Askham Bryan Cricket Club

The latest League Table is below. 8 goals seems to have been a good haul since the last table.

Walton’s Wanderers have banged in 11! Sue Burnett has extended her lead to 2 goals.

Dear website-watchers:

I get asked to put a number of things on the website. Most of them standard things – reports, news, photos. But this slightly odd one arrived in my inbox this morning. So, without further ado:

T.H.E. (“Dangerous”) Grewer’s Askham Bryan I, in order of Attractiveness

The following eleven is based on those chosen for Askham I in the first week of June 2011 and ordered by T.H.E. Grewer in terms of their attractiveness.

Grewer
Stipetic
Strachan
Wheeler
Parag
Zee
Walton
Sladen
Prateek
Allen
Wood

Make of this what you will

Hallis

Entries for the ABCC Fantasy Football, season 1, are now closed. We had hoped for around 200 teams, but in the end we have 48.

Mike Bains (16) and Mark Grewer (8) gathered the most entries in. There was a prize of £50 to the person bringing in the most entries. This will not now be claimed as the person putting up the prize has won it.

Those who have entered can sign up to a googlegroup specifically for the purpose as we do not want to trouble anyone who chose not to enter. League tables will also appear on the website.

Askham Bryan CC Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Date: 12^th October 2011

Time: 7:45 for 8pm start

Location: Nag’s Head Pub, Askham Bryan

The Askham Bryan AGM is due to be held on 12th October. It is the most significant event of the year in many ways as this is where the Club sets out our agendas and strategies for how best to run the Club in the following twelve months. The club will elect the new Committee,  review all aspects of the Club’s year and also vote for those we feel have done the best on the field this season.

It is vital therefore that as many people as possible can attend, to make the meeting worthwhile and to ensure that all issues are discussed by a significant proportion of the membership.

A full agenda will be circulated to club members around a week before the AGM; if you have any items you wish to include, please advise Mike Bains (Club Secretary) by the end of September.

The 2011 season drew to a breathtaking conclusion at the ABCCCG on Saturday September 10, with some fun cricket, absolutely no barbecue and some fishy goings on at the boozer. Not to mention Paninigate.

You may have seen one or two emails going round in the lead-up to the event. If not, please consult your ISP…

We finally had 16 players. Until Club Skipper shelled a sitter and was bundled off to hospital in ‘Stone’ Mason’s makeshift ambulance. We played two matches, 16 overs per side. For the first match, captains were THE Copeland and of course Praveen, in what may prove to be his last performance on English soil. Players were seeded and a draw took place, Champions-League style, minus all those glass bowls, to decide the 8s who were going to generate. Mmm…

Trent Copeland’s team batted. Phil Allen went on a beer run. Everyone bowled two overs. Copeland’s team won reasonably easily.

We had a good tea and presented Praveen with a farewell card and there were some speeches. Gulp… Then for the second match it was first team skipper Allen vs second team skipper Bains. Pick a player, playground style. Who would be the shivering wretch to be left on his own as the 16th pick? Phil had first pick and chose Woody. As the juniors were picked in the middle somewhere, it was Dave Sladen whose face was claret and was he blue!

Allen’s eight batted and the innings was significant for some power hitting from Woody and some nerves from Doug as the Silver Rug faced his progeny. Frazer tied him in knots… a last pair run-out fest between Praveen and Prasath saw a target of 71 posted. (You batted in pairs for 4 overs and lost 5 runs per dismissal).

Steve Mason and Dave Sladen then got out seven times as the Bains 8 struggled. Sladen was dismayed as memories of a superb running catch at long-on were obliterated. Bains and young Frazer chipped in with about 20. While they were doing so, Mason abandoned plans to get provisions for the BBQ and took Phil Allen to hospital. Allen had taken a truly magnificent running / sliding catch at long on, much where Slayer Sladen had done so not long before; this time Mason was the batter. He played ‘his’ shot and Allen took a beauty. Very next ball, Sladen played ‘his (Mason’s) shot’ but Allen spilled it. And his hand looked like a child’s portion of battered cod that has been ground into the floor of a nearby hostelry. Crushed.

