Match report.
Yorkshire U13A v Cheshire U13, held at Whitkirk CC on Sunday 22nd July 2018.
Cheshire 170 all out (Charlie McMurran 4-31) beat Yorkshire 143 all out (Sam Spenceley 34*) by 27 runs.
On Sunday, Yorkshire played their fourth Northern Counties Cup game of the season, having won two and lost one of their previous games.
Under the hot sun and on a worn surface, Cheshire won the toss and elected to bat first at Whitkirk CC, Leeds. Once again, George Crowther and Leo Diffey opened with quick, accurate spells; Crowther making an early breakthrough. However, some resilient batting on a tricky surface meant Cheshire kept the scoreboard ticking. The pitch offered excessive spin and indifferent bounce. Cheshire brought up the hundred with only four wickets down. Charlie McMurran, in two acurate spells, was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-31 as Cheshire collapsed from 130-5 to 170 all out in 39 overs.
After the heavy roller was applied at the tea interval, Alex Cree and Matthew Hood began Yorkshire's reply against some accurate seam bowling. Both found scoring hard against the new ball; Cree eventually falling for 9 and Hood for 8, leaving Yorkshire on 33-2 after 12 overs. Sam Spenceley anchored the innings with a patient 34*. However, Yorkshire were always behind the run rate and wickets fell on a regular basis. Elias Smith offered some impetus to the innings with 21 in 18 balls but, unfortunately, no other batsman reached 20. Cheshire rotated their bowlers well, with all the seamers and spinners bowling with accuracy and control; Yorkshire eventually falling 27 runs short.
Lots of positives from the game including a much better fielding performance. However, Cheshire showed the value of bowling at the stumps and rotating the strike when boundaries were hard to come by.
Many thanks to Whitkirk CC for the use of their facilities and to the officials during the game.
Full scorecard available HERE.