Rawdon lift Archer Cup in a day and night showpiece

Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, is known for her beauty and usually depicted wearing a crescent moon in her crown while riding a chariot drawn by stallions across the night sky.

Selene was the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, her brother was Helios – the sun god, and her sister was Eos – the goddess of the dawn.

The reason for sharing this is that on Sunday…they all seemed to make an appearance at some point in the proceedings! But I suppose I am getting a little ahead of myself.

Let me take you back to mid-morning and set the scene properly.

I arrived at Bradford and Bingley Cricket Club (above) shortly after 11am, hoping to introduce myself to the organisers of the day and get my bearings at a ground I’ve not been to since just before…erm…Covid.

(I’m starting to hate having to write that in articles, but it does seem quite a landmark reference to use!)

As I got out of the car, I was blasted by a sudden gust of wind. Looking up to the sky, I noticed the horrible looking grey clouds heading towards the club.

The weather app on my phone confirmed we could have quite a long spell of drizzle over the next three or four hours!

Introductions made, I managed to put the drone up for about five minutes before the blustery winds and start of the rain forced me to land and put it away.

It was genuinely going to be a tough day in the field for the teams…the weather was shaping up to be rather difficult.

Semi-final One

The format of the day saw Harrogate CC Women play Pudsey St. Lawrence CC Women in the first semi-final, then North Leeds CC Women take on Rawdon CC Women in the second semi-final.

The plan was for Archer Cup final to start at 7:30pm.

The first game kicked off on time at 1pm with Pudsey St. Lawrence heading into bat first. The wind was blasting across the ground at times, making playing so very tricky for both teams.

Adding into that, the rain decided to put in an appearance here and there to liven up the proceedings.

I haven’t seen Pudsey play this season, but from what I could see when they took to the field, the young side felt right at home.

Openers Gabriella Wilks and Captain Matilda Potter played some wonderful shots around the ground, hitting six fours and two sixes between them to head back to the pavilion retired – not out – having reached 30 runs each.

Wicket keeper, Caya Fairbrass, piled on the misery for Harrogate as she hit four fours and the maximum 30 runs from just 34 balls, before she retired too.

It took Harrogate until the 16th over to get their first wicket, when Amnah Mahmood was caught by Lily Barker off the bowling of Lilah Marsden.

The wicket seemed to disrupt Pudsey’s progress, and from 114-1, they finished their allotted 20 overs having reached 137-1. An impressive innings, showcasing some fantastic batting talent.

Harrogate’s response initially looked more than a match for their opponents, with opener Tijana Metcalfe clearly in the mood to swing the bat and send the ball flying.

There was a slight stumble as a miscommunication in the second over saw Libby Fox run out that gave Pudsey a real boost.

Tijana was then joined in the centre by her sister Caitlyn and the two started to strike the ball well…and it really wasn’t a surprise when Tijana reached 30 and headed back to the pavilion having retired – not out.

An uncharacteristic low score by Caitlyn was more of a surprise, as she was bowled by Amnah Mahmood for just 10.

The bit between their teeth, Pudsey St. Lawrence went about their task of drastically slowing Harrogate’s run rate, with Amnah’s superb bowling being key to dismissing four of their opponent’s wickets.

As the last couple of overs came into sight, ‘Gate were struggling to hit runs and the victory was Pudsey’s…winning the game by 55 runs in the end and heading into the final at 7:30pm.

Semi-final Two

The second semi was a really mouthwatering matchup between Rawdon and North Leeds. Having seen both these teams play in the league in the past few weeks, I know just how much they are on top of their game right now.

Rawdon won the toss and decided to put North Leeds into bat first, something that seemed like it could backfire straightaway.

Hattie Barnes batted as if she wanted to get the game over quickly with 33 from just 13 balls…in 13 minutes!

Striking five fours and a massive six, if there hadn’t been a cap on the number of runs an individual player could score, then I think she could have posted 300 on her own!

But having hit a four, Hattie headed back to the pavilion, leaving Imaan Effendi and Zainab Patel at the crease. Imaan was on fire, but the usually dependable Zainab was run out after only a few deliveries…when there was no need to run.

