FARNDALE EVENING LEAGUE

By Brian Sanderson,

On Friday evening myself and Ron Deaton went on a trip to see Farndale in the Feversham Cricket League.
We first called in to see Gillamore ground who also play in this League which is situated on the outskirts of the village.A square had been cut waiting for the first match.

Farndale is situated 5 miles north of Kirbymoor in North Yorshire and is well known for it show of daffodils.However yesterday we went to see Farndale against Slingsby in a 18 over cricket match.The wicket is situated in the sheep field who were grazing during the match and next to the River Dove.Farndale is split between two villages Church Houses where the ground is and Low Mill.We heard that there used to be a cricket team in Low Mill but that finished thiry years ago but the changing rooms were transported up to Church Houses and is used to-day.The field has a big slope down from the changing room to the flat wicket area with the river further on.The local rule was it was only a six if the ball cleared the field.

Farndale batted first with one of the Farndale players acting as umpire as the photograph shows.He acted as a fielder in the second innings to make the eleven up.Farndale managed to reach 86.We retreated to the car get warm with a cup of tea.

After the break Slingsby batted and were 50 fo 5 with about 8 overs to go. The last wicket was given stumped of a wide which confused the Slingsby player who was umpireing.He had to be told the rules from the Farndale umpire/fielder.The Slingsby captain who won the match with his one and only shot .Aswap to the leg-side.

On the way back the rain starte to fall which is still carry on now.

Derby Day

The King of Sports took precedence over The Sport of Kings when yesterday morning Cross Country Trains took me to Derby in time for the start of play on the second day of the match against Sussex. On Wednesday, Sussex captain, Ed Joyce, who was absent from the field yesterday, had done what all the five other captains who had called correctly that day had done, put 'em in. This could have come as no surprise to Derbyshire members; Madsen has lost the toss in every championship match this season and each time his side has been given first use of the wicket.

The loss of two wickets late on Wednesday evening saw The Peakites start the day on 158 for 6 and a reasonable repair job was mounted in the morning session to the point where the score stood at 216 for 7 but then Anyon took two wickets in two balls  and when Panesar had Footitt caught behind, the innings closed on 223 leaving Sussex half an hour's batting before lunch. In that time Footitt removed openers Nash and Wells and we dined at 38 for 2. At least those who had not already eaten our sandwiches did.

Derbyshire had opted to play four seamers in the match, leaving out David Wainwright, and with Palladino missing they gave a championship debut to Alasdair Evans and Mark Footitt made his first championship appearance for a year. All was going well in the afternoon with Footitt at the centre of things with another wicket and a spectacular catch and when Yardy was joined by Joseph at 109 for 5 it was advantage Derbyshire. This was turned on its head by a stand of 179 which exposed the limitations of the home attack, in particular the inability of anybody to bowl a consistent line and of the four seamers only Gronewald went for less than five an over. This led to frequent field changes, exacerbated by the right hand left hand combination and the over rate was showing minus three when at 'tea time' there were still ten overs to be bowled before the players' could have refreshment.

When tea was finally taken at 4:30 Sussex were only 11 runs behind. I left at this point and by the end of a day extended by the slow over rate and a heavy shower the visitors had built a winning position, leading by 105 with two first innings wickets remaining, assuming that Joyce will bat. It is not hard to sense that any early season euphoria at The County Ground has evaporated. During the afternoon the small crowd seemed to retreat into a mood that suggested they were already resigned to the  outcome of the season. Chanderpaul, in whom much hope (and money) has been invested looked uninterested as he trotted from third man to fine leg and back again as the strike rotated. Largely thanks to an unbeaten 87 against Notts he is averaging 37 in the championship but in five of his six completed innings he has not passed twenty. Perhaps today will be his day for if Derbyshire bat poorly again this match might not enter a fourth day.

 My friends from Sussex are not returning home until Saturday afternoon and may have mixed feelings about how long they would like the match to last but with Saturday's forecast anticipating rain they will probably settle for a finish today and the continuance of their good start to the season.

