Typhoon Lilian on Friday caused havoc across the region [and further afield watching the news]The strong winds seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye, but in that time they had caused trees to fall, branches to be strewn across the road, roofs and other vulnerable structures except for a single roof tile and a trampoline here and there.
Due to my own stupidity, I forgot to remove the heavy canvas cover from our garden gazebo, and I set out on Friday afternoon to repair the damaged sunshade. It will need a lot of maintenance during the winter months to get it back in shape before the summer comes.
Saturday’s weather looks equally mixed, with the tail end of a storm still blowing across the country from Lands’ End to John O’Groats (or perhaps Lizard Point to Dunnet Head?).
Rain and strong winds were forecast, and frankly, I was worried that the match I was attending would be postponed or cancelled due to the conditions being unplayable.
A few games stood out as I tried to plan my day, but when I saw that Division Seven league leaders Crakehall were visiting Burton Leonard, my mind was made up, and I set off for Ripon.
I was accompanied by my 11 year old daughter Aibhlínn as she is crazy about cricket and seems to be really enjoying the season.
We arrived in the village a little over an hour before the first party and headed straight to the small shop to buy drinks and something to eat, as we were both hungry.
The shop is filled with local produce and there is so much to choose from!
Refreshed, we headed out onto the field via a narrow lane between two houses, along High Peter Lane, and pulled into a small car park between the tennis courts and the bowling club.
Over the past decade, I have visited this club many times and I know that the car park is just a short distance from the crease. I have seen many a six hit that way, curling high into the air as the interested onlookers hold their breath, waiting to see if they have missed the car in the car park stakes.
I backed my car as far away from the rope as possible, confident that there would be some protection from other vehicles parking after us.
When some players show up, they park on the side of the road, trying to use the high fence around the tennis court as a barrier between them and a possible skin-on-metal encounter!
We introduced ourselves and during our conversation we were told of the damage the cricket club had suffered in the storm. Across the pavilion, just past the car park, were the remains of a batting net that had been moved, a jumble of pipes and metal netting, balanced on a wooden fence and much of it in the bowling club.
Apparently, the net had been anchored on the other side of the ground and in a very short time had come loose, crossed the oval, and become embedded in the fence, with its wheels now pointing skyward.
We wandered around the grounds, noting the little details that make the club what it is. A solid-looking brick scoreboard in one corner opposite the pavilion hides a small path and entrance to several large pitches.
In the corner of the land next to the pavilion, a pair of horses eyed us suspiciously from behind the fence as we walked, and behind the pavilion was a large playground next to a tennis court. Overall, the land was very compact and provided a number of great facilities for the village.
The home side won the toss and opted to play in barely perceptible drizzle and a gusty wind that was starting to pick up slightly. I have been told about the first meeting between the two teams earlier in the season (see John’s report) was somewhat one-sided, with Crakehall winning the match comfortably.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, as on several occasions during my time at the ground I had witnessed the home team play some fantastic cricket to win matches, and on one visit I witnessed Dan Thirkell score a century for Burton Leonard with some great hits to the car park, bowling club and tennis courts.
Quiet confidence
Crakehall played well, but to be honest, not as well as I thought. I know it’s probably just my opinion, but considering they are the league leaders and are above an impressive Starbeck team in the league, I expect some big shots to be fired into the four corners of the field.
In contrast, the visitors played their game solidly and methodically, initially appearing happy to take singles. Captain Chris Wooding and Tris Ramsbottom, the opening batsman for Crakehall, built the score with confidence.
Chris then hit 43 off 84 balls faced, but it was Andy Nelson who top-scored for the visitors with 59 off 29 balls, hitting four sixes and four fours in a superb batting display.
Connor’s Capture
Burton Leonard’s Connor Caswell was the highlight of the innings for the fielding team as he took a smart catch off his own bowling, diving to his left to hold a hard-hit shot that would have surely gone for four points had he not held it!
The visitors set a challenging total of 219 for six in their 40 overs; a score that would seem elusive for most teams.
Any half-baked notions that the home side would be quickly dismissed by a low total were dispelled when Burton Leonard’s first few batsmen held their wickets doggedly, and despite not scoring many runs, managed to put points on the board with regularity.
When you are about to take a drink, there are several things you need to pay attention to.
✈️ Unscheduled landing
First, the run rate was relatively low, and Burton Leonard looked headed for a loss as they had about a third of their required total and [obviously] half of the overs were gone.
Second, a glider was seen getting lower and lower, as the players and spectators watched it fall below the tree line a few fields away. Since there was no airstrip near the village, this landing was unscheduled, and fortunately they were able to take advantage of open farmland that had just been harvested.
After the excitement was over, the home side came back into the game to play out the final 20 overs. Any thoughts that this would be a dismal ending were soon dispelled.
With the home side needing around 11 runs per over, Crakehall looked relaxed on the field and were eyeing 20 points to help them maintain their top spot in the league.
Russell Waller had hit 15 off 25 balls before being bowled by George Petts; which was followed by a superb innings of 73 off 50 balls by Sam Sladen.
With about five overs remaining, the visitors were starting to worry that the hard-hitting home team could reach the set total and win the game!
Julien Baker added to the visitors’ discomfort as he got involved in the high scoring, and they tried to stop the boundary being reached by pushing the defenders to the ropes…at the risk of allowing a single.
Then the excitement increased as a plane began to circle low over the ground, disappearing behind the trees at the side of the car park.
Moments later, the engine roared to life again, and we watched the plane re-emerge from some fields with the glider in tow, flying quickly and turning to gain height above the ground before heading back towards York.
Attention turned back to the game and the final five overs. Thirteen runs were scored in the 35th over and Crakehall’s total looked tempting for the home side. The visitors were now seriously worried.
Then disaster struck for Burton Leonard when Sam Sladen was bowled by Andy Nelson, and the in-form batsman trudged back to the pavilion.
The main threat now came from Julien Baker…but two overs later, he was gone after scoring 39 off 41 balls, also bowled by Andy Nelson.
Those two wickets proved vital in stemming the flow of points, and the final wicket fell in the next over, with the visitors winning a thrilling game by just 24 runs in the end.
Crakehall picked up the full points to stay top of Division Seven, but interestingly, Starbeck ‘stumbled’ in their bid to reach the top spot after picking up ‘only’ 19 points from a home win over Burnt Yates and dropped one place to third, while Ben Rhydding picked up the full 20 points from an away win at Pannal Ash, to jump up to second in the table.
With a maximum of 80 points still available, and just 11 points separating the three teams – it will be a thrilling battle for the title.
The next round of fixtures sees Ben Rhydding at home to Starbeck, while Crakehall welcomes fourth-placed Pannal Ash…in what could be a defining weekend.
All I can say is, this division will be going all the way to the last day!
✍️ Check out the match photos below and you can read about us visit to Crakehalland explore other things Nidderdale Cricket League Articles Here.
MATCH PHOTOS
Want to read more?
Thanks to Mark for capturing the highlights of Burton Leonard 2nd XI’s clash with Crakehall 1st XI in the Theakston Nidderdale League Division Seven.
This is all articles and photos by Mark at Yorkshire Cricket.
To see more of his photography results, you can visit caughtlight.com or he @caughtlight on Twitter/X.
There are also Facebook Captured Light Photography page.
I also highly recommend his blog called Leica Moment which includes days around North Yorkshire.
#Crakehall #Doesnt #Stop #Wind #Soars