The Skipper's Blog

Holgate Fox v Golden Ball at Heslington, 11th May 2008

2008-05-12T15:40:00.001Z

First match of the season and already some strong bids are in for the end of season awards. Al Cocker is facing some stiff competition for the crock of the season trophy, with Whitty limping off with a thigh strain and Charno succumbing to Big-Girl's-Blouse syndrome. The front-runner, however, is clearly Geoff Arnott, who continues to collect injuries in increasingly inventive ways. This week he excelled himself, getting injured by a Christmas tree. In May. Al will need to pull his finger out (and re-insert it somewhere dangerous) if he is to retain the sicknote crown.

In contrast to last year's corresponding fixture, which was played in steady rain, the sun shone all day long. Golden Ball Skipper Pete Mitchell called correctly and chose to bat on a hard dry pitch with a tinge of green.

Mitchell and opening partner John Patrick were then subjected to the now-traditional examination of technique by new ball bowlers Bilal Hussein and Sid Mouncey. Hussein, in particular, proved very difficult to score off, his first four overs going for a solitary run as the batsmen played the ball unerringly to the fielders. After a couple of good shots, Patrick departed for 6, edging a rising ball from Mouncey to slip.

Andy Hellewell came to the crease and was soon stroking the ball around with a beautifully straight bat. One effortless straight drive deposited the ball right back over the bowler's head for the sweetest of sixes. At the other end, Mitchell was also starting to find the gaps, driving strongly into the 'V' before skying an attempted cut off Bruce Kitchener into Dave D'Souza's waiting gloves for 18.

Joining Hellewell at the crease, Jack Gabbatiss played some lovely shots, including a particularly sweetly-timed on-drive between midwicket and mid-on, before attempting to flick a ball from Bruce Kitchener off middle stump. He missed. The ball didn't. The boy wonder departed for 20 off a mere 16 balls. Kitchener also took the wicket of Hellewell, departing for an elegant 31.

John Crowe then opened his account in relatively cautious style, waiting a whole eight balls before cracking the first of his four sixes high over mid-on. Sam Lingard proved very useful at the other end, playing a supporting role until Crowe was bowled for a 46-ball 69. Lingard then moved up a gear to dominate a useful partnership with Mark Honeywell (10) before being caught by the filthy traitor Will Outhart for 38.

Whitty Whittingham proved just how deceptive nets can be, coming and going for a blink-and-you-miss-it duck. Nick Thompson perished on 2, bowled trying to flick a straight one through square leg, while debutant Phill Monk looked comfortable hanging around for a red-inked single. Tim Wills managed the enviable feat of being sledged by both teams, even while umpiring! He took it all in good humour, even when giving Billy Hussein his wicket with a skier and departing for a duck.

Tim Wills and Andy Hellewell bowled with little reward, as Hussein and the limpet-like Gavin Stewart set about taking the shine off the newish ball, slotting some punishing drives past the fielders as they racked up 96 for the first wicket.

Jack Gabbatiss's first ball went for 5 as John Crowe's rocket of a throw evaded all attempts to stop it, going for 4 overthrows across the cover boundary. Despite this inauspicious start, Jack made amends by rattling Billy Hussein's leg stump for 55, while Sam Lingard bowled parsimoniously at the other end.

With the hundred coming up in the fourteenth over, something needed to be done to stem the flow of runs. Up stepped John Crowe to bowl eight straight overs of relentless, probing seam bowling. Despite the heat of the day, Crowe's pace never flagged and his haul of 3 for 12 barely did justice to his efforts. Mark Honeywell bowled three useful overs before Mitchell brought himself on to bowl.

Things didn't start too well, as he conceded a couple of boundaries in his first over, but then the ball suddenly began to swing. Wickets soon started to tumble, as batsmen struggled to cope with the movement through the air. In eighteen balls, Mitchell changed the course of the game, snaffling five wickets for four runs, including a triple-wicket maiden. He finished his five-over spell with figures of 5 for 22 and rounded off his day nicely by holding the last catch to dismiss Dave D'Souza off Nick Thompson's fifth ball.

Holgate Fox were all out for 185 and Golden Ball won by 29 runs. All in all, a fantastic day's cricket, the whole team contributed to the victory and it all happened in the best possible spirit. The only cloudlet on the horizon was the presence of precisely none of the Holgate Fox team in the pub afterwards. On the evidence of this game, it could be a very good summer.

Dringhouses CC vs Golden Ball CC - 10 June 2007

2007-06-13T11:21:00.000Z

More photos here

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.

More photos here

Damage to Bootham Park - Here We Go Again

2007-06-08T12:53:00.001Z

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

2007-06-06T21:43:00.000Z

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)

More photos

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.

Golden Ball CC vs Bradford CAMRA CC - 20 May 2007

2007-05-22T15:30:00.000Z

Standing: Kev Scully, Mike Berry, Gary Millward, Tim Tatlioglu, Tim Wills, Whitty Whittingham, Alistair Cross.
Kneeling: Michael Charno, Pete Mitchell (c), Geoff Arnott (w/k), Pete Kilbane

Match Report by Whitty

Bootham Park hosted its first Golden Ball CC game of the season under bright sunshine for most of the afternoon. Stumps was delayed for around 15 minutes for the air ambulance to land and deliver a patient to the hospital. This gave the team an opportunity to gather their thoughts for the game plan and to take the team photo for the season. The two captains walked out to the wicket for the toss of the coin with both teams waiting tensely back at the pavilion for the outcome. Golden Ball CC were put into bat and moments later Mitchell (C) and Arnott walked out for the first time on home turf for the season. Coultous opened the bowling from the Asylum End against Mitchell who hit two fours from the first over. Clough, from the Shallow End, made an incisive breakthrough with his second ball, dismissing Arnott who misjudged a straight slower ball. Scully came in one down and held the end up whilst Mitchell attempted to hit out. However, this tactic failed as Mitchell was bowled by Coultous for 9.

