Detail: 04-09-2020 - Yorkshire Tour
Result:
Saturday 5th: v Ovington CC, Albemarle Rd, York YO23 1ER
Sunday 6th: @ Scarborough
Scarbados 2020
So what started with an off the cuff remark about Scarborough's North Bay being 'posh' by Mullett at the AGM in November and some enthusiasm about York Races - the Blues agreed it would be worth adding this to the ever growing list of counties we have visited. A turbulent year of lockdowns and social distancing meant fixtures were hard to come by with some teams giving up for this season - a special mention at this point goes to Harry J who worked tirelessly on the Blues Tour Committee with Fitz, Youcef, Glenn and AB all contributing to make sure we had a tour this year against all odds! The stage was set for the Blues to embark North of Watford to find out for themselves whether it truly is 'grim up North' after all...
The keen beans were wise to leave London early to enjoy a glistening afternoon in York soaking up the culture and booze. Many bars were scouted and patronised by the Blues with the T20 cricket some welcome and appropriate entertainment even for those still flying up the M1 to join the group. With the frequent reminder to the barkeeps that we were just 'two households' the drinks were flowing after dinner and the group found their form. A new friend of the Blues - Joolz was a welcome addition and provided lots of 'proppa' conversation for what was very much a male heavy cohort. Finally, the stragglers arrived with Mo and newcomer Ben L - frazzled from AB getting his 'money's worth' from the hire car's responsive pedals.
Upon leaving the comfort of the booths upstairs, the Blues moved onto their next venue. Lining up outside we found out it was a no sportswear gig so there was a quick change of kit for Mo who donned a jumper from Archie who had cleverly developed his beer jacket to combat the fresh winds that a well layered Youcef was clearly prepared for. A stoic Fitz ensured entry for everyone despite some rumblings from the door staff. Quickly, seats were occupied then jugs, bottles and copious amounts of shots started to appear. In a rampant mood Rory, Alex and Harry T discussed their plans for runs and wickets over the weekend - so much so that Youcef's eyes began fighting to stay open. Sometime after this the former Harry T slinked back to his room - seemingly in preparation for a long innings the next day. The staff could only look on in despair despite constant reminders to stay seated throughout the night. Parkour and kebabs punctuated the early hours of Saturday morning with Ben injuring his ankle 'elegantly' jumping down a full set of stairs at the hotel before a ball being bowled.
Saturday morning brought sore heads, a slow burning optimism and some very good weather with the Blues dispersing around York for some sustenance ahead of the 35 over game that afternoon. The group rallied and Ovington CC was entered in all satnavs whilst bowlers and batters alike used proplus, red bull and greggs sausage rolls to bolster energy levels. In the foreground of York Races and on a huge expanse we found what can only be described as a 'green and luscious' pitch and wicket. A fresh Mullett appeared from down the way having travelled up on the train to join the ranks. And a super sub Neil joined the team in better shape than most. The toss was won so the Blues elected to bowl, with a fiery Rory and Glenn attacking the stumps at both ends. Surprisingly, fielding was all textbook with long barriers and sticky hands all over. Brave stops included a chance meeting of Alex Pike and the sidescreen wheel - a moment that vindicated our oversubscribed tour group who rotated well all afternoon to cover for injuries and cloudy heads. Some excellent bowling from Mo and Neil had their batters scrambling for quick singles with only one of them reaching a well needed ton. Mullett contributed with some classy swing bowling perfect for the overcast conditions. Plenty of shouts of Haway the Blues continued and Ovington were rattled by some late swing bowling from Rory and Pikey. Also, a sharp and commanding performance behind the stumps by Jenks ensured a low extras tally to put a cherry on top of a solid shift by the Blues. Total to chase: 164
Openers, Harry T - a man with one plan only and AB needing runs descended on the wicket. A few balls that were a bit spicy followed and soon both had been dismissed in single figures with a couple of boundaries from the former. Stalwarts Fitz (40 odd) and Youcef (50 odd) occupied the ground after the pups had failed - adding plenty of runs and some customary Fitz boundaries with the ball heading to all corners of the pitch. This setup the rest of the game which was somewhat marred by typical Yorkshire weather coming in to interrupt play. Unfortunately for Ovington, their black magic could not halt the Blues mucking in and with a champagne 4 through a newly assembled slip corden for newcomer Ben we managed to knock off the rest of the runs with captain Harry J keeping his nerve to hit the winning runs.