PLEASENT DAY OUT AT TRENT BRIDGE

By Brian Sanderson,

I had thought about going to Trent Bridge yesterday but the weather forecast said rain so decided to go to-day.They played all day yesterday but I was told there was a cold wind.To-day was warmier and again rain showers were forecast in the afternoon.

The two umpires came out in the morning but decided to leave the match ball in the pavilion.When it was found the last Nottingham wicket fell after the second ball.Leaving them with a total of 274.The announcer stated that there was a school team from Jersey in the ground and had been playing local Nottingham sides.I ,have never seen cricket in Jersey but Tony Hutton once spent a week watching a International tourament on the island.

I moved round to the Radcliffe stand as it was undercover and very near to the wicket.During the morning Surrey lost five wickets for 47 due to good bowling and some uneven bounce in the wicket at the Radcliffe end.During the morning Brian Senior turned up and was going to the Cricket forum at lunch-time.I went to the cafe and had a good lunch.

During the afternoon Gary Wilson,from Northern Island ,and Gareth Batty, from Bradford Yorkshire, but on a partnreship of 91 runs making the bowling look easy.When tea time was arrived I moved into the Nottingham cricket library run byPeter Wynne-Thomas.The library consists of 15000 cricket books which is the largest club collection in the World.Peter had been to the Melbourne Cricket Museum and they had 10,000 cricket books.I spent a very pleasent thirty minutes in the library looking at some 1930,s scrapbooks.

At the end of the afternoon Surrey were bowled out for 207 leaving Nottingham with a small lead.The photograph is of the stand to the left of the pavilion.

I must thank all our page viewers from America and Russia and hope they enjoy myself and John,s  visits round the cricket grounds.

Championship Round Up Part Two

posted by John Winn

In the Second Division Northants are setting a strong pace with three wins out of four. The Wantage Road outfit suffered last day misery in 2009 when a victory for Essex at Derby denied them promotion in circumstances which had they occurred at Newmarket would have brought a stewards' enquiry. 2012 was their worst season since their relegation in 2004 and, if one ignores the boundary between the two divisions, their worst since 1978. With Crook, Willey and Copeland nearing 60 wickets between them they have maximum bowling points and after a drawn opening game in Cardiff three thumping wins see them 23 points clear of second place Lancashire. Perhaps the horrors of 26/9/09 will be laid to rest this year.

Relegated one season after being champions Lancashire will be desperate to 'do a Yorkshire' and return to first division cricket in 2014. If an ability to eke out victories from impossible situations is the passport back to Division One then who can doubt that they will succeed for their wins against Glamorgan and Essex have come by 14 runs and three wickets respectively with the latter achieved with a ball to spare. Equal on 44 points are Gloucestershire and Hampshire.  Australian Michael Klinger, who was with Worcestershire last season, has two hundreds to his name and it may be that 'Glorse' may have more than a wooden spoon to show for this season's efforts. They have not played first division cricket since 2005. Hampshire finished fourth last year and would have hopes of improving on that but their only win this campaign was over strugglers Worcestershire.

Essex and Glamorgan have a win apiece and are separated by just two points but the Welsh side have a game in hand and they would have been third had they just scored 15 more runs at Colwyn Bay. The last three places are occupied by three winless sides, Leicestershire, Kent and Worcestershire. The Pears looked a very modest side when I saw them at Cardiff last month and there is a danger that they may lose their reputation as the 'yoyo' side of the championship simply by remaining in Division Two. I'm sure Steve Rhodes believes their position is a false one but we may have a better idea when they face Kent at Canterbury this weekend.

The forecast of sun and showers at Weetwood  yesterday proved correct but did not deter a goodly gathering of pcws nor did it spoil an entertaining and high scoring match. Durham II brought a strong side and it was a  third wicket partnership of 275 between Jennings and Richardson that saw them reach 296 for 3 off their 45 overs. The two South Africans each scored centuries as they had done against Notts II last week and although Richardson hasn't tasted championship action this season both will feel they deserve consideration for next week's Riverside meeting with Middlesex. Pleasingly Geoff Cook was there to watch.

