Happy New Year

The Yorkshire Gentlemen’s Cricket Club wish all our members and their family and friends a happy and healthy New Year. A year in which we hope for a full season of cricket, played under sunny blue skies.

Some lovely festive news to share was the announcement of our Vice Chairman’s engagement to Dawn Bowness. The true romantic popped the question on Christmas Day. Don’t be fooled by the backdrop to the picture of the happy couple - it’s not to be a Royal Wedding. Maybe the Queen will let them have a marquee in the garden though!

YG's Curry and Quiz Night - Friday 12th November - from 6.30pm

We have to wait till 2022 for the next Sportsman Dinner but fear not we have arranged a social event to take its place in 2021 and whilst it may lack a cricket celebrity and witty raconteur to entertain it will none the less be a lot of fun. 

On Friday 12th November please join us to taste some of the finest home cooked curries (well this is of course debatable) that our YG's master chefs can muster, followed by a rather average but fun quiz and raffle. We aim to cater for vegetarian and meat eaters alike and with some sweet treats to finish.

All this will take place in the club pavilion on Friday 12th November with the bar open from 6.30 pm and food from 7.30 pm. 

Now with less than a month to go we have no idea if the event will be attended by 5, 50 or 150 (in our dreams) so to allow us to plan and not disappoint, the event is strictly for booking by advance payment only. 

The evening is open to members both social and playing and their partners and family members. 

Tickets are priced at just £10-00 per adult or £5-00 for a child under 16. To confirm your attendance please click below to book now.

Click Here to pay for YG's Curry Night - Adult Tickets 

Click Here to pay for YG's Curry Night - Child Tickets 

Please note: We are using a members Stripe account for payment (don't be alarmed when you are re-directed to yorkracecoursephotos.co.uk). Payments are encrypted and secure and fully monitored to ensure all relevant funds reach the clubs accounts. This method allows you to pay with the minimum of fuss by a credit card, debit card or Apple Pay. Please note the bar on the night will be cash only - sorry the 21st century has not reached the inner workings of the club yet. 

Last opportunity to book and attend will be the 5th November - so do get in touch asap if you want to take part.

In the (unlikely) event that we have to cancel you will of course receive a full refund. 

We do hope you can join us and we look forward to welcoming you to the club. 

T20 World Cup Blog - by Geoff Wellsteed

YG's end season on winning note

YGCC vs Little Valley Match Report Sunday 12 September 2021

 

Match Manager Phil Holland lost the toss after trying extremely hard to convince the opposition we bat first, wink wink. Returning to the pavilion with his tail between his legs, the team did not fail to make their voices known in the usual YGCC spirit.

 

Little Valley made a good start with their opening batsman McCambridge dispatching YGCC at regular intervals in an unconventional batting style. Not conceding to the Little Valley batting attack, a change in bowling was the trick to dispatch McCambridge for 34 runs by bowling maestro Salman Syed. Little Valley continued to pile on the runs, notably Schofield 37 and Ackroyd 31 but regular bowling changes enabled YGCC to chip away at their batting order with James Van Der Merwe racking up 3/44, Harry Dunham 2/22 and Salman Syed 2/25.

Little Valley were eventually bowled out for 188 after 50 overs leaving YGCC a bit of a mountain to climb due to September daylight hours. David O’Kelly (82 Not out) and Geoffrey Barker made a slow but consistent start to the second innings when Geoffrey was eventually dismissed for 52. Prior to Jason Dale going out to bat, he warmed up with promising junior Devon Landy (Age 6) bowling at him. Psyching himself up to increase the run rate and his intense chant, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah” he managed a quickfire 21 running batting partner David O’Kelly ragged. Enter batsman supreme, James Van Der Merwe (11 Not out) winning the match with a well struck 4 in the last over, settling the nerves of his fellow players and spectators.

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The afternoon was concluded with another “Braai” or BBQ to the unseasoned, raising a further £12.50 from the, not so honesty pot, making a total profit of £104.50. Special thanks to the organisers Phil Holland, Jason Dale and their families. Not to mention, Jeremy Phillips, Paul White, Gerhard Landy and all the other club members who offered their help and support to make the BBQs successful. Special thanks must also go to Paul White for another full season of scoring and managing the club, Nigel Bartram and Mike Apparicio for tireless ground and pitch maintenance and the YGCC committee for overseeing the 2021 season. Hope to see everyone again in the 2022 season.

