The July heat met Yorkshire’s County Age Group teams as they entered mid-season, where they enjoyed a challenging yet productive July out on the field.
The U12s began the month with losses to two strong Warwickshire and Lancashire sides, despite a wonderful 85 from Lewis Senior against Lancashire, well supported by Billy Tucker (49*). A narrow, two wicket loss to Staffordshire followed, where Sam Powdrell (42) and Aarav Singh (36) set the game up well at 144-7 at the halfway stage, only to see Staffs claim a narrow victory, after Will Taylor (3-25) almost won it for Yorkshire. An impressive win vs Nottinghamshire followed. Spin dominated, with Safiullah Abrar (4-19) and Amod Karunaratne (3-40) running through the Notts order to dismiss them, all out for 127. 40 from opener Oliver Shepherd then set Yorkshire on the way to an eventual four wicket victory. Rain was sadly the only winner against Derbyshire, as it came just past the halfway stage to call the game off, with Yorkshire posting 150-9 in the first innings, following 59* from Jack Sharkey and 32 from Sam Powdrell. Recent form spurred the 12s onto a thriller in the Al-Murad Cup, the following game, vs Warwickshire at Bradford Park Avenue. The visitors set 125 all out, with new addition Rehan Kiriella claiming 3-23. Captain Safiullah Abrar then put on a batting masterclass to steer Yorkshire home in the penultimate over, unbeaten on 64*. Sadly, another loss followed to Lancashire, with Lewis Senior (45) again in the runs against the old enemy. The 12s finished off the month with a crunch win against Durham, where Yorkshire managed a battling 127-6 from their 45 overs in difficult batting conditions. Despite the small total, the fielding unit responded perfectly, dismissing Durham for just 103, with Jack Sharkey picking up 3-13.
The U13s began July with a trip to Thorpe Hesley to face Warwickshire. Yorkshire batted first and set 162-9 in their 45 overs, with Joseph Hayes (46) the top scorer. Warwickshire looked in trouble, with Theo McLelland taking a handsome 4-27, but the visitors ultimately managed to squeeze home by just one wicket in the penultimate over. The 13s then travelled to Staffordshire, where a superb partnership from Oscar Firth (84*) and Abdul Bhatti (57) saw Yorkshire through a very tricky patch and onto 220-8 at the halfway stage. Sadly though, Staffs managed to claim a tight two wicket win with just one over to spare. It was then time to host Cumbria, at Skipton Cricket Club. Yorkshire batted first and smashed 275-8 in the first innings, with Jack Winterbottom (70) and Tristan Alfred (51) both making half-centuries. Jack Everett (4-25) and Subhaan Ali (3-4) then soon had the visitors packing, as Cumbria were dismissed for just 67, as Yorkshire ran out 208-run winners. Yorkshire were then unfortunately on the wrong side of yet another tight finish to Leicestershire. On a difficult pitch, it looked like Yorkshire’s 145 would be enough, but a wagging Leicestershire tail saw them home by one wicket. Then it was onto Cheshire, where Theo McLelland (3-15) claimed another three wickets as Cheshire were dismissed for 172 all out. Yorkshire ensured a four-wicket victory, after match-winning contributions from Alex Strain (47) and Subhaan Ali (40*). The positive results continued in the form of a payback win over Staffordshire. In a tense game, Yorkshire chased Staffordshire’s 203 with just one wicket to spare, with Louie Wilson the hero – unbeaten on 56*. It was then time for the U13s to experience two-day cricket as Lancashire travelled over to Driffield Town CC. Lancs batted first, and despite a devastating spell of 3-14 from Enzo Campagna, the visitors managed 241 all out in the first innings. Yorkshire stumbled in the reply, and it took 55* from Joseph Hayes to get them to 141 all out. Lancs added another 119 to their lead in the third innings before declaring to leave Yorkshire either 220 to win, or 45 overs to survive… A flurry of wickets in the middle order left Yorkshire with no choice but to shut up shop as they heroically held on for a draw, nine down at the end. The 13s then capped off the month with another 45 over game against Nottinghamshire. Yorkshire fell for just 114 all out in the first innings but the bowling unit showed superb resolve, clattering through the Notts line up, dismissing the hosts for just 76, with Abdul Bhatti (4-17) and Umayr Hewitt (3-24) leading the way.
