End of season for Yorkshire Premier League North

 Posted by Tony Hutton

With no cricket being played at our regular summer base of Weetwood, Leeds in this much shortened season, we have been grateful to Harrogate cricket club for providing not only a succession of Premier League games, but ladies cricket and over 60s cricket too. The icing on the cake has been the admirable facilities in the newly managed Balcony Bar which has been able to conform with all the necessary restrictions while providing excellent service.

Sadly the cricket on the field has not provided the best of results for the home club and after Saturday's defeat by Acomb they finished the season bottom of the league with only one victory to show for their considerable efforts. This very young side will no doubt do better next season, which everyone hopes will be able to have a full programme of matches.

Yesterday, after losing an early wicket, the home side showed much promise with a partnership of 103 for the second wicket between Harry Allinson and William Bates. Allinson fresh from his fifty for Yorkshire under 18s last weekend, scored another half century in partnership with Bates who did so well at York last week. However when 105-1 soon became 105-3 the usual middle order collapse set in and the run rate failed to accelerate towards the end of the innings. Harrogate finished the forty overs on a rather meagre 158-7.

Acomb's reply can best be described as a stroll in the park. William Wade, in the process of become the league's leading run scorer, made 60 not out in a partnership of 134 with fellow opener Matthew Dale, who made 71. Harrogate used seven bowlers who all failed to make much impression until a late spell from Cooper Smith slowed things down somewhat with figures of 5.5-0-15-1.

The sun shone throughout despite a stiff breeze and the crowd, including a good following of away supporters, enjoyed the end of season leisurely atmosphere. The admirable league website was updated early in the evening with all today's results, a final league table and best performances for batsmen, bowlers and fielders.

Harrogate cricket club.

Dunnington, whose game did not start until 1 p.m., whereas all the others started at mid-day, came from behind with a victory to pip Stamford Bridge for the league title by the narrow margin of three points. As previously mentioned William Wade of Acomb was the leading run scorer with 494 runs as well as the top average of 70.57 which just beat Christopher Bilton of Woodhouse Grange with an average of 70.40. The top bowler was Tom Forsdike of York with twenty four wickets.

Some slight consolation for Harrogate came with the news that skipper Harry Stothard had made the highest score of the season with his 116 not out against Driffield. Of course the big news of the day locally was Harrogate Town's first match in the Football League, which they won 4-0 away to Southend United and probably to their surprise find themselves, if only briefly, top of the Second Division table!

York break even at Clifton Park

 Posted by Tony Hutton

In the penultimate round of Yorkshire League North's truncated season last Saturday, York cricket club managed a victory over bottom club Harrogate to leave the home side in an unaccustomed fifth place out of ten in the league table, having won four and lost four. In a stiff breeze, which led to most spectators watching from the comfort of their cars, York batted first. 

Clifton Park, York

Guy Darwin went for thirteen with the total on twenty five to a good catch by Henry Thompson at mid off, before a century partnership between Duncan Snell and Harry Adair put York in command. The prolific Snell was caught behind for 62 and Adair must have had thoughts of a century until he was run out by Harrogate skipper Harry Stothard for 78. The powerfully built Nick James then pushed the score along with a rapid 50, but York didn't really take full advantage of their strong position finishing on 253-4 in their forty overs.

However, despite a brave effort by the visitors the total remained tantalisingly out of reach with a final score of 216-7 leaving them just 37 runs short and still rooted to the bottom of the table with just one win. The one player to give them hope was William Bates, promoted from the second team, with a fine innings of 95 not out at the end, just missing out on what would have been a deserved century. York's best bowler was young spinner Tom Forsdike with 4-35.

Next Saturday, in the last fixtures of the season, Harrogate will be looking for a home win against Acomb, while hoping that York get another victory at Driffield which would enable Harrogate to get off the bottom of the league and condemn Driffield to last place.

The Harrogate side, containing a good crop of teenagers, is one for the future and is was good to hear that several of them played the following day for Yorkshire under 18s against Lancashire at Castleford. Opener Harry Allinson top scored with 52 and all rounder Cooper Smith made 24 in the Yorkshire total of 168-5. In addition young off spinner, the other Ben Stokes, was also in the Yorkshire side. Unfortunately the game was rained off with Lancashire on 47-0.

Amendment to Nidderdale league playoffs

 posted by John Winn

As anticipated the Division 8 playoff match between Arthington II and Thirsk III will now be played at Thirsk, Saturday 12th September 2020 wickets pitched 13:00

Whixley miss the cut

posted by John Winn

The Nidderdale League, like many others, has made the best of a bad job and in the truncated season each team has played each other once and although there is no promotion or relegation at stake the implementation of playoffs added spice to last Saturday's games. On my door Whixley's first XI were at home to Scotton and a victory would guarantee the Cherrymen a place in the Division Two  playoffs, a fine performance in their first season in this division.

