Killinghall take the points at windy Goldsborough

It was Bed Race day in Knaresborough, an annual event that sees up to 90 ‘beds’ being pushed nearly two and a half miles around a course that starts by the river.

The route travels up around the steep roads by the castle and beds then descend through the town centre, back to the start…by way of the River Nidd.

Six runners per bed, with one lucky passenger sitting on the bed shouting encouragement as the runners consider their poor choice in life…as muscles burn and hearts pound while trying to get the heavy object up the impossibly steep hill by Knaresborough Castle.

Most will question that moment when they said yes to take part at least twice on the course; the first time on the hill, and the second as they plunge into the cold waters of the river as they seek to reach the finishing line.

Why do I know? Because, I’ve run it twice [many years ago]. I think the phrase – fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me – applies here?

Being totally serious, the teams raise a huge amount for charity before, during, and after the day; and actually it can be a lot of fun that creates memories that stay with you for a lifetime.

Instead of taking the roads through the town (they are closed for a good few hours during the day), I headed on the ring road towards Goldsborough, enjoying the fact that the number of cars on the road around Knaresborough was significantly lower than usual.

We made good time to the little cricket club just before the impressive ‘gates’ to the small village.

Family debut

Surrounded by farmers’ fields full of growing crops to three sides, and the very edge of the village on the other, Goldsborough’s picturesque setting is always one I love to visit once or twice a season.

The only things that could spoil my day was Saturday’s relentless winds sweeping across the ground, and the very hint of a threat that there could be a light drizzle at some point.

Yet while the weather was impossible to ignore, there was also a personal reason for this particular fixture to stand out.

Among the Goldsborough side was my son, making his first appearance of the season for the club – as he has just finished his A-levels and has a few months of freedom before heading off [hopefully] to university.

As any cricketing parent will know, there comes a point where the photography, note-taking and match reporting briefly take a back seat as your attention drifts towards hoping that everything goes well for your own [not-so] little cricketer!

The match itself brought together two of Division Four’s leading sides. Goldsborough 2nd XI began the day at the top of the table, while visitors Killinghall 2nd XI occupied third place, giving the fixture the feel of an early-season test between two teams harbouring promotion ambitions.

Killinghall strike first

The first victory of the day went to the visitors, as they won the toss and elected to put the home team into bat. It’s a good playing surface at Goldsborough, but there are subtle ripples in the ground at points that would both help and hinder the batsmen and fielders.

The one thing I did think would make a difference in the game was the strong wind continually blowing up over the hill from Knaresborough – and how the sides would adapt to it.

Goldsborough also faced the additional challenge of fielding only ten players, a disadvantage that would linger throughout the afternoon. Despite those obstacles, the home side worked their way towards a total that felt competitive without ever quite becoming commanding.

Max Seddon scored 64 from 75 deliveries before being caught by Greg Harrison off Andy Thompson’s bowling; and Jacob Procter’s 52 off 59 before being trapped leg before by Scott Copley were the standout performances for the home team.

Connor, my son, came in as tenth man due to not having picked up a bat for a year, hit the ball twice and on the second swing edged it to the wicketkeeper and trudged back dejectedly as the home team’s innings concluded at 162 all out.

He seemed rather annoyed at himself, but being honest, I was quite proud that he had managed to hit the ball twice, given the fact that he hadn’t used his bat in over 12 months!

Andy Thompson, Tom Yates, and Scott Copley did most of the damage with the ball for Killinghall, with Scott’s figures of 2-12 probably being the most economical of the successful bowlers.

When the final wicket fell in the 37th over, Goldsborough had posted 162. It felt defendable…maybe a little on the light side, but if the bowlers could strike early and maintain pressure throughout the chase, then it could be a good contest.

A strong start

Goldsborough’s hopes rested on early wickets, however, Killinghall had other ideas.

The visitors immediately set about reducing the run-rate pressure, racing to 28 without loss inside the opening dozen or so deliveries. While not an explosive start, it was exactly the basis for a measured chase and immediately shifted the balance of the game in their favour. 

The home side searched for breakthroughs, but Killinghall’s openers remained composed. Approaching midway through the innings, the visitors had lost only a handful of wickets and remained more than comfortably in touch with the required rate.

Openers Tom Stanford and Scott Copley batted with an assuredness, with Tom eventually reaching 65 from 71 deliveries, and Scott getting 38 from 39…Goldsborough’s Max Seddon holding on to catches to help dismiss both.

The wickets simply didn’t come early and fast enough for the home team, allowing Killinghall to add a few boundaries and runs here and there, chipping away at the required total.

The match concluded in memorable fashion when a no-ball was dispatched for six, carrying the ball beyond the boundary into the crop field.

It sealed victory for the visitors in emphatic style. Killinghall reached 167-5 after 29 overs to claim a five-wicket win.

Avoiding bed

As the wind dropped a little, I packed my things away into the car and waited for Connor to come out of the changing rooms with his impossibly large cricket bag on his back.

It had been quite a good game of cricket, and although not going down to the wire in the end, the home team had acquitted themselves well considering they were a man-short of the eleven normally taking part.

Walton Park continued their good start to the new season and found themselves leapfrogging over Goldsborough to take the top spot in the league, with Killinghall closing the gap between themselves and Goldsborough to just three points.

It’s tight at the top of Division Four – just nine points separating the top three teams…but of course there is a long way to go before the season ends, so no point in trying to extrapolate anything from these nascent table numbers.

So, my summary for the day? Good game, proud dad, and considering I avoided pushing a bed up a big hill and giving myself a heart attack…an all round good result!

What to read more?

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.

Here on Cricket Yorkshire, check out our latest opinion articles from club cricket. Our cricket grounds section features travelogues, as well as other related adventures.

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