THE recent bout of inclement weather fortunately relented sufficiently to give an evening of sunshine, allowing two matches in the Countess of Feversham Cup competition to take place without interruption.

Guest club Burythorpe were granted their wish to play away at Glaisdale in the preliminary round, undaunted by a 55-mile round trip. Glaisdale's "beautiful well-kept ground", to quote from the Burythorpe secretary, is adjacent to, but significantly lower in height than, the railway station which opened in 1865, and still performs an important role in serving the local community on the Middlesbrough-Whitby line.

Burythorpe batted first, and they relied heavily on two of their proficient batsmen for the bulk of their runs. Jack Bolam, with some explosive but fluent big hitting, made 63, and Oliver Pimlett offered sound support with 31, as Burythorpe totalled a more than useful 141 for seven in 20 overs. Sam Spenceley manfully stuck to his task, recording an impressive three wickets for 21 runs in his four overs.

Glaisdale were determined not to be daunted by the task ahead of them, but an incredibly tight opening spell from S Backhouse, who bowled his four overs for just seven runs, meant they initially struggled to keep up with the required run rate. Enter Tom Glasby, and for a couple of overs he had Burythorpe worried. However, having swiftly accumulated a most entertaining 52 he was dismissed, and Glaisdale's hopes departed with him, and they eventually closed on 129 for seven. Spenceley demonstrated his all-round credentials with 27. Good quality cricket and a most enjoyable occasion for both teams. Burythorpe are now away to High Farndale in the first round.

Although Great Habton, another guest club, and Lockton villages are ten miles apart, they are very close when it comes to cricketing matters – for example they share the same secretary. So their meeting at the former's ground could with justification be described as a local derby.

John Lumley, a Great Habton stalwart, showed he hadn't lost his ability to make significant contributions with the bat, by striking a commanding 52. Ben Holtby (34) and Max Fraser (20) virtually put the match beyond Lockton's reach as the home side reached 139 for three. Who should take two wickets at the cost of 29 runs but none other than legendary TV presenter Harry Gration.

In reply, Lockton's batsmen at least gained useful practice in the middle ahead of their league season, with Ryan Vance top scoring with 29, followed by Dan Hartley (27) and James Boyes (18). Lockton at least made a valiant attempt to make a serious challenge, but it was to no avail, and in the end they had to be content with 104 for seven. Harvey Wood had figures of three wickets for 18 runs, and Rory Bevin two wickets for eight runs.

Unfortunately the league got off to a decidedly damp start with Glaisdale v Slingsby and Rosedale Abbey v Gillamoor postponed.