Cross came in to bat and looked strong, playing some textbook straight defensive shots whilst Scully played some delightful shots with some beautiful footwork lining himself up with the pitch of the ball. However, Scully didn’t quite push through a lofted shot to mid-off which landed safely in the hands of the fielder for 8 runs off the bowling of Bredabs. Cue Charno. After one over facing Bredaus Charno had accrued a quick-fire 10, dispatching his first delivery high over long on and into the car park. Cross at the other end was bowled by Hoey for 3 and was replaced by a confident Tatlioglu. However, Charno’s innings was prematurely ended when his bails flew after he misread a straight ball attempting another home run [six]. His threat and fear that he struck into the hearts of his opponents was highlighted when the bowler, Boothroyd, waved him back to the pavilion. A very unsporting gesture, not in-keeping with the rest of his team’s excellent sportsmanship or the spirit of the game.

Whittingham came in at seven and was fortunate to escape his first ball with a single after he almost dragged the ball onto his own stumps. The ball crept past the otherwise clinical wicket keeper to leg slip. Tatlioglu and Whittingham had a very brief partnership with some quick singles picked up before Whittingham attempted a leg glance but was bowled for 3. Tatlioglu’s wicket fell shortly after being bowled by George for 4. Berry and Millward came in at the top of the tail and immediately walked back both having been dismissed by Boothroyd for ducks. Kilbane and Wills came in and Kilbane settled very quickly, playing some lovely shots and unluckily hitting just short of the boundary due to the length of the grass in the outfield. Wills at the other end played some well crafted defensive shots, waiting a week for the ball to drop from the sky and gently prodding it forward defensively. Kilbane was caught off the bowling of Boothroyd. This looked like the end of the innings with the Golden Ball CC having lost 10 wickets but Bradford CAMRA CC allowed a 12th batsman; the one who had hit the fewest runs. Arnott walked out to the crease again looking more composed and hit a few runs and backing up Wills who hit a huge six over deep square leg. Arnott then was unfortunate to end the Golden Ball CC innings after thundering a shot straight into the palms of one of the more senior fielders at short mid-wicket. At the mid point of the match Golden Ball CC had accumulated a paltry 79 all out. (Charno 28, Wills 10*)

After an extended tea break Golden Ball CC took to the field knowing that it was going to be tough to defend their 79 total. Wills opened from the Asylum End and was rewarded with a wicket after three balls, trapping Fawcett leg-before wicket for a duck. Millward from the Shallow End bowled very tightly and was rewarded by conceding not one run off the bat. Millward was replaced by Kilbane who bowled superbly finding the spot every time. Wills struck in his final over, bowling Holden for 5 meanwhile at the other end Kilbane was bowling maiden after maiden eventually going for four runs from five overs with three maidens. He took one wicket which was a nick by Taylor which was expertly caught by Arnott. Taylor very sportingly walked immediately which was greeted with gentlemanly applause by the fielding team. It was during Kilbane’s spell that the Golden Ball CC fielding was at its most flamboyant. Cross attempted to dive to stop a shot to long-on but in doing so caused a 4.2 Richter Scale earthquake which dislodged roof tiles on Gillygate, causing the road to be closed for several hours. Whittingham dropped Taylor at silly mid-off but then made up for it by single-handedly stopping a powerful drive then holding his Adonis-like body in a threatening pose ready for a direct hit. Canadian Berry was brought on from the Asylum End and bowled well spurred on by the support from the wicketkeeper including the morale-boosting politically-correct positive encouragement ‘Come on Mike! Just imagine his stumps are maple syrup. Or a bison.’

After this spell of bowling pressure Charno was brought on from the Asylum End with Whittingham replacing Kilbane from the Shallow End. Both Whittingham and Charno bowled tightly and accurately before an injury to Sicknote Arnott’s finger forced a deep-freeze break. This break disrupted the bowler’s rhythm with Whittingham in particular struggling to relocate his radar. He did however bowl Wilkinson for eight with an excellent straight delivery having rattled him previously with a bouncer which pitched outside leg then viciously cut back in clearing the stumps and the batsman around head height. Mitchell brought himself on from the Asylum End and bowled two overs and brought Scully on from the Shallow End. Scully, electing to bowl from 25 yards, bowled tightly but the score for Bradford CAMRA CC to chase was simply too few and with the extras totalling 39 Bradford CAMRA CC beat Golden Ball CC by three runs with six wickets remaining.
(Wills 2-10 off 5, Millward 0-8 off 4, Kilbane 1-4 off 5, Berry 0-16 off 3, Charno 0-3 off 4, Whittingham 1-11 off 4, Mitchell 0-8 off 2, Scully 0-6 off 0.5)

The third innings was completed in the Golden Ball afterwards with a lovely spread of quiche, sandwiches and pork pies washed down with plenty of ale. Bradford CAMRA CC left to return home and left some of the Golden Ball team musing over which hats to order from the catalogue. Most of the team had a short third innings however Charno, Cross, Whittingham, Tatlioglu and Cocker managed to stay at the crease. However, the inexperience showed as Charno, Cross, Whittingham and Tatlioglu retired hurt leaving Cocker at the crease at 11*.

Rose and Crown CC vs Golden Ball CC - 13 May 2007

2007-05-15T20:06:00.000Z

Match Report by Whitty Whittingham

In a game played in excellent spirit and in a manner these two teams have been accustomed to playing, the match was drawn after rain stopped play.

After a week of fair weather the forecast was not promising for the opening fixture of the Golden Ball cricket season. However, there was an air of optimism as the team gathered outside the pavilion at Heslington. Rose and Crown won the toss and elected to bat on a damp wicket.

Andy Hellewell opened the bowling from the Wilderness End and went for a modest 14 off the opening over. Tom Fremlin, from the Halifax End equalled these figures with the Rose and Crown opening pair settling into their innings comfortably. Nad Sadiq was fortunate to be dropped by Pete Mitchell after skying a Hellewell delivery to mid-on. Mitchell brought himself on from the Halifax End in a tactical switch which paid off, slowing the run-rate to around 10 runs per over. The weather conspired against the bowlers who were struggling to find rhythm and unable to develop pace due to the slippery creases. Judi Paul was brought on from the Halifax End but struggled to beat the batsmen although his figures were not helped when the big-hitting opener uncharacteristically tickled one towards extra cover where Hellewell dropped him [he absolutely smashed the ball as hard as he could and Andy bravely/stupidly stopped a certain boundary with the tip of his finger, breaking it in doing so].

