With sun shining over the Roses wicket, Lancaster 2nds battled York seconds anticipating the preservation of last year’s dominance at Roses. But with a score of 109 for 10 off 50 overs, the Lancaster team had not left themselves enough room for manoeuvre in the field, allowing York to comfortably reach the needed score with overs to spare.
Lancaster captain Matt Haley won the toss and elected to bat first. First to the crease were Conor Brindley and Jim Collinge, ready to take on the York pace attack. However, after only three balls from York opener Thurgate, Brindley was sent back to the clubhouse for a duck, having been caught behind off an edge. This brought Alex Cleaves to join Collinge in the middle, though all too soon Collinge was sent the same way as Brindley, caught for 0 off a tempting ball from opening bowler H. Turner. It seemed York’s intensity and excessive appealing were getting to the Lancaster line-up as, with two wickets down, they were still yet to put runs on the board. Last year’s Roses batting reliant Ben Finch was in next at number four, eager to change Lancaster’s luck. The pair played well for a time, although the run rate was lower than hoped due to some tight bowling from Thurgate and Turner. The pace picked up after bowling changes, and Cleaves seemed to get into his stride. In the 17th over, York bowler B. Grindell felled Finch, clean bowled, and incoming batsman Jerome Martill with an LBW in quick succession, leaving him on a hat-trick ball with Tom Robinson coming in to face. It was not long before Grindell claimed his third victim, as Robinson edged a ball behind to be caught at slip for four. The score was 55 for five as number seven Pete Baker took to the field. The pair batted well through drinks, with Cleaves reaching a half century with a powerful shot for four at the 29th over. In the 30th over bowler Grindell took his fourth wicket as Cleaves was caught behind at slip for a respectable 56. Baker was caught off Askham for 4 and soon after, Lancefield was caught off second change bowler McDonald for a duck. This left captain Matt Haley and Izhar Ullar at the crease at a score of 97 with 18 overs to play and only one man left in the clubhouse. The two batted on together for 8 overs before the first two balls of McDonald’s fifth over took out Ullar LBW and number 11 Cooper, leaving Lancaster all out for 109 having only used 41 of the total 50 overs.
Between innings, although the total was felt to be “slightly under par”, first team player Adam Senn still had confidence in the side, as they were always known to be a strong bowling team.
The opening bowlers Izhar Ullar and Jack Lancefield started out strong, keeping the York batters just under the low run rate of 2.2 after 10 overs. It seemed clear that York had not had a better start than Lancaster at that point, as the bowlers were on good form considering the pressure of a low total. It was not until bowler Connor Brindley came on for his first over did Lancaster get a wicket, as opener A. Bryant was caught and bowled for 43. First change bowler Ben Finch took the second wicket, in the form of a safe catch from Martill in the field which saw opener H. Collins out for 39. Despite the openers falling, it was clear that the York batters were confident, scoring multiple boundaries off the Lancaster attack and quickly closing in on the total needed. In the 26th over York were on a score of 90, needing only 20 runs to win. The final runs were scored from commanding boundaries, with the winning runs being hit as a six, lofted over the boundary by batter A. McDonald. York won the game with a score of 113 for two, needing only 27 overs to beat Lancaster’s total.
