Dringhouses CC vs Golden Ball CC - 10 June 2007

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Match Report by Whitty Whittingham

The venue for the game versus Dringhouses had been changed due to the Bootham Park outfield having been dug up, however, the St Helens Road ground was an ideal alternative on a hot June afternoon. Captain Pete Mitchell won the toss and elected to bat, opening himself with Andy Hellewell, who was returning from his opening game injury at Rose and Crown. Larner opened the bowling from the Pavilion End and bowled a superbly going for two runs off his first two overs. At the Tesco End Bibby bowled with similar ferocity although Hellewell, now fully recovered from his horror injury, played a beautiful shot for four. Both batsmen settled quickly against a very strong bowling attack and played steadily until Hellewell was adjudged to be leg before wicket for 13 runs after a Larner ball stayed low and straight.

All-American Superstar Charno came in for what would be his last innings before his mid-season break and immediately hit a beautiful four, followed by two more quick-fire boundaries. However, whilst Mitchell (C) was settled and scoring well, Charno fell victim to the first change bowler, Tom Owen, who bowled the delivery of the day, a textbook leg-break that pitched wide of leg stump and whipped back to hit the top of middle. Charno made a schoolboy error, trying to hoof the ball to cow corner, only to see his bails disturbed. Gabbatiss, the Golden Ball “Golden Boy” at 15 years old, came in and settled into the longest partnership of the game with skipper Mitchell. The oldest and youngest players on the Golden Ball team batted well against Owen and the diminutive yet rapid Charlie Clamp. Owen's figures suffered at the end of his spell as he tired and pitched the ball too short.

Matty Horner and Jack Aaron entered the attack, and Aaron took the key wicket of Mitchell (for 36) in his second over, getting the ball to lift alarmingly from a good length and inducing an edge which was well caught by Owen at second slip. The next in to bat was Alistair Cross, who came to the crease on the back of a midweek 49*, looking particularly French with a strange cricket beret. However, after a single run was taken Cross’s wicket was the first of two to fall in quick succession being caught by Clamp off Horner's bowling. Gabbatiss followed him back to the pavilion three balls later being clean bowled by Horner. Grady, returning from an extended rest, joined Edward Cross, who had replaced his brother. Cross Snr looked a little edgy initially but then settled whilst the gifted Neil Grady set about dispatching the Dringhouses bowlers around the park. Unfortunately Cross Snr was sent back to the pavilion after being bowled by Horner. Larner, back on for his second spell, saw Grady hit a shot into the hands of Aaron for an excellent 33.

Berry came in and meticulously watched the ball onto the bat, holding the end up whilst Pat Gibbs played some nice shots which were unfortunately missed by the scorer but not by the adulating, if not a little merry, fans on the boundary. Gibbs ended up with, erm, some runs not out, whilst Berry also scored some runs, possibly. By this stage the scorer was so awestruck by the sublime batting which saw the Golden Ball CC accrue in excess of 200 runs that he neglected to notice the wicket of Berry fall and he be replaced by Millward at 10 who also hit, erm, some runs. At the end of the innings Golden Ball had put on a very respectable total of 203 runs. This innings saw ‘Rooney’ Gabbatiss move to the top of the runs table with 79, leaving Charno at second with 67 and Mitchell (C) with 63 in third place.

A good tea in the pavilion was the reward for both teams who had endured the scorching summer sun and there was an air of optimism among the Golden Ball CC players as they watched the West Indies get close to their target in the Old Trafford Test Match.

Golden Ball CC eagerly took to the field with Duncan Wright opening from the Tesco End. He bowled a superb maiden over, with his flowing hair and characteristic hop enhancing his beautiful swing bowling against the Dringhouses openers John Crowe and John Patrick. Millward also bowled well from the Pavilion End and after three overs only one run had been taken. In the fourth over Millward’s hard work was rewarded with the prize wicket of the talented Patrick, bowled by a nipbacker for four runs. This looked promising for the Golden Ball, however, they had not reckoned with the number three batsman, Sam Bibby, who made an immediate impact scoring on his first ball with a single. Millward was rested and replaced by ‘Mr Line-and-Length’ Hellewell at the Pavilion End but the batsmen seemed to pick him up quickly sending him for eight off his first over.