The weather was closing in after around 10 overs but the score was already in triple figures thanks in part to some gargantuan sixes; one cut past deep fine leg and another hitting the Hubble Telescope before landing somewhere near Fulford Golf Course. Michael Charno was brought on to replace Judi and bamboozled the batsmen with his textbook action, however, rain stopped play just as Whitty Whittingham was about to start bowling from the Wilderness End.

Spirits were high in the Golden Ball dressing room with the players confident that they would be able to knock off the projected score of 1300 runs and be in the pub in time to watch Sheffield United get relegated.

It was agreed that the overs would be reduced to 25 and after a short intermission Whitty resumed with Jack “Rooney” Gabbatiss from the Halifax End. Whitty was slightly more economical, going for just 5 off his first over. In his second over the batsman almost dragged the ball on to his stumps on the first delivery and eventually fell to the superbly pitched ball which he pulled from around his ears to square leg where he was caught by Charno. The crowd went wild. Gabbatiss, at the other end, bowled superbly well in worsening conditions and was rewarded with two wickets; one bowled and one superbly caught by Neil Grady at deep mid-wicket. Whitty finished his spell by dismissing a middle order batsman who top-edged one which was caught by Judi Paul, replacing Gabbatiss behind the stumps. Charno and Fremlin came back on and demolished the middle order; Charno sending Rose skipper Surge's bails flying with a superb yorker, Fremlin ripping the middle stump out and then setting Grady up for the catch of the day.

The Rose and Crown, visibly shaken by this bowling masterclass, managed to see out their overs with few runs taken. The bowlers finished with Hellewell 0-44 off 4, Fremlin 2-14 off 3, Mitchell 0-21 off 2, Judi 0-42 off 4, Charno 1-40 off 4, Whittingham 2-13 off 4, Gabbitas 3-18 off 4.

After a fine tea break, with garlic bread and cake, Mitchell and Judi padded up and walked out of the pavilion into much heavier rain. The fielders changed round as quickly as they could between overs with Judi getting some unconventional warmth by snuggling up to the umpire. Both batsmen hit out but struggled to find boundaries with the outfield being completely flooded with standing water. After some lazy trotting between the wickets [sensible, cautious tip-toeing so as not to injure themselves] the umpires and captains decided to end the farce with Mitchell on 17* and Judi on 14* and continue the innings in the pub.

The rain certainly came to the rescue of the Rose and Crown who were facing a humiliating beating by a Golden Ball team that looked sharp and incisive in the field and intimidating with the bat and ball. All in all a good fun, if not bloody cold and wet, day out was had by all. Best wishes to Andy for a speedy recovery.

First Game of the Season

2007-05-14T08:27:00.000Z

Well, the rain did stop. Sunday morning dawned bright and breezy and it all looked very positive until fifteen minutes before the scheduled start. It began with a smattering of drizzle, which we confidently predicted would blow over quickly. It didn't. In fact, it's still raining now, almost 24 hours later.

We started the game anyway. I lost the toss and was condemned to fielding. It's not really that the opposition chose to bat, it's more that they chose to get wet two at a time rather than all at once. Although the game didn't go the full distance, there were positives to take away: Some fine bowling in testing conditions from Messrs Hellewell, Gabbatiss, Whittingham, Fremlin and Charno; Great commitment in the field, particularly from the Brothers Cross; A pair of brave cold-handed catches by Neil Grady; A soggy cameo with the bat featuring some lustily-clumped boundaries from Judi Paul and I. The day's most unfortunate incident was Andy Hellewell's bloody and broken finger, resulting from a courageous attempt to catch a tracer-bullet cut shot from Nad Sadiq.

So we got soaked, fell over and spent more time than we'd have liked plodging about in muddy fields looking for the ball. Yet through all this, the team spirit never flagged once. The smiles and banter kept coming all afternoon and I have to admit that in a weird way I had a good time.

Full match report to follow.

Back from the (nearly) dead

2007-05-12T20:50:00.000Z

Here we are again, on the brink of another season and guess what? It's raining! Of course! This is England, land of inappropriate weather. It's been bone-dry for weeks, but as soon as leather threatens to meet willow, it pisses down. Ah well, it was ever thus. You tend to forget just how much of the summer is traditionally spent squinting at the sky and willing rain clouds to bugger off.

There were times over the winter when I thought the club wouldn't make it this far, we were "between pubs", skint and consumed by apathy. Thankfully, things have now changed for the better. We've relocated to the Golden Ball and unearthed a clutch of handy new players.

Now all we need is a bit of sunshine...

Stalinism is alive and well in Heworth.

2006-07-31T23:29:00.000Z

Regular readers may have noticed a spot of Stalinist revisionism creeping into the blog just recently. This unfortunate tendency was brought about due to the stress of being heckled by a cheap nightclub comic in drag. Normal sarcasm will be resumed forthwith.

Bootham Park v Wellington July 30th at Bootham Park

2006-07-31T20:34:00.000Z

Back Row: Nathan Ellison, John Patrick, Tim Wills, Jamie Case, Nick Thompson, Richard Todd. Front Row: Kev Scully, Chris Burns, Pete Mitchell, Jack Gabbatiss, Judi Paul.

Bootham Park (161) lost to Wellington (162-7) by 3 wickets

Another scorching hot day beneath the relentless North Yorkshire sun. Looks daft when you write it down but that's the way it was. A shower overnight had perked up the few surviving patches of grass but the pitch looked drier than a week-old Pringle, promising uneven bounce and turn. It looked like a day to win the toss and bat. So I did.

