be used.Just before the match started Michael Latham, the Cumberland Cricket Manager,joined me.The local wag siaid Michael was very brave to come to Methley as he had travelled from Lancashire on missionary work as he was a Gordie andhe was treated with suspicion.

Methley soon lost a wicket which brought to gether Nicholas Connolly and Marcus Walmsley who produced a partnership of 160 before Connolly was out for 85.Marcus went on to score 110 not out with 12 fours and 2 sixes.Methley scored 255 which was about par score on a good pitch.

Using my new computor skills the above photograph is of Marcus while he was batting.

After tea Wrenthorpe now having lost some of their super-stars had a hard task to win the match.It was left to Luke Patel and Joe Ellis to win the match from 88 for 2.Ellis did not ball as he looked injured and struggled to run between the wickets.They put on 84 runs before Ellis was out for 53 whilst Patel went on to score 65.However Methley won by 26 run with Marcus taking two wickets so he must have been man of the match.

I hope to see Michael at Sedberg next week for Cumberland Minor county match against Suffolk but many more matches to see before Sunday if the weather is kind.

Nightmare on Ewart Street

When I first moved to Yorkshire in the early years of the twenty first century and before I knew my Nidderdale from my Langbaurgh and even longer before I became apprenticed to the worthy guild of pcws, I visited some grounds in the Bradford League. To a newcomer this was the Yorkshire League and for one whose boyhood hero was Sir Leonard how could I not wish to pass through the gates that carry  his name at the St Lawrence ground?

Over the years I have chipped away at the list of clubs that make up the two divisions, and these change but rarely, to the point that after yesterday's ramblings only Brighouse has been spared a visit. I had begun the day at Scratcherd Lane the home of Morley CC but it is the remarkable events that I saw at the Ewart Street ground of Great Horton that will remain in my mind. Great Horton had their glory days in the first decade of the last century and success has been elusive since the Edwardian era and before and after yesterday's games they filled last place in the second division. In 2012 they  survived a vote to expel them from the league for failing to fulfil fixtures and this morning their record for the season reads played twenty one, lost twenty one. Hard times indeed, but they can have had few more chastening afternoons than yesterday's.

I arrived at the ground at twenty past two to find the players at tea and was informed by a spectator that 'we' were all out for 49 and to my enquiry as to who 'we' were he replied 'Great Horton, of course'. Opponents New Farnley duly began their reply and ten minutes, sixteen balls, three sixes and seven fours later it was all over. 52 for 0 from two overs and four balls brought victory for New Farnley by ten wickets. Nick Walker probably got best value for his match fee for he was on the field throughout the game taking three for twenty five and hitting 32 not out. The effect of this was to send me on my way to Windhill CC rather sooner than anticipated. 

Windhill's ground is in Busy Lane, Shipley and I may not be the first to pull out a corny pun based on that address but so what, for on my arrival Bankfoot's batsmen were indeed busy lambasting the home team's bowlers to all parts. Chief destroyer was Aaquib Uppal with 126 not out in a total of 282 for 2. After an excellent  cup of tea from the basement tea room I watched Windhill make a positive start but the loss of early wickets made their prospects of victory very unlikely and the excellent league website this morning shows they were bowled out for 110.

Speaking of websites the ECB now seems to have got its act together regarding the U17 County Championship and updated the league tables. In Division 1A Durham top the table and a decent return from their game at Hartlepool against Derbyshire which begins on Tuesday should see them through to the semi finals. The other remaining game in this group is between Lancashire and Cheshire at Burnley on Thursday. The winners of this group have a home semi final against the winners of 2A, probably Northants but Warwickshire and Notts might question that.

In his posting on Thursday Brian rightly criticised the YCB for not providing details or indeed the existence of some fixtures. I have subsequently emailed them to complain and will let you know if I receive a reply. On my way home yesterday I called in at Whixley and took this photograph of their new pavilion which is nearing completion. It will gladden the heart of 'pavilion purists' to note it is in traditional wood and has home and away dressing rooms separated by a central tea room. In other words it is a cricket pavilion, not a community centre or village hall. Well done the cherry men.