Charno replaced Wright from the Tesco End and bowled his first loosener to gullly. His bowling continued to perplex the batsmen (and fielders) with some deliveries pinging down around the wickets whilst the others flew past the unfortunate Gabbatiss behind the stumps. Charno’s erratic bowling did, however, pay off as he delivered a speedy yorker to the opener Crowe’s feet which he lofted up to Berry at square leg for 32. Chris Storey came in to bat as Mitchell and Grady came on to bowl but failed to slow the run rate, despite the best attempts by Neil ‘Larwood and Voce’ Grady who viciously bowled two consecutive balls into the boxes of the Dringhouses batsman. Mitchell (C) eventually made a late breakthrough bowling Bibby through the gate after a superb knock of 52.

Thrall arrived at the crease as the spectators and players alike applauded Bibby’s innings. Gabbatiss was brought from behind the stumps to bowl with A Cross, who had made a tremendous ‘flop-stop’ earlier in the game, replacing the youngster. Cross made a notable difference reducing the extras as Gabbatiss tried to make the breakthrough as Millward bowled his second spell but it was all too late. Storey hit a very respectable 49* and Thrall hit the winning runs off the unfortunate Berry who, bowling with his uniquely-angled run up, failed to prevent Dringhouses reaching their target of 204 with 11 overs remaining. This fielding performance left Whittingham as leading wicket taker with 5-38, Millward 3-34 and Gabbatiss 3-59.

The turnout for the third innings was diminished, however, after a few drinks at Dringhouses, Tatlioglu, Charno, Whittingham and Cocker showed for the Golden Ball with Cocker the only batsmen not out at 11.

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Damage to Bootham Park - Here We Go Again

It's happened again. Last year the damage was along the boundary, but this time there are two large patches of disturbed mud (one a mere 10 yards from the edge of the square) with a small lake in between. It looks like the water main has flooded and somebody has taken an excavator onto the outfield to find the manhole to turn it off. It looks like the first bit of digging has obliterated the tap we use to water the square.

Whatever happened, it has made it impossible for us to play at home this weekend. As a consequence, this week's game will now take place at Dringhouses CC.

Wellington CC vs Golden Ball CC - 3 June 2007

Standing: Geoff Arnott(wk), Gary Millward, Tim Wills, Tom Fremlin, Whitty Whittingham, Kev Scully.
Kneeling: Tim Tatlioglu, Michael Charno, Pete Mitchell(c) Jack Gabbatiss(wk), John Patrick(wk)

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Match Report by Whitty Whittingham

The Retreat was an idyllic setting for the game of cricket between Wellington CC and Golden Ball CC on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. Golden Ball CC batted first with Pete Mitchell (C) and John Patrick, playing his first game of the season, opening. Mitchell hit a single off his first delivery from AlsnBaldock at the Stray End and Patrick held his end up for the remainder of the over. JohnBullock came on from the Sanatorium End and made an immediate impact getting Mitchell triggered leg before wicket by umpire Gary Millward for one run. Michael Charno replaced Mitchell and hit a quick-fire 26 before being caught at wide long off by Howard Leadley - a superb take over his shoulder as Charno searched out the boundary yet again.

Tim Tatlioglu came on and steadied the ship at one end whilst the impressive youngster, Patrick, started to settle and hit some sublime shots. Tatlioglu unfortunately didn’t hit more than a single run as he was caught by John Galloway off the bowling of Simon Brereton after 14 balls. The ever-reliable Kev Scully replaced Tatlioglu whilst Patrick, at the other end intimidated the bowlers with his supreme confidence and good running between the wickets.

The bowling change that saw Graham Roberts come on from the Stray End brought the wicket of Scully for five runs with a soft shot straight into the hands of Luke Mitchell. Golden Ball sent in part-time wicketkeeper/part-time ‘Sicknote’ Geoff Arnott to bat at number six. After a run of disappointing innings Arnott looked composed and hit two nice boundaries which sandwiched the shot of the day – a beautiful six which cleared the long-on boundary by several metres and landed in the middle of a family picnic. However, this elegant batting performance was brought to an abrupt end as Arnott, yet again, misjudged a ball which saw him being bowled by Roberts for a decent score of 16.

