Hutchinson fireworks light up Thornton’s title defence

When it came to choosing Saturday’s fixture, several components slotted into place like Tetris.

I figured my first ENCO Halifax Cricket League game this season was overdue. (Subsequent apologies to Stainland, I have a memory like a sieve).

The prospect of Thornton 1st XI, last year’s treble-winning Premier Division champions and currently in second, up against Oxenhope, in first, was tantalising.

Last but not least was the prospect of scaling the heights of a village with a literary past (it is the birthplace of the Brontës) and potentially stocking up on honey.

I’ve seen Denholme Gate Honey all over West Yorkshire and I liked the idea of learning about Yorkshire bees and picking up a jar from the source (not literally).

So it was that we zigzagged around the Formula One chicane at Denholme and brought out the oxygen mask to head up Hill Top Road where Thornton Cricket Club are based.

Never has a road been so aptly named. You can probably see other solar systems from up here. Or into central Bradford at the very least.

But first, let me wax lyrical about parking. The cricket club benefits from ample space where cars can berth on the grassy rec. We slid in just behind the football goal, furthest away from any stray sixes.

A brief hello to both teams to check consent and the usual photography best practices before lunch called. The match was about to start so it made perfect sense for us to leave, having just arrived.

Lunchtime starts to cricket matches leave me a little discombobulated and if I don’t eat before a certain time, I get grumpy. Not to mention dizzy.

Mrs Cricket Yorkshire and I also like to support local businesses when we’re off on our cricket club gallivanting.

A recommendation of Christophe’s Coffee House proved very astute. We could have got there by walking down the steep incline that already had our nippy saloon wheezing – but where was the fun in that?

Instead, crossing the road past Denholme Gate Honey (not open unfortunately), we took a cobbled path before weaving our way over a field.

You could imagine the Brontës heading this way down to the village in the 1800s. Presumably to church rather than to the Co-Op.

The view was arresting. Many cricket grounds in the ENCO Halifax League are nestled in and on top of angular valleys. The giant arches of Thornton Viaduct were off in the distance, bringing to mind Hewenden Viaduct in Cullingworth or at Copley with the cricket club nestled underneath.

I meant to nip into the Adil Rashid Cricket Centre, just off James Street, on the way down the hill to say hello to Amar Rashid but the pull of French cuisine allied with a growling belly won out.

Christophe’s is wonderful for any number of reasons. It is a small but very well-reviewed eaterie that wowed us effortlessly. From the coffee to the croque, everything was very good.

Off the busy artery of Thornton Road, inside you are in the calm of someone’s living room. The fireplace takes centre stage and it dissolved my anxiety at being late for the match.

Fed up in the best possible way, we tackled the hill of doom as I called it, in between gulped breaths. Hill Top Road is over a thousand feet above sea level so I felt fully justified in collapsing into Thornton Cricket Club.

In my absence, the home side had quietly built to 65-2 with wicketkeeper-opener Jordan Croft still there, joined by the simmering inferno that is Josh Hutchinson.

Josh is well known in the league for hitting a long ball absolutely miles. On his day, it can be excruciating to be a bowler – and we were all about to witness a stellar performance.

Until now, he had been quiet this season but with the exception of the Covid year of 2020, Hutchinson has hit 1,000+ runs every year since 2019.

There was a reasonable crowd in, if Andrew G was writing this, an astute eye who likes a head count, you might have some crowd stats so I’d haphazardly guess at 50+.

That figure coincidentally, also the speed of the wind rattling my eye sockets, leading me to weep prodigiously for the duration.

. . .

It was a brisk crosswind for up there so despite the ever-present sun, definitely not a day to break out the mankini. They’re made of tough stuff at Thornton but it might be an idea to pack a duvet, if watching in April.

. . .

Shall I give you a bit of a tour?

There’s benches, dotted square of the wicket, that were filled with locals putting the world to rights and nodding appreciatively as Hutchinson thumped another boundary to bring up his fifty.

On the other side, a row of cottages that must take an almighty battering both from the elements in winter and also the cricket. As often with ENCO Halifax League grounds, the overall playing area is not a postage stamp but square boundaries and what lie beyond are within easy reach.

The windows were almost all protected by grilles and I’m told the residents rub along with the club, who quickly pay for any damages. It can be an uneasy relationship at some grounds but common sense seems to have prevailed at Hill Top.

From watching Josh bat a few times, there’s usually a chance or two along the way but the speed at which he takes the game from you is breathtaking.

It wasn’t a chanceless knock, edges flew to all parts at times but his power and timing were imprinted on Thornton’s innings. A couple of memorable moments stood out.

