Selby u13s clinch the league and cup double in fine style

It was a very hot and sunny evening as the Selby u13s travelled to Ackworth on Tuesday 20th July to play in the Yorkshire Car Company cup final against the host club and they were looking to add the cup to the league that had been secured a couple of weeks earlier.

The pitch looked a good one for batting and there was some deliberations on whether to bat first or put the opposition in to know what score they would need to chase. Skipper Emma Brewer won the toss and decided despite the hotter conditions to field with the prospect of knowing how many to chase was the deciding factor and with a strong bowling unit behind her the young Selby team were up for the challenge.

It was the regular opening bowling pair of Caspar Gray and Joe Bugg to get them underway and Gray was immediately into his accurate line and length bowling before a lovely cover drive by the Ackworth opening bat Finnlay Perkins saw the first boundary for Ackworth. In the 2nd over Bugg soon got his radar on and a streaky boundary off his first ball was followed by another boundary off his 3rd with another good shot as Ackworth raced to 14 off just the first 9 deliveries however both Bugg and Gray soon pegged them back with some excellent bowling and just 2 more runs were scored in the next 18 balls halting the quick start. At the end of their 3 over spells Ackworth stood at 27/0 which was gave them a good platform to build a good score. The first bowling change of the match for Selby brought on Rhys Roddick and Jack Huddlestone and they both got into a good rhythm restricting Ackworth to the odd single before Selby’s excellent bowling got the breakthrough when Roddick bowled Perkins for 16. In the following over Huddlestone used his slower ball variation to deceive the other opening batsman to loft it to mid on where Gray took a good catch and get Selby right back into the game with Ackworth now on 37/2 off 10 overs. Roddick continued to ask questions of the batsman and soon picked by a 2nd wicket as the batsman spooned it up for an easy catch for Jack Huddlestone. After another tight over from Huddlestone (1-6 off 4 overs) it was Roddick (3-9 off 4 overs) again in his final over who struck via a fantastic one handed reflex catch by Caspar Gray to leave Ackworth on 41/4 with just 6 overs remaining.

Sam Dickinson and Kayden Lane were next into the attack and continued to pose problems for the Ackworth batsman however they realised they needed to start attacking more to give Selby something to chase and they looked to up the rate with the odd boundary but by the end of the 18th over they were still looking short on 60/5. A late flurry at the end added 15 important runs to the score as Lane (1-15) took another wicket with a fine catch at point from Zac Kierans as Ackworth finished on 75/5 to finish off a brilliant bowling and fielding display which included some important fielding from Harry Mcloughlin and Jack White. The score looked a little bit short on the fast outfield but still gave plenty of work for the Selby batsman.

After a well deserved break to refuel the opening batting pair of Kayden Lane and Jack Huddlestone strode out looking to build a solid foundation for the rest of the innings after some previous good opening partnerships in recent weeks however that plan didn’t last long as Lane departed in the first over as the ball just squirted under his bat and knocked a bail off to leave Selby chasing the same score in 19 overs with 9 wickets remaining. In the next over Huddlestone who was joined by Rhys Roddick watched the ball carefully and picked off the bad balls with 2 delightful shots to the boundary to get the rate quickly back on track. A similar pattern emerged over the next few overs as some good running and the odd boundary saw Selby reach 23 for 1 after 6 overs. Just as Huddlestone (18) looked like he was there to stay he played his first loose shot of his innings and was caught at cover for 18 off 22 balls. The next over seemed to turn the tide firmly in Selby’s favour despite losing the opening batsmen as Harry Huddlestone had replaced his brother and hit a no ball head high full toss for 4 which was quickly followed by 5 wides as the bowler felt the pressure and after a short delivery in the final ball of the over saw Huddlestone get on to it quickly, he smoked the shot through the leg side however it was straight at a fielder who somehow held onto it at the 2nd attempt. Roddick at the other end had remained composed throughout his innings and he was joined by Joe Bugg who has played a number of key innings through the season and they continued the run scoring and by the end of the 11th over the Selby team looked in a strong position at 49 for 3 needing another 27 to win.

It was never going to be straightforward against a good Ackworth team but it took a controversial decision as the neutral umpire raised his finger from minimal appeals to give Roddick (12) out LBW and the replays (via the match streamed live on Youtube) suggested the ball would bounce over the wickets. In the last of the ball of 12th over another wicket fell as Caspar Gray was caught with Selby wobbling on 52/4 as the following over saw a maiden and the superb Selby support were feeling the tension. Sam Dickinson joined Bugg and they slowly started to find the gaps but with 5 overs to go still needed 19 more to win but Bugg and Dickinson scored 10 off the next over to release the pressure that was building including a lovely guided shot by Bugg. It was still nail biting stuff as 2 runs came off the next over with a couple of chances missed by Ackworth and just as it looked like Bugg (14) would see them home he was caught to give Ackworth hope at 71/5. A single from Dickinson meant it just needed a boundary to win and after Alfie Laverack saw off the remainder of the 18th over and with the Ackworth fielders closing in to protect the singles it was Dickinson who hit the ball hard and it flew to the boundary to give Selby a fantastic victory to win the cup with 10 balls remaining.

There was huge applause from both sets of supporters on a great game of cricket played by both teams that had ebbed and flowed throughout the game but the young Selby team used the experience of previous tight games to see them home and lift the trophy in front of the jubilant Selby support and secure the league and cup double!