COUNTRY ROADS

By Brian Sanderson,

Another organised trip to the Esk Valley League  with Ron Deaton,Ron Stansfield and driver Nigel Pullin.
The first ground we visited was Goathland which is the middle of Heartbeat country.The ground is situated behind a pub and is behind a farm.It is not the largest ground but it is good enough to enjoy country cricket.We visited the ground last year but it is the first time any of us had seen cricket played here.Whilst we were eating our sandwiches the guest umpire arrived who stated it was his first visit to the ground and was a ex -football referee.

Moving North we went to Staiths who were playing Mulgrave Seconds.As we arrived the home side had scored 150 for one in about twenty-two overs.The Mulgrave side consisted of a number of young children including a lad of nine years old which is the youngest player I had seen in a league match.It is a very nice ground near a stream which the ball landed in two times we were there and had to be rescued by a net.

Moving further North we went to Mulgrave  who were playing Oriel in the Derwent League.Mulgrave have been awarded G@M Club of the Month in this month Cricketer.Twelve years ago the club moved to this new ground,built a new square and ecofriendly pavilion and this year changed to the Derwent Valley League in an attempt to progress further.Close ties with the Yorkshire Cricket Board , Football Foundation and other charties helped raised the money.

The photograph above shows the new pavilion.

Driving through the country roads were arrived at Leaholm who,s ground is situated behind some houses and you enter through a small gap.It is a nice ground with excellent views.The photograph below shows how rural the area is.

They were playing  Grosmont who had scored 133 whilst the home side were 65 for 5 with eighteen  to go so the match was even. However you can not find the results on the internet or in the local paper.While we were walking round the ground we saw a old roller in the long grass and it the first photograph which reminded me of Mick Bourne.All the very best to him at the present time.

The last match was at Westerdale who were still playing at seven o.clock about five hours after they had first started. Again the ball had to be fished out of the stream.The home side are playing in a Cup Final to-morrow against Fryup.

This will be our last visit this season to this league but we will return hopefully next seaason.This is the first time I have put more than one photograph on the blog and I hope people like them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

SURPRISING ONE DAY VICTORY FOR YORKSHIRE

By Brian Sanderson,

A chance to see a 50 over match at Headingley were Bangladesh A were playing a mixed first and second team Yorkshire side.In the first innings with Yorkshire batted I sat with Tony Hutton and Jenny.Two quick wickets fell but Lees and Lyth give some hope to the supporters.However as soon as the Bangladesh spinners came on wickets started to fall. Tony and Jenny moved on to Weetwood to watch the second day of the Yorkshire U 16.

With Yorkshire 148 for 8 the prospect that the innings would finish early but Plunkett and Wardlaw but on 49 runs.I was sat with John Wager,Durham supporter ,at the time which was ironic as Plunkett used to play for Durham.Ashraf got run out for none to finish the Yorkshire innigs at 198 and the feeling was it would not be enough.Elias Sunny as known as Mohammed Elias was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 wickets for 25 in his ten overs.

Yorkshire were charging £15 to come in for non-members and the crowd numbered about 250 which must show Yorkshire that their enterence fee are wrong.Also I bought a scorecard and there was five alterations to the Bangladesh side which is again poor.

After a sandwich I watched the second innigns in the Rugby Stand end with Andy from York.We were expecting a quick finish with Bangladesh winning easily.Like Yorkshire Bagalesh collapsed after the third wicket.The main wicket taker being Rafiq who took five wickets while bowling poorly.Wardlaw and Plunkett took the last two wickets to give Yorkshire a victory by seven runs.

You have to say Bagadesh batting was poor and  you would expect a experenced side to score 199 to win but Yorshire will take the victory.Now for the Wigan and Huddersfield Rugby League match.