The interesting nature of the pitch (one ball pitched on the line of off stump and skewed off at such an angle that it was picked up at short third man, yards wide of the bewildered keeper) was offset by a hard, fast outfield that gave full value for strokes along the ground. John Patrick and Jack Gabbatiss opened the batting, hoping to build on their lightning-fast century stand of two weeks before. Sadly it was not to be, Alan Baldock threaded the juiciest of Jaffas through Patrick's lately-impregnable defence and the keeper was soon picking up the bails. I came in at number 3 and somehow managed to negotiate some fine attacking bowling from Baldock and Andy Cockett. Gabbatiss advanced quickly to 14 from 10 balls before giving himself a little too much room to play through the off side and getting bowled by a good straight ball from Cockett.

I was then joined at the wicket by Kev Scully, who, in amongst his usual hefty clumps and crossbat swipes, hit an off-drive of almost spiritual beauty. It's a good job it went for four, because I was going nowhere; stock still, awestruck and completely stumped as to how it could possibly have happened. I mean, no offence to Kev, but those of us who've played him for years would attest that he's never really been one for the high left elbow or the classical flourish, but that shot was the real thing. Class. Unfortunately it wasn't to last, as he nicked a ball from David Baldock and was caught behind for 6.

Each time I see Judi Paul bat I have a feeling that a big score is not far away. With his strong wrists and great bat speed he makes the ball fizz across the outfield, often with a startled fielder in hopeless pursuit. Judi made it to 13 before he was trapped in front by an excellent delivery from David Baldock.

Taking advantage of the fast outfield and the odd loose ball, I was able to advance to a satisfying 52 from 51 balls, before chasing a wide one from Danny Sampson. John Galloway took a fabulous diving catch and hutchward I trudged. Nick Thompson was keen to resurrect the excellent comedy running skills displayed last week in Bradford, as he attempted to run himself out not once but twice. The first one had everything bar the Keystone Kops, but it was the second one that worked. Thompson almost ran two on his own, to the soundtrack of Richard Todd at the other end (quite rightly) screaming "No!".

Todd hit a few lusty blows including a peach of a six on his way to a quickfire 20, but the wickets had been falling steadily all afternoon and our run rate soon began to flag. Jamie Case and Chris Burns both got a start but soon perished as the Welly's bowlers turned the screw. It was left to Nathan Ellison and Tim Wills to try and bat out the final overs, but thanks to a ball that kept fractionally low, Ellison tickled the finest of under-edges and Galloway swooped to cap an excellent day behind the sticks with another fine catch.

At one point, we'd looked dead set for 200+ but the persistent loss of wickets cost us dear and we were all out for 161. Touch and go. It was by no means an easy pitch to bat on, but I couldn't help thinking of us, three weeks ago, chasing down 261. We would have to bowl well.

Things couldn't really have started much better, with Jamie Case inducing an uppish drive from Danny Sampson, which just carried far enough for me to take a low catch at mid off. Meanwhile at the other end, Howard Leadley was calmly and infuriatingly accumulating runs. Don't get me wrong, Howard's a top bloke, but he's one of those players who looks like he'll get out any ball. He seems to enjoy dangling his bat like a limp rag outside off stump, only to pull it out of the way at the very last picosecond, just as the keeper can almost feel the ball in his gloves. Then, just when you think you've got a straight one through him, it disappears back over your head like a bottle rocket while you mutter vile curses.

Tim Wills bowled a great spell from the Bootham end, mixing spin and seam to keep the batsmen guessing and returning figures of 8-4-13-0. Malcolm Harrison played an innings of real grit to hold the Welly's reply together, grinding his way to a battling 29 before Nick Thompson persuaded him into a loose drive and Gabbatiss held the catch.

Nathan Ellison found some useful turn from the hospital end and Judi Paul revealed yet another skill with a spell of pacey legspin. Both bowlers got the odd ball to spit before Judi sent a fast one scuttling under Howard Leadley's bat to end his resistance for 41. Jack Gabbatiss and Chris Burns built up some good pressure which was rewarded when Steve Relf obligingly slapped his second ball from Gabbatiss straight into my hands at wide mid on. It was in this same position that I picked up my third catch of the day, a top edge from John Galloway off Burns, who also snared the wicket of Laurence Hill with a neat caught-and-bowled.

With excellent boundary fielding limiting Graham Roberts to ones and twos, and Nick Warlow struggling to find the gaps, it looked like we might be able to contain them. Alas it was not to be, the Welly these days are made of sterner stuff. After Warlow edged one of my better balls through to John Patrick behind the stumps, Alan Baldock came to the crease to complete the job, striking consecutive boundaries either side of the wicket before hitting the winning runs through the covers.

After another great competitive game played in a wonderful spirit we adjourned to the pub. I think we'll leave it there for now, at least until I've checked how the libel laws apply in the blogosphere...

Bootham Park v Bradford CAMRA July 23rd 2006 at Hepworth & Idle CC

2006-07-24T11:21:00.000Z

Back Row: Nathan Ellison, Richard Todd, Jamie Case, John Patrick, Mac McMahon, Tim Wills. Front Row: Wine Kini, Judi Paul, Pete Mitchell, Chris Burns, Nick Thompson

Bradford CAMRA (174-6) lost to Bootham Park (175-6) by 4 wickets

Hepworth & Idle's ground, home to Bradford CAMRA CC, is one of the more unusual venues on the Sunday friendly circuit. Located atop a hill with commanding views over the surrounding dales, it's a beautiful place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. The playing surface is firmly located in the "interesting" category, with more hills and valleys on the outfield alone than in the entire city of York. The previous evening had seen what the locals described as "a bit of weather", and the outfield was pockmarked all over as the result of industrial-gauge raindrops. The pitch was brown and slightly spongy on top with odd vibrant patches of grass. It had endured a thorough soaking but was rapidly drying out in the sunshine, making it a good toss to win. I won it and chose to bowl.