The U14s began the month with a friendly victory over Nottinghamshire. Peter Greenfield (49) and Hector Hamill (51) set the tone with the bat as Yorkshire made 228 in the first innings of the 45 over contest, before bowling Notts out for 176 to seal a solid 52-run win. They carried their good form into July’s first ECB Cup game against Cheshire, where the 14s ran through the Cheshire line-up, dismissing the hosts for only 72, with Musa Altaf (4-21) and Monty Jackson (3-16) both claiming impressive figures. Yorkshire then cruised to a nine-wicket victory to stay top of the North Group in the ECB Cup- the national competition for U14 cricketers. Things were a little tougher against Lincolnshire, where Yorkshire were left chasing 203, despite 4-39 for Rizwan Ishfaq and 3-21 from Max Chaplin. With rain threatening, the Yorkshire batters responded superbly, crashing past the target in just 30.1 overs, with opener Aarush Shinde (58) setting Yorkshire on their way. The Ampleforth Festival followed for the U14s, with Yorkshire hosting Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire for three days of cricket at the beautiful Ampleforth Abbey. Day One saw a horrible collapse from the Yorkshire line-up, as they fell from 144-1 to 188 all out, with openers Aaron Ratnalingam (73) and Aarush Shinde (60) both impressing irregardless, before Notts claimed a comfortable six wicket win – the 14s first loss of the season! The tough-going continued on the morning of Day Two when Yorkshire’s 96 all out proved short of what was needed for victory in the first Roses game of the festival, despite having Lancashire six down in the chase with only three balls to spare. But fortunes began to turn in the afternoon, with Yorkshire really upping their game. In the day’s second T20, Yorkshire made 131-4 to claim an 11-run victory, following Rollo Story’s 3-21 in the second innings. This set up a huge clash for the final day, as Yorkshire took on Lancashire on the main pitch, with Lancashire going for an unbeaten festival. Yorkshire showed some amazing fight to reach 192-9 in their 50 overs, with runs coming throughout the line-up. Yorkshire were up for the fight in the second innings, when a fantastic run out from Rollo Storey started Lancashire’s descent. The spinners then took control, with all nine of the other wickets falling to the spin of Om Behera (4-21), Musa Altaf (3-27) and Storey (2-35), as Lancashire were dismissed for 130 as Yorkshire capped off the festival, and the month, with a 62-run Roses win!
After a challenging start to the season, Yorkshire U15s began the month of July with an impressive win on the road vs a strong Cheshire side. Cheshire batted first and set 201 all out, with Ed Burch (3-35) the pick of the Yorkshire bowlers. In the chase, Zaki Anjam got Yorkshire off to a good start, before a mini collapse had Yorkshire teetering at 104-6. But Finn Brookes (45*) and Will Bennison (41*) weren’t deterred and steered the side to a four-wicket victory with just over eight overs to spare. A game vs Yorkshire U16s followed, where the U15s claimed a resounding nine-wicket victory. After bowling the U16s out for 150, the U15s stormed to 151-1 in the 28th over, with Will Bennison (74*) leading the way. It was then time for the U15s to attend three days of cricket at the Manchester Festival. Day One saw two victories from the two T20s, against Cumbria and Warwickshire, with Joe Thompson notching 51 vs Warwickshire, and Matthew Firbank hitting 45 against Cumbria, as Tom Fraine took 3-31 with the ball. Day Two saw the introduction of 100-ball cricket, with Yorkshire claiming wins vs Cheshire and Lancashire and a loss vs Leicestershire. Charlie Taylor (45) and Owen Smith (41) proved the match-winners against Cheshire, along with Ibrahim Ahmed, who took 3-35 with the ball. Tom Fraine (3-34) was again in the wickets as Yorkshire won by just four runs vs Lancs. The final day of the festival saw Yorkshire face rivals Nottinghamshire in a 50 over contest. Contributions throughout the order saw Yorkshire to 190 all out in the first innings, with Will Cross top-scoring with 39. Yorkshire defended the total well, with leg-spinners Ibrahim Ahmed (4-42) and Charlie Mallik (3-22) running riot to dismiss Nottinghamshire for 133 all out to claim a fantastic 57-run win. With the July heatwave now approaching, the next fixture was cut from a two-day game to a one-day timed game vs Lancashire. Lancs batted first, making 244-8 dec. After 53 from Zaki Anjam and 52 from Archie Phillipson, Yorkshire faced a collapse and fell to 154-9, with a long time left to bat. Despite some dogged determination from the Yorkshire lower order, they would fall just 15-balls short of the draw on a hard-fought day. Once the heatwave had passed, the U15s travelled up to Darlington to face Durham. Robbie Murray top scored with 32 as Yorkshire set 171 all out. The game went back and forth before Durham just squeezed home for a two-wicket win. The U15s final game of July, vs Notts, was ultimately cut short by the weather, but not before Jay Singh could bag 3-28 before the rain set in.
