Last Thursday, we came away from Moorlands without a win but with a much improved performance under our belts. Last night, that hard work produced its rewards with near neighbours Mirfield as the opponents.

Junior cricket is all about giving the next generation opportunities to shine. Which is why our lord and master Alex Tait alongside your scribe and ECB trained scorer (yes, I have a certificate and everything) decided not that we were both knackered and fancied a night of just watching our sons play but that we would do our bit for youth training and upskilling. So George Deighton was despatched to the middle to umpire while Theo Fletcher was elevated to the scorers platform with tablet in hand. They both did a cracking job but will both need more practice so I’m afraid their services will be called upon again…

Anyway, to the action - Brodie won the toss and decided to have a bat and it was Alexander and Charlie who opened up the innings. And did so astutely with Alexander, who played some beautiful shots, retiring not out first off 24 and Charlie taking 34 to reach the 25 maximum.

James and Ollie Rose had brief stays, Ollie crafting some lovely shots which he was unlucky not to be able to continue showcasing. Noah came in, scored quickly and became the third retiree, while Ollie Webb’s contribution of 8 from 8, Brodie’s 22 from 13, and Nico’s 2 from 5 all pushed the score up.

154 was the total set. It was a strong showing, but it would need some defending and, as the wind started to swirl around the Park, anything could happen. Especially to any loose items.

You don’t often open the bowling with two spinners, but we don’t like to pick orders you’d expect in the 13s, and so it was Henry and Dom who took the honour of facing up to their openers.

They both repaid the faith with Dom’s two in particular being incredibly tight - just 3 runs up against batters who would display their power in subsequent overs. It would prove to be an important miserly spell as the runs started to flow.

Because, dear reader, the scoreboard then started to move too fast for comfort really.

There were wickets, two in two balls were much deserved by James who never fails to give anything less than 100% on the field. Ollie got another - bowled, Brodie got one - caught and bowled. As did Charlie - two in fact. And one for Noah.

The fielding was also much better, but there was still room for improvement (isn’t there always). It all meant that, at the halfway point, analysis of the worm would tell you it was 50/50 (that’s a sentence guaranteed to make no sense to any non-cricket fan) so it really was that flow of dismissals that slowed the flow of runs.

The rate dropped, the target disappeared into the distance, the game was done - and, for Lightcliffe, won.

The final wicket taken was one which summed up what genuinely was a much stronger fielding performance - and the impact that can have on a game.

A great shot from the Mirfield batter heading to the boundary, stopped by an already grass-stained Dom, thrown accurately and swiftly into Nico at the stumps, who removed the bails. Finger raised, eighth wicket down.

Three balls later, the 20 overs were done. Mirfield ended 32 short, Lightcliffe celebrated a win. A performance where every single member of the 11 contributed, performed and made a difference.

Thanks and credit to Mirfield too - they never gave up, they were seriously impressive, and we all agreed they were a credit to their club and our sport.

A good night’s work all round, not least for the spin cycle on the Naylor washing machine to remove the grass stains from the young spinner’s whites while I do some spinning of the game. Enough to make anyone dizzy.