It was a great pleasure to field a side containing 10 bowlers and an even greater one that everybody performed so well. Jamie Case and Richard Todd kicked things off with their now-customary parsimony, conceding only 14 runs off the bat in the opening 8 overs. The first breakthrough came when Tim Wills replaced Case at the far end, Bob Taylor slapping his first ball straight into Chris Burns's safe hands at point. Wills went on to pick up a second wicket in the same over, employing a clever change of pace to rattle Paul Harrison's stumps.

To say that the bounce was a little uneven is a bit like saying Bill Gates has a few bob stashed away. From time to time, the ball took off almost vertically from a good length, even when delivered by the most sedate of bowlers. Scoring was no easy matter as the CAMRA batsmen struggled with the bounce and movement. An excellent partnership of 76 between Graham Coultous and Andrew George accelerated the run rate towards the end of the innings, with George ending unbeaten on 33. Coultous's gritty 41 was brought to an end by the currently golden John Patrick, taking a sharp catch off his own bowling.

Wine Kini bowled one of the strangest deliveries of the day, a yorker that pitched behind the crease yet still bounced over the top of the stumps. Luckily he managed to keep one low enough to perform a spot of Kiwi Feng Shui on Chris Wilkinson's castle. Judi Paul, in his second game for the club, kept wicket like he'd done it more than twice in the last fourteen years, the ball repeatedly finding his gloves with a reassuring thud. Chris Burns & Mac McMahon were each rewarded with a wicket as the home team finished on 154-6 from 40 overs.

I walked out to open the batting with John Patrick, fresh from last week's undefeated 126 against the Post Office. He carried on where he left off, stroking the ball around with ease and timing Dave Boothroyd for a sweet six over long off in only the second over of the innings. In accordance with the local rule, Patrick retired after reaching 59 off a mere 32 balls. I cuffed my way to 17 before trying one flick off the pads too many and offering a straight-up-and-down top edge into Andrew George's waiting gloves.

Judi Paul made a good-looking 18, including the shot of the day, a sublime wristy six over the long square leg boundary. Nick Thompson also made 18 in his first innings back from injury, getting on top of the bounce and scoring runs all around the wicket. Tim Wills and Richard Todd each struck a mighty six but perished soon after. Jamie Case was run out by an excellent direct hit and treated us to some exhibition quality swearing on the way back to the hutch, clocking up a healthy 7.5 on the sulkometer. Well played that man!

In the end it was left to Wine Kini to win the game with a lofted off drive as the Bootham Parkas overhauled CAMRA's total with 13 overs to spare. After a most convivial snifter with our hosts in the Symposium's beer garden, the Bootham boys adjourned to a local restaurant for the traditional post match curry. A bloody good time was had by all.

Paul Offord at the First Central American Cricket Championship

2006-07-24T10:05:00.000Z

Offord catches up on some umpiring porn.

Photographs ©2006 Mark Callanan. See the entire gallery.

Former Bootham Park paceman and biffer Paul "Mister" Offord has recently become the club's second alumnus to represent a Latin American nation in an international competition (the first in this short and illustrious line being off-spinner, bon viveur and captain of Peru, Viv Ash).

Quoth the Offord:
"That was awesome, they are so welcoming, and the level of cricket was really high, I bowled the best I've ever done...quite an experience. Me and my mate Jamie also set up the first Mexico City interschool cricket comp as well. It's part of the condition of Mexico being affiliated to the ICC, so we trained these kids up from scratch, and then won the trophy against three other schools...all good fun. "

Bootham Park v Post Office July 16th 2006 at Bootham Park

2006-07-18T20:29:00.000Z

Back Row: Nathan Ellison, Tim Wills, Jamie Case, John Patrick, Jack Gabbattis, Jack Sharples. Front Row: Jonathan Spratley, Nick Thompson, Pete Mitchell, Mac McMahon, Richard Todd.

Post Office (261) lost to Bootham Park (264-2) by 8 wickets

This was a great game. It had everything: big hitting, jammy bowling, comedy fielding, imaginative umpiring and the occasional flash of true competence. What's more, it was all played in a brilliant spirit.

A blistering sun and a pitch like bleached asphalt made it a toss I didn't want to lose, but lose it I did, and Glynn Botterill chose to bat. Jamie Case and Richard Todd got the bowling underway, working hard to extract any bounce and movement from the wicket. John Latham's bat dominated the opening overs, carving the ball to all parts with his customary brutality and moving to 50 before the team score had reached 70. Jamie Case, bowling an off-stump line to a strong legside field, nipped out Simon Burrows for 6. Then Nick Thompson, returning from injury, got rid of Furley for 5. Tim Wills chipped in with a couple of very valuable wickets, clean-bowling both Latham for 78 and the dangerous Gus Mackenzie for 44. The latter part of the innings was dominated by a fine innings from Glynn Botterill, whose clean-hitting took him to an undefeated 91.

Post Office finished on a huge looking 261 from 38 overs after an inspired spell of utterly chaotic bowling from John Patrick accounted for the last four wickets. This spell contained everything from perfect off-stump line and length to outright steak-and-kidney pie throwing. One ball from Patrick pitched less than half way down, ballooned into the air, evaded Tomlinson's somewhat agricultural swipe and plonked gently onto the top of middle stump. It somehow looked like it might be Mr Patrick's day. Maybe he should open the batting, I thought...

With debutant Jack Gabbatis matching Patrick stroke for stroke, the pair rocketed to a blistering stand of 123 at just under 10 an over. Gabbatis notched an impressive 52 before falling to a sharp catch by Botterill off Mackenzie's brisk medium pace. Jonathan Spratley came in at number 3 and proceeded to pick out the fielders with his usual precision before perishing to a catch off Watson's bowling for 11. Patrick continued to accumulate runs, nicking singles from good balls and peppering the boundaries with bad ones on his way to a near-chanceless 126 not out from 101 balls.

Not even the introduction of Messrs Latham and Botterill could stem the flow as the Bootham batsmen finished on 264-2 off 36.3 overs, a win by the flattering margin of 8 wickets. Spoilsport that I am, I had to nick the glory of hitting the winning runs on the way to a swift 33 not out, but the day undoubtedly belonged to John Patrick. It's not often you see a bowler of Glynn Botterill's quality hit out of the attack in one over worth 16 runs, but Patrick managed that and more in becoming only the fourth player (after Me, Mick Baines and the inevitable Mr Crowe) to score a century for the club.

