Sunseekers Cricket Club

A Great day at Great Longstone

Posted Sunday, August 5, 2007

Great Longstone 239-2 (Ashton 1-19 from 4, Crawford 1-37 from 10)
Sunseekers 196-5 (Ashton 95, Downes 33, Greasley 30+)

A new fixture for us and an utterly beautiful ground to visit, nestling under the fabulous Longstone Edge in the Peak District (at least, it remains fabulous if you look in the right direction; in the other direction is a highly-contentious ever-growing quarry, but that's another story).
A sandwich board outside the local pub announced: "Cricket today! Great Longstone v Sunseekers, 2.30pm" and, sure enough, a gaggle of people were making their way up the narrow lane by the pub to the ground. A crowd! No, once they'd seen us arrive, they all kept on going, as the Peak District obviously has better sights to see.
The welcome at the cricket club itself was exceptional, although Karl may feel the welcome given to him by Great Longstone's massive opening batsman, a big pull for six over square leg from his first ball, was less so. Karl's next 11 balls were dots and there was a lesson to be picked up there: this bloke and his almost equally huge partner were blocking good balls, thrashing bad ones.
Unfortunately, on a baking hot day and with a weakened attack, it was a bad toss for your reporter and stand-in captain to lose and it was not a lesson we took on board too well.
I was delighted to deceive the less fluent of the two openers with probably the best slower ball I've bowled in five years but, otherwise, it was hard going and the massive bloke finally retired unbeaten with 133.
There was, however, the feeling that on a quick outfield, even Great Longstone's 239 might not be beyond us and it looked that way as Howard and Paul stroked their way to a marvellous century opening partnership.
When Paul was out, Stuart kept up the pace, but when Howard, running out of steam, was finally out for a brilliant 95, the asking rate was climbing and the light was fading.
With a quick opening bowler returning in half-light, we fell short but it had been a brave and respectable effort and, I feel sure, it was a game we might have won if we had been fortunate enough to win the toss and bat first.
Afterwards came the revelation that the massive opening batsman, surely a builder or even, up there, the village blacksmith, was, in fact, a lecturer in politics at Sheffield University and a very nice chap as well. He has only moved to the village this year, so it was my fault for getting the fixture a year late!
Howard remains convinced the bloke would have been out to Chris Bull in his prime but, then, the bloke would have been about 11 at the time... (sorry. Chris, if you're tuning in. We miss you)!
Anyway, this is a great new addition to our list and the same date next year has already been agreed with Great Longstone's delightful fixture secretary, Lisa Harland.

CC