Wood assumed the reins; Sladen subbed. Surely the game was up?! Scooby and Brad nudged everything along nicely, then last pair ‘Trent’ Copeland and Srikkanth went in. Lots to do off four overs from Praveen and (I think!) Woody… suddenly it was all very serious.

Long story short, Trent calmly slotted the very last ball back over the bowler’s head for 6 to win the match! What a day…

So to the Nag’s Head for some cool sparkling refreshments and a BBQ. Except not the BBQ, much to the Silver Rug’s chagrin as he arrived with a freshly-slaughtered deer slung over the roof of his motah!

Drinks were taken, food ordered. Food chased and chased. Stipend, who had turned up for some friendly umpiring near the end, was left wanting, as all around him, paninis were chomped. A storm was brewing in the background as Doug got out the scales and the tape measure to assess the size of Frazer’s piece of fish.

Eventually Panini-gate was put to bed as Adrian got his tuna. Fish – er –gate raged on at the till as Doug took the management to task and mein host was seen charging round the bar with two pieces of frozen fish in his hand.

Bains, Sladen, Stipetic, Copeland and Thornton then repaired to the quieter climes of Micklegate for a reasonable number of drinks. Trent was overly keen to discuss certain merits of Take That over which I shall swiftly draw the thickest of veils. I think the future’s bright. Then to one more bar, then home in the slightly early hours.

Well done especially to Steve Mason and THE Copeland for putting the whole thing together. Top day, great end to the season.

Mike Bains

An apology

Since Sharpie’s return to Maaaiiiiirseyside we have been more than a little remiss in posting match reports, so I thought I should throw together a few thoughts on the last few games, as the Season, bar the Sept 10 family day, is at a close.

Praveen

Yesterday at Drax was Praveen’s last match for the Club, in all likelihood, as he returns to India in two weeks. I want to start my summary by saying what an absolute honour it has been to captain Praveen for the last two seasons, along with his IPL / SPL comrades. I’ve rarely encountered more enthusiasm on a cricket field. Praveen’s knowledge of the game belies his youthful appearance. To hear him ‘educate’ 2010 first team skipper Rob Dale about tactics and field placing in Kennedy’s one morning at 2a.m. was quite something. Afshin was in the background nodding sagely over a glass of sparkling water.

Praveen’s boundless energy after a night shift or a vodka shift on a Friday night, his lively bowling, complete with Seles-grunt, his fast throws and sliding stops, his cheeky scampered singles and of course his encouragement for his teammates (c’mon, now Scooooby, c’mon c’mon; Bala! What are you doing Bala?!) will be etched on my memory until, well, senility destroys it.

I had a really kind message from one of our non-IPL members last night, following the final match, saying that this last season in particular was one of the most enjoyable he had had for a long time. I too must say that skippering the ABCC 2s for the past two years has been hugely enjoyable and a great laugh, we make a great bunch of friends. And we can play a pretty mean game of cricket, too! Praveen and his countrymen have rekindled my love of the game…

So, to Praveen, I say a huge thank-you. Bon voyage. Now get back to India and coach the Test Team!!!

The last four matches

A recap. We lost 5 of the first seven matches, then embarked on a great run where our only loss in 7 matches was a narrow reverse at Dunnington. We entered the last 6 matches on the fringe of the promotion race, with a strong team and bags of enthusiasm. The backdrop to this was the Test Series where England were cruising against The Master, the Wall, and MS Donut.

Matchday 15 was a home tie against Thorp Arch; scene of Tigernaan’s astonishing collection of no-balls earlier in the season. As so often this year, we flew out of the traps in the field; Scooby took 1-4 off six typically tight overs, before a side strain forced him into the cordon. Praveen, Azhar, Nikhil and The good Doctor, Jayant, then formed a 4-pronged IPL attack as we dismissed the visitors for only 103.