However, Leeds were playing the right tactics…trying to hit every ball and run as many as they could. With it being a T20 game, risks have to be taken and wickets can and will fall on a regular basis…and so it was during the North Leeds innings.

By the final ball, North Leeds had reached 121 for eight…a run a ball, and in the still blustery and occasionally drizzly conditions, it was a good total to get.

I’ll be honest, I believed Rawdon were the favourites for this competition; with a mixture of their big hitters, fearsome bowling line-up, and fielders that seem to be able to fly and catch anything.

I was probably doing North Leeds a massive injustice thinking that way…and so it turned out.

Imaan Effedni, Zainab Patel, and Megan Berry’s bowling caused havoc, making Rawdon’s progress less than certain, with wickets falling just at the right time for Leeds.

Steph Robinson got 30 from just 20 deliveries, hitting three fours and two massive sixes on the way.

However, let’s go to the last couple of overs…with Caitlin Bryne having been run out on the last ball of the 18th over to leave Rawdon on 109 for five…12 runs short.

Maggie Lindsay hit a single for the first ball of the 19th over, and then Holly Cowper hit a single for the second delivery. Maggie got a single off the third, Holly a single off the fourth, and Maggie forcing a single off the fifth.

North Leeds were happy with this…as it simply kept the two sides neck and neck.

Then Holly timed the sixth delivery perfectly and the ball raced to the boundary for four…a massive lift for Rawdon and their noisy supporters roared with approval from the seats in front of the pavilion.

Cue a whole load of mooing sounds being made (Holly’s surname being Cowper)!

A score of 118-5 going into the final over…a tough one for North Leeds – but still doable.

First ball and no run…a superb delivery by Prajakta Gharpure! Second ball and Maggie Lindsay got a single. Next ball was intense…and another dot.

You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife at this point…even the Rawdon Ultras had gone quiet!

The fourth ball and a single…Rawdon had reached 120. Two balls left.

In ran Prajakta and sent a fast delivery down the 22…with Maggie determined to get something on it, she swung the bat, connected and the ball headed into the infield.

She set off like an Olympic sprinter and turned as North Leeds picked the ball up and turned to throw it back in…but Rawdon weren’t finished yet.

Both runners turned for another run, lunging for the crease as the ball was sent in.

Somehow, they made it!

Two scored and 122 runs reached, Rawdon had booked themselves a place in the final by the narrowest of margins.

I loved this game! The quality of play, the drama, the tension, and the sheer desire to win by both teams was simply outstanding.

There had to be a quick turnaround, as Helios was heading for the horizon and his sister Selene was waiting to ride her chariot. However, the god of the sun was to have one last laugh.

By 7:30pm, the threat of rain had gone away and the extremely blustery weather had eased…leaving a Pixar style sky with a mixture of blue backdrop and fluffy white clouds scooting across it.

As the final got underway, Rawdon had won the toss and elected to put Pudsey into bat, and it seemed a decision that was going to win them the cup.

However, the sun was dropping fast and began to cause the batters some problems as they were facing it, and it was dropping between the sight screens and pavilion.

Sun stopped play

Clouds tried to intervene and obscure the brightly burning disk (for the astrophysicists out there – I know it doesn’t burn, but please allow me a little poetic licence). Play was halted with the reason being ‘sun stopped play’.

The geese started to take off en masse from the fields around us, seemingly laughing as they realised what was happening.

Play recommenced when a large cloud appeared over the far hills and blocked the sun…but that was only temporary, and we had another longer stoppage shortly afterwards.

Frustrating for everyone, with plenty of opinions being aired as to what could be done to get the game going.

Once the sun was blocked by a cloud, the game got underway once more with the floodlights now starting to make themselves known around the ground.

The second ball after one of the stoppages and a wicket fell…the disruption to the game couldn’t have helped the players’ concentration, and I did empathise with them a little given the circumstances.

Wickets continued to fall, with the bowling of Lauren Manley being a particular delight as she claimed three wickets and caused no-end of problems for the Pudsey batters. Some of her deliveries were simply unplayable!