All in all this was a fabulous game of cricket between two evenly-matched teams of thoroughly nice blokes and the excellent spirit continued back in the pub over a few jars of the finest (or at least coldest) ales.

Bootham Park v Rose & Crown July 2nd 2006 at Bootham Park

2006-07-04T12:17:00.000Z

Back Row: John Crowe, Tim Wills, Jamie Case, Jonny Wilkins, Richard Todd, Dave Adie. Front Row: Kev Scully, Nathan Ellison, Pete Mitchell, Chris Storey, Wayne Kenny.

Rose & Crown (200-6) lost to Bootham Park (202-4) by 6 wickets

It was hot. A small drizzly shower before the game barely reached the ground before evaporating as the sun burned the clouds away. In a way it was quite a relief to lose the toss as Bruce Kitchener elected to bat. The pitch looked a belter.

Jamie Case and Richard Todd both bowled brilliantly, picking up 2 wickets each and restricting the scoring to less than 3 per over. A couple of bowling changes quickly upped the run-rate as the Rose boys latched onto anything short or wide. Gavin Stewart and Paul Anderson put together an excellent partnership of 156 before Tim Wills removed Anderson with a middle-stump grunter near the end of the innings. Stewart played an excellent innings, combining stout defence, clean hitting and a few deft nurdles to finish unbeaten on 105. Rose & Crown finished on exactly 200.

Jonny Wilkins and Chris Storey began the reply well before Wilkins's leg stump was pegged back by a beautiful swinging delivery from Graham Byrne. I came in at number 3, largely to play second fiddle to Chris Storey at the other end as we put on a partnership of 93 runs. Storey played an excellent innings and looked all set for a century until he played indecisively at one of Neil Reader's accurate off-breaks and was bowled through the gate for 88. Surely it's only a matter of time before he makes it to 3 figures. Jamie Case came to the crease and we put on another good partnership of 57 before Jimmy Allen rattled his castle. Bruce Kitchener deservedly picked up the wicket of Wayne Kenny but it was too little too late for the Rose. A four through midwicket won the game and took me to a satisfying 69 not out.

As ever, the game was played in an excellent spirit and both teams repaired to the pub to begin rehydrating in the traditional manner.

Bootham Park v Post Office June 18th 2006 at Bootham Park

2006-07-04T12:13:00.000Z

Back Row: John Patrick, John Crowe, Phil Holland, Jamie Case, Wayne McMahon, Will Outhart. Front Row: Chris Storey, Matt Horner, Pete Mitchell, Richard Todd, Nathan Ellison.

Post Office (226-4) beat Bootham Park (215-9) by 11 runs

Winning the toss again, Pete Mitchell chose to bowl, gambling on the drizzle stopping and the sun coming out. It didn't. The rain was never heavy enough to stop the game, but it kept the outfield moist despite our stirling efforts to mop up water with the ball. Jamie Case and Richard Todd bowled well, despite the wet ball excluding any possibility of swing.

First change bowler Matty Horner turned in a great spell of seam bowling, picking up 3 wickets in his 8 overs, including that of the ever modest and charming Martin Baggaley. Phil Holland and John Crowe also bowled tightly but the real revelation was Wayne "Mac" McMahon. Bowling round the wicket, Mac moved the ball both in the air and off the seam, making it hard for even the Post Office's best batsmen to make solid contact with the ball. He finished with 1-36, having dismissed Glynn Botterill, caught-and-bowled for 32.

Post Office scored at an impressive rate, John Latham making his now traditional nearly-ton with a composed 93 not out. Martin Baggaley also chipped in a quick-fire 58 before trying one cocky shot too many and succumbing to Horner's Feng Shui. After 40 overs, Post Office had amassed a statuesque 226-4.

Bootham Park's reply began shakily as John Patrick was bowled for 1 by Paul "Scooby" Thornton, but Chris Storey and Pete Mitchell consolidated, putting on 93 for the second wicket before Botterill nipped both of them out in a devastating spell of 4-6 in 4 overs. Storey's batting was limited by a back spasm, yet he still made an excellent 63, picking the gaps and placing the ball with a maturity far beyond his years. Mitchell notched a useful 30.

John Crowe and Horner both batted well for 37 and 29 respectively but the overs were running out. Bootham's innings closed on 215-9, 11 runs short.

Bootham Park v Dringhouses June 11th 2006 at Dringhouses

2006-06-18T22:52:00.000Z

Back Row: Wayne Kenny, Richard Todd, Jamie Case, Wayne McMahon, Tim Wills. Front Row: Nathan Ellison, John Patrick, Pete Mitchell, Jonny Wilkins, Kev Scully

Bootham Park (140) lost to Dringhouses (142-0) by 10 wickets

I called correctly to make it three tosses out of three this season. The pitch looked dry, true and full of runs with barely a hint of moisture underneath. I chose to bat first. Both Tim Wills and Jonny Wilkins fell cheaply to an excellent spell of left-arm bowling from Chris Storey, while John Patrick was bowled by Bibby at the other end. Kev Scully and I then consolidated the innings, putting on a useful partnership of 82 for the fourth wicket, before Scully dragged a wide ball from Sam Lingard back onto his own stumps. Immediately after notching my first fifty of the season, I played all round a straight one from Brendan Walsh and the floodgates opened. Lingard scythed through the rest of the batting, ending with 4 wickets at 7 apiece, with Cole chipping in the final wicket from the only ball he bowled.

Considering the strength of the Dringhouses team, 140 was never really going to be enough. Storey and Crowe duly proved this to be the case as they each got to fifty in depressingly quick time, Crowe retiring to allow Cole to add 17 undefeated runs to his earlier wicket.

All in all a better performance than last week's abysmal display against the Welly, but the result was still the same - a loss by the comprehensive margin of 10 wickets.