Standing tall, numerous straight drives that deposited the ball over the houses on Hill Top Road. Big hits.

✍️ 📷 Article / match photos from Hill Top this week on https://t.co/VEg21wh2FA. Made very welcome.

Thornton 284-5 off 45 overs (Hutchinson 151, Croft 81*, Joel Fothergill 5-56) 12pts won by 175 runs vs Oxenhope 109ao off 36.1 overs (Harris Rowlett 33, Greg Soames 5-27) 2pts. pic.twitter.com/pbOBJypIrZ

— Cricket Yorkshire (@cricketyorks) June 1, 2024

He sometimes likes a sweep and overbalances but there was surprising wristiness on show too; once slapping the ball to the wall leg-side, as if dismissing a fly.

The majestic knock of 151 off 77 balls was snuffed out when Hutchinson was bowled by Joel Fothergill (5-56).

Jordan Croft acted as the perfect foil, a calm but confident knock picking up fours around the ground while Mount Hutchinson blew its top. Croft’s unbeaten 81 drew warm and sustained applause at the interval, as Thornton ended on 284-5 off 45 overs.

As a statement of intent against the league leaders went, it was hard to miss. Oxenhope looked a little shellshocked understandably. It’s no fun bowling smarties at The Hulk.

They hadn’t got to first spot without good cause though and amid the carnage, Scott Mallinson’s 0-38 off 11 overs demonstrated admirable economy. The visitors seemed pretty philosophical at the break, and didn’t get ragged in the closing stages.

I grabbed Josh for a chat and as we talked, surrounded by Lemon Fanta to rehydrate (him, not me), it was noticeable how down-to-earth he was. A calmness that we also see out in the middle in between deliveries.

I guess because it’s not the first time, nor will it be the last, that he hits warp speed with the bat.

Nuggets I gleaned included that his step-brother lives in the house with the extension, an obvious target if Hutchinson was feeling mischievous.

We talk about the shock of the season when Thornton lost their unbeaten record against Sowerby Bridge Church Institute a few games back; a winning run dating back to August 2022.

A relief, in a funny way?

. . .

“Personally, I was happy we lost. Get it out the way and done then we can crack on. It’s gonna be virtually impossible to do it again. We had a bit of a kick up the backside. The longer we went, the more pressure there was on us to keep it going.”

. . .

Josh has been at Thornton since the age of 10 which makes it 21 years at Hill Top. There have been offers from the Bradford League but he reckons if he was going to play at a higher level, he would have done it at 18.

“I still get the same couple of clubs asking but I’m past it, I play for these. It’s my club.”

As Oxenhope begin their attempt to overhaul this mammoth total, Hutchinson stands at slip and tucks his hands inside his jumper; a mannerism as bespoke as the distance of his sixes.

Under the probing accuracy of Ross Parr (1-30) and Bradley Weatherhead (1-25), Oxenhope fell further behind the run rate before the Soames double-act of Grant (2-21) and Greg (5-27) ushered the home side to victory.

The final margin of 175 runs as Oxenhope were dismissed for 109 was enough to thrust Thornton back to the top of Premier Division for 1st XIs. In first on 64pts, they have Booth for company (60pts) then Illingworth St Marys (48pts).

Oxenhope drop to third on 55pts but as it’s only six rounds in, there’s little to be gained from making foolhardy predictions.

But when has that stopped me?!

If not unbeaten, Thornton may have to get used to life at the summit although others like Illingworth St Mary’s will have something to say about that.

This, and other musings, rattled round my head as I did a final lap. Thornton had been everything I hoped it might be. The friendliness and sense of community is obvious.

They’re a bigger club than I realised with the full set of juniors, All Stars and three senior weekend sides.

That said, juggling priorities and the possibility of fixtures clashing is not a new phenomenon. It was a shame that Thornton had to concede to Frickley Colliery in the National Village Cup but it clashed with the ENCO Halifax League’s Parish Cup.

With Frickley at full strength, it was felt that fielding Thornton’s second team wouldn’t have been fair on anyone.

Meanwhile, I was pleased to bump into a fan of my club cricket books. Dales Bails is selling well, nudge, nudge (ahem, Father’s Day, Christmas, Birthdays, present to yourself or family pet).

It’s always a genuine thrill to hear from those who have a copy. He gets them every Christmas apparently but has a flick through before they get wrapped.

As Thornton applied the brakes out on the field, I eyed a dog making a right pig’s ear of chewing something on the ground. (It turns out it was actually a pig’s ear.)

Thornton don’t make the same mistake out in the middle and will surely be the team to beat come September.

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