Headingley won the toss and chose to bat on a damp and sluggish pitch
and that decision nearly landed them into disaster. Ian Sugden opened
the bowling downhill from what is now the demolition site end and Dave
Britton bowled his ever improving style of recent years of slowish
medium pace.
Suggie got the first wicket when Headingley skipper Mike Knight was
trapped by a Yorker which squirted from the bottom of his bat onto the
stumps. 3 wickets to Dave in this spell and another to Suggie – and
Tony Williams and Aussie, Jezz Everett also departing for 0, Steve
Manton for 3 and Shiru Maitra for 1 and Headingley with only 7 runs on
the board were 5 wickets down. To me there were two warning signs at
this point for Cambridge. I had played for a team the day before which
started at 5 for 3 yet went on to win the game and secondly the two
batsmen in now were – in my opinion – 2 of the best 3 batsmen in the
Headingley side. Cambridge continued to bowl well as the wicket – and
the wickets – started to dry up. Suffyan Ahmed replaced Dave and
bowled patiently and accurately until producing a jaffa of a ball
which clean bowled Joe Gazzard and brought Headingley to 27 for 6.
However at the other end was Fahad Jabbar who has opened the batting
for Barnsley in the Yorkshire Premier League. He batted cautiously and
as I remember it chancelessly scoring 78 not out whilst Venkatesh Iyer
kept him company for most of his innings. The two put on 87 and that
made the game a different kettle of fish. Cambridge continued to bowl
with economy and occasional bad luck with myself at the top end ,
Robin Palmeter and Colin Brain at the bottom end and the return of
Dave this time at the top end. Only when Dave came back did the
patient Venks get out for 22 (having been missed off a sharp chance to
keeper Simon Burnett off my bowling quite early on in his innings). In
the end Headingley had recovered to 133 for 9 – and it was very much
game on for both teams.

Ben Brearley – Camvridge guest from Old Olicanians – opened the
batting with Paul Broohes . The partnership prospered for a while
before Ben was bowled by opener Joe Franklin. Will Clifton bowled a
mean line and length and his opening spell plus his final over when
brought back gave him the combined figures of 9 overs, 1 wicket for 8
runs. That wicket was that of Anup Mohite who was determined to hit
the leather off the ball nut frequently failed to make contact and
then was easily caught off a half-hit shot. Former Headingley batsmen
now with Brighton and Hove CC, Matt Frosdick, guested for Cambridge
also and looked to be settling in when he was bowled by Joe Gazzard
and who bowled a lively spell, having replaced Will at the top end.
Colin Brain and then Suffyan Ahmed then supported Brooksie for a
while. Paul was batting superbly and gave no chance till reaching 60.
At this point Cambridge still looked likely winners. His dismissal -
caught and bowled by Tony Williams - was to prove a costly lapse.
However with Dave Britton joining Suffyan at the crease and hitting
the odd six in a brisk 16 Cambridge still looked a good bet until Jezz
Everett caught and bowled him and Jezz and the whole Headingley side
were exultant. But this game was to have further twists of fortune.
Robin Palmeter and Ian Sugden had come together and ten runs were
needed off the last two overs. A wide, a four and a single from Suggie
set up the last over with Suggie on strike and four to win. Will’s
return for that final over proved fatal for Suggie’s and Cambridge’s
chances of a famous victory – four dot balls as bat flayles and
misses, a scampered extra and a further dot ball to Robin and
Headingley had won by 2 runs and it was they who claimed a famous
victory whilst Cambridge still had 2 frustrated batsmen waiting to go
in.

There had been some quality cricket played by both sides.