THIS season is all about the relief at playing cricket again, the sheer joy to be had from taking part.
Barney will have done well to remember that after their defeat by 50 runs at Saltburn on Saturday as the NYSD League resumed.
The home side were well worth the 25 points they gathered from the game, Barney could be grateful for taking eight.
The visitors expected once again to be challenging for honours in this strangest of summers, bowled indifferently, fielded disappointingly and batted poorly.
If it was entirely understandable that they were rusty Saltburn looked well-oiled by comparison.
There were 30 extras in Saltburn’s total of 219 all out, 19 of them wides.
All Barney’s bowlers strayed in line, nobody brought real control to proceedings and the economy rates were poor.
The green pitch suggested there would be movement but it still demanded accuracy to obtain the benefits of that.
Saltburn were beaten a time or two by the new ball after being put in but they were unflustered and when the bad balls came, as they did, they made sure they were punished.
Given this, Barney perhaps waited a shade too long to bring into the attack their new professional, the former Yorkshire left-arm spinner, Karl Carver.
He immediately looked the part, though he, too, did not bowl a consistently tight line.
Saltburn batted with brio and after the determined start, captain Ben Ainsley and pro Raj Singh were allowed to progress unhurriedly.
It did not help that a couple of chances went begging and that the fielding lacked its usual sharpness.
The target was many more than Barney would have wished to chase but still easily within their scope. The batting order was different but went down to 11.
Unfortunately they had a poor start, almost all of it down to careless strokes.
At 27-3 they were always up against it and a break for rain rightly then tilted the revised Duckworth Lewis target in Saltburn’s favour.
For 15 overs, Carver and Barney’s captain, James Quinn, offered respite.
Just as they seemed to suggest there might be a route to victory Quinn, going beautifully, was caught on the boundary after a partnership of 89.
Carver followed for 50 four overs later and resistance thereafter was scant.
Saltburn showed the hunger of a newly promoted side and were not daunted by meeting one of the NYSD League’s top sides. A bad day at the office then for Barney – maybe they should have stayed home working – but there was the compensation of new boy Carver fitting in so well and taking five wickets and scoring a half century on his debut. And above all they were playing again.
Scorecard
G Shaw c West b Bousfield 11, J Erskine run out 25, R Singh c P Merryweather b Bousfield 38, B Ainsley c Bousfield b Wrsty 72, S Parry lbw Carver 10, J Tribick lbw Csrver 0, T Chisholm c Carver b West 13, A Smith b Carver 6, L Kennedy c T Merryweather b Carver 10, J Sill b Carver 3, L Crooks not out 0, Extras 31 Total 219 all out (49.5 overs)
Bowling: J Bousfield 12-1-58-2, T Merryweather 5-1-10-0, R Dixon 8-0-26-0, R West 11-0-58-2, K Carver 13.5-0-56-5
Barney: J Clarkson c Erskine b Crooks 2, F Usher b Sill 9, J Quinn c Chisholm b Crooks 45, R Borrowdale c Chisholm b Sill 0, K Carver cParry b Smith 50, T Merryweather c Shaw b Smith 16, J Bousfield run out 2, P Merryweather c Ainsley b Crooks 1, R Watson not out 15, R West b Sill 9, R Dixon b Smith 2, Extras 18, Total (38.4 overs) 169 all out
Bowling – L Crooks 13-2-43-3, J Sill 10-0-35-3, A Smith 10-4-0-60-3, BAinsley 5-0-27-0.
Saltburn won by 50 runs
Barney II v Newton Aycliffe
Barney seconds began this belated season in splendid style with a purposeful win containing several valuable contributions. After starting well against Newton Aycliffe through the new ball pairing of
Adam Smith and Tom Brooks which saw the visitors at 30-4 they were always ahead in the game.
Although Adam Gittins scored a resolute fifty, Barney had little trouble acquiring the necessary runs and Owen Peddelty indulged in a spot of early selector nudging with a poised half-century that included seven fours.
Newton Aycliffe 121 all out (42.4 overs, A Gittins 56no, A Smith 3-28, T Brooks 3-36, C McKnight 2-23); Barney II 122–4 (O Peddelty 51no, J Toulson 19no, J Alderson 14, C McKnight 14) Barney won by six wickets