 

Match Report by Phil Holland

Thank-you Phil for the wonderful match report. You were being far too modest about your writing capabilities. Great to finish the season on a winning note.

The YG 100 Club Lottery

Owing to the fact we are having no Sportsman Dinner this season Mike Apparicio conducted the second major draw for the club Lottery after the match last Sunday. The lucky winner were as follows:

July (18) Will Blackhurst - £30-00

Aug (21) Guy Brumfield - £30-00

Sep (44) - Will Hammond - £30-00

Oct (112) - Callum Puttock - £30-00

Nov (38) Richard Exley -£30-00

Dec - Bonanza (16) Geoff Barker. The Xmas Bonanza payment is £250.

Congratulations to all the above and to Geoff Barker who takes home the big one!!!! That’s a decent prize. The Lottery has proved to be a big success since its revamp. We look forward to additional members to it in 2022.

A full end of season report will be compiled and sent out with a newsletter in the coming weeks, but for now thank-you to all those who have participated, helped and watched the cricket at Escrick this season.



Free Forrester's and club BBQ

The club welcomed the Free Forrester’s to Escrick Park on the Bank holiday Sunday with a club BBQ organised for the conclusion of the match. There was a good response from club members for attendance and organisers Phil Holland and Jason Dale were well prepared with a selection of homemade salads and puddings (thanks mainly to their wonderful other halves Karen and Philippa) to compliment the BBQ food.

Having enjoyed a warm balmy Saturday evening the weather gods turned the winds overnight and made for a cool and at times positively chilly experience for the spectators. A fair few preferred the view from the comfort of their cars whilst those that did brave the pavilion were well wrapped up.

It would be fair to say the cricket was dominated by a fine young player from the Free Forrester’s - Ethan Berlusconi - whose knock of 131 out of 190 (off just 31 overs) for the visitors was one of the best innings seen at the ground this year. That only one other played made it to double figures shows just how important his knock was is determining the course of the game.

Most of the YG’s bowlers went for around 6 an over but Dewi Winkle 2-32, Salman Syed 3-27 and Pradeep 2-11 insured our decent batting line up had a chance.

Well….Perhaps the YG’s batsmen tummies were rumbling as the BBQ coals were lit and the smoke drifted across the ground and were distracted in their task of chasing down the total.

Under a good opening spell of pacey bowling the YG’s were in trouble at 20-4 in next to no time. Some brief resistance was given by Salman Syed (15), Kalpesh (16 off 7 deliveries) and Dew Winkle(15), but no one got the measure of the Free Forrester’s seamers or spinners. The YG’s were eventually dismissed for 80 in just under 38 overs.

We were well and truly beaten by a good side and a very talented young player - still the YG’s might be the winners in the end - young Ethan will be playing for Durham university and the academy next summer and has expressed an interest in playing for the club on Sundays. We’ll keep in touch with him in the closed season.

For those who stayed and braved the weather the BBQ was a big success, with some delicious tasty food and a wonderful atmosphere enjoyed by club members, players (from both teams) and family and friends.

Whilst Jason and Pippa ran the BBQ, Salman Syed and Toby Ward did a stirling job of selling raffle tickets and with members supplying some prizes, Richard Head with the assistance of little helpers conducted the draw.

With dusk and the evening cooling further numbers drifted but the fire pit kept the core remainers happy till the late evening.

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Huge thanks must go to Phil Holland and Jason Dale for organising the event and to Karen and Philippa for all their help behind the scenes and on the day. Thanks also to all the others who helped with food and provided prizes for the raffle. Thanks to Gerhard Landy for supplying a TV so we could run a slideshow of pictures taken during the season. And of course we must not forget a thank-you to the members who turned up to ensure the day (at least off the field) was a big success.

YG’s v The Borderers

Unfortunately due to the opposition not being able to raise a side Sunday’s match on the 5th of September has been cancelled.

