Saturday 21st April ~ Walton (Home)

Tong Win On Opening Day

- But Lose An Umpire!

Season 2001, what will it eventually be remembered for? Well, probably not this first game of the season, though it did have it's moments.

The morning had not started off too well for yours truly, having misplaced daughter/scorer (boyfriend affecting life here!) I was then rung up by Bobby an hour before the start enquiring as to the whereabouts of the scorebooks! Of course they were with me and not with Kirsty. So what was to be a leisurely afternoon for me was set on a different course!

So to Tong, and arriving at the ground at 12.50 (remember it's a 1.00 pm start in April and September everybody) I find that we are not only one umpire short, but the opposition appeared to be somewhat low on numbers and as it turned out, without kit and scorer!

Somehow I manage to volunteer myself for the second umpires spot and Tong took to the field.

The missing umpire I realised is none other than our own Charles Perrot! Now Charles, in previous seasons, would more likely have been ensconced in the bar for most of the afternoon, or at least on the boundary edge with beer in hand giving verbal support, but over the winter he had got himself qualified as an umpire and this was to have been his first outing. We were aware of the fact that Charles had lately started working out of Edinburgh and there was some concern that there were an awful lot of drinking holes between Scotland and Leeds which might have been his downfall. He might also have thought that the game didn't start until 2.00 pm, so there was the chance that he would arrive and give me relief (the clean kind!).

Anyway, we had a new opposition to face, and some new faces on the Tong side.

Over the winter we had lost the services of Steve Holmes and Bill Hannam, both retired (yes, again); Dave Rule who had become a husband; Chris Higgs and David Gregory who had both moved away (though both have indicated that they will still be available at various times through the summer) and Lachlan Bryan, sent back to Oz. Replacements had come in the form of Steve Taylor (ex-Crompark), Steve Philips and Neil Dickinson (both ex-Huddersfield and Lockwood) though Neil's work commitments meant that he was unavailable for the first two games. Steve (Pencil,Young Boy) Philips had previously been a Tong wicketkeeper but had returned to us purely as a batsman with knackered knees, and he hasn't even started shaving yet!

With a number of other Tong players unavailable because of honeymoons and holidays, the team was boosted by the inclusion of a number of Tongans and 'old' hands. Of these a mention must go to the Leeds Leagues 2nd Division keeper of the year. Though young Nick Sowerby had grown to at least 6' 5" (sorry I've never been metricated!) his performance behind the stumps was most encouraging for a first game of the season His one ball as a batsman wasn't bad either - but more of that later.

So there we all were, another winter survived, ready to return to the attack. A slightly subdued Reg (might be the two match suspended ban hanging over him) tossed the ball to his new captain of vice, Huddy, and we were off.

The weather for once had a semblance of spring to it. The previous three years had seen the majority of opening day fixtures in Yorkshire wiped out by too much water. The sun shone, and continued to shine for most of the afternoon, and I was even able to pose at square-leg in my sunglasses.

A difficult thing this umpiring lark though. I made a move to at least three balls coming my way before I remembered what I was out there for! On top of this, I was accused by my own team of being too biased - the latter being brought to a head perhaps when the square-leg umpire was heard to be appealing for a catch! In order to take my mind off being a fielder I decided that I would be square-leg and third umpire, so at drinks I shot off for the video camcorder (the results off which will appear here shortly). Unfortunately it was never needed to make that all important decision.

New boy Steve Taylor (he's yet to do something daft so that we can re-christen him) nearly got a wicket with his first ball for Tong, a fast in-swinging yorker almost getting through - his fifth delivery did though, and we were all off to a jolly fine start. Both bowlers were very unlucky as balls continuously passed the bat or plopped into open spaces. Steve T did pick up his second wicket with the score on 18, and Huddy eventually got the young Walton opener to edge another ball behind, this time to the keeper and thankfully not to the slips - no you can't wear keepers gloves at second slip Pencil!

The Walton team then managed to build a partnership. Messrs. Bootland (53) and Ahmed (27) took the score on to the 100 mark before the latter fell to Young Shack (Darren Holmes) who had replaced Huddy at the field 'end'. Darren bowled in that old Tong style, a few really bad ones that they can't even reach, then a straight one that gets them out! He had just been explaining to me at square-leg how most of his victims are either bowled or lbw because of these 'odd' straight balls - so it is very interesting to note that his excellent final figures of: 11 overs 1 maiden 22 runs 5 wickets included three catches!

Though the Walton side did gain the odd boundary they were finally all out for a total of 138.

An excellent tea was provided by Jackie and Janet, and the square-leg umpire announced his retirement - I wasn't a well man honest!

Walton took to the field with ten men in white and one in a short-sleeved yellow shirt, black trousers and shoes - very dapper! It was not until Pencil had nearly got himself runout because he thought a spectator was throwing the ball back in to play that it was requested that this eleventh fielder put on a white sweater!

Though the Walton skipper, Chris Heppenstall bowled steadily from the field 'end' he was never particularly well supported and boundaries were easily picked off. Both openers, Chris Horsley and Reg, missed straight ones, whilst Pencil Philips (unluckily out lbw!?) and Huddy (I must work on my arm strength) fell having got themselves well settled in.

Star of the show continued to be Young Shack though, who finished undefeated on 44, with young Nick who faced just the one ball to smite the winning four!

And so, what did become of our missing umpire? Well word has it that he was last heard of heading to Ayr races for the Scottish Grand National - trust you got the winner Charles!