Good news in the week when the league decided that Kippax had broken the rules and last weekend played too many pool players. A club is only allowed to play 3 pool players per week but Kippax had used 4, 3 in their 2nd team and critically 1 in their firsts. As a result their win against Ledsham was reversed and that left them just 3 points in front of us with 3 matches remaining. The chase in on.

It is now getting to the back end of the season and after reporting on 14 games I am beginning to notice how I repeat myself in the match reports and certain themes have appeared over the season in the games.

1. I start with a weather report, this year it has seemed to pee it down on the Friday putting Saturday’s game in doubt.

2. Then a list of changes to the side from the last match. (Meanwhile Rich Taylor is always posting on Facebook that he is drinking/eating somewhere else).

3. I might mention the ground and any history we have with the opposition that I can remember, though these days the memory is a little fuzzy, so that is usually very unreliable.

4. Then I go on to comment on the fact the days skipper is either a useless to tosser or a good ‘un.

5. Once the match starts we generally take a couple of quick wickets from the leagues best opening attack, Joe Raynor is on the mark from the off and Steve Winspear takes a little time to get his line & length spot on. Steve always has to bowl uphill or into wind.

6. One of the opposition batting will then takes the bull by the horns and scores at least a 50 as we bring on our 2nd & 3rd string bowlers.

7. Matty Paul drop an easy catch then takes an absolute screamer.

8. The none strike bowlers look nervous and bowl some pies.

9. After looking like chasing close to 250 we make a breakthrough and bowl them out for 150 or less.

10. Joe Raynor always takes at least one more wicket than Steve.

11. The tail wags.

12. Home teas are excellent, though apparently not quiet as good as those that the 2nd team enjoy. Away teas are more mixed, tuna & taste free cheese must make an appearance. The scorer will always add raw or pickled onion to his plate and regret it for the rest of the 2nd innings.

13. Alex Ward & Pete Batty open the batting. 6 times so far this year.

14. Alex gets no luck, Pete plays some stylish shots looks set for a big score then promptly get outs.

15. The predictable thing about Ben White is he is unpredictable.

16. Milford will have a batting wobble.

17. Scorer gets confused who is batting. Jack Handley, Joseph Barr, Joe Raynor or Harry Jackson. It could be any of them. Come on guys get different coloured helmets or a couple of you put on 2 stone !!!!!

18. Scorer gets convinced we have mucked up the run chase and prepares himself for defeat. Scorers are traditionally pessimistic by nature which gets worse the longer you do it. You only ever seem to remember the collapses, though point 3 can come into play.

19. Milford’s batting gets its act together and we win the game.

20. Veteran skipper Paul Hebden threatens to get fit then spends 30 mins in a shower trying to loosen stiff muscles.

21. One of the Bramley’s gets a fine for general stupidity.

So lets see how this weeks match away at Ledsham compares.

1. Yep it tipped it down Friday but dried out just enough over night to allow the game to be played.

2. Pete Batty & Sean Nesbitt are missing replaced by Stuart Morley and Harry Jackson, that makes 4 potential opening batsmen in the line-up today. Rich Taylor is in Flannigans, Liverpool via The Pumphouse…..

3. We comfortably beat Ledsham first game of the season and just recently the mid-week team triumphed in the Elmet Evening League Playoff final against them.

4. Paul is a top tosser. He won, vital as batting first was going to be a nightmare on the very, very soft wicket. Obviously he put them in.

5. Joe & Steve open the bowling, Steve takes a while to settle coming from the bottom of the slope but gets the first wicket when opener Rob Fisher kindly pops a long hop straight back to him. Joe then starts an almost unplayable spell which leaves Ledsham stunned at 19-5 off 11.