Leeds/Bradford Universities were not daunted by such a large total and tucked into the opening attack of Claydon and Harrison. Some measure of control was restored by academy players, Max Morley and Josh Bousefield and Morley finished with 4 for 33 in the universities' total of 263 for 8. Morley is an interesting left arm spinner with a Huddersfield pedigree but who joined Durham last year. His surname was consistently spelt Morely on twitter yesterday but I have stuck with the handbook version.

It is a shocker in the Lower Ure Valley this morning and although there are a number of university matches scheduled in Leeds today it has not been difficult to decide to stay at home but tomorrow is a different matter. My Sussex supporting friends are at Derby and it would be nice to have a day there but racing at The Knavesmire is a counter attraction. Talk about swings and roundabouts for the train fare I save by not going to Derby may well end up lining the satchel of Honest Joe Johnson of Doncaster. Decisions, Decisions.

Championship Round Up

posted by John Winn

The County Championship draws breath today but just for a day for there are six matches starting tomorrow and with most counties having played at least 25% of their games it seems not inappropriate to take stock.

Durham's win over Surrey yesterday, their first ever championship victory at The Oval, sees them back on top of the first division. Not bad for a team tipped by Cricketer magazine to finish bottom and  who are unable to afford an overseas player or at least as skipper Collingwood said 'the ones we can afford are no better than the players we have already'. In winning three of their first five games they have far exceeded my expectations and continued the resurgence begun under Collingwood midway through last season. They now have over a week's rest before meeting Middlesex at Chester le Street next week, a rest that is apart from having to travel to Southampton for a YB40 game at the weekend.

Middlesex are in second place having played a game fewer than Durham  and with two wins to their name will be happy with their start and their trip to Taunton tomorrow is an enticing affair for Somerset are surely numbered amongst the sides who will not be happy with the first quarter of the season. Winless and with a loss to Durham and an escape against Yorkshire thanks to rain can hardly be what Dave Nosworthy expected.

Like Durham, Yorkshire may also feel things have gone just about as well as they could have hoped for, especially after the bruising start aginst Sussex. Tomorrow they enter the Bears' den and must face up to life, for the time being at least, without Root, Bairstow,  Bresnan and the injured Brooks. If Bresnan is left out of the England XI on Thursday might we see him dash up to Edgbaston to join in after four sessions?

Sussex are undefeated in their three games and will not be too fearful of taking on Derbyshire tomorrow. Notts must also be considered to have had a disappointing start with two defeats, both at Trent Bridge, but they too have played only three matches and welcome Surrey tomorrow. The men from Kennington are surely the biggest underperformers especially given their outlay on players. With Graeme Smith back in South Africa their first three against Durham read Burns, Roy and  Harinath with Wilson, who when promoted to three against Sussex scored a century, batting at seven. 'Marquee signing' Solanki is averaging over 40, but might be a little disappointed that he has not converted any of his seven innings into three figures.

Derbyshire like others in past seasons are finding the step up from second division hard to climb and although their batting failures have been highlighted they have collected only 50% of their bowling points which compounds their difficulties. There will be those who have them marked for an immediate return to the Second Division but they might take heart from Durham last year who failed to win any of their first ten games and yet still finished sixth, form they have carried through into 2013.

Second Division tomorrow, off to Weetwood this morning for Leeds/Bradford University v Durham II, sunshine and showers anticipated.

Weetwood tomorrow

posted by John Winn

LeedsBradford University have just confirmed on twitter (Monday 4:30) that the game at Weetwood tomorrow against Durham II will begin at 11:30 and will be of 45 overs duration

Cestrians beat the rain and Harrogate

posted by John Winn

After the sunshine of the bank holiday weekend it has been back to cold and wet weather since Friday and watching cricket has been a fairly miserable experience especially if you were a Harrogate supporter at St George's Road yesterday.