A quick skip, hop and jump to the pub up the road we were warmly welcomed by the defeated side to join them and again pints were readily available to all concerned. Some swift admin by AB and Youcef ( a man who enjoys a plan ) followed and the order for 13 x Fish and Chips was placed at Seamer Fisheries. A headline about dogging in the local paper was wafted about by Glenn when we arrived providing an 'insight' into the culture and underbelly of the North Yorkshire county. We drove further on up the winding roads of Olivers Mount which opened up to a spectacular view of Scarbados enjoyed with cans and the quintessential dish of the seaside. Presented by club veteran Richard, a proud Alex Pike received his contrasting black cap for the blues.
In buoyant spirits, we arrived at the B&B with the host outlining the rules and regs for our visit including a fruity reference to some local massagers only a well known British comedy about a man and his thai bride could explain. A mix up of the rooms saw Niel and Richard encounter each other at the wrong moment when freshening up for the night ahead. The Blues had arrived and dropped anchor in Scarborough's South Bay. A quick jaunt down to the seafront and a look in an arcade led us to the back room of the Golden Ball - a Sam Smiths pub with a stringent no phones policy and an excessive amount of lighting. Warm words about the players' efforts that day and a round of applause for the organisers set up the rest of the evening with all taking in the fresh North Sea air on the way back up to town. One half went to the Turks, the other to the casino and in both instances the purstrings opened to take advantage of the low prices on offer. All enjoyed the evening and a commitment to jump in the sea by the brave Harry, Archie and Alex the following morning were hastily made and as the video evidence shows - actually carried it through to fruition!
Sunday morning and breakfast had been ordered - full english and great service all for #30pp was incredible value and enjoyed by all. A quick run around Marine Drive in the cars to see the North Bay and onto Staxton CC where the team's self proclaimed T20 specialists; Rory, Harry T and Mo plotted their line of attack with bat and ball. Some frantic team selection by Jenks and AB made sure all were given their chance to have a go with at least bat or ball that weekend. Winning the toss again and electing to bat Glenn and Mo trudged out both keen to prove their worth with the bat. A meeting of the captains revised the overs to 25 as all were 'frothing at the mouth' for as much cricket possible. Some subbing of the fielders for the other team until their extras arrived saw a half hearted attempt at stopping a rocketing 4 from Mo by AB. Mo continued to knock it around and soon reached his 50 with some excellent cricket being played all around. Other players contributed however the standout innings down the order was played by our super sub Neil who batted stylishly and nearly reached 50 himself. The Blues posted 184 which we were confident we could defend.
Our very own left arm medium bowler Youcef AKA Chaminder Vaas opened with Rory who both bowled well until a young Jonny got his eye in. A pathetic attempt at a catch by the mid off AB saw the latter go on to strike many more boundaries and jeopardise the teams plan of defending the total. Chinaman Harry T saw a barrage of boundaries from his over and quickly returned to the long on boundary to remain a fielder. Glenn came on to bowl and wickets fell to the crafty badger but all of this was in vain as we were again struck by the unpredictable Yorkshire weather. The match was abandoned but a proclamation by Jenks of being undefeated on tour was a good point well made.
Bags were packed, back seats were bagsied for sleep and lots of elbow taps and hugs followed as the Blues ended their tour of North Yorkshire and embarked on the long journey back South to the two households we all reside in. All in all, a brilliant weekend of banter and camaraderie that finely finished a long summer of uncertainty and uninspiring news cycles. Thank you to all who came, I am very proud to have hosted you in my hometown and glad that all had a good time.
ALLEZ THE BLUEZ & HAWAY THE BLUES
Alistair
[updated 02 12 2020]