Meanwhile, Patrick was firmly established at the other end, playing textbook shots and finding the sweet spot with increasing frequency. This wicket brought together the best partnership of the innings between the two youngsters of the team as Jack ‘Rooney’ Gabbatiss entered the field. Rooney made an immediate impact, hitting a sweetly-timed four off his first delivery. This young partnership lasted for a solid half an hour until on 49, Patrick was caught by Tim Munday off the bowling of Luke Mitchell. His outstanding innings was greeted by applause from batting and fielding team alike as the promising youngster walked slowly back to the pavilion.

Whitty Whittingham came on and faced new bowler Wheatley from the Sanatorium End. He played very defensively trying to get his eye in and managed to edge a fortunate single down to backward square leg. In the next over, after a number of defensive shots he tried to hit out but managed to get a thick edge which spooned back up into the bowler’s hands for one run. Tom Fremlin replaced Whittingham and intended to steal a few runs with quick running, however, a comical mix up occurred, where both players seemed to agree not to run, and then Fremlin ran. He was run out by yards for a duck. Gabbatiss, clearly shaken by this, saw his wicket fall as he was adjudged to be leg before wicket for a respectable 35 to Wheatley’s bowling. Gary Millward and Tim Wills completed the tail and whilst Millward was looking confident, Wills was caught and bowled by Mitchell for a three-ball duck.

A superb tea, complete with samosas and Mr Kipling cakes was very well received by the visiting team who felt confident that they could defend their biggest score of the season.

Danny Sampson and Tim Munday opened the batting attack for Wellington CC facing Millward from the Stray End and Wills from the Sanatorium End. Both bowlers bowled superbly; Wills getting a maiden with his first over and Millward with his second. Wills bowled efficiently with his trademark grunt, conceding only 7 runs from his first 4 over spell. Millward, after a wayward first over, produced a spell of splice-rattling pace, making the occasional ball leap at the batsmen from a gook length. He was rewarded with Munday’s wicket fell thanks also to a superb one-handed catch from Gabbatiss at mid-off that Jonty Rhodes would have been proud of.

Sampson by this stage had settled into his rhythm and was selecting the balls that he could guide, often forcefully to the boundary.

Fremlin replaced Wills from the Sanatorium End and after a few looseners found his line and length and frustrated the batsmen with some direct bowling. Charno, replacing Millward, powerhoused his way into the batsmen with his unconventional arm from the Stray End. This infuriated the batsmen, especially Galloway, who didn’t know whether to charge down the wicket towards the powerful American or to stay in his crease and fish for the balls as they flew past him.

Whittingham replaced Fremlin as third change bowler from the Sanatorium End as Gabbatiss replaced Charno from the opposite end. Initially Whittingham struggled with his line but managed to get good purchase off the pitch, bowling a bouncer over Howard Leadley's head. Whittingham was quickly rewarded with the wicket of the wicketkeeper Galloway, who edged a shot to slip where it was caught under the chin of Arnott. Arnott had been replaced behind the stumps by the all-rounder Patrick, after Arnott grazed his finger nail through the keeper’s gloves.

Gabbatiss was unfortunate to be hit for three fours off his first over as Sampson started to hit out, however Whittingham was having more success at the other end beating the bat on a number of occasions and almost trapping Sampson lbw. Whittingham was rewarded with the prized wicket of Leadley who was bowled by a ball which pitched outside off stump but cut back in viciously to remove the bails. Alan Baldock joined his captain at the crease and soon set about building a match-winning partnership.

Tatlioglu got some turn and bounce but couldn’t make the breakthrough. Mitchell and Patrick bowled well in partnership but still the wicket wouldn't come. With only14 runs needed from the last four overs Mitchell reverted to his opening bowlers in a final quest for a wicket. Both Wills and Millward bowled well, but Sampson was now utilizing massive strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men: wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building, not to mention flicking a leg stump half-volley past fine leg for a one-bounce four.

Millward was rewarded, with Baldock's wicket as Gabbatiss (the second replacement keeper) took another great one-handed catch. However, the breakthrough was too little too late and Wellington CC won with seven balls to spare thanks to the mighty Sampson’s 67*.

At this early stage in the season the top three leading run-scorers for Golden Ball CC are M. Charno 53, J. Patrick 49, J. Gabbatiss 35. The top three leading wicket takers are A. Whittingham 5-38, J. Gabbatiss 3-39, T. Wills 2-24.