One last trip to Scarborough

Brian Sanderson farewells the Yorkshire Seconds

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Early yesterday morning, I embarked on a journey to Scarborough, passing through Fulford to collect a companion. Our progress was hindered by an unexpected delay on the A62 just outside York, causing us to arrive at the cricket ground at 11:15. Fortunately, the match, a three-day Championship encounter between Yorkshire and Durham Seconds, had been postponed by half an hour due to poor light.

Yorkshire had been dismissed for 204, and Durham had lost only one wicket. To my delight, I managed to procure a scorecard—a rare find for a Second XI match. Among the Durham players an unusual name caught my eye: Sebastian Hughes Pinan. He turned out to be a left-arm spinner who has represented Spain in T10 matches against Portugal and Romania. Another unfamiliar figure was Brandon Glover, a Dutch-South African who has played for the Netherlands since 2019.

As we settled into our seats at the Trafalgar Square end, we witnessed Sebastian being bowled by Tom Bradley for 12. The bowlers, aided by the conditions, found success with the ball moving both ways—a stark contrast to the week I’ve just spent at Headingley. By lunchtime, Durham was struggling at 94 for five after 27 overs. The chill in the air prompted me to indulge in a warm pie for lunch.

Upon my return, Haydon Mustard was caught by Jawad Akhtar off Dom Leech, who has recently signed a three-year contract with Northamptonshire. Shortly thereafter, Mitchell Killeen was caught by Joshua Hoyle off Tom Bradley. Brandon Glover and Robbie Bowman then forged a quick 50-run partnership, but Bowman was eventually caught by Yash Vagadia off Ben Cliff for 24, leaving Durham at 181 in 42 overs.

At tea, Yorkshire had lost both openers for a mere 12 runs. The weather improved, and patches of blue sky emerged. Harry Duke was caught in the slips by Luke Symington off Jack Brassell for 21. However, Noah Kelly and Will Bennison steadied the innings with a partnership of 107. As we prepared to leave, Jawad Akhtar was caught by Robbie Bowman off James Minto.

The drive back to Headingley was much smoother, and I discovered that Yorkshire had reached 235 for 6, leading by 258 runs. This sets the stage for an intriguing final day.

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.