Seniors Yorkshire Tour 2024
update: Thursday July 11th 2024:
Greetings from oop norf.
To the great surprise of many, the tour party awoke on Monday morning to the sight of sun flooding in through the windows of their hotel. Most had anticipated just seeing a flood through their room windows. Henceforth, following a hearty breakfast, and a final gathering of the dribs and drabs of the 28 strong party, it will soon be time to set off for Gargrave. A village visited back in 2011 when a combined Yorkshire senior’s team were our opposition.
Yay, woohoo, light the lights, put up the decorations, hold a party, preferably in the streets, but after one barren season without a tour victory, followed by another with only one success, the shackles of despair have finally been cast to one side, with a 35 run victory over a Gargrave XI.
Two Counties Veterans XI 144-7 (40 overs)
Gargrave XI 109 all out (27.3 overs)
So how did this first victory in almost three years come about? Some might say skilful captaincy, but after a headcount we found only the captain voting in favour of that. Some might say the contribution of our two overseas imports, Bevin Guthrie and Lloyd Blomfield, they got two votes. Which still left the remaining players and the assembled band of support to cast their votes. The Umpires got a couple of votes, but the overwhelming majority just thought we were simply “fortunate” or even “lucky”, a fluke was even cast by more than one.
However, a win is a win and must never been derided. It may, looking out of the window on this Tuesday morning, remain as our only completed match of the week, as the weather is and is forecast to remain: dire.
On the actual field of play, Nick Meakin, so often our leading tour run scorer, has given himself a mountain to climb after being trapped in mud in front of the three wooden poles. He is now left to contemplate when he will face his second ball of the tour. Karl Storey showed some glimpses of class, not least with his time keeping after being late up for the team building breakfast, with his 24. John Gallant, his fellow opener, did reach 10, but after that, only Bevin Guthrie shone. He scored 53, but sadly he was unable to conclude the innings with a not out.
Gargrave then played with a spirit of adventure which saw the “win predictor” swing wildly about. Eventually it settled firmly towards the Two Counties team. Martin Southwell, statistically, causing most havoc with 5-27 from six overs, also Trevor Money’s 2-6 from six overs, four of which were maidens, should not be overlooked. However, to help seal his Man of the Match performance, Bevin Guthrie backed up his half-century, with 3-13 from less than four overs, two of those wickets coming from catches taken by Lloyd Blomfield on the mid-wicket boundary.
Sadly, we have all arisen to the deluge from hell this morning. This shall not stop us setting off for Steeton however.
Predictably the incessant rain was too much and, for the first time in many visits to the lovely ground, a ball was not bowled. Just to test our general knowledge (no eronious comments required), a five round quiz was organised. Overall, a combined team of Steetonites and Messrs. Gallant and Meakin cruised an extremely comfortable 7 point win over our best team of non-Steetonites, the famous 301, of Revell, Isaac, Guthrie and Digweed. The 301 signifying their combined age, not their combined IQ. Overall, it was probably fair to say that the winners had home field advantage, and had probably heard the questions before????
So off we went to Skipton on Wednesday, hopefully to play Skipton Church Institute Cricket Club. All in vain as the weather failed to relent. Two consecutive days and no cricket. So back to the hotel we traipsed, looking forward to the football being watched at The Elm Tree in Embsay in the evening.
Obviously much excitement was attained from the overwhelming thrashing the English knights handed out to the Dutch cheesemakers, because at the last count Ollie Watkins has now scored the identical goal about 126 times, that must be a new world goal scoring record.
So we arrive at Thursday, the last full day of our tour of waterlogged Yorkshire cricket pitches. Today it is off to Sutton-in-Craven CC, which is very handily placed right smack bang next to a small stream. I fully anticipate this stream will be more akin to a raging torrent.
The tour was wound up unsuccessfully but in a cliff-hanger finish the home team got home to a two wicket victory. The Two Counties team appeared to have the match in their pocket after posting a total of 171-6 from their 40 overs. Paul Wakefield, Bevin Guthrie, Stuart Stobbs, and Nick Meakin being the main contributors.
The home team fought back, largely due to a second wicket stand of 135 between Choudry and Walton. From 146-1 they then found crossing the winning line a but more tricky, losing six wqckets for just 15 runs. In a nerve jangling conclusion the scores were levelled off the penultimate ball, and victory sealed off the final ball despite the heroic efforts of John Morgan to take a miracle catch.
