They say that a week is a long time in politics but a year was a long time to wait for the Parish Council to gain revenge for last year's heavy defeat in this, the fifth instalment of the annual match with the Ebor Players.
Having finally won the toss, newly appointed Parish Council captain Liam Godfrey put the Ebor Players into bat. Moreover, a disastrous start it was too with opening batsman Bev Linfoot being run out early on for 0. The Council followed this up with tight bowling and although wickets were rarer than England football victories, the Players were finding runs difficult to come by. There were worthwhile contributions from Rose (7) Patrick S. (11) and Bruce T. (8) the latter riding his luck surviving dropped catches and a brilliant 'run out' from the fielding of Jemison but like Lampards 'goal' the referee, or in this case umpire did not see it. A late flurry of run outs and a caught & bowled by Davis overcoming his phobia following a childhood broken finger, restricted the Players to a modest 59 (the lowest score since the 15 over format was adopted)
The Council needed 60 to win at 4 an over. Openers Godfrey & Bewley began in contrasting fashion, the latter cracking balls to the boundary to retire on 10 the former opting for a more Boycottesque approach. New signing Dale M could not resist hitting his first ball for 6 and in the process nearly decapitating a nearby dog walker on Ferry Lane, he too retired on double figures as did Stewart Harrison whose undefeated 12 gave him the record for most runs scored in all the matches played to date.
The only blip in an otherwise perfect innings was when debutant Kay Redhead bowled Tom Davis for 2. This will not be the last time this year that Redhead (Puss in this years production of Dick Whittington) will get the better of Davis (King Rat)
And so, it was left to Godfrey and Chris Dale to see the Parish Council home, which they achieved despite very vocal harassment from the Players team that would have made Shane Warne blush. Victory by 4 wickets and with 5 overs to spare. The Ebor Players now lead the series 3.2
Scorecard
Ebor Players
B Linfoot RUN OUT 0
D Rose RETIRED 7
T Bruce RETIRED 8
K Redhead RETIRED 3
S Patrick RETIRED 11
T Patrick c&b Davis 1
J Eason RUN OUT 2
L Thornton NOT OUT 1
S Pendleton RUN OUT 4
N Pendleton NOT OUT 1
Extras 21
Total 59
Parish Council
L Godfrey NOT OUT 4
J Bewley RETIRED 10
M Dale RETIRED 13
T Davis b Redhead 2
S Harrison RETIRED 12
C Dale NOT OUT 13
Extras 11
Total 63
Did not bat: I Jemison, C Bruce, A Dunn
Followers of Bishopthorpe Panto will be delighted to know that Mr Rose has co-written this years offering of 'Dick Whittington.' He clearly is a talented writer of fiction as his comments aptly illustrates.
PS Martin, nice to see that you are still following our fortunes. We are still in need of a good bowler if you want to play next year.
"During this short but wining (winning, whining, drinking?) innings, the Players team were quiet and deferential, playing this wonderful game in the spirit for which W.G. Grace would have been proud"
"We in Australia did not take kindly to WG. For so big a man, he is surprisingly tenacious on very small points. We thought him too apt to wrangle in the spirit of a duo-decimo lawyer over small points of the game.
report in an Australian local newspaper, 1874[114]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_G_Grace#Grace.27s_approach_to_cricket
Dear Sirs.
I feel I must write and take issue with the highly biased and ‘one sided’ piece of reporting I have ever read. What Mr. Godfrey lacks in objectivity, he makes up for in fantasy. The evening was set for what we (the Ebor Players) believed would be a tight, fair (sic) contest played in the spirit of friendship and camaraderie. How wrong we were. From the outset the Parish Council team appeared tense. Their captain had the countenance of a bulldog sucking a wasp. No doubt the previous spectres of defeat were laying heavy on their minds. The Ebor Players on the other hand appeared jovial and relaxed (modern medicine and brewing techniques in perfect harmony!)
Despite the Players ‘disastrous’ start, they settled down to their task with ease and assurance only to be outdone by what Mr. Godfrey writes as ‘tight bowling’. This in fact was some of the most contentious bowling since the notorious Trevor Chappell ‘underarm’ incident of 1981 which the PC team must have been studying in depth! Had there been any daisies on the pitch before the start of the innings, they certainly would have suffered, as did the Players at the hands on the Parish Council team. Chief amongst these and for two over’s mark you, was Andrew ‘Googly’ Dunn, who let’s face it, had it not been for a following wind the ball would have struggled to reach the batsman never mind the wicket!! Moreover if the Players captain had been watching instead of nattering away to anybody who would listen and also depriving the scorer of hearing the wide calls, she might have made more of a protest and the Player’s a higher score!!
In the face of such blatant and flagrant breaching of the spirit of the game, the Players reached a commendable score of 59 with some improvised shot making. Praise at this point should go to both Bruce and Patrick who despite some blatant ‘sledging’ by the opposition made most of what paltry offerings the PC bowlers gave them.
So as the PC team came out to bat, it was clear from their expressions this was a match they must win at all costs and to be fair some of the Players bowlers assisted them in this task no end!! Ball after ball was despatched with aplomb (plus two apples and an orange!) Despite this the PC captain Godfrey offered little in the way of runs but appeared to be happy to stand in the middle (for what seemed an eternity) and leave it to his opposite batsmen. Except Davis of course, who will no doubt still be reliving that ball from Redhead (a girl!) that saw him clean bowled!!
During this short but wining innings, the Players team were quiet and deferential, playing this wonderful game in the spirit for which W.G. Grace would have been proud and roundly congratulated the PC team at the end who despite this win still lead the series 3:2 and already are looking forward to next years match.
So I trust for the sake of impartiality you publish this article and set the record straight (unlike the PC team bowling!!)