6. Josh Ware is the opposition batter who flourishes while all around him his teammates fall. He seems to be playing a different match to all the others. Defending the good ball and punishing the bad ones. Getting lucky when he occasionally mistimes the odd shot, the ball always finding a gap in the field. Finally finding a batting partner in #7 Jake Wright he reached a well deserved 50 after 2 hours at the crease. Wright decided to attack from the off and made a whirlwind 27 before a fantastic stumping by Alex Ward ended his innings. Alex may well have had at least one more stumping today but the match only had one league umpire so square leg were probably slightly biased against him.

7. Matty is not in the team today, instead becoming a 2nd team all round legend.

8. James Bramley's first two balls are horrible but after that looks to have the Ledsham batsmen in a right daze his 3 for 12 off 9 overs kept the pressure on through the middle overs. Dan Ward & Harry Jackson backed him up as well never letting Ledsham get away.

9. Ledsham never looked to be setting a big score but it wasn’t going to be that sort of day, perhaps a 150 target might be tricky on this wicket. Fortunately Ware looked more concerned with his own personal average than batting for the team.

10. Joe finished with best bowling stats for the day with 4 for 28 off 10 but today Steve could only winkle out 2 wickets. That pushes him further behind in the race for club bowling honours. He will have to have a purple patch when we play Crossgates next game as Joe is missing that fixture if he has any hope of overhauling him.

11. The tail did wag and hung around an awful long time. It took us over 20 overs to claim the last 3 wickets and 50 runs were scored in that time. Harry Jackson claiming the last scalp when he bowled Ware for 64. Without him the Ledsham total would have looked pretty sorry.

12. Ledsham teas were in fact more than half decent. A nice selection and plenty. Almost makes you forget those pathetic ones of two seasons ago. The scorer did have the roast beef & raw onion sandwiches. Plus lovely cream, jam & strawberry scones.

13. Alex & Stu open the batting.

14. Alex gets the bad luck when a beautiful straight drive from Stu is deflected onto the stumps by bowler Adam Rothera leaving him stranded out of his ground. The second time in two games I have seen this happen.

15. Ben White plays the most un Ben White innings I have ever seen. Obviously not content with been the favourite for all the club batting honours this year he looks like he was determined to get in pole position for the premier trophy, The Escargot Award. Just 2 runs off a 26 ball innings leaving him with a 7.7 strike rate, the only innings so far this year in single figures that qualifies. Greedy lad….

16. Classic wobble, 24 for 4 off 14 overs. Could be Crompark at home all over again.

17. Good day for the scorer as Jack Handley stuck out a mile today with an absolute stinker of a shot which ended his brief, less than convincing, innings. Not his best day of the season by a long way.

18. Scorer is convinced we have blown it and will be all out for 30 as usual.

19. Joseph Barr & Harry Jackson get tasked with pulling the Milford irons out of the fire. Ledsham were really up for it when these two came together, the sledging getting more and more imaginative. Freddie Dewhirst, the Ledsham skipper, gambled and kept his opening bowlers on hoping they would break the Milford batting before they used up their allocated 12 overs apiece. Though they tied down the batsmen neither could take further wickets. Poor fielding not backing them up. Joe the main beneficiary when he was dropped on 17 at square leg. An absolute sitter.
Fred finally did remove Rothera & Kelly from the attack but the bowlers who replaced them were not in the same class. This gave Joe & Harry chance to settle and become comfortable while keeping the run rate reasonable. Fred bringing himself on in an attempt to halt the Milford march to victory. It was not his day today as his 6 overs were wicket less and added 19 runs to the chase. Fred’s last throw of the dice was to bring his opening bowlers back but by now Joe & Harry had put on 50 and the finishing line was insight.
Ledsham’s heads had started to drop and even though just 2 runs were scored vitally neither batsmen lost their wickets in the three overs the openers had left between them.
When Harry smashed young Jack Hey for two sixes in an over the game was up. Unlucky for Harry he missed out on a well deserved half century by just one run when he hit a boundary to win the match.

20. Paul suffered from pad rash today, having been ready to go out to bat for 26 overs. Sweaty calves needing a good soak.

21. James must have been fined, he cannot help himself. Confirmation needed.