Patrington edge Brandesburton in Premier Division Two race

You would expect, come mid-August, sixth against seventh, in a 12-team competition, to be a dead rubber. Not in the 2024 Yorkshire Premier League North’s second tier!

The league’s new Premier Division Two, to launch next year, will comprise teams placed second to sixth from this season’s Championship East and Championship West.

The two 2024 regional, or second tier, champions will be promoted to the Premier Division, with the relegated top-flight pair completing the 2025 Premier Division Two’s 12-strong membership.

It meant we headed to Southside, the Patrington Cricket Club ground, anticipating keenly a clash of Patrington (sixth) and Brandesburton (seventh). Before play began, after 17 outings, Patrington led their visitors by a single point, 95 to 94.

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The game, a tense, compelling contest, which went down to the afternoon’s final delivery, surpassed even our high expectations. 

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Patrington squeezed home, by two runs. The match points – 10 to four – enabled the Holderness men to put seven between them and the table’s proverbial dotted line.

On a very good day for Patrington, Bridlington, fifth, lost by six wickets at home to Beverley Town. With four games left, Brid are nine points clear of Patrington. 

As things stand, table leaders Beverley Town (Championship East) and Knaresborough (Championship West) would go into the 2025 Premier Division.

Premier Division Two would comprise: Acomb, Bridlington, Carlton Towers, Easingwold, Fairburn, Folkton & Flixton, Harrogate Seconds, Londesborough Park, Patrington, Stamford Bridge, Woodhouse Grange Seconds, York Seconds.

Patrington’s remaining four games are at Londesborough Park, fourth (August 24), at home to Beverley Town, first (August 31), at Woodhouse Grange Seconds, third (September 7), and at home to Driffield Town Seconds, 12th (September 14).

Despite their agonising defeat at Patrington, Brandesburton are still in contention. Their run-in features a trip to Beverley Town, first (August 24), a home game with Driffield Town Seconds, 12th (August 31), a visit to Folkton & Flixton, second (September 7), and a home fixture with Sutton-on-Hull, 10th (September 14).

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In the crunch Southside game that we witnessed, Brandesburton, who needed 22 off 18 balls then seven from the final over, as they chased 205, looked on course to win while No 5 Nick Hardgrave was at the crease. 

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From the 50th over’s first delivery, Hardgrave (100 off 98, including two sixes and 12 fours) ran a single, to complete a patient century, only to be bowled, two balls later, by quick – and Patrington captain – Ash McKinley (4-48 from 12). 

With five needed off three balls, the last two batsmen, Craig Ford and Sam Morris, could add only two to the score, as Brandesburton closed on 202-9.

When the visitors fell to 40-4, Patrington had the upper hand. But a useful 29 (off 28, with seven fours) from No 7 Anupam Das tipped the balance Brandesburton’s way. 

Clearly infuriated by his chosen shot, Das was dismissed by the first of two fine catches from Bob Eldon-Smith. Each was off the spin bowling of Grant Van Es (3-47 from 12).

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Earlier, Patrington, having opted to bat, found themselves 22-2 then 137-6. No 8 Van Es (35 off 36, including six fours) played a key role in pushing the hosts beyond 200. 

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On a smallish ground, whose outfield was lightning fast, a total of 204 (all out off 46.2 overs) was felt, by the Patrington supporters, to be below-par.

A towering six, smashed onto the pavilion roof, from tail-ender Billy Ineson (10 off 21), ensured the hosts advanced past the 190s.

No 4 Jamie McKinley (49 off 53, including a six and six fours) led the scoring, with No 1 Matthew Dixon (22 off 42), No 5 Connor McKinley (25 off 43) and No 6 Dan Fincham (19 off 26) making useful contributions.

Four of the six bowlers Brandesburton used were spinners. In the event, however, quick James ‘Trigger’ Dunning, held back until the latter stages, was the most effective, finishing with 3-20 from 4.2. 

Robinson variation

The influential Hardgrave took 2-42 from 13 and fellow spinner Stuart Robinson, a grey-topped veteran, 2-45 from 10. Some lovely variation, I thought, from Robinson.

James McGinty spent most of the Brandesburton innings fielding near our second half vantage point. Some hugely impressive work to admire, I must say.

Having taken 3-31 from nine in the previous Saturday’s 39-run victory at Goole Town, McGinty was disappointed at not being called upon to bowl.

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Surely, nobody can visit Patrington, an attractive hub for the hauntingly atmospheric Holderness peninsula, without taking a look at St Patrick’s, described by a former Archbishop of York as England’s most beautiful parish church.

