Match Report by Stephen Naylor at Friarmere

My esteemed learned friend reporting on Thursday night’s home U13 fixture against Cleckheaton reminisces about the BT adverts of the 1990s. Which got me thinking about the seemingly endless adverts on the radio and tv today promoting the speaking clock (which surely no-one has used since 1994) and talking of being behind Brilliant Things.

Well, when you’re a cricket parent, brilliant things are home games and less brilliant games are the ones where you have to try and work out how you’re going to get work done when you have to be on the M62 at 5pm to get to ‘near Oldham’. So, all of those who arrived in ‘not quite Greater Manchester’ were indebted to Chief Selector Mr Tait (who conveniently had organised a work trip to coincide) for his kindness in sending us to the "home of the tubular bandage”.

The evening nearly started with a depleted team as Team Boshell took a wrong turn on one of the many steep hills and violent corners that mark the trek to Friarmere and ended up in a farmer’s yard, being confronted by said farmer brandishing a stick. Thankfully, they did not submit to his clutches as they withdrew in a cloud of dust as the accelerator pedal was floored to make their escape.

So, I suppose as we must, to the cricket and fresh from his encounter with the friendly local, Noah - and the rest of our 11 young players – arrived ready for a clash against a determined home side.

This was a young Lightcliffe team with new U11s Jacob and Harry making their debuts for the 13s – and they performed brilliantly.

Friarmere won the toss and chose to bat on a pitch in a ground that was as slow as the M62 often is. Batting was tough going thanks to some brilliant bowling and fielding. Wickets fell with captain Brodie (3-9), Harry (2-16), Ollie (1-1), Noah (1-11) and Alexander (1-6) claiming victims. There was an impressive display behind the stumps from Henry, some very tight bowling from Dom, great catches from Brodie and George, and dives and stops a plenty in the field from everyone.

The home side were 84 all out in 17 overs after their not out retiree returned to the crease briefly to close out the innings. It seemed like a gettable total, so the visitors batters took to the field with hope but also knowing with a strip that slow, nothing would be easy.

So it proved. Brodie was his usual classy self opening, ultimately retiring not out on 25. But the loss of George’s wicket on his first ball was a foretaste of what was to come. The bowling was excellent, and our batters had to battle. Ollie made it to 12 and Jonty was not out at the end on 11 with a couple of brilliant boundaries. But when Brodie returned to the crease in the 17th over, in a weird symmetry of the two sides innings, with 23 still needed the writing looked to be on the wall. Sometimes when leaders return after a bit of time away they are the saviour of the world, sometimes they get bowled first ball. That’s life eh.

62 all out was the final total – a win for Friarmere which they were determined to secure, and secure they did.

Despite the defeat, there were lots of brilliant things to take from the night – Harry and Jacob’s excellent first appearance for the U13s (there’ll be many more), the leadership and support of our actual U13s Brodie, Daniel, Alexander and Noah, and the passion and never-say-die attitude of our U11s George, Dom, Ollie, Jonty and Henry.

Thanks to Neil for running the game, and to all the parents and grandparents for braving the M62 (and irate farmers) to be there to cheer on the lads.