Lancaster Total (10 wkts, 48 overs) 121
York Total (6 wkts, 43 overs) 113
61 days before the eagerly anticipated return of the Ashes, Lancaster’s cricketers were hoping they would produce some showcase cricketing of their own. Instead were dealt a huge blow in what was a game hampered by wind and rain. In the end, York walked away the better, beating Lancaster by four wickets. Lancaster had been confident to begin with as they took to the crease, but by the end of the first innings the general feeling was 121 runs would not be enough to secure the desired 4 Roses points.
It was a match Lancaster should have won. The dire weather conditions affected both teams equally and with York having lost their last two games, Lancaster had reason to possess such early confidence. On the back of a successful campaign, and Lancaster having recently achieved promotion the confidence was there for all to be felt. The belief on the Friday morning prior to the first over was that they would win and put some much needed points on Lancaster’s board in doing so.
A lack of luck and an increasingly bold York team meant that Lancaster did well to get past the hundred run landmark. All but three of their batters were out before reaching double figures including captain Michael Stevens, who went for 8 in the twelfth over.
With the game being played an hour and a half after its scheduled slot, York won the toss and elected to bowl. Vishal Goyal and Sriram Krishnamurthy were to open the batting for Lancaster and took to the crease. It was a promising beginning for Lancaster with Goyal demonstrating fine form which carried him through until the 21st over. Krishnamurthy did not fare quite so well as his partner at the crease. He was caught out by the York bowler for 8 in the seventh over.
From that point onwards Lancaster took a long time to recover. Goyal provided a sharp contrast to the other batters who seemed as sporadic as the weather. He pushed Lancaster on, scoring a series of boundaries that must have left York wondering how they were going to send him back to the pavilion. In the end, their bowler Emerson took him for an LBW, but not before Goyal had totalled an impressive 41 runs. It was only when Rob Child, soon followed by James King stepped up to bat that their luck began to change. The pair were a promising partnership, tallying up enough runs to save Lancaster from embarrassment. Had they been able to continue it is likely they would have taken Lancaster to a healthier score. As it was, Child was run out before they had done too much damage to York’s morale. King was left to save Lancaster’s score, finishing with 27 not out. The last two overs were called off due to heavy rainfall.
Once the rain had passed York lined up to bat. The weather however soon caused the game to stop again. With half an hour lost through rain York needed a revised target of 111 from 43 overs to win.
As bowlers, Lancaster proved just as ruthless as York making quick work of the home-side’s batsman, including the York captain Nick Vanner. York however found the winning partnership they needed in Remi Remington and opening batsman Tom Hudson. Between the two, they evaded Lancaster’s bowlers and fielders, with Hudson eventually hitting the winning two runs, and passing a half-century in doing so.
