The game that wasn’t supposed to happen at Ripley

There’s something uplifting about a cricketer’s refusal to admit defeat to the weather.

All the forecasts leading into Saturday’s Theakston Nidderdale League Division Six fixture between Ripley and the higher-placed Thornton Le Moor promised rain, rain, and basically more rain.

The sort of forecast that encourages sensible people to stay at home, or since it was Saturday – go shopping.

By midweek. it seemed entirely possible that the most competitive contests at cricket grounds on Saturday would be between the groundsmen and ducks.

As I set off just after 11am on Saturday morning, the thin misty rain continued to fall under very gloomy skies. I didn’t hold out much hope for my afternoon’s cricket fix.

I drove the short distance to Ripley thinking that I would pull up into the car park next to the ground, cast a quick glance over the fence to confirm an empty pavilion with no evident signs of life.

Then, head back past a few other grounds that showed a similar lack of cricketing activity…and that would be that.

Yet there, to my astonishment, were a few players huddled around the square, chatting away.

As I approached the group, I smiled at them and said “You haven’t got a game on today, have you?”. A wry smile flashed back in my direction from the captain of Ripley as he replied, “Of course we have!”

Getting the game on

Yep…there was that cricketers’ determination to not let something as trivial as the British weather get in the way of a few overs of the very lifeblood of God’s own county.

There was cricket to play, and heaven nor hell would stand in the way of a leather thing being repeatedly tossed 22 yards.

Throughout the afternoon, dark clouds rolled across the sky from horizon to horizon before giving way to the briefest of bright spells.

Rain could be seen falling in the distance, and the steady breeze seemingly faded away. With the light changing every few minutes, at times sitting next to the rope at Ripley felt closer to September than June.

None of which mattered in the slightest to the players, who appeared determined to complete forty overs each even if Noah himself arrived with architectural drawings, a few lengths of four by two, a hammer and some nails.

Set against the backdrop of Ripley’s beautiful village ground, the nearby castle hidden behind a bosky grove of English oak, and with the boundary rope pulled in slightly from its usual position…the stage was set for a fascinating afternoon’s contest.

A competitive total

Ripley’s innings began cautiously enough before gradually gathering momentum as the home side settled into their batting rhythm.

The visitors bowled with discipline for long periods and were rewarded with fairly regular breakthroughs, keeping their opponents scoring under some sort of control during the opening exchanges.

At 37-1 in the fifth over, and later 70-2, neither side could claim any sort of decisive advantage at that point.

The changing light added to the atmosphere; one moment the ground sat beneath dark grey cloud, the next it was bathed in bright sunshine.

A few players cast furtive glances towards threatening skies while runs continued to accumulate. There was still an uncertainty about the game being completed before the ominous black clouds on the horizon potentially blew in our direction.

As the innings progressed, Ripley’s batsmen began to find greater fluency. The shortened boundaries offered encouragement for a more aggressive style of play, and a succession of well-timed boundaries helped push the run rate upwards.

While Thornton Le Moor continued to chip away with wickets, the home side ensured they added the necessary runs.

By tea, Ripley had reached a competitive 228, setting the visitors a healthy target to overturn. On a ground where boundaries were obtainable and conditions continued to improve, it felt like a score that would make the chase interesting.

Michael Davison’s impressive 76 from 71 deliveries was the keystone of the Ripley innings, and there was huge relief from the visitors as Steve Greensit managed to claim his wicket.

Early gale

If Ripley’s innings had been measured, Thornton Le Moor’s reply began with all the subtlety of a brick through a window.

Their opening pair immediately went on the attack, finding boundaries seemingly with ease and putting the bowlers under immense pressure.

The run rate surged beyond anything achieved during the corresponding stage of Ripley’s innings, and the visitors appeared to be racing towards victory.

By nine overs, they had reached fifty without loss, and by the fifteenth they were approaching the hundred.

Openers James Broadwith and Kevin Taylor reached deserved half-centuries and, for long periods, with the two of them looking steadfast, Thornton Le Moor were firmly in control.

