Women’s Championship North: Wykeham shade it at Ouseburn

Over the years, I’ve been to Ouseburn many times to cover the men’s team playing in the league or one of the cups. It’s a lovely, compact ground on the edge of Great Ouseburn with plenty of that ‘away from the hustle and bustle of modern life’ vibe.

A calmness – if you like.

A couple of seasons ago, I tried a few of times to see the women’s team play, but the games were postponed for one reason or another. I tried again last season, however, the weekend I had pencilled in to visit Ouseburn, the weather intervened.

So, for the third year running, I had Ouseburn on my list of must-visit grounds to watch a women’s game. With some trepidation, the weekend arrived, and my imagination was running wild with all the possible reasons why the game might not go ahead.

It’s not a long journey from where I live to the ground: quite a straightforward 30-minute drive to somewhere I know very well. Anyone who has read any of the articles I’ve written over the past few seasons may appreciate that I used to live near Great Ouseburn.

I know all the side roads and shortcuts from the A59, which runs between Harrogate and York, into places like Cattal, Little Ouseburn, Whixley and Aldwark (there’s a wonderfully rickety toll bridge over the River Ure in the village, as well as a picturesque church).

Avie, my daughter, accompanied me on the drive, and we arrived suitably early enough that if there was a hint that the game wasn’t happening, then we could head off to one of the alternative venues that I was holding in reserve.

Parking up behind the pavilion and hiding the car in the shade, we walked around the corner of the building to see the boundary packed with spectators watching a junior game. It appeared that the match was just into the second innings, so we climbed the stairs and sat on the veranda to watch.

Thirty minutes later, the final pair finished with a flurry of boundaries and the teams shook hands as proud parents applauded. It had been a good set of overs to watch, with some great batting and fielding.

As the juniors cleared the square and parents packed up their chairs, picnic blankets, and food and drink, a new set of people began to turn up, and any uncertainty I had about the fixture disappeared. The game was on.

On fire

There are hot days at cricket, and then there are days like this.

We’d been told by the Met Office to expect a heatwave and it was certainly living up to the billing. It was hot, and I know from previous experience that the ground doesn’t offer many opportunities to find shade.

A hat and sunscreen were mandatory, and you needed to take in plenty of water over the afternoon to ensure you didn’t dehydrate in the blistering heat. I must admit, I didn’t envy the players one bit having to compete out in the midday sun!

As the game got underway, Avie and I walked the boundary to get in position to take some photographs, keeping an eye on the couple of places that may offer some relief from direct sunshine.

Wykeham won the toss and decided to head out to bat first.

The opening pair of Libby Haxby and Maiya Shaw set the tone of the visitor’s innings, quickly getting into their rhythm. They timed the ball perfectly to score a number of fours and sixes, building a solid total to defend.

As the first drinks break arrived, Avie and I moved around the perimeter of the ground and headed under the cover of trees at one end. One of the unique aspects of Ouseburn’s ground is its deceptive slope.

At first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking that, yes, there is a gradient, but it isn’t that bad; however, once you’re standing under the trees at the bottom of it, you get a real sense of just how far the ground drops.

Line up a shot while sitting and you can only see about half of the batter facing you. Stand up and anywhere from their knees down is obscured by the grass. More disconcerting still, watch a fielder on the opposite boundary and all you can see is a head!

With drinks taken, and by the time we’d wandered back around to the other side of the ground, Wykeham had been dismissed for 113 in around 18 overs. It was a reasonable total, in line with expectations given the uncomfortable conditions.

Mid-innings break and everyone retreated to whatever shade was afforded by the scoreboard, pavilion or trees. We did the same, buying a much-welcomed ice-cold drink from the well-stocked fridge.

Maiya Shaw’s 56 was the obvious highlight of the first innings, scored from just 32 deliveries. She hit eight fours and two massive sixes to anchor the visitors’ innings.

Ouseburn’s Erin Russon and Charlotte Jackson claimed two wickets each, but it was Mollie Ovenden’s three wickets for just 11 runs that was the outstanding bowling performance for the home side.

Ouseburn’s chase

I’m not quite sure how I felt about giving up my seat in the relatively cool shade by the scoreboard as the teams re-emerged for the reply.

It was hot, with my watch complaining first about overheating and shutting down, before my now-ageing camera made its unhappiness equally clear in the scorching conditions.

I’ve never quite understood why manufacturers paint the majority of their professional cameras black, or at least a very dark colour. They absorb heat, and that can cause them to start acting a little out of sorts.

I’d brought along a 15-year-old camera to cover the action on Sunday, and the veteran DSLR was beginning to complain almost as much as I usually do in hot conditions.

Ouseburn’s reply began positively enough, with early encouragement suggesting the chase was going to go down to the wire. However, Wykeham’s bowling attack quickly settled into a disciplined rhythm and steadily increased the pressure.

Rather than allowing easy boundaries, Wykeham forced Ouseburn to work hard for scoring opportunities. Dot balls accumulated, the required rate climbed and the visitors managed the game wonderfully.

At the drinks break, Ouseburn had batted really well to reach 41 for two, but the required rate was beginning to climb steadily. The home side needed to come out hitting to overhaul the target. Blythe Hughes made 30 from 31 deliveries, while Charlotte Jackson finished on 19 from 36 and Ana Ring scored 10 from 10, both unbeaten.

However, Wykeham’s game management was superb, allowing singles while ensuring the boundaries were guarded like Fort Knox. As the final couple of overs came into sight, it looked as though the home side would fall just short, and so it proved, as they finished on a very respectable 93 for three from their 20 overs.

Wykeham had won the game by 20 runs.

Feeling the heat

The heat took its toll on the players, with one fielder having to head into the pavilion to try to get some relief from the blazing sun. I have a huge amount of respect for the two teams who played on Sunday, putting on a competitive 20-over game in such difficult conditions.

What stood out most was the atmosphere around the fixture. There was competitiveness throughout, but also the relaxed friendliness that continues to make women’s cricket at this level such a welcoming environment to cover and watch.

Both teams embraced the conditions as best they could, and despite the draining heat there remained plenty of laughter and conversation around the ground during breaks in play.

Wykeham impressed with their blend of big hitting and superb fielding. They deservedly won the game, although victory had not looked assured in the earlier stages of Ouseburn’s reply.

For Ouseburn, it was one of those difficult afternoons when the game gradually drifted away without any real threat of collapse; and there were plenty of positives for both sides to take from it.

I could mention league positions, points, and the like, but the reality is that, with only three games played, none of that really matters yet. It’s simply too early to draw any firm conclusions from the reams of stats you can infer in the table.

What I can say is that the breadth and depth of women’s cricket continues to grow, with some exceptional talent in grassroots teams.

Both Ouseburn and Wykeham have an abundance of talented players, and I’ll be keeping an eye on this league over the coming months in the hope of seeing some of the game’s emerging stars continue to develop.

What to read more?

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

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

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