LORDS FOR A DAY

In 1886 cricket arrived at The Fox Inn, Tiddington, in a donkey cart from London. Woodhouse Grange, seeking entry to the York and District League in 1952, invested in two poultry huts to act as tea rooms. In 1995 the two villages played at Lord's…..

It was a new and extraordinary experience for both sides. Neither had reached the village final before, although Woodhouse Grange came close in 1994 before they were unlucky to be knocked out in a bowl-out in the quarter-finals. As if they were wreaking revenge, their 1995 campaign steam-rollered them to Lord's, while Tiddington, who did not win their county group in the previous year. enjoyed an assortment of harrowing adventures in the later stages of their odyssey.

Eight coachloads of supporters journeyed from Tiddington in Oxfordshire to Lord's including several of the teams they had beaten along the way, and a strong contingent from Woodhouse Grange on the Yorkshire / Humberside border also packed into the Tavern and Mound stands. The cool, overcast morning was enlivened by the vigorous clamour from the crowds. The players had been lulled into conviviality by a sumptuous reception the previous evening. Now they realised the pressure of the business in hand, standing before family and friends upon the world's most famous cricket ground.

Tiddington won the toss and chose to field, while rumours abounded that they were too nervous to bat. Woodhouse Grange were no less tense as they crowded the balcony. Throughout the day there would be little to choose between the two best sides from the 650 initial competitors. The match preserved a remarkable symmetry.

At first it looked a good decision to insert: Stuart Craven, Woodhouse Grange's oldest player and their most prolific batsman during the campaign, was enticed by Neil Smith to nibble at a wide, bouncing delivery outside the off stump to the keeper Phil Manning, a sign of nerves. By the tenth over Craven's partner, John Bean, their youngest player and also a heavy scorer, was back in the pavilion with him. He had restricted his naturally aggressive game, but the short Tavern boundary must have been a temptation and a half, and he carved a ball from Stephen Robins to Richard Anderson at square leg.

Skipper Simon Gill, meanwhile, was having difficulties. Half an hour without adding to his score was relieved only by a misfiled: later he took off for a single straight to cover only to end up standing next to his partner, Mark Burton, who was no doubt requested to run to the other end rather smartish. Somehow, he made it.

Steve Robins, Tiddington's captain last year, bowled from the pavilion end with extreme accuracy, if little movement or pace. In contrast, Neil Smith, at 21 the youngest Tiddington's player, bowled quickly but struggled to cope with the slope and its complications, conceding an extra over in wides by the end of only the third over. Robins, however, was the epitome of rhythm and he caused frustrated Gill, caught in two minds, to offer a simple return catch.

After 18 overs Woodhouse Grange were struggling at 40 for three, and Robins had returned the superb analysis of two for 10 from his nine overs, which won him the man of the match award. A partnership of 47 in 13 overs was then carefully forged by veteran Mark Burton and Mike Burdett, who also kept wicket to the spinners with panache later in the day to secure the other man of the match award. But as Robin Pykett, captain and slow left-armer, neared the end of an economical spell of nine oversfor 18, he induced an uppish drive to dismiss Burdett for 26.

At that point chaos was let loose in the form of Adrian Manger's annoying little seamers. Bowling very straight, he trapped Burton in front of his stumps for 23 in the next over, and then clean bowled the unfortunate David Gilbertson first ball. Woodhouse Grange were 89 for six with only eight overs left and in serious trouble. After Russell Bilton had survived the hat-trick ball, it was time for heroes and the burly Steve Young took on the mantle and the bowling.

Hitherto, the short tavern boundary had been under-used by batsmen even though it seemed to be under-manned by fielders, and a lack of boundraries was compounded by a curiously slow outfield. So Young hit in the air and across the line with power allied to a good eye, scoring 24 runs from 27 balls. It was the kind of innings that is often seen on the village green, not slogging but clean, tactical hitting. It was an approach which may be more players should have been prepared to try on the day.