Pudsey batted the 20 overs, but had been restricted to just 82 -9. Surely this final was Rawdon’s…and they could knock off these runs quickly?

It was now dark and if not for the floodlights, play would have been impossible. The moon had risen at just after 8pm and was now high above the scoreboard, with the numbers burning brightly into the night.

But we had another problem looming…it was getting difficult to see the pink ball…so another stoppage as a white ball was sought, and the decision to remove the sightscreens to be able to see it.

They’d give it a go…and if after one or two overs, it was still difficult to see the ball, then they would come back on a Friday and finish the game. However, for the over or two…things seemed to be going okay…until another stoppage, much to the bemusement of the spectators.

The two umpires came together and then seemed to be walking off, with one of them pulling his coat off…almost signalling an end to the proceedings!

Whispers and disbelief picked up around the ground for those tense few minutes…until the umpires re-emerged sans white coats. Apparently, they had not helped seeing the white ball!

Play resumed in the darkness. The moon rising on one side of the ground, and as it was now after 10pm…there was the rare sight of noctilucent clouds to the north-east blazing away with their electric blue-white colour in the atmosphere.

They are the highest clouds in the sky, around 50 miles up and made up of ice crystals and dust particles from meteors and volcanic ash – in case you were wondering!

I know, you may be shouting ‘enough of the science lesson, what about the cricket?’ well, this was becoming charged as well!

 

Opener Megan Fleming had looked in the mood to smash the ball around the ground…but after a particularly fast delivery had overbalanced and as she fell stretched her leg and a mixture of cramp and a muscle pull kicked in.

After a short delay, she had to retire hurt.

These two teams have met twice this season, with both teams winning a game each. Any thoughts that Rawdon were going to run away with this final were soon put to the back of our thoughts, as Rachael Jones was run out by Amnah Mahmood for just one run after three deliveries.

Holly Cowper hit a quick 30 and retired not out, her innings having moved Rawdon on hugely and breaking the stranglehold Pudsey had put on their opponents for so many overs.

At one point it had looked like the PSL bowlers and fielders were going to smother their opponents’ ability to score runs completely.

It was down to Charlotte Ashton and Steph Robinson to try and get Rawdon over the line, and it was Steph who was to hit the final boundary to win the game by nine wickets.

It was pretty much 11pm…everyone was tired…but the Rawdon players and supporters celebrated wildly anyway!

The trophy presented, the ground emptied quickly as the floodlights were switched off and a sense of disbelief at how a cricket game that started at 7:30pm could have gone on so long!

So we had gale force winds (slightly exaggerating), rain, poor light, too much light, flames from the BBQ and on pitch canons (as the teams entered the field), the right then wrong colour cricket ball.

Add in sight screens needed then not, migrating geese flying across the ground, umpires forced to change, the moon, the stars, and nature’s magnificent display of Noctilucent clouds.

Did I forget anything? Probably…but there was simply so much going on!

My final take? Four wonderful teams came to play at a fabulous venue on Sunday. Any one of them could have won the cup.

The strength-in-depth of the women’s game in Yorkshire has taken massive strides forward in the past few years.

Young sides like Harrogate and Pudsey St. Lawrence are showing signs of troubling the very best teams and that bodes well for the future.

At the same time, Rawdon and North Leeds are more established and have such an understanding.

It was a privilege to sit pitch side and watch all four vie for the 2026 Archer Cup, and probably the best team did eventually win. Heartfelt congratulations to Rawdon.

However, they need to look over their shoulders, as Pudsey St. Lawrence, North Leeds, and Harrogate will be eyeing that success next year!

By the time I got home and finished backing up the cards from the Canon EOS cameras I had used during the day…I said hello to Eos herself as the sun started to rise once more.

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Here are all of Mark’s articles and photos on Cricket Yorkshire.

To see more of his photography, you can visit caughtlight.com or he’s @caughtlight on Twitter/X. There’s also the Caught Light Photography Facebook page.

Mark’s excellent blog called Leica Moments includes observations and imagery from days out at grounds around Yorkshire.