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Last game of the season - Little Valley - 12th September

This leaves just one more fixture for the season — against Little Valley on the 12th - It would be lovely to see members come down and support the club for this game. Let’s see if we can finish with a win.

Hopefully we’ll get an Indian Summer’s day and we’ll light the BBQ coals one last time - we have some left over meats and BBQ king Phil is keen clear out his freezer.

YG's v Old Lions Match report and BBQ reminder - this Sunday - 29th August

Match Report v Old Lions - 22nd August YGs win 5 run thriller

 

On a cloudy day at Escrick Park the YGs won the toss and chose to bat. After both openers departed cheaply the YGs looked in trouble at 10-2. Jason Dale and Salman Syed set about rebuilding the YGs innings making steady progress taking singles and two’s. Due to the lush outfield and tight bowling YGs were restricted to 85-2 at lunch without hitting a boundary.

Post lunch Syed and Dale continued their superb re-building and reached their 100 partnership, soon after Salman reached his 50. Both milestones achieved without hitting a boundary! Salman eventually cracked the first boundry of the day to great cheers from the pavilion.

This milestone then saw the departure of both Dale and Syed falling in quick succession. Wickets then fell at steady intervals before a late flurry of runs from Dewi Winkle and Liam Creaser saw the YGs to 165-9 at which point they declared.

In a short session before tea the YGs bowling tore into the Old Lions top order, with Phil Holland claiming 4 victims for 10 runs in five overs leaving the opposition teetering at 26-4 at the interval. After tea Holland and Creaser continued with Liam picking up a well-deserved wicket caught behind by Gary Tooke with the score on 57.

At this point the Old Lions counter-attacked and a strong partnership between Withers and Farnworth took the initiative. Withers in particular showed the way, negating the long outfield by clearing the boundary with seven maximums.

The pair took the OLs to within sight of the finishing line with just 15 runs required before that man Syed removed Farnworth thanks to a good low catch from Jason Dale and then bowled Withers, for a superbly struck 90.

Ably assisted by a miserly Dewi Winkle, Syed removed the next batsman for a duck before Dewi claimed his first wicket leaving the YGs requiring just one more for victory which Salman duly claimed to cap off his match-winning performance leaving the YGs victorious by a mere 5 runs.

A enjoyable days cricket all round.

Match report by Richard Exley

 

BBQ — Sunday 29th November

We can report good numbers attending the YG’s BBQ this coming Sunday . If you would like to attend and have not already let us know then please reply via the link below. All members partners and friends welcome. The weather forecast looks decent, and it will be a great opportunity to support the club and catch up with some fellow members.

Match Report of YG's v Cryptics and news of Club BBQ

Club BBQ - Sunday 29th August

You are all invited to join the club for a BBQ at the conclusion of the first days play against the Free Forrester’s on the bank holiday Sunday 29th August. You are more than welcome to bring along family or friends. To help with planning please let us know if you can attend the event. Click on the poster below to reply.

YG’s v The Cryptic’s - Sunday 1st August

On Yorkshire Day the Cryptics visit the YG’s - match report by Alex Bindloss

Yorkshire Gentlemen vs The Cryptics The YG's bowled first on a cool cloudy day at Escrick Park . Captain Jason Dale opened with Alex Bindloss and Phil Holland.Holland found early success as he removed 3 of the top 4 all for ducks, Rich Exley taking an impressive catch at cover.

Thanks to the overhead conditions the ball was swinging and seaming and batting was incredibly hard. Bindloss bowled with great control conceding only 6 runs in his 8 over spell, collecting one wicket. This left the visitors in deep trouble at 30-4. J.Bowker and B.Westhead started to rebuild for the Cryptics trying to survive till lunch. 13 year old Harry Pierce was unlucky to not get a wicket in his 5 over spell which included a couple of dropped catches.

Dale turned to David O'Kelly and like he has done often this season he broke the partnership, a simple stumping completed by Gary Tooke. Scott Coates removed the other set batsman and lunch was taken with the score 83-6, a great session for the Gents. P. Mooney stuck around for a while making 18 but kept losing partners. O'Kelly claimed his second and Alex Wood came on and struck in his first over. The innings was wrapped up by the return of Harry Pierce, the Cryptics managing to get to 118 all out off 52 overs.