Crockwatch part 1: Bruise News

2006-06-10T23:21:00.000Z

My first contribution to the season's injury list is this little beauty, courtesy of a mis-fielded on drive in the game against the Welly. I'm not convinced the picture really does it justice, in certain lights it looks just like Jupiter's red spot, only hairier.

Unlucky Al Cocker popped up on the crockwatch radar this week with a cameo appearance at the Retreat. He is currently nursing a shoulder injury which prevents him throwing the ball straight up in the air. Luckily, he managed almost half an hour in the presence of cricket balls without any of them hitting him on the head. He was last seen heading off in the direction of Heslington Road, presumably to get run over by a bus.

Bootham Park v Wellington 4th June 2006 at The Retreat

2006-06-04T20:27:00.000Z

Back Row:Wayne Kenny, John Patrick, Pete Mitchell, Richard Todd, Wayne McMahon. Front Row: Nathan Ellison, Jonny Wilkins, Kev Scully, Will Outhart.

Bootham Park (35) lost to Welllington (39-0) by 10 wickets

I guess one of the reasons we carry on playing this frankly ludicrous game is its constant ability to confound expectations. Coming into this game on the back of a 179-run victory, you might have expected us to put together an imposing total. You'd have been wrong.

It didn't help that two players dropped out late on the morning of the game, but neither does it excuse the way we batted. Through a heady combination of accurate bowling and piss-poor batting, we collapsed to an unseemly 35 all out. Virtually alone in a raft of ducks, Wayne Kenny carved out 10 useful runs through the off side before exposing his stumps once too often to Baldock's brisk medium pace. I contributed a less-than-fluent 12 before gifting John Galloway yet another stumping. Apart from that and the obligatory comic runout, all the wickets were either bowled or lbw.

With that sort of total, we never really had a chance with the ball as Steve Relf and Danny Sampson knocked off the runs.

Undetererred, we challenged them to a second game. We lost that too.

There was one ray of sunshine in Jonny Wilkins's brillliant 41 from 28 balls, but on the whole it was a pretty grim day for us. The solitary, microscopic crumb of comfort sustaining me is that every season seems to have its hopeless nadir and it's as well to get it out of the way early.

Last year it was even worse...

The Horror! The Horror!

2006-05-31T19:32:00.000Z

The frankly disturbing images above are from Phil Holland's stag weekend in Edinburgh. Although mercifully small they do indeed show everyone's favourite South African all-rounder in a dress. We've had to put up with those legs for years but who knows what heinous crimes the good burghers of Edin have committed to deserve such a visual treat. Now where did I put the mind-bleach?

Bootham Park vs Rose and Crown 28th May 2006 at Heslington

2006-05-30T20:18:00.000Z

Back Row: Jamie Case, John Patrick, Jonathan Spratley, John Crowe, Pete Mitchell, Tim Wills, Chris Burns. Front Row: Chris Storey, Sam Lingard, Jonny Wilkins, Nathan Ellison.

Bootham Park (249-8) beat Rose & Crown (70) by 179 runs

Match Report by John Patrick

Bootham Park’s first game of the season was at the beautiful Heslington Cricket Ground, home of the Rose and Crown Cricket Club. A sense of relief spread throughout a strong Bootham outfit that had waited three long, rainy weeks to get their season under way. The wicket looked ok and certainly dryer than previous weeks, however there was moisture underneath that provided a predicament for the skipper, Pete Mitchell. Anyway, he called right and chose to bat which seemed not such a bad decision considering the strength of the Bootham Park batting line up and the state of the wicket.

Jonny Wilkins and the skipper himself opened the batting and a good, steady start was made as the runs started to flow from Jonny’s bat. The wicket proved a problem at one end and the skipper soon became a victim of the bad bounce as he was bowled by Bruce Kitchener on just 1. Youngster John Patrick came in at number 3 and he and Jonny pushed the score on nicely. Some beautiful strokes were played and the pair looked comfortable until the day’s comedy run-out happened and Jonny was sent back to the pavilion on 29. JP belted a head-high no-ball straight into the air and ran to the other end, leaving Jonny stranded.

Then came the ever enthusiastic Jonathan Spratley aka ‘Spratters’. Luckily his famous gum-shield wasn't needed as he evaded the 2-bounce yorkers and scored steadily. A big score was mounting and when JP hit another no-ball for 6 over mid wicket it was starting to look too big for the home side. John was then caught on 31 and was replaced by another youngster, Chris Storey. It was fair to say the bowling was a bit erratic and the Bootham lads took great advantage and punished it accordingly. Storey batted well, managing to run out Sam Lingard before being given out LBW for 26. Chris Burns chipped in with a classy 15 and Spratters played well for his 11 before being caught and bowled by Andy Surgenor.

However, the innings of the day was produced by the man with last year’s best batting average (212!), John Crowe. Whilst batting at number 8, John scored an astonishing 95 not out off the last 9.4 overs. He hit boundaries to nearly every part of the ground, walloping 10 fours and 5 sixes and losing a ball in the process. It was an illustrious innings that provided real entertainment to both the batting side and the extremely sporting fielders. That closed the innings on 249-8 off the allocated 40 overs.

A lovely tea was then enjoyed with some friendly banter between both sets of lads and although they faced a huge total, the Rose and Crown boys began their innings with great attitude and enthusiasm. Nathan Ellison opened the bowling along with ‘Mr Enthusiasm’, new vice captain Jamie Case. Like previous seasons, nothing could be done to stop Spratters walking in (or should I say running in) from the boundary whilst fielding at point.

Both lads bowled tidily, sharing 6 wickets between them in the first 11 overs. Nathan picked up 2 wickets, while Jamie claimed 2 in 2 balls and finished with a career best 4 -18. Sam Lingard (2-1) and Chris Storey (1-4) also bowled well, as only Graham Byrne offered any real resistance with 22 not out. Chris Burns wrapped up the innings in the 18th over, adding a good caught-and-bowled to his 2 excellent catches at short midwicket as the home side were cleaned up for a score of 70.