The acceleration was completed by willing lower order accomplices like Steve Johnson, who tried to steal another single even after he had been run out. Stow came out to blast the last ball to the pavilion, getting three for his trouble, and 152 looked a decent total, certainly compared with what might have been. Crucially, 45 runs been plundered from the last five overs.

Tiddington's innings followed a remarkably similar pattern. They opened with their two most successful batsmen, the brothers Adrian and Philip Manger, who have played for the club for over 20 years. Adrian representing Oxfordshire back in the early ‘80s. He was promoted above Richard Anderson another all-rounder with Minor County experience for Berkshire. Seven runs came off the first two balls, but then Adrian was caught behind, fishing at a wide long hop, just as Craven had done before. Philip was bowled shortly afterwards, giving the shaven headed and distinctly sharp left-armer Brian Stow a brace of victims. Despite the fact that he, like Tiddington's opener, had trouble with his direction and conceded five wides.

Woodhouse Grange maintained a short leg, in the sizable but nimble form of Burton, until the 12^th over, and he seemed to attract the ball. While the tactic incurred  few runs, his substantial presence kept the pressure on. When the normally adhesive Philip Clarke was prized by a sucker ball, trapping a Gill full toss to Young at extra cover, it was a prize indeed: 38 for three, and level pegging.

The loss of their third wicket caused Tiddington to take stock after beginning quite quickly. They added a further 54 in 20 overs, for the loss of Peter Green for a solid 23, and John Hurley batted very sensibly to bring the score close to the hundred mark. He had not really contributed with the bat in the competition so far, and admitted over a drink or two in the bar the previous night, that he was saving it all up for Lord's. His competent 30 was the highest score of the day.

The Woodhouse Grange attack included no less than four left-armers, two of whom were spinners, Russell Bilton, who had taken a handful of wickets in every round of the competition, had no tangible success, but his spell of nine overs for 22 runs and his captain's more tantalising loops, which ensnared two scalps for 26, were invaluable to the Yorkshire men's cause.

The spinning duo wheeled away to such good effect that 60 runs were required for victory from the last nine overs. With 92 on the board and six wickets in hand, Tiddington seemed to be in a good position. But then disaster struck. Nicholas Edmondson was well caught at short third man by Steve Johnson off Peter Head, and in the next over Hurley punched another Gill full toss straight into the hands of Stow at extra cover. As so often in village cricket, tight bowling under pressure forced errors from the batsmen.

Much credit is due to Gill for some astute field settings. It was a feature of the Tiddington reply that they managed just six boundaries in their entire innings. And now only reaching the fence would win them the game, a series of agricultural swipes ensued. Neil Smith's speed between wickets was a sight to behold but it was simply not enough.

Curiously, 45 runs were needed from the last five overs, the self same rally achieved by Woodhouse Grange earlier on. But ‘level' Head bowled straight, and the old village adage ‘if they miss, you hit', was faithfully enacted as the bat swung throught wide, empty arcs.

Despite the fall of the eighth wicket with 33 still required from just three overs, there was still hope, in the form of demoted opening batsman Richard Anderson, and bowling hero Robins who had been an opening bat in a previous incarnation. Still to come was the skipper Pykett, a renowned six-hitter. But heroics of the required magnitude are not common and were not forthcoming on this particular big occasion.

Woodhouse Grange bowled with great composure and won by 14 runs. Over a hearty lunch prepared by Nancy, Simon Gill had countered any pessimistic talk that the target was not big enough by saying that they at least had something to bowl at, and runs on the board are vital in such a nerve racking contest. All that separated the sides at the end of the day were a couple of hoicks across the line to cow corner, and there is no shame, after all in not being able to do that.

The feeling of playing at Lord's will linger in the memory much longer than the details of the match or the disappointment of defeat. ‘Leading your team out onto the field at 11 o'clock was an emotional experience,' confided the losing captain Robin Pykett. ‘The consolation is the memorable day we have spent at Lord's. For players like Brian Lara it is a dream come true, and so it is for us too'.

An apraisal of the game can be viewed from the link "Lords Final"