Cookridge ended their season away at Pudsey St Lawrence and much to Colin’s dismay the game was not held at Laisterdyke, the Bradford League had finished meaning that the Len Goodman Memorial Gates at Tofts Road were opened to the oiks of the Dales Council. We had been there before in a prior year, we won but Neil became increasingly grumpy as the game went on, this time we lost but Skippy seemed remarkably chipper, it’s a funny old game.

Someone won the toss and Cookridge were bowling first on a track that showed plenty of pace and bounce. Wilson and Foggitt R took the final new ball of the season, opening highlights included Foggitt completing a caught and bowled and Wilson injuring a range of small boys by hitting them on the toe. Bonnington also took a blow on the elbow but 10 minutes later the fielders were wondering whether it had in fact hit him on the head as Wyatt was called up for bowling duties first change and with only 8 overs completed. The skipper explained that it was the last game of the season and as such everyone was going to get a go. Someone who didn’t get much of a go was unfortunate opener Priestly who was run out at the non-strikers end after Mark deflected a straight drive onto the stumps.

Four over spells were the order of the day for the bowlers as Ford replaced Wilson during some light drizzle. The rain increased sufficiently for the umpires to take the players from the field and meant that Wells’ allocation of overs were reduced to two (no change there I hear you cry) as the spinners were tossed the ball before it got even wetter. The rain delay also did for Ford whose 3.1-0-14-0 at the interval was transformed into 4-0-31-0 as left hander Hopkins decided to get on with it.

The spin twins Khuram and Waqas arrested the accelerating run rate with Khuram picking up a wicket and Waqas two, the first of which was a caught and bowled. It was a great snaffle taken at full length running away to mid off. There was slight disappointment that he effected the dismissal without resorting to a full length dive as earlier in the piece Taufiq had demonstrated admirable technique in pulling off a particularly high tariff effort. It was all the more impressive as the ball had only crossed the boundary some 10 seconds earlier, Wells also had a go with the damp outfield contributing to a new personal best of 11.68 metres.

Kerfoot and the afore mentioned Taufiq were next on the oche as the batsmen looked to again increase the scoring rate before Colin became the 10th and final bowler used in the innings. Why Bonnington didn’t take the pads off and have a trundle is unknown. Colin was however feeling a little poorly and should have been supping chicken soup rather than standing out in the cold therefore renowned death bowler Wells finished from one end whilst Wilson came back and closed out from the other end. Mark picked up three wickets in that closing spell thereby garnering some reward for his excellent opening spell. He could not however pick up the wicket of youngster Hardaker who was running out of time to get to 50. He was on 48 as Mark bowled the last ball of the innings, a big cover drive looked like it would be enough to bring up the half century before Wells stuck out a hand to limit him to a single. Cue much grumbling from the home fans. They were so upset that they decided to hide the tea, and the chairs meaning that the Wallabies ‘enjoyed’ their one sandwich and one Morrisons not-penguin perched on a window sill.

Given the bowling shenanigans it was expected that there would be some sort of nonsense with the batting order but fortunately there was not meaning that regular openers Oates and Wells (no really) strode confidently to the middle in search of the 188 required for victory. The opening partnership was as expected with Colin sitting on the back foot and scoring runs and Wells sitting on the front foot and not. Unfortunately with 17 on the board and Colin on 14 he was undone with a straight one. Wells instinctively started to head back to the pavilion as usually if he is batting and a wicket falls then that is the end of the innings. The sight of Waqas walking out to join him jolted him back into the here and now and he celebrated by hitting a four, cleverly picking the smallest man on the field and just getting the ball over his head. Waqas showed his usual intent but he too missed one leaving the score 42-2.

Taufiq joined Wells and despite cramping in both legs he cemented his reputation as a comedy genius by attempting a single, thinking better of it, falling over, diving to get back into his ground, missing, getting back up again and hobbling back into his crease. Wells proceeded, not without alarm, to 24 before deciding that he better get out as he did not want to show the proper batsmen up too much by effortlessly stroking a half century on his first appearance at the top of the order. After taking off his pads he enjoyed saying that there were no problems out there and that he couldn’t believe they’d now brought on those new bowlers when he had to face the proper ones earlier. Just like what a batter would do.

Skippy and Kerf, at 5 and 6 respectively, moved the game on apace with a 50 partnership including Ray sticking the ball over the wall and onto the road for the first maximum of the match. By the time Ray was bowled 70 or so were need from the last 14 overs. The hosts had been forced to bowl their slower bowlers as the light could perhaps be best described as non-existent. Had the umpires not taken us off the field three times during the first innings for no real reason at all then we wouldn’t have been in that situation.

With Ray gone Neil accelerated and put on 29 with the Vice of which the Kenyan managed just 4! It’s a funny old game. Khuram went caught and bowled but with Dom and the finisher Ford still to come hopes were still high. Unfortunately 8 runs later neither of them were still to come, both of them having already gone. Foggitt joined Skippy but unfortunately all too briefly as Neil made room and was bowled. ‘This is going down to the final over’ said one of the home fans, ‘not with Wilson to come’ replied those in the know. Those in the know were right as Mark attempted to score the 28 required in one hit, missed and everyone shook hands.

The Wallabies ended 7th of 12 in the final reckoning, not as high as hoped or perhaps should have been but certainly higher than it was looking like a couple of months ago.