Last year’s Sam Banks Memorial Cricket Match and BBQ took place on the 22nd of July.
The Seventh Memorial Cricket Match
22 July 2017
The Earl of Rochester’s XI v The Old Duns
For the first time we had really awful weather. At lunch time it looked as if any sort of cricket would be impossible. Indeed, a number of players snuggled down in the pavilion with James Boatright’s beer thinking that there was no prospect of them having to exert themselves during the afternoon. The rain stopped, though, and, although the sun didn’t come out to dry the outfield, the wicket had the benefit of the new Bedales covers.
Eventually play started around four o’clock with just enough time for twenty overs each side. The Earl of Rochester’s XI started steadily but a bit slowly to look like setting enough of a target. Some big hitting towards the end saw them to 130. The Old Duns innings had the reverse pattern: starting briskly but getting tied down and losing wickets at key moments. Eventually the needed more than ten off the final over and it proved too much.
So the Earl of Rochester’s XI regained the Sam Banks Memorial Trophy for the first time since 2013 to their considerable relief and evident enjoyment at the end of what turned out to be a much better day than anyone had expected.
Note From Joe Banks
We did a programme on Saturday that wasn’t picked up by many people. It had details of the day’s events and some info on the Fund and also a piece I wrote giving some background on the cricket match and how Sam and I started a team together. I’m putting that piece out there here for those that missed it and would like to read. (Update – might find it easier to read here: https://joe-banks.com/2017/07/25/a-team-of-our-own/)
Sam Banks Memorial Fund 