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Nicknamed the Queen of Holderness (the King is at Hedon, up the A1033 towards Hull), St Patrick’s, built in the fourteenth century, was a firm favourite of former Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, renowned as an enthusiast of ecclesiastical architecture. 

St Patrick’s spire

Betjeman ranked St Patrick’s “one of the great buildings of England”.

The gold-painted weathercock topping the elegant St Patrick’s spire stands at 189 feet. As well as being visible across the flats – reclaimed marsh – of Holderness, the spire acts as a ‘seamark’ for vessels negotiating the nearby Humber estuary.

Setting off early, we set aside a pre-match hour to explore St Patrick’s, inside and out.

Bathed in late summer sunshine (sadly, it clouded over, pretty much completely, for the duration of the cricket), the church’s magnesian limestone positively shone.

Happily, the Patrington cricket ground is immediately south of St Patrick’s, one of whose bells strikes out the hours. From the ground’s Southside end, the spire rises, magnificently, above the trees and homes opposite.

For the sweet-toothed, a trip to Patrington should include buying a few treats at Cakey Bakey Yum Yum, a High Street café and bakery.

Salty tang

Only at the Southside (south, naturally) end is the Patrington ground open. Here, there is barely room for spectators. The air bore a distinctly salty tang.

The buildings of Patrington Church of England Primary Academy (now, there’s a mouthful) dominate the backdrop, beyond Southside, an unclassified road.

The ground’s other three sides, a little more spacious, if you like to erect a folding chair, are enclosed by mature trees. 

Patrington’s pavilion, of wooden construction, to a traditional design, is set back from the west side boundary, shaded by overhanging trees. 

A 1953 team photograph, one of several on display in the bar, suggests the pavilion has changed very little, externally, over the years.

Picnic tables, along with help-yourself chairs, are laid out in front of the pavilion.

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The scorers monitor proceedings from an elevated perch in the pavilion’s central gable, access to which is via a wooden staircase. 

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The pavilion’s manual scoreboard – its redundant number boards are just visible – has been superseded by a mobile, digital alternative, parked on the east side.

Beyond the east side boundary, there is sufficient room for permanent practice nets, flying the white rosed Yorkshire flag.

Much of the flat, roughly square pitch is enclosed with a white, picket-style fence.

New houses, of redbrick, overlook the ground from its northeast corner, location of the ground’s easily-missed main entrance, off Kiln Lane.

Throughout the game, a procession of heavy – doubtless, eye-wateringly expensive – agricultural machinery rumbled to and fro along Southside. We played a private game of ‘guess what that thing being towed is used for’.

Heavy metal harvest

Harvest is in full swing, clearly, amongst Holderness’s abundant, fertile and expansive crop fields. 

Star of Patrington’s very own ‘heavy metal’ show was a gargantuan combine harvester, heard long before it laboured noisily into sight.

Patrington are very much a local club. The players, all mates, I was told, many formerly pupils at the same schools, are drawn from ‘Pat’ (Patrington) and ‘With’ (the neighbouring resort of Withernsea).

It seems Hull-based cricketers regard Patrington, 14 miles east of the ‘big city’, as too distant.

I daresay the A1033, which, after Hedon bypass, meanders (watch your speed!) through a succession of linear villages, makes Patrington feel more isolated than it is.

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The extended McKinley family has played – and continues to play – a significant role in the Patrington club’s history. Three members played against Brandesburton.

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I did enquire about the McKinley family tree. But was immediately bamboozled by a torrent of brothers, cousins, uncles, fathers and grandfathers.

A memorial garden, near the Southside ground’s northwest corner, features a tribute to Geoff McKinley, saluted as ‘The King of Patrington Cricket Club’.

Geoff, who died in 2021, played 40 seasons in Patrington colours. With 1,957 victims, he remains the club’s all-time leading wicket-taker. He scored more than 5,000 runs too.

In addition, Geoff looked after the Southside pitch. Now, Connor, another McKinley, doubles up keeping wicket with tending the ground. “McKinleys run the club,” I was informed.

Should Patrington Cricket Club, founded in 1850, qualify for the YPLN’s 2025 Premier Division Two, their players are certainly in line for some travelling.

A drive to Harrogate, for example, in the height of summer, is unlikely to leave much change out of two-and-a-half hours.

The ‘Pat’ players don’t seem bothered. I’m not surprised. Having lived in one or two off-the-beaten-track places, such as Exeter and Whitehaven, I know how quickly one becomes accustomed to the time and distance required to get ‘somewhere’. 

The 2024 YPLN season’s last few weeks look set to be fascinating.

Enjoyed the read?

You can check out other club visits by Andrew in his column, Miles Per Gallon.

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