Our response was woeful. Skipper Mike Bains batted for ten overs for one run!!! Useless tosser did not refer now to his inability to call correctly at 1.40 each Saturday. Wickets tumbled. Only Ian ‘The Wall’ Hall (now THAT’S a Wall, IPL boys!!) with 31 resisted. Scooby had a charmed life reaching 20 not out, and when last man Doctor Jayant put down his scans of Praveen’s lungs to march to the wicket, we needed 20. Well, we got them. I was umpiring. (All I do these days when we bat!) It was really tense. You’d have thought it was England going 3-0 up in the Test series, rather than div 5 village stuff!

Five to go…

The following week we went to Thorpe Willoughby. We were awful. I did a lot of umpiring again! Tigernaan took 4-37 out of 243-8 and Ian made 39 not out. Anuj came in at number 10 and blasted a breathtaking 52!

They got masses and we didn’t. Nuff said. Are the wheels coming off?

The next match was at home to runaway leaders South Cave. Cancelled due to monsoons. 10 points each! Three matches left, and promotion still a possibility. South Cave have run away with it, but any one of SIX can finish second; we are right in the mix.

Match 18, away to Pocklington on a lovely sunny day. They are up in third, we are fifth. We played brilliantly that day. We got Pock out for 107. At half way they were 50-3 and sometimes we’ve let teams get away. Not this time! New boy Amit took 5-32 on debut. He was well supported by Praveen, Azhar and of course the Tigernaan. Then we knocked the runs off in only 22 overs, with the other debutant Srikkanth hitting a really stylish 51.

England went 4-0 up in the test series.

Two to play. The right series of results could STILL see us pinch second. We have Malton at The Retreat, then Drax away.

Unfortunately we were rained off v Malton, meaning our hopes were now limited to 4^th, and hoping the League gets restructured so we go up!

Praveen’s last stand.

We travelled yesterday to Drax. We batted first and got 222-8. Praveen opened in his final match and made a quick 20. His major contribution in our knock was scoring for the last few overs, and losing track of how many overs we had had! The combination of iPod and scoring does not work… we came off after 38 overs and had to go back out for 2 more. The Skipper doubled his run tally for the season with 123 and no snapped muscles.

In reply we used ten bowlers. Even Bala bowled and Bains donned the gloves for some especially myopic backstop work. Praveen took a breathtaking catch (it knocked all the wind out of his lung) but no wickets. His very final ball for ABCC produced a chip to super-fielder Prasad at midoff. Yes!! No!!!!!! He dropped it. You cannot script this stuff.

Bala took two wickets, one caught by Praveen. We got 27 points; as I write I do not know where we have ended up.

I’ll tell you this, tho: it’s been bloody good fun!

Mike Bains

Captain – ABCC 2s

Hello All

As the football fans amongst you will know, the big league kicked off last Saturday. However, for those of you who prefer a bit of Premiership action (starting this Saturday) then there is the chance to pit your wits against your fellow cricketers in Mike Bains’ 2011 Fantasy Football.

All you need to do is select a winning team from the spreadsheet in the documents section of this website. It is just £3 for 1 team and £5 for 2. There will be cash prizes for the winners and all profits will go towards club funds.
There is an early bonus for those who sign up before September the 9th. So what are you waiting for? head over to the documents section and pick your team. Any questions? get in touch with Mike on mikebains2006@googlemail.com.

Feel free to invite friends, colleagues and anyone else who may want to get involved. They are all welcome and the more people the bigger the pot!

Averages

Now also in the documents section is the 1st team averages up to this point of the season. Head over and take a look.

Thanks

Sharpey

After the washout the week before we were pleased to be greeted with pleasant weather as we assembled at the ground. With Stockton 1s riding high in division 1 we were eager to see what the day would bring. The York Archers’ Scociety were out in the next field. Would the Askham boys today “hit the target”?.

After his record breaking streak of winning 2 tosses on the run Bains promptly lost this week’s and we were asked to bat.