A great start to the season for the Bootham Park outfit that looked sharp in the field and in form with the bat. The wicket wasn’t the best and the Bootham lads coped well and won comfortably. A handy platform was built and I am sure they will only improve more as the season goes on.

Ducks, lakes and arse-brained poltroons

2006-05-29T16:00:00.000Z

I don't know quite what we've done to deserve this, but Bootham Park seems to be under attack from all sides by human, mechanical and meteorological assailants. All along the road side boundary a charming water feature has developed, complete with resident waterfowl (that brownish blur just left of centre is a mallard).

Unfortunately that's not all. You might think the ongoing battle with knobheads tramping across the square and bored adolescents trying to break into the pavilion was enough to be going on with, but apparently not. Now some arse-brained poltroon has repeatedly driven a heavy vehicle the entire length of the park, churning up a 10-ft wide strip of mud right across our outfield. I don't know who it was, but there are several burly men with cricket bats who'd like a word.

An image of hope and frustration

2006-05-27T16:18:00.000Z

A box of pristine cricket balls glinting in the few paltry rays of sunshine that have somehow managed to penetrate the dense cloud today. We might even get to use one of them tomorrow! Also nestling in my cricket bag is a brand new bat, knocked in and ready to smite the ball to all parts, or ideally those parts with no fielders. Early signs aren't bad, the key performance indicator of my batting (the on-drive past mid on's right hand) seems to be working well. Whether it will work as well against reasonable bowling on a damp pitch, rather than pie-throwers in the nets is a moot point...

Will it ever stop raining?

2006-05-22T14:10:00.000Z

I mean, really, how much water can there possibly be left up there? Down south they're imposing hosepipe bans but up here in Yorkshire we're in danger of developing trench foot. We're a month into the cricket season and we haven't had a game yet. Frustrating is not the word. Aaaaagh! is the word.

The Skipper's Bookshelf - Part 1

2006-05-07T14:38:00.000Z

As predicted, last night's biblical downpourings led to a washout at the Houses of Dring, so we have still not bowled a ball in peevishness, let alone anger. Still, thanks to an early inspection of the cricket lake we at least avoided the standing about in the rain element that usually accompanies cancelled cricket matches.

I thought I'd use this blog to plug a few cricket books that I've enjoyed over the past few years. First up is the book that made me realise that all my hard-won knowledge about the behaviour of cricket balls is fundamentally wrong. The book in question is "Cricket: the Bowler's Art" by Brian Wilkins, a leg-spinner who happens to be an honorary research fellow at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. What gives this book its unique value is the combination of Dr Wilkins's obvious enthusiasm for the game and his rigorous scientific analysis. Unwilling, like any good scientist, to take anything on trust, he uses a wind tunnel to determine exactly what causes balls to deviate in the air. No type of bowling goes uninvestigated and there are fascinating digressions on everything from the evolution of bowling techniques to the forces that act upon cannonballs.

This really is a wonderful book and I'd recommend that all bowlers and captains (except those we play against, obviously) should give it a look. Unforunately it appears to be out of print at present, although I picked up a copy for a couple of quid on ebay.

Fixtures 2006

2006-05-06T22:35:00.000Z

This summer's fixtures are (finally) on the Bootham Park Cricket Club website.

Here We Go Again...

2006-05-06T20:47:00.000Z

Well, it's almost 10pm the night before the first game of the season and after making approximately 4.8 billion phone calls, I've still only got 10 players. It may be academic anyway, considering the downpour in progress right now. I've also learned that next week's game against the Golden Ball has been cancelled. Ho hum.

Still, I managed to get down to Bootham Park this afternoon before the heavens opened and got some good work in on the square. I gave it a mowing and found the permanent markers that show where the pitches start and finish. Every winter these markers (small lengths of pipe set vertically into the ground) get covered over by soil and grass. Consequently, every spring we have to find them again.

For years finding the markers was like a particularly irritating pagan ritual. Pete Trout would wander about the square saying things like "It's 6ft from here, or is it 4ft?" and "Has anybody seen my phone?", while the rest of us poked the turf furiously with screwdrivers in the forlorn hope we might hit something useful. After about a hundred years of this, I hit upon the ruse of writing down the measurements and drawing up a rudimentary map. This has greatly improved the process, and slightly reduced the frequency of people calling Pete Trout a stupid bugger.

Not content with having an idea once, this year I've refined it yet further by the addition of a tape measure that's actually long enough for the job (100ft). Traditionalists will be reassured to hear that the process still involves large amounts of stabbing the ground and swearing.

It's here!

2006-05-01T22:19:00.001Z

The season is finally upon us next weekend. We'll be taking the field at Dringhouses CC, to be harried by their legions of 12 year old pace bowlers as we try to remember which end of the bat to hold. Looks like the Crowemeister will be biffing on their behalf, but if we all play with the discipline and application Drifting Kev displayed in the nets on Sunday, we'll be home for half past three with a sore foot.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2006-04-25T21:01:00.000Z

Pre-season rolling finally got underway at Bootham Park this weekend, and not a moment too soon. The square felt decidedly hilly when I gave it a cut on Friday night, largely due to the tender attentions of inconsiderate gits in football boots. The mowing was interrupted by the arrival of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance which gave me half an hour to sit on the pavilion steps and contemplate the Minster.

We managed to keep the roller trundling slowly across the square for most of the weekend and made some interesting banging noises on the pavilion too. All this with the minimum of injuries, although Unlucky Al managed to pick up a sizeable splinter along the way. Add this to his dodgy shoulder and his ball/nose interface in the nets and he's already looking like a shoo-in for the Crock of the Year trophy before the season even starts. Mac had an idea, too, but he was alright after he'd had a sit down.

Greetings, fellow cricketeers

2006-04-24T16:23:00.000Z

Greetings, fellow cricketeers and welcome to the Skipper's Blog. This blog is maintained by Pete Mitchell, captain and secretary of Bootham Park Cricket Club in York, England.