After a day off on Thursday I returned to Headingley on Friday having suggested not entirely seriously in my last blog that Yorkshire could conjure up a third championship victory of the season from their match with Somerset. And how close they came and it would only be the most ardent West Country supporter who would deny that they were saved by the weather. Persistent drizzle and poor light prevented play before lunch and persuaded many that they could find better things to do than hang about  the long room. This blogger very nearly joined that company for at 1:30 I decided I would go home but not until I had had a walk into the local shopping area and as I left I took a pass out ticket. No sooner had I climbed the hill than it did brighten a little and I returned to the ground to hear the announcement that play would begin at 2:10.

Most readers will be aware of what happened next, namely that Yorkshire took three quick wickets to leave Somerset 222 for 8 but then a partnership between Thomas and Brooks took them to tea at 243 for 8 at which point I decided, for the second time in the day, to go home and this time I did: the result of which was that I missed eight wickets going down as for the second time in eight days Brooks struck  a rich vein and with help from Patterson reduced Somerset to 46 for 6. Alas this time the fairy tale did not quite come true for Captain Trescothick found support from Thomas and saw out time until the captains shook hands with just three balls left. Somerset coach Dave Nosworthy was gracious enough to admit his side had been outplayed. He will be disappointed and I imagine not a little surprised that after four games his troops are without a championship win. They face an intriguing fixture with Middlesex at Taunton this week.

Saturday saw me in Darlington, primarily to attend a book fair at my old school where I was a pupil more than fifty years ago and where I taught for a while in the late sixties. I had not been in the building since the mid eighties and felt very nostalgic walking through its corridors again, Didn't have carpets in my day! After lunch with  my friend Mike Taylerson (our Hartlepool correspondent) we went to the town's cricket ground where Brian had been earlier in the week. Here Darlington II were playing their Marton counterparts in an NYSD Division One game with the home side batting and after a poor start recovering to make 175 all out, largely due to 86 from Callum Lethbridge. At one point Darlington had been 135 for 3 but were undone by young left arm spinner Harry Peacock who finished with 5 for 29.

The players had to leave the field for about 20 minutes during  a shower but the sun did shine at times and it was not unpleasant sitting at the front of the pavilion. We left shortly before tea but Darlington's total did not cause Marton too much trouble and they reached the target in the forty first over with Graham Shaw hitting an undefeated 108.

I had been looking forward to my choice of Sunday cricket for it presented an opportunity to see teams representative of two ECB premier leagues with Harrogate the home team and Chester le Street their visitors from the North East. It turned out to be a damp squib in more than one way. Harrogate were a little understrength, but they did have eight of those who had easily beaten Cleethorpes the day before and yet they were never really in the game. The Cestrians got off to a flying start led by Simon Birtwistle, former Durham II player and who had scored 122 not out against Durham Academy on Saturday and he received good support from all the top order including Durham Development player Usman Arshad. The more optimistic among the small group of home supporters who tolerated the light rain and cold wind, thought they might hold Chester le Street to 250 but 42 off 23 balls from Liam Simpson knocked that into a cocked hat and the innings closed on 300 for 7. It would be unfair to record any of the bowling figures.

If 300 was even a remote possibility then 'Gate need a good start and when opener Twigg went for 0 the tarot cards were indicating gloom to match the weather and with only George Ross making a decent fist of things Harrogate were bowled out for 90. Leading wicket taker was Chester and former Durham II skipper Quentin Hughes and as the tenth wicket fell  the rain increased to the point where the umpires would have had to enter the labyrinth wherein are kept the wet weather regulations for this competition.

During the game I bumped into Jennifer Ellison who informed me  that Tuesday's game between Yorkshire Academy and Hyderabad Under 19s had been cancelled which will come as a disappointment to a number of pcws. I note that the Indian youngsters' match with Lancs Academy has also been cancelled. Somebody suggested that they had arrived in England and, thinking it was winter, got straight back on the plane and who could blame them? There is alternative entertainment at Weetwood tomorrow with a one day friendly between Leeds/Bradford and Durham Universities. Also at Masham, Yorks over 60s take on Northumberland and Durham.