I arrived as the players took the field with Whixley batting and after the loss of two wickets they mounted a recovery through Jack Whitham, 69 and Josh Forster, 63 but after these two were out the middle order and tail did not cash in and a total of 196 all out in the 45th and last over while respectable was a little disappointing.

In reply Scotton made a steady start but heavy rain drove me to my car and after about twenty minutes twenty minutes the players were forced to leave the field with the score at 90 for two. This was my signal to seek refreshment in The Anchor Inn but no sooner had I gone through the sanitation process than the sun came out which allowed Scotton to knock off the remaining runs and win by three wickets with more than four overs to spare. Top score for Sam Halliday with 48 not out and third place for Scotton in the table. Meanwhile in Wensleydale Thornton Watlass, despite losing to Masham finished four points above Whixley and thus qualified for this Saturday's semi finals. There was double disappointment for Whixley for in Division Seven their second XI lost to Little Ribston thus extinguishing their hopes of extending their season for another week at least.

Scotton's reply after seven overs.

The full list of play off matches is as follows, all one o'clock starts

Division 1 Darley v Harrogate III, Pateley Bridge v Helperby

Division Two Killinghall v Thornton Watlass, Masham v Scotton

Division Three Arthington v Walton Park, Upper Wharfedale v Raskelf 

Division Four Hampsthwaite v  Ouseburn II  Markington v Thornton le Moor

Division Five Pannal II v  Newton le Willows, Studley Royal III v Lofthouse and Middlesmoor

Division Six Kirby Malzeard v Harrogate IV Marton cum Grafton v North Stainley II

Division Seven Kirk Deighton II v  Pannal Ash  Middleham II v Darley CC

Division Eight Arthington II v  Thirsk III Walton Park II v Rainton II

There is no indication on the website as to how the problem of both Arthington teams being at home will be resolved. 

An eventful year with Cumberland county cricket

 Posted by Tony Hutton

Have just finished reading yet another remarkable cricket book. I have already got through quite a few in the last few months, but this one was rather special in several ways. The Wicket Men by Tony Hannan, an author probably best known for his writing on Rugby League, tells the story of Cumberland County Cricket club's season of 2018. The significant sub-title is for me a most disturbing one - 'The last rites of Minor Counties cricket'.

The reason I say that is due to the fact that I have spent parts of the last twenty seven years, since enforced early retirement, visiting all twenty Minor Counties to watch a particularly attractive form of cricket which as the title of the book suggests is very much on it's way out. As most true cricket lovers will know the game which we have known and loved all our lives is being altered in many ways by the money men who now govern proceedings.

The proposed changes affect not only the first class game, but further down the scale where the long traditions of the Minor Counties game and University cricket are being decimated. Tony Hannan tells the story of how the proposed changes were to be implemented during the current season with the word 'Minor' being considered a negative aspect for possible sponsors. The new title being the National Counties Cricket Association. The major changes involve much more one day and T20 cricket at the expense of the more traditional three day games which are to be reduced to only four games for each side per season.

However, with all that lurking in the future during the year in question, we are able to follow the Cumberland team as they tour their own county and much further afield. The author is party to much of the off field events which make such interesting reading as the problems of selection, travelling late on Saturday nights after league cricket to distant destinations for Sunday morning starts, and eventually to real controversy and falling out amongst players and officials.

Having met the author during his travels during 2018 it is flattering to receive several mentions throughout the book, none more so than in the summing up when an extract from one of my blogs outlines my own feelings about the changes in format quite clearly. I understand that the basic problem is all about central funding from the ECB, which in effect seems to have blackmailed people into accepting the new proposals without much protest at all.

A very sad day for all traditionalists like myself who feel that we have been robbed of something very special. Four championship games a season, of which at least one is likely to be affected by the weather makes for poor fare all round. For ground hoppers like myself the possibility of distant journeys to such lovely grounds like Sedbergh, Brockhampton, Eastnor, Colwall, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Instow, Truro, North Perrott and many many more will become a thing of the past.

I have enjoyed my travels with Cumberland in the past and it is now sad to see that the proposed name change to the modern day county of Cumbria has at last come to pass. Another consequence of the fall out at the end of the season has now seen the team's leading spin bowler and greatest character, Toby Bulcock, depart to pastures new in Staffordshire.

I have perhaps been sidetracked by the changes and controversy but there is plenty more to this book as Tony Hannon travels to many off the beaten track league grounds throughout the county, soaking up the atmosphere of some very remote places and the people who inhabit them. What is more he gets to know all the players and officials of the club as the season progresses and describes the very special atmosphere of Minor Counties cricket which it will always remain to me.

75% strike rate near Fitzwilliam.