Sharpey and Ian opened up. Ian soon fell for 3 after chipping up to mid-wicket. Bainsy, without his trademark calf injury came to the crease. Bainsy then went after holing out at point for 1. We were slightly wobbled. Scooby came to the middle and the 2 started to steady the ship. Boundaries were at a premium due to the massive size of the field which makes the MCG look like an afternoon on the village green. The 2 batted well, pushing for 2s and 3s where possible and taking the total up towards 75. There was the odd flourish, including a big 6 over mid-wicket from Sharpey and Scooby picking up a few boundaries with his trademark driving.

Sharpey eventually fell for 41. His highest league score for Askham. Simon Walton was up next. He and Scooby continued to bat well beyond drinks and we were in good shape. Scooby was then C&B for a fine 37.

Next up was Sam “Selby” Abbey. Sam was straight into his stride, playing some fantastic wristy shots on the off side. Him and Simon took us up past 30 overs. Sam was given out LBW for an excellent 26.

With only a few overs left the skipper rejigged the order and it was time to tee-off. Bala headed out but was bowled for a duck. Steve “Sly & the family” Mason headed out. He was bowled for 3 with 2 balls left. Nikhil was next in and made the most of the remaining deliveries, hitting a 4 and a 2 to bring us up to 180/7 at the close. A good total, one we were confident we could defend. Simon was undefeated on 38. A fine innings, one I am sure he will share with his colleagues on monday in 6 weeks or so.

Tea

We retired to the pavilion where we were greeted by a table groaning under the weight of sandwiches, cakes, fruit, baked goods and other sundries. We all agreed it was an excellent spread by the Stockton folks and certainly one of the best we have had this season.

Special thanks as always to our fans. Colin was present for this first 30 overs or so and the Walton family (sans shell-suited brother) were camped out on the boundary.

Bowling

Scooby and Terry “Tigernaan” Kiernan opened up. Scooby struck first, a superb diving catch taken by Bala behind the stumps. Terry then got in on the act with Sharpey taking a catch in the gully. (They’re Grrrreeeeeat!) 2 more wickets fell from Scooby with Bala taking another catch and then bowling the next man.

First bowling change saw Nikhil replace Terry. Nik was bowling well from the start. Scooby however, wasn’t finished from the other end, the next man chipping a catch up to Sharpey in the covers. Scooby finished off with figures for 4 for 13. An excellent bowling display.

Stoclton began to rebuild. The 2 men in were batting well and finding the boundary. A few overs later there was an unfortunate incident as Sam dived to take a catch a deep extra-cover and fell akwardly on his right shoulder. It was clear that this was not a routine knock and after some first-aid we decided it would be best to call an ambulance. Sam went off to the hospital with Bala in tow to provide support.

Thankfully, Sam will make a full recovery and be ready for this weekend’s game. Special thanks also to Ian for running the 2 lads back to Sheffield in the evening after they were checked out of the hospital.

The oppo lent us a sub fielder and Bainsy donned the gloves to replace Bala.

Ian and Nikhil were bowling and it was Ian who got the breakthrough we needed. Shwoing some good flight to bowl both of the batmen in quick succession. We were into the tail but there was still some work to be done.

Ian was on fire, bowling 2 more men and finishing with figures of 4-17. Nikhil also got in on the action as a catch was chipped up to Steve Mason in the covers. A good victory for your heroes as Stockton were bowled out for 142 with 8 overs left.

Askham Bryan 2s 140/9 lost to Dunngton 154 by 14 runs.

A horrible sheet of rain was decending on North Yorkshire as we assembled at the very impressive Dunnington ground. However, as nasally gifted singer Barry Manilow once said “We will make it through the rain” and we did. The weather brightened up and we started just after 2pm. Mike won the toss and we put the oppo in to bat.

Bowling

We opened up with Praveen and Scooby. Both started very well and runs were at a premium. The fist wicket fell as the Praveen/Sharpe combination struck for the 5th time this season, Sharpey taking a catch out on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Wickets continued to fall, each one lovingly displayed in lights on the impressive electronic scoreboard which made a Jean Michelle Jarre concert look like a pilot light on a slum landlord’s boiler. Scooby bowled the number 3 with a superb swinging delivery. The number 2 soon followed. He chipped the ball up and Brad was able to break himself away away from worrying about the possible rain damage to his hair to take a good catch down low.

