Helperby 3rd XI vs Burton Leonard 3rd XI 4 May - Match Report

On a filthy wet day at Burton Leonard the Helperby 3rd XI managed to grind out a draw and secure a point thanks to some limpet like lower order batting from the junior members of the team.

Burton Leonard won the toss and chose to bat on what looked a good track. After a delayed start for rain Helperby were in a good position with the score at 38 for 1 after 13 overs thanks to some tight bowling from Andrew Harrison (5ov, 1m, 11r, 0w) and George Swiers (6,1,15,1) and a good catch at slip by Peter Mitchell, before the rain started to come down again.

After an extended rain stoppage and early tea the match was reduced to 31 overs per side. We were confident at this point of keeping Burton Leonard to a chaseable score through some tight bowling.

Unfortunately the skipper decided to bring himself on at this stage and despite some excellent bowling from Chris Fryer (9,1,23,6) which included a hat-trick (and nearly a second), the runs began to flow as the Burton Leonard players swung the bat finishing on 100 for 9.

Sadly we were unable to gain the bowling point due to the skipper’s inability to land the ball anywhere near the stumps. On the whole our fielding was tight with Stuart Cross fielding particularly well, showing fantastic commitment in chasing down every ball.

Throughout most of the second half of Burton Leonard’s innings the rain had continued to fall and by the time we came out to bat the wicket had deteriorated considerably. Again the skipper let the side down being out first ball and thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals leaving Helperby at 45 for 7 with around 15 overs to go.

At this point the junior players really stepped up to the mark with some excellent rearguard batting – not only occupying the crease for crucial overs but also scoring valuable runs to secure the point. Andrew Harrison and Joe Jordan formed an invaluable partnership of 23 runs and were ably supported by Dan Spink and Ollie Swiers, all of whom showed a rock solid defensive technique. Helperby finished on 86 for 9.