The U16s had a packed July, starting with a trip to Widnes to face Lancashire in a 50 over friendly. Noah Kelly (59) top scored as Yorkshire set 222-7 in the first innings. This sadly didn’t prove enough for victory though, despite a fantastic spell from Joshua Hoyle (3-27), as Lancashire ran out four-wicket winners. Following their loss to Yorkshire U15s, the U16s headed to Cheshire for the first game in the U16 ECB Cup – the national cup competition for U16 cricketers. Jawad Akhtar (3-37) was the pick of the Yorkshire bowlers as Cheshire set 225 all out in the first innings. Yorkshire started well in the chase with opener Jack Redshaw hitting 42. A collapse followed though and, despite a decent partnership between Noah Kelly (37) and Tom Currie (36), Yorkshire were bowled all out for 191. The 16s came back triumphantly with a mammoth 185-win vs the visiting Scotland at Beverley Town CC. Yorkshire set 283-7 in the first innings with notable contributions from Jack Redshaw (60*), Noah Chapman (53) and Rohan Ratnalingam (46), before wickets were shared between the bowlers to reduce Scotland to 98 all out. A T20 day with Warwickshire followed at Whiston Parish Church, where the visitors ran out winners in both games, despite a battling 61* from Freddie Chapman in the second T20. A return to the ECB Cup followed as the U16s hosted Durham at Easingwold. The visitors fell to 137 all out in the first innings, with Joshua Hoyle (4-21) and Finlay Hill (3-30) both in the wickets, before Noah Chapman (71*) and Tom Burton (41*) secured an eight-wicket victory for Yorkshire. Yorkshire’s winning ways continued in the ECB Cup vs Lincolnshire, as Harvey Round (3-6), Jawad Akhtar (3-24) and co. had Lincs all out for 108. Rohan Ratnalingam (50*) then guided the chase and made it a second eight-wicket win on the bounce. A friendly followed with Warwickshire’s Emerging Players Programme at Treeton CC. After setting 266-7 in the first innings, Warwickshire looked firm favourites, with Yorkshire 48-4 in the reply, as Jack Redshaw strode to the crease. But an unbelievable 162* from just 96 balls (including 11 fours and 13 sixes) followed from Redshaw as Yorkshire claimed an astounding four wicket victory! This left just two games in July, both ECB Cup games, against Northumberland and Cumbria. Runs from skipper Jawad Akhtar (44) and Freddie Chapman (39), combined with 3-5 from Finlay Hill and 3-10 from Akhtar, helped Yorkshire to a 122-run win versus Northumberland, before the 16s travelled to Keswick to face Cumbria. The hosts were dismissed for 155 in the first innings, with Monty Dodsworth (playing up from the U15s) the pick of the bowlers, with an amazing 4-12 from his 10 overs, including five maidens. 69 from Leo Wilson then ensured a seven-wicket win, rounding off a productive month for the U16s, who sat top of the North group at the end of July.
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Thank you, as always, to our sponsors Al-Murad Group, for their generous support of the Performance Pathway.