The contrast between the pre-match weather forecast and the reality on the day was almost comical.

The predicted downpours never materialised; instead, sunshine broke through the clouds, blue sky appeared overhead, and in the bright sunshine the visitors continued to bat.

It was though they were trying to finish the game before the weather remembered what it was supposed to be doing.

At drinks, Thornton Le Moor had powered their way to 134-1 and needed fewer than a hundred runs from the remaining overs. It really did feel as if the game was over.

Ripley fight back

To be honest…what do I know?! I sit at most games casting glances at the scoreboard constantly, performing mental arithmetic to calculate how many balls left…how many runs needed…the required run rate…the number of wickets and overs remaining.

Then there’s my own secret calculation to generate a probability as to which side will walk away with the points.

I’m usually quite good at all that, but there are times when all that churning of numbers and mental gymnastics means absolutely diddly-squat.

The dismissal of the opening batters changed everything. Having spent much of the afternoon chasing the ball around the ground, Ripley’s players suddenly discovered a fresh impetus.

The first three wickets to fall put a renewed spring in their step, and suddenly we seemed to have a real contest on our hands. Wickets now began to tumble at regular intervals.

A leg before decision halted one partnership, and a well-taken boundary catch stopped another. Further dismissals followed as the pressure gradually shifted from the home side to the visitors, and victory now seemed within easy reach of Ripley.

Even then, the match refused to settle.

Heading into the final few overs, the run rate was now climbing uncomfortably for the visitors. Ripley looked like they were going to turn the game around and get the win.

With five overs remaining, Thornton Le Moor needed around 30 runs and had three wickets in hand.

A sudden display of power hitting saw that total reduced to 15 needed by the end of those six deliveries. It was 214 for seven, four overs remaining. The pendulum had swung once more decisively the other way!

A wicket at the start of the next over and renewed hope…eight wickets down…and then the new batsman went to swing the bat, popped the ball up high, and two hands engulfed it safely when it eventually dropped, having seemingly been in the air for two minutes [okay, I’ll admit that is a slight exaggeration, but it certainly felt like it!].

The visitors found themselves still on 214, but now only had one wicket in hand and there were three overs remaining.

Back, forth and too close to call

Starting to muse that a couple of boundaries and a few singles run would see victory for the visitors, I was drifting into thinking about my match summary and how this game had ultimately gone the way I thought it would at the drinks break.

An aggressive field setting huddled around the two remaining batsmen, looking to stifle any chances of scoring a run. A tight set of deliveries saw the penultimate over arrive with 12 still to get.

You could have cut the tension with a knife…a delivery went down the 22 and a defensive shot smothered the ball to the ground. No run.

Then another… the ball beat the bat and the bails went tumbling with the batsman grimacing as he realised that was that…the final wicket had fallen and Ripley had their victory.

What a game!

Terrific advert for club cricket

In many ways this was the perfect village cricket afternoon.

A fixture that contained everything that makes recreational cricket so enjoyable: changing weather conditions, momentum that swung one way and then the other, some superb batting and fielding, and a result that remained uncertain right up to the final few deliveries.

Ripley’s total of 228 ultimately proved just enough, but Thornton Le Moor’s opening pair seemingly threatened at one point to chase it down on their own.

However, once that partnership was broken the home side gradually wrestled back control to secure a narrow and hard-earned victory.

Heading home a familiar thought popped into my mind…a sense of frustration. Not at the teams or cricket club, but at the lack of spectators.

People will pay good money to go and see county and international sport…however, there are great contests [usually] on their doorsteps.

Anyone investing their time at the game at Ripley on Saturday would have been rewarded with as exciting a finale as at any game they could have gone to – amateur or professional. The best bit, it wouldn’t have cost them a penny to get in to watch.

Consider heading to a local team instead of one of the big-business sports clubs, you will be surprised at how competitive and enjoyable the games can be.

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.

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