Match Report by Matt Harding at Lightcliffe

In 1990, British Telecom chose the late great Bob Hoskins to launch their ‘It’s Good To Talk’ campaign. It’s said the advert alone made them an extra £5bn.

Lightcliffe’s under 13s may not have added any money to the club’s coffers tonight, but they definitely know that it’s good to talk. And talk. And talk.

If there’s one thing to take away from their win, it was the constant encouragement in the field as they brought home a tight game against a talented Cleckheaton side.

The early signs were good. Ollie Rose opened the batting with a four from the first ball, letting his bat do the talking. Even the sight of bowler taller than both umpires didn’t phase him and he was soon keeping the score ticking over.

Aidan will have better days with the bat, but it takes courage to be in the opening pair. And as we’ll see, he put his innings behind him when called upon to bowl.

Max soon found his range, hitting a lovely four through mid-on. Cleckheaton’s opening bowlers were no mugs, but the boundaries continued with Max hitting another fine shot off his feet down to fine leg.

Sometimes the scorecard doesn’t do justice to the quality of the batting. Freddie came in and played with real confidence. He matched Rosey with a four from the first delivery he faced. Some great shots that would have found the rope on another day frustratingly found only the fielder’s hands.

And there was no more frustrating ball to hand than Nico’s unlucky edge to the keeper.

Webby’s had some tough days at the crease recently. It’s easy to forget how exposed you can feel when you come out to bat. Cricket’s a team sport. Except sometimes it’s not. As you face that first delivery it can feel like a 10 v 1 MMA fight.

If it was, Webby went for the ‘ground and pound’. His 27 was a highlight of the game. And just what he needed. Henry added a couple of fours and partnered Ollie to see out the innings.

The constant talking between the wickets from every pair was a sign of things to come. Those singles add up. And unquestionably helped secure the victory.

Jim opened the bowling and was rewarded with a wicket via the safe hands of Webby who took a high one with ease. It was a theme that continued when Seth got in on the act catching a fast one at extra cover. Jack had already opened his account with a direct hit off his first delivery.

We were then treated to an exhibition of joining the dots from Joey Powe. Great line and length meant great figures too.

Seth didn’t let some early jitters get to him and was rewarded with the sight of the ball hitting the middle stump. Webby continued the theme, finding some swing and earning his wicket.

Henners must have been feeling the pressure given the quality of his younger siblings overs. This was, after all, the first time they’d played together. He rose to the challenge with some unplayable deliveries. Someone had obviously found the ‘George Horne Book of Sledging’ as ‘spinning like a washing machine’ and ‘they can’t play these’ rang out from the field.

Freddie kept the ship steady. And took a wicket. There was quality right through the team tonight.
Max continued the youngster’s ‘dot ball’ theme with some real venom in his deliveries.

Cleckheaton were no mugs with the bat. The game was tight. And that meant the final pair of Ollie and Aidan had to keep things tight as the game came to a close.

They did just that. Aidan had thrown some bullets from the field. And his aim was true when he bowled. Ollie mirrored that control at the other end.

The game was won. The match was played in a great spirit by both teams. And there were smiles at the end from both teams. Exactly what this is all meant to be about.

It’s good to talk. And to shout. And, it seems, it’s good to sing as we found out with ‘Lightcliffe’s on Fire’ ringing out from the home dressing room.