The 2017 season got under way for Tideswell CC on 29 Aprilwith a home fixture v Hundall CC 2nd XI. This season will see fewerfixtures than in the past, with only a few friendly matches and the teamconcentrating on their Saturday Yorkshire & Derbyshire League fixtures.Friendly cricket seems to have fallen victim to the general decline in the gamenationally, with fixtures harder to come by and late cancellations for lack ofplayers increasingly common. TCC’s second league fixture was to have been vDronfield Woodhouse CC, but they folded before the start of the season.
After 2 matches, Tideswell are 2nd in theDivision, behind Hundall 2nd XI, although in the opening fixtureTideswell convincingly beat Hundall. Hundall put Tideswell in to bat, but wereunable to bowl them out, with youngster Rohan Patel scoring 33 at no. 8 and DanShirt 51 to contribute to a total of 168-9. Hundall’s nos 2 and 3 scored 39 and28, but once they were gone the rest largely failed to get beyond singlefigures and Patel took 3-33 as they finished on 121.
Tideswell’s 2nd game, also at home, was played on13 May v Hollinsend Methodist CC 3rd XI. The ground was quite hardafter all the spring sun, but some late rain had affected the surface, makingbatting a very tricky job. Again Tideswell batted first: the top 6 batsmencontributed very little, but captain Greg Taylor came in at 7 to make 24, aidedby no. 9 Matthew Killeen (20*). The total of 83 looked slim, but the oppositionfound things no easier and Greg Taylor’s spin returned him figures of 4-16 asthe Methodists were bowled out for just 67. Taylor capped a man-of-the-matchperformance by taking 3 catches.
So Hundall top Division 5 by just 5 points, having played 3games to Tideswell’s 2.