Three Wins from 3 in Perfect Weekend
Maybe someone had worshipped the right pagan god, maybe the long day suited the way the club play. Whatever the reason, the summer solstice proved a good day for the club as all three 3 Saturday teams won their match. There were different challenges potential banana skins offered but all were successfully negotiated by the mighty Ovo.
Saturday 21st June, Ovington 1st XI vs Acomb 2nd XI
Acomb 94/10 (28.2); O Garner Steel 3/6
Ovington 95/0 (15.5); A Garner Steel 49*, Whale 43*
Ovington won by ten wickets
Scorecard: https://ovington.play-cricket.com/website/results/6777270
Ovington’s see-saw season continued on the longest day of the year as the home side bounced back from a tight loss to Yapham with arguably their most dominant display of the season so far. On a hot day which threatened to give way to showers and thunderstorms, Acomb chose to bat first, hoping to tire the Ovington side in the heat.
Olly Garner Steel (available to sponsor), Ovington’s player of the match, opened up the bowling and quickly found good rhythm. Whilst an early couple of short balls ballooned rather comically on the slow pitch, when he pitched the ball up, there was movement aplenty. Acomb opener Daniel O’Connor found himself on the receiving end of Garner Steel’s excellent spell, driving tortuously outside off stump for no reward as the ball was taken away from the bat each time. When O’Connor did connect with one, he spooned it up to mid-off where Jacob Lamb dropped him, the ball spilling out his hands as his elbows hit the ground.
Garner Steel did not dwell on the missed opportunity, cleaning up Harry Rowntree at the other end a few balls later to open up his account for the day. Dom Kitching (sponsored by the Everard Family) also found some assistance off the pitch to bowl Owen Hollins three overs later, before Garner Steel finally earned another edge off O’Connor, Lamb (sponsored by Badger Elite Cricket Coaching) this time making no mistake to end O’Connor’s troubled stay at 1 off 29 balls.
At 15/3, Acomb badly needed a partnership to stabilise the innings. Martin Pepper picked up a few boundaries, clipping Kitching crisply off his pads and freeing his arms through the off side, but the recovery did not last long. Garner Steel finished his opening burst with a leading edge to the covers, giving him the remarkable figures of 3/6 from 6 overs, just reward for a high-quality spell.
Jordan McDonough (sponsored by the Bartlett Family), playing his final game for Ovington before heading down under, joined in the fun, ending Pepper’s efforts with a straightforward caught and bowled. Acomb’s innings continued to stagnate as McDonough and Neil Metcalfe (sponsored by Tom Ashby) kept things tight, despite a simple dropped catch at midwicket by Charlie Buckley (sponsored by Sam Stagnell), Metcalfe the unfortunate bowler. McDonough ensured it was not a costly drop, picking up the wicket with another caught and bowled in the 20th over, the score now reading 49/6.
When Metcalfe removed the seventh wicket five balls later, a simple edge lobbed up to Tom James (sponsored by flockofcats.com) at third man, Acomb might have crumbled and given up entirely. Captain Harry Oaten joined Alistair Hogben at the crease and the pair attempted to give Acomb some small hope of a defendable total. They swung hard, looking to punish anything overpitched, and connected for a handful of boundaries to put together a partnership of 34. Then Matthew Wright (sponsored by York’s Hidden History) came on for Ovington, hunting a couple of cheap tailend wickets to boost his stats. First, he lured an edge through to Alex Garner Steel (available to sponsor), Oaten unable to resist the big drive outside off stump. Kitching returned from the other end and got his second of the innings, caught by captain Tom Armes (sponsored by CDA Energy Services Ltd) at mid-on. Wright finished up, bowling Hogben off an inside edge to close out the innings and maintain his remarkable record of dismissing every
left-hander he has bowled to this season. A total of 94 for Acomb looked substantially below par, leaving them hoping that the drizzle and darkening clouds might curtail the chase.
After a brief bit of rain during tea, Ovington’s innings started on time and started brightly. Joe Whale (sponsored by York & Selby Tutors) and A Garner Steel played with some freedom, immediately knocking a few boundaries off to settle any lingering nerves about the chase. Both played securely, driving cleanly through the off side as soon as bowlers overpitched or offered width.
