THE weather was not kind to the opening games of the annual
Church Times Cricket Cup competition. Not every game
was rained off, however.
Leicester set the bar high in their match
against Lincoln on 11 May. Lincoln chose to bat,
and made 164 for 8 off 40 overs, but Leicester made easy work of
them, finishing on 165 for 1 off 30 overs. The Leicester captain,
Orridge, led from the front with an impressive 105 not out. How
Lincoln would have fared in their fixture against
Norwich remained an academic question, as
atrocious weather caused the match to be cancelled.
Birmingham won the toss on 11 May, and sent
Coventry in to bat. Foster's 78 not out was a
strong contribution to their final total of 210 for 6, off the full
40 overs. In reply, Lanham made 79, but Birmingham struggled to
meet the target, and ended on 189 for 6.
Coventry's success was short lived, however. Last Monday's
fixture between Lichfield and
Coventry at Brewood looked doubtful for a while,
but the teams managed a 30-overs match. Lichfield opened, and after
the Bishop of Wolverhampton's wicket fell, it was left to his
brother of Shrewsbury to redeem the bench's honour with an unbeaten
half-century further down the order.
Cranston and Darlington raised the score to 90 after 14 overs,
but Coventry bowled tightly, and Lefroy, one of the stars of the
victory over the Vatican side back in September, was caught and
bowled by Gandon, Coventry's captain.
When Coventry went to the crease, they were met by solid
deliveries from Lichfield, and managed only 145 for 7, 54 runs
short.
The new diocesan team this year is that of West Yorkshire &
the Dales (W. Yorks for short). They stand to do well, as they have
access to the cream of the old teams of Ripon & Leeds,
Bradford, and Wakefield.
W. Yorks recorded their first Church
Times Cup win against Chester on Ascension
Day. They romped home to victory with 155 for 2 off 19.2, over
Chester's 151 for 6 off the full 35 overs. Not a bad start for the
fledgling side.
Birmingham 189 for 6 (Lanham 79; Cox 2-26).
Coventry 210 for 6 (Foster 78 not out, Gandon 43;
Pickersgill 2-31, Gandon 2-37).
Coventry beat Birmingham by 21 runs.
Coventry 145 for 6 (Budd 76; Cranston 2-21,
Hemming 2-21). Lichfield 199 for 5 (Rylands 57 not
out, Cranston 38, Darlington 31; Budd 2-35, Gandon 2-30).
Lichfield beat Coventry by 54 runs.
Leicester 165 for 1 (Orridge 105 not out,
Norman 30; Slater 1-43). Lincoln 164 for 8 (Watson
58, Day 2-22, Burnham 2-27).
Leicester beat Lincoln by 9 wickets.
Lincoln and Norwich
cancelled.
Both teams share the points.
W. Yorks 155 for 2 (Tyler 42 not out; Humphries
0-13).
Chester 151 for 6 (Peniston 59, Buttanshaw
1-13, Bavington 1-19).
W.Yorks won by 4 wickets.