In reply batting didn't get any easier, in the 18 overs before tea the YG's lost both openers and scored only 29 runs. A lot of time was left in the game so Alex Wood and Jason Dale didn't take any risks as they batted sensibly together. It was the 30th over when the Gents hit their first boundary and once it was struck they hit 5 in quick succession. Jason fell for 25 but his 55 run partnership with Wood had taken the YG's to within 30 runs of victory. Pradeep played a nice cameo of 17* and with just 5 to win Wood was sadly run out for a well made 44. That left Geoff Barker to hit the winning runs as the YG's claimed victory by 6 wickets.

Arguably the highlight of the day was a 50m and 25m race between Phil holland and Pradeep who managed to raise just over £100 which will go towards to bbq on Sunday the 29th of August, the first day of the Free Foresters 2 days game, all members are welcome. Both men ran barefoot on a track measured out by Nigel, it was a very close race and despite Phil letting Pradeep know all day that he wouldn't be winning, Bas made Phil eat his words edging him out in both races!

Video evidence of the race can be viewed here - warning the YG’s cannot be responsible for 3rd party content……especially when it involves two middle aged men running bare chested!!!!

Video Link

Good luck to Phil Holland and his team who play Woodhouse Grange Academy - Sunday 8th August.

YG's v Hull Old Grammarians - Sunday 25th July 2021 - Match report

On a fine day, Yorkshire Gentlemen's captain Geoff Barker, had no hesitation in batting first on winning the toss.

Straight away the opening partnership of David O'Kelly and James Van Der Merwe was tucking into the bowling attack of Hull Old Grammarians.  O'Kelly and Van Der Merwe put on 132 in around 90 minutes before O'Kelly was first out for 35.  Van Der Merwe soon followed for 96 being run out by a direct hit pushing hard for a tight second run.

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 At lunch the Yorkshire Gentlemen were on 176 for 2 with Chris Klays and Joe Horner maintaining the momentum from the opening partnership. This continued after lunch, the third wicket partnership yielding 68 before Klays was out for a well made 44.  Phil Holland added further useful runs with Horner before Barker declared on the run out of Holland with the score on 247 for 4. Horner had played a controlled innings of 43 not out.  

Alfie Oliver ran in hard from the school end and dismissed both Hull Old Grammarians' openers cheaply.  At tea the opposition batting were struggling at 26 for 5 and a very early finish looked likely.  The Old Grammarians had other ideas however, and after tea, Dave Barrick looked to attack the Yorkshire Gentlemen's bowling at every opportunity.  He shared a 75 run partnership for the 7th wicket with Harne who provided valuable support. 

 Leg-spinner Wayne Goldstein bowled a steady 11 overs spell from the school end either side of tea, but was unable to break through.  Barker introduced Holland from the pavilion end and he immediately had Harne LBW for 22 and followed this up by bowling Brett for a duck. Barker then gave Van Der Merwe a go with his off spin and he soon induced a mis hit from Barrick who was caught by Goven for an excellent 73.  Barker replaced Goldstein with Oliver at the school end and Oliver quickly finished things off by bowling the opposition number 11, Stocks for a duck.

The Grammarians batted 10 overs into the last hour and finished on 136 – so although the Gentlemen won by a significant margin, the visitors did well to take the game deep.

 Match report by Geoff Barker


Congratulations to Geoff and his team on a good win. The Grammarians have proved to be a tough match for us in recent seasons.

Andrew Bradwell

The club are sorry to announce that long standing member Andrew Bradwell passed away last week.

Fellow YG Jonathan Crabtree informed the club of the news and has forwarded on the details for the arrangements.

“Bradders funeral is next Thursday, 2pm at St Roberts, Harrogate, then afterwards at Harrogate Cricket Club, which I think is apt. We spent many happy years there, me mainly watching him stylishly leave half volleys..

All that knew him very welcome at both”

Service:

Thursday 5th August - 2pm

St Roberts Church

3 Robert Street

Harrogate

HG1 1HP

Afterwards:

Harrogate Cricket Club

St George's Rd

Harrogate

HG2 9BP