Two shots stood out in particular. The first, from Garner Steel, when he latched onto an overpitched ball by Hollins and drove it with perfect timing and placement, threading a narrow gap between cover and mid-off to see the ball whistle across a relatively slow outfield for four. A little later, Whale wanted his own highlights: when Isaac Tute came on with some leg spin, Whale chipped down the track, getting perfectly to the pitch to lace the ball through the same gap which Garner Steel had found a few overs earlier. Two high-quality shots which indicated some good form for them both and ensured that, despite the small chase, there was no less quality on show.
The pair remained unbeaten, scoring at a healthy rate to ensure that the potential rain could not spoil the result, knocking off the runs before the end of the 16th over to give Ovington an emphatic ten-wicket victory. A good victory for Ovington against their local rivals, keeping them firmly mid-table at present, where a good string of results could see them jump up and challenge the upper half of the table, especially with a game to follow against Heworth, only two points above them after this round of games.
Saturday 21st June, Thorner Mexborough 2nd XI vs Ovington 2nd XI
Thorner Mexborough: 119/9 (all out) (20.3); Fazil 29; H. Eckersley-Wilson 3/20, Eckersley-Wilson 3/32
Ovington: 121/5 (25.1); Dodson 30, Garner Steel 34; Afsar 2/26
Ovington won by five wickets
Scorecard: https://ovington.play-cricket.com/website/results/6779540
Ovington 2nd XI once again travelled to an away game that involved crossing the A1 and heading into the great unknown, this time at Thorner Mexborough. Vice Captain Owen Price had prepared himself by coming dressed in a costume that was variously described as making him look like John Cena, Wonder Woman and a contestant from Survivor. None of us knew it, but it turns out that this is the crossover episode we’ve all been waiting for.
The facilities may not have always been top notch but the hosts were friendly and welcoming. That’s not to say that their batsmen showed any respect or deference to the Ovington bowlers. It was Price and Eckersley-Wilson (Jack) who opened the bowling and the early overs were full of boundaries as there were more bats flying wildly around than in the caves below Gotham City. The fielding team’s hopes were kept high by difficult half chances that almost stuck in the gulley and behind the stumps and when full chances came their way, the Ovo fielders made no mistake. First Ashley Garner Steel at midwicket and then Price at fine leg taking the catches with Jack being the beneficiary each time.
The next batting partnership however proved the most dangerous as the shots kept coming and coming. At least one ball was lost after being smashed over the trees, across the brook and so deep into The Hundred Acre Wood that not even Pooh and Piglet would have been able to find it. Ovington kept the faith and Jack broke the dangerous partnership with his third wicket of the day, this time bowling the bastmen via the his pads. By now Eckersley-Wilson (Harry) was bowling at the other end and a full, straight and quick one from Harry pinned the new batsmen LBW to leave the home team at 69/4. All of a sudden, what had threatened to be a run-away total from the batting team, was beginning to look like it was going to be truncated before it had really got going. Not that this caused a change of approach to the batsmen with shots keeping on coming like they were going out of fashion. Two more rockets from Harry demolished the batter’s stumps and captain Benji Busby, never one to turn down the opportunity of a few wickets, brought himself on to take two more. One scalp from Busby coming via another LBW and the other via a glove through to keeper Oli Craven. The ninth (and final) wicket for the slightly depleted home side came from a mix up between the batsmen with Price and Craven keeping their heads to affect the run out. In the end, the 1st innings total ended at 119, off just 20 overs which made some wonder what might have been achieved if they had applied themselves differently.
The Ovington team went out to bat with the rain moving on after having been threatening all day (and occasionally falling, though some chose to deny it). A few early wickets may have turned 119 into a difficult score to chase but that certainly didn’t happen on this day. Opening batters Ollie Dodson and Karim Baqai ended up getting their team past half way with a 62 run partnership. Dodson proving the aggressor with plenty of his trademark leg side shots for four that came with full swings of the bat. The more experienced Baqai chose instead to use much more energy efficient shots with numerous late cuts to the third man boundary. Dodson was the first wicket to fall, caught out for a better than run a ball 40 and Baqai fell soon after for 26. Once again, a flurry of wickets might have set the hearts racing in worry but once again this was not to happen. A young partnership of Garner Steel and Craven (sponsored by CDA Energy Services) put on another 30 runs to leave their team within cusp of victory. This time it was Ashley proving the aggressor including one big six back over the bowlers head on his way to 34. Both batsmen got themselves out within sight of victory, just enough time for Busby (sponsored by Valentino’s York) to go in and hit the one and only ball he faced down to the third man boundary through a crowd pleasing reverse pull. Harry hit the winning runs the next over and victory was clenched. Well done all, a good win that leave the 2nd Team 3rd in their table and still with a shout of going up.
