Cricket Club

Rathmell & Wigglesworth CC have, in their customary style, made a successful start to the season, winning 6 out of their first eight matches. This includes three Sunday afternoon 40 overs a side contests and the rest Twenty20 style evening games.

The first Sunday match was on 2nd May at Grindleton, where the hosts were restricted to a modest total of 99, due to some tight bowling and fielding from RWCC. In their reply Rathmell had to face some accurate and fairly hostile seam bowling, but thanks to valuable contributions from Adrian Shepherd (31*) and Dale Denham (28), managed to hold on to win by four wickets. A fortnight later at Rathmell, due to a shortage of players the Sunday fixture was reduced to a Twenty20 match, in which visitors Waddington outplayed a weakened Rathmell team, winning by 27 runs.

The annual trip to Lancaster Gregsons played at Lancaster RGS ground winessed a feast of runs this year. Rathmell won the toss and elected to bat on a flat pitch with a fast outfield and short boundaries. They posted a total of 295 with main contributions being a swashbuckling 90 from D.Denham, and half centuries also from Roy Barton and James Holgate. Lancaster Gregsons made a spirited reply reaching 235 including a fine hundred from ? but were never quite able to keep up with required run rate.

The first three evening matches of the season against Cracoe, Settle Ramblers and Bentham School, saw RWCC run out comfortable winners. But at Rathmell on 19th May, Duncan Robinson’s X1 provided sterner opposition; Rathmell eventually won a closely-fought contest, the visitors having been set a total 128 to win lost their way in the middle order and ended up 21 runs short.

On 26th May RWCC recorded their first evening match defeat when they played Airton Bellringers at Malham’s new ground. Rathmell despite being well-versed in the art of playing on a pitch with unpredictable bounce, were nevertheless undone by this one and were shot out for 66, which Airton were able to overhaul for the loss of only 3 wickets.

To have got to the end of May with barely a fixture lost to the weather, and with the added luxury of firm pitches to bat on, is a rare circumstance in this part of the world. Let us hope that the inevitable deterioration in the weather – payback time will probably come with another wet July – is not mirrored by a similar downturn in RWCC’s fortunes.

Raising a team is always a difficulty for a small village club, and whilst evening games are usually well subscribed, finding 11 players for Sunday afternoons becomes increasingly problematic as the season wears on, as holidays and other summer activities intervene. So if there is anyone out there wanting to come and play, regardless of age, ability, political persuasion, creed, etc., come along or get in touch (Alastair Walton 01729 850670 or Adrian Shepherd 01729 840620).