Several unavailabilities required Burton to select a much changed eleven. The team’s average age of 32 might lead one to think it was in its prime years. But on closer inspection, the makeup of five players nearing or over 50 coupled with five teenagers told a different story.

Nonetheless the team was buoyed by the inclusion of no less than three county age group players – Lucas Arnot (Yorkshire Under 14), Monty Ramsden (Yorkshire Under 15) and Rob Burton (Yorkshire Over 50).

Pudsey, confident from their crushing victory the previous day when they complied 330, won the toss and chose to bat. Burton rallied the troops in the changing room saying we were on a “shot to nothing” and should stick to our task no matter how many runs Pudsey compiled.

How differently events unfolded.

With the first ball of the match, skipper Burton removed Simpson’s off bail with a peach. In his next over he dismissed Jubb, whose outside edge was clutched expertly in Monty’s keeping gloves as he dived long and low to his right. And in Burton’s third over, Pudsey skipper Kettlewell was adjudged LBW.
With James Horne peddling some miserly medium pacers at the other end, after five overs the scoreboard read a scarcely believable 3 for 3.

Pudsey slowly rebuilt in the middle overs as LCC’s younger bowlers kept it tight. Lucas bowled an eight over spell, full of control and threat, for the impressive figures of 2 for 31. Matthew Brearley, making his 2nd team debut, bowled tightly and kept calm when the latter overs acceleration was on to record figures of 1 for 29 off six. And Ayaan Akram’s right arm spin claimed two late wickets as well, removing Moiz when well set.

After Burton and Horne picked up an extra wicket each in their final spells, there was the collector’s item sight of two overs from Michael Brooke before the Pudsey innings closed at 141 all out after 37.3 overs.

A monumentally good effort by LCC with the ball and in the field. It must be said that Horne’s age-adjusted fielding performance was outstanding.

As tea was taken in jolly mood, forensic research into Play Cricket indicated that scores had all been low on this ground in recent weeks indicating its extreme dryness may make the chase more challenging than the modest target implied.

The first ball of the LCC innings went through Pudsey’s keeper for four byes. 4-0 after 0.1. Curiously it had taken Pudsey five overs to register their fourth run, at which time their number five was facing the bowling. A good omen. From here, openers Brooke and Will Leach put on a classy first wicket partnership until both fell in quick succession with the score on 44, for 17 and 20 respectively.

No worry, with less than 100 needed and eight wickets in the shed, LCC were still sitting pretty.

Despite Monty falling to a brilliant leg side stumping for 6, Lucas (17) and David Knight (31) (that’s their scores not their ages) each went about their business in their own particular fashions, Lucas patient and correct, David belligerent.
Two of David’s strokes linger in the memory, one a six hit so straight it crashed into the sight screen on the full with a resounding crack, the other a back foot drive played with a vertical bat “drilled” through point.

But when Knight fell, LCC quickly lost five wickets for 32 runs including the experience of Richard Thompson and James Horne, leaving the tricky proposition of needing ten to win with only two wickets remaining.

At this point Club Chair Richard Leach walked out to the crease to join Rob Burton, who was going nicely after a mightily close LBW decision went his way. Leach started by blocking every ball he received and continued by blocking every ball.

As readers may know, in the famous Oval Ashes test of 1902, England’s last man Wilfred Rhodes walked to the crease to join fellow Yorkshire man George Hirst (who famously played for Lightcliffe in the 1916 season), and with 15 needed to win, Hirst memorably said “we’ll get ‘em in singles, Wilfred”. This they duly did.

It is one thing to knock off 15 in singles.

But could Leach really knock off 10 in dots???? How was that even possible? Was he really waiting for 10 extras to be registered? A tall order but Leach seemed determined to stay on 0*.

As it was, Burton somehow managed to get a few balls of strike, hit a four and a couple of singles and only 3 were needed. At this point Leach’s plan to use extras came to fruition as he sneaked a leg bye. But the batsman was distraught when the umpire failed to signal to the scorers, and an unwanted run was credited to Leach.

As the scores were level, yet another Leach block squirted away off inside edge and pad, Burton called for a quick single and the game was won.

After the game, it was agreed we had put in a fabulous team performance, everyone had contributed something, the fielding was good and we had claimed a major scalp. But there was a clear man of the match – Skipper Rob Burton bookended the game with an absolutely deadly initial bowling spell and was there with the bat at the end as the winning runs were struck.

Onwards to round two with confidence high and the team very much enjoying their cricket.

Match Report by Richard Leach. Photos from Bob Horne.