Saturday 21st June, Ovington 3rd XI vs Sherburn Eversley 2nd XI
Sherburn: 123/10 (39.5); Mistry 23; Fern 3/6, Warner 3/29
Ovington: 127/6 (27); Shahzad 37; Mistry 3/35
Ovington won by four wickets
Scorecard: https://ovington.play-cricket.com/website/results/6780135
This week the Milthorpe Bowl played hosts to Sherburn Eversley 2nds.
The outfield looked like it had been 3 yards from the Sun all week and temperatures felt close to 83 degrees Celsius so of course Dave Warner (sponsored by Dunnington Landscapes) lost the toss and got to field.
Barry Steel and Luke Smith rattled through the early overs keeping the score right down, a very solid Ovington start. Sherburn admittedly were short on their usual strong batting lineup so a Ovo knew that a breakthrough would have given them a shot at the long tail. James Mason came into the attack and the fielders were all kept interested as suddenly everything became aerial but frustratingly the catches wouldn’t stick.
In true thirds fashion, when in doubt let Warner throw an over of rubbish in. And again somehow it worked, the flighted ball hitting the air ambulance overhead and bamboozling the batsman to hit the stumps. Soon afterwards, Mason got his deserved wicket and Ovington smelt blood. Warner should have had a stumping after outstanding work from Andrew Tomlinson behind the stumps but the square leg umpire didn’t quite seem to be up to date with the rules.
Ovo’s usual opening bowlers became 4th and 5th bowlers but when they came on they really turned the screw. Spencer Fern (sponsored by DWUFB) had an outstanding contribution with excellent figures. The highlight of his efforts being his 7th and last over of a high class imitation of his personal hero and our very own stalwart Simon Rogerson. Choosing to eschew his run up and instead coming off 5 paces, Spencer delivered the perfect offspin to hit top off off. Brandon Bishop (sponsored by The Black and White Cat) was miserly at the other end, giving nothing away and unlucky not to take more than the 1 wicket he got. That wicket though came from a great catch from Steel, it would have been an easier chance had he not been talking with his wife on the boundary but it was impressive either way.
Now truly into the tail, Smith and Warner mopped up the remaining wickets and Sherburn ended up 123 all out.
Rain came but teas were had in our lovely tearoom/garage. Nothing beats a cucumber sandwich with a whiff of diesel.
This writer wants it noted at this point that the players and especially the captain of Sherburn are 100% very good people. The game was played from start to finish with great spirit, help was offered on arrival and we even fielded for them after an injury, it was a pleasure to host them.
Back to the cricket and Ovington headed out to bat, Graham Walton who had earlier fielded with the athleticism of a 20 year old got off to a good start. Unfortunately a shot too many and good catch saw the first wicket fall. Steel then fell to a snorter and Sherburn were getting excited. Mr Mistry for Sherburn was bowling with absolute wheels and it was tough going for all. Sharoon Shahzad and Tom Irwin kept the score ticking over. Irwin with an absolute peach of a drive between extra cover and mid off being shot of the day. He then fell to the last bowl of the spell and Smith joined the crease. Again the same pattern followed with some good scoring shots but then a wicket. Smith fell and Mason joined. More runs followed but this time Sharoon chopped on to his stumps, only after he had made a very telling 37. James Wilkinson got a good one and 16 were needed when Warner joined the crease. In the end Ovington deservedly won. A loose over which Warner scored 14 from was the end of the match.
Ovington 3rds sit 2nd in their table and go again next week. Availability looks slim but where’s there’s will there’s a way. (Update – due to Hemingbrough conceding, we don’t go again next week.)
Player of the match goes to Fern. Outstanding figures of 7 overs, 5 maidens and 3 wickets for 6 runs only tells half the story. He was also down at the ground from 10.30am helping to set up, he umpired and he also fielded for the opposition. Well done young man. A credit to the club.
Match reports by Matthew Wright, Simon Rogerson and Dave Warner