A rain-interrupted odyssey

Brian Sanderson braves the elements to catch some autumn cricket

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Originally today my heart was set on York, where the hosts were to engage Castleford in the Northern Premier League. But the capricious English weather, which promised rain at the stroke of one, compelled me to alter my course. And so I left this morning for New Farnley, a suburb of Leeds, where the local club, a very go-ahead outfit, were eighteen points clear at the summit of the Bradford League. Their adversaries were the formidable Woodlands, only a place behind.

The match commenced at the civilised hour of 11:30, and I arrived just as the first ball was leaving the bowler’s hand. Woodlands were batting first with openers Brad Schmulian and Tom Jackson. The former, typically a stalwart at number three, had elevated himself to the vanguard. On the bowling front, New Farnley presented two intriguing figures: Mark Lawson and German Ranhawa, both erstwhile Yorkshire spinners, but Lawson here opened the attack with medium-fast deliveries.

The first two batsmen played very confidently, negotiating the bowling with aplomb. The sun graced us with its presence for a fleeting ten minutes, only to retreat again behind a curtain of grey. Positioned behind the bowler’s arm, I saw the groundsman, ever vigilant, maneouvering his tractor closer to the covers just as the first drops began to fall. I took the cue and moved nearer to the pavilion.

After twenty overs, I went to my car for some sandwiches, and for relief from the encroaching chill, and it was while I was eating that the rain arrived in earnest, with Woodlands a robust 114 for no wicket. The downpour was stubborn, and after an hour’s wait, I reluctantly headed home. But it ceased, typically, while I was on the road, and this permitted me a detour to see Kirkstall Education take on Green Lane in the third division of the Airedale and Wharfedale League.

Upon my arrival, under a sky still heavy and a breeze that whispered autumn, I found Green Lane precariously placed at ninety for six. Bradley Atkinson had valiantly scored half the runs. The chief architect of his team-mates’ troubles was the opening bowler, Harry Costello, who took a haul of five. The spinners continued the demolition, and Green Lane concluded their innings at 151, with Atkinson unbeaten on 84.

The match was finely poised, and I yearned to see it to its conclusion. But the cold was too much, and at length I sought the warmth of my hearth. Later, consulting my computer, I learnt that the New Farnley match had been abandoned, with both sides sharing the spoils. This result was sufficient for New Farnley to clinch the Bradford League title. Hearty congratulations to them. I’ve heard nothing yet of the Kirkstall Education match.

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.