Date: 28th April 2007
Opposition: Kirk Hammerton A
Venue: Away
Result: Kirk Hammerton A Win
After winning the opening game of the season Braham & Clifford 2nd XI were eager to continue their winning ways.
On yet another glorious day in April with the wicket looking conducive to batting, B&CCC won the toss and elected to bat. With the boundaries no bigger than Waddington’s ‘TEST CRICKET’ a par score would have been somewhere in the region of 250-280 runs….well that was the plan.
Tasker and Skipper Howard opened the batting, Tasker carrying on from where he left off last week with some hefty blows from outside off stump, literally over cow corner. Howard was the first to go faintly tickling one to their keeper, after a blank expression from the umpire (Trevor Howard), the skipper was left with no other choice than to set an example to the younger members of his team and walk. Tasker continued swotting everything within his arc but finally perished on 37.
B&CCC offered little resistance to Hammerton’s bowling, wickets tumbled as frequently as Heather Mills McCartney on Ice, Bramham closed on 96 all out. Only brief cameo innings from Trevor Howard (12) & Robert Howard (18 not out), made the score a tad more respectable than a big black man sporting a red codpiece.
In each game there are plus points to be taken, although losing the game quite comfortable Hammerton lost three early wickets. The commitment from all eleven players from the first ball to last ball in the 24th over was fantastic; with another 90-100 runs on the board this would have been a very interesting game.
Man of the Match with 37 runs Glyn Tasker
Date:
21st April 2007Bramham & Clifford 2nds Post Emphatic Victory
The much anticipated season got off to a fantastic start with a comfortable 5 wicket win over St. Chad’s ‘B’. On a barmy April’s day at the Rhodes Lane Cricket Ground, St. Chad’s B won the toss and elected to bat. Returning for his second term as Captain, Richard Howard lead his team on to the field and immediately turned to his main strike bowler Rob ‘The Mail-Man’ Howard. In the very first over just to prove ‘the Mail-Man always delivers his goods’, Rob knocked over their openers leg stick. Having plenty of juice left in his tank Rob struck again 5 overs later, removing St. Chad’s other opener Leg Before.
At the Lane End new recruit Pete Glover struggled for line and length, with the score at 68 for 2 in the 14th over Captain (Rich) Howard brought himself on to bowl, presumably to stem the flow of runs. Having been clinically despatched for two fours and a six from his first five overs by the St Chad’s number three, he decided to persist. Dogged in his performance ‘The Mail-Man’ was by now knocking at the door and rewarded with a smarty taken catch by his Captain to remove their dangerous number three batsmen for 64. From there on St. Chad’s B imploded, with the remaining seven batsmen being skittled out for just a further 26 runs.
Chasing 129 runs to win Bramham & Clifford 2nd XI set off at a brisk pace with both openers (Rich) Howard & Tasker exchanging boundaries. Tasker was the first to perish for 23, not before swotting one from well outside off-stump only to watch it sail sweetly over the boundary on to the bonnet of his old ladies immaculately kept company car.
With wickets falling at regular intervals (Rich) Howard was there almost to the bitter end before playing back to a ball which...quite frankly did nothing, only to see his middle peg being propped-up like a number of Bramham players on a Friday night out. St. Chad's B were now firmly on the attack. When one of Bramham 2nds smallest players marched out to the middle the field had well and truly been brought in, this no nonsense cricketer refusing to take a guard, scoured the field, hit his first two balls for boundaries, put his bat under his arm and walked off victoriously. Chris Franklin!
With figures of 6 for 38 Man-of-the-match went to Robert Howard.