The 125th Scarborough Cricket Festival

The Festival unusually opened with a curtain raiser which arose out of an auction prize at the Grand Gala Dinner for the opening of the Pavilion and was a 40 over match between a President’s XI, captained by Piet Rinke, and a David Byas’ Yorkshire XI as a tenth anniversary celebration of Yorkshire’s Championship win in 2001 and captained by the successful skipper. The match was a 65 run victory for the Yorkshire XI.

This was followed by the Liverpool Victoria County Championship match between Yorkshire and Sussex which was a high scoring game with over 1,400 runs scored. Sussex won the toss and batted, scoring 398 all out including two centuries and a fifth wicket partnership of 198 runs. Yorkshire replied with 388 all out, including one century. In the second innings Sussex scored 333 for 6 declared, leaving a target of 344 which, initially, never seemed likely but the final sessions saw plenty of runs and a Yorkshire victory became possible but sadly were 32 runs short and the match ended in a draw.

The final match was a Clydesdale Bank 40 over match between the same two teams when Sussex Sharks won the toss and fielded. Yorkshire Carnegie scored 302 for 4 wickets in the allotted overs and, in reply, the visitors were 267 all out to leave the hosts victors by 35 runs.

The Festival Dinner followed the President’s versus Yorkshire match and this year was held in the President’s Marquee and attended by about 149 people. The speakers were Leading Consultant Chest Physician Dr. Kevin Jones and renowned impressionist and comedian Kevin Connelly.

The Festival Service was held at St. Mary’s, when the preacher was the Vicar of Scarborough the Reverend Martyn Dunning.

YORKSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB AT NORTH MARINE ROAD

2011 was the first year of a new ten year Staging Agreement between the Club and the County which secures county cricket at Scarborough until at least 2020.

Two championship and two one day matches were again played at North Marine Road.

The two matches which formed the Festival are detailed above. The other two matches were played in July.

The one day match was the first Twenty20 match at Scarborough and saw a bumper crowd. The hosts won the toss and Durham Dynamos batted first, scoring 144 for 8 in the 20 overs and in reply Yorkshire Carnegie scored 150 for 7, with three balls to spare, to win by three wickets.

In the championship match against Worcestershire, the hosts won the toss and Worcestershire batted first, being bowled out for 168. Yorkshire achieved a large first innings lead by scoring 367. In the second innings, the visitors scored 332 all out which left Yorkshire a target of 134 which was achieved, early on the final day, for the loss of four wickets.

OTHER MATCHES AT NORTH MARINE ROAD

Yorkshire was invited to host England Lions versus Sri Lanka ‘A’ Test Match and this was allocated to Scarborough. This was a four day match.

England Lions won the toss and batted first for 299 all out, followed by Sri Lanka’s 389 all out and then England Lions second innings of 415 for 5 declared leaving an impossible target in the time available of 326, of which Sri Lanka reached 127 without loss when the match ended in a draw. Two Yorkshire-men were in the England Lions team.