 Having been informed by Andrew Marr on Sunday that it was the last day of summer I decided to take advantage of a lovely day on Monday to see some league cricket. In order to allow clubs the opportunity to play each other once in this truncated season the Pontefract League had allocated the bank holiday for a round of fixtures but allowing clubs with the approval of their opposition to use as an alternative either  Sunday August 23rd, Sunday 6th September or Saturday September 26th, a date which might allow some pcws to extend their season. Thankfully a reasonable number of clubs had opted to play on the appointed day and I selected a number of grounds  in postcode WF4, none of which I had visited before. 

First stop was Ryhill and Havercroft CC, a facility shared with Ryhill FC. The entertainment here was a Division 5 game with Normanton St John's CC and as I arrived the umpires took the field. Ryhill find themselves well adrift at the foot of the division and on slow wicket within a large playing area made only slow progress against some steady bowling, slow to the extent that they made only 67 for 9 off their 30 overs. Normanton, who had won the toss knocked these off with time to spare and for the loss of four wickets.

The seasons overlap at Ryhill

Next stop, and not far aware is Nostell St Oswald CC, but on arriving at the ground I found it deserted and the square roped off. I discovered later but too late to retrace my steps, that a burst water main had caused the game to be relocated to Thorpe Audin. Another short trip took me to The Sidings at Crofton where home side Crofton Phoenix II were batting against Burton Salmon, a club I visited in 2105 when they were in the York Vale League. The ground is an attractive one, set in parkland with again a large playing area and football pitches in the distance. 62 for 0 read the board with 14 of the prescribed overs left. As wickets began to fall a gentlemen seated with the Burton Salmon scorer got increasingly excited, even more so when Rupert Jones and son arrived. Rupert is a man I have always identified as an Arthington Festival enthusiast but neither my name or face meant anything to him. Nevertheless we found plenty of common ground for conversation, much of it about Steve Bindman's book reviewed by Tony a few weeks ago. As the overs ran down wickets fell  Mr Burton Salmon who had done much to revive the club when it folded got increasingly excited, even to the point of describing a wicket taking ball as a ripper, an unforgiveable offence in my book. 

The innings closed with the score at 157 for 8, or so the scorer told me but the league website says 147 for 8. Whatever the case it proved too much for Burton Salmon who were 89 all out. Three run outs suggests some confusion in the middle order. Phoenix lie second in Division Five, Burton Salmon in mid table.

Last ground on what was still a beautiful afternoon was that of Old Sharlston where I arrived just after the home team's second eleven had begun their reply to South Kirkby II who had been bowled out for 78, five wickets for Tom Maskill. In  front of a very good crowd Sharlston began confidently mainly through Colin Scattergood and won by five wickets taking a ball more than 26 overs. This is another attractive ground with an outfield that would serve very well in a much higher standard of cricket. This was a Division three match, a section in which a young South Kirkby side are finding it tough going and Old Sharlston are two places above them, third from bottom. Good to see so many watching on a bank holiday at a club which I sense  serves as something of a hub in the community. 

 Old Sharlston CC

On the 45 minute journey home I reflected on what had been an interesting afternoon and although disappointed by missing out at Nostell I felt a strike rate of 75% was not a bad return at this late stage in such a strange season. 

Knaresborough go clear

I first visited Knaresborough's Aspin Lane ground in 2008 when they were members of the Aire Wharfe league and despite it being little more than a twenty minute drive from my home I have been there only once since, until Saturday that is. Since switching from the Aire Wharfe Knaresborough have played in the York League and this season find themselves in North Division 1 where they have contested the leadership with Easingwold and Sessay. Last Saturday at Aspin Lane their opponents were the former of these and play had only been underway about ten minutes when I arrived at the well appointed ground. 

Knaresborough were batting and although one of their players informed me that they would have preferred not to on a bitterly cold afternoon with a strong northerly wind their openers made good progress against the Easingwold attack .A couple of sharp chances went down, one a return catch that seemed to go through the bowler's hands and onto his face. After Friday's heavy rain both pitch and outfield were slow but skipper Greg Pickles in particular played some fine attacking shots. Along with Andy Ward jnr Pickles added 101 for the first wicket until Ward was out for 41.Pickles received further good support from Toby Giddings in a fourth wicket stand of 47 until the innings closed on 187 for 4 with Pickles out for 97 off the last ball of the 40th over. 

This was my cue to leave but Easingwold after good start fell 52 short and with Sessay's match against their second eleven a victim of the weather Knaresborough are three points clear at the top. Sessay are second, three points behind and Easingwold a further point adrift. There are two matches left to play and on Saturday Easingwold will host Sessay while Knaresborough travel to take on Sheriff Hutton Bridge II. In the last round of matches on September 12th Knaresborough will be at home to Harrogate II while Sessay play SHB II and Easingwold visit Malton and Old Malton. Plenty to play for but Knaresborough must be favourites to finish top. Let's hope the weather is not the decider.