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I left my house at nine o’clock yesterday, a bit later than the day before, for my destination, York, was less than an hour’s drive from Headingley. It is a club I have visited regularly over the years. Today it was hosting an important tie in Group B of the MetroBank One Day Cup.
In the group are Essex, Leicestershire, Sussex, Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. The latter were taking on Sussex. The first two people I chatted to were the groundsmen; both were looking forward to the rain forecast for Thursday.
Today, however, the sun was shining. Sussex won the toss and elected to field. There were a number of names on the team sheets that I did not recognise—including the exotic-sounding Zach Lion-Cachet, who has earned a call-up from the Sussex seconds. Yorkshire had a twenty-one-year-old opener, Will Luxton, who has been playing for the England Under-19s, and was soon out bowled by Ari Karvelas, a South African fast bowler who has represented Greece. Finlay Bean (whom, for a mercy, I did recognise) played some expansive shots, and could have been out earlier than he was. Ultimately he was caught by Charlie Tear off Karvelas for 37. Tear is a Scottish keeper who has played for the national side and for Gloucestershire.
As perhaps you can see from this brief chronicle, one needs a supercomputer these days, or failing that an up-to-date Playfair, to identify the players in this competition. The reason is not far to seek: It is limited to players who have not been picked up by any of the Hundred teams. What a sad degradation of this once-excellent cup. How will England players thrive the fifty-over game if they never play it domestically?
Yorkshire captain Shan Masood was required to play a steady innings to help his team to a respectable total, reaching 63 before he ran himself out going for an impossible two. Then Harry Duke, the wicketkeeper, arrived at the crease. He has just come back from playing for the county against West Indies. Yesterday, with the help of Dom Bess, he brought the Yorkshire total up to 261 in the final over.
My lunch was tongue sandwiches and malt bread—an interesting contrast to the delights of Mrs Mulholland the day before. When Sussex batted, they reached 123 for four at the halfway stage, and were in with a good chance, but then Ben Coad came back to bowl and had Lion-Cachet caught behind by Duke for twelve. The next five batters amassed just 59, so Yorkshire won by 49 runs.
Yorkshire’s next match is against Gloucestershire, again at York, on Friday.
Brian Sanderson is an ACS member. He serves on the Yorkshire Cricket Archives Committee. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.