Praveen got another one, forcing the batsman to play on to his own stumps. The next man edged behind off Scooby and Praveen got his 4th wicket by bowling the number 7.

Dunnington started to settle down and a big partnership started to develop. 1 batsman in particular was taking advantage of the short boundary and was soon up to 50. With the openers bowled through Ian took over and showed some excellent flight and guile that pinned the batsmen down. However, it would need something special to remove the danger man….

Simon Walton took over from Praveen at the “Road” end. In his second over he bowls a perfect long-hop, the one that says “hit me into next week”. The batsman wound up to do just that but as I said, this was the perfect long-hop the one that stays lows and goes below the huge swing of the bat straight onto the stumps. Fantastic stuff!

Ian then got in on the wickets, removing the other danger man with a perfectly tempting delivery which forced him out of his crease for a big mow. The ball missed the bat and went straight into Bala’s gloved which then whipped the bails off for a stumping. Nikhil took over from Simon and cleaned up the last 2 wickets. One was well caught by Simon in the gully and the last one was trapped LBW. Dunnington finished on 154 all out.

Tea

Tea was very impressive. Being a premier league ground there was an on-site kitchen which whipped up a fine array of sandwiches, hot pizza, and cakes. All supported by the usuall trimmings such as crisps and fruit. We took to the pavilion balcony to eat and discuss the next innings.

Many thanks to our supporters this week. Marie was along as was Doug and The Copeland, sporting some Cricketer’s Christmas esque attire. The Walton family were camped out on the boundary by the scoreboard. Special thanks to Simon’s brother for easing me in to my impending move back to Liverpool by wearing a grey shell suit.

Batting

Sharpey and Ian “Enter famous concert venue here” Hall headed out to the middle. The early bowling was tight and difficult to get away. Sharpey went first, being bowled for 8.

Scooby went out to bat. He soon started to get into his stride and hit some glorious boundaries. Ian was providing solid support at the other end. Scooby went for 19 after being caught in the covers.

Simon “Goodnight Mom” Walton went out and started well, taking advantage of the change bowling and hitting some nice shots through the off-side. There was then a mix-up between the wickets and Simon was stranded half way down as the bails were whipped off.

The skipper went out. He was carrying a calf injury but was willing to fight on, refusing a runner. Hobbling between the wickets was very good to watch. I hope Seb Coe was in town as we have a prime candidate for the Women’s 50K walk at the 2012 Olympic games. Bains decided to up the run rate but was soon caught in the off-side.

We were a few wickets down but Ian was still there and batting solidly. Sam Abbey went out and showed the good form he has been in this season, hitting some good boundaries before being unlucky to be given out LBW for 17. Nikhil was then given LBW for 1.

Praveen went in to join Ian. Ian then went, getting caught for a very good 32. Bala went in and we were just behind the rate. The 2 IPL players started well. There was a slight controversy between the wickets which led to one of the now legendary “IPL Conferences” (Please note, IPL Conference is a rather euphemistic term for Praveen telling Bala off, it’s always the small ones you need to be most scared of) you could cut the tension with a very blunt knife.

With a few overs left we needed some fireworks. Bala duly delivered, hitting a glorious straight drive over the hedge, over the road and into the field on the other side of the ground. The fielders didn’t even bother trying to find it and went for the box of spares.

Praveen went next, caught for 12 runs. We were 8 down needing about 6 an over, could we do it?

Brad came in and showed some good awareness to get Bala back on strike. However, the death bowling was good and we were struggling to get the ball away. The bell then tolled as Bala was run out for 18. Steve “Stone” Mason joined Brad at the crease. However the rate was beyond us now and despite some spirited batting we fell 15 runs short.

Banter of the week award

I have forgotten the banter from this week so if anyone wants to claim this week’s award then please post in the comments box below.