Cricketers Last Stand

I love stories about Cricket. This one appeared in a national newspaper, I cut it out years ago but I did not keep a record of the date.

"Stumped by Yorkshiremen who made a triumph out of nowt.

Custer, in his darkest hour, could have done with them.

A dogged last stand to two village cricketers had record-keepers thumbing through Wisden, and even the opposition had to admire the Yorkshire grit shown by Norman Pipes, 44, and Sam Armitage, 45.

When the two came together for the last wicket, their team had collapsed to 17 for 9. Defeat seemed minutes away for Crayke in their York and District League match against Hovingham. But the partners held out for the remaining 35 overs – without scoring a single run. In the end Crayke reached 36, courtesy of 19 extras, to earn a draw. Geoffrey Boycott would have approved.

Mr Pipes’s brother Michael, playing for Hovingham, who had made 165, said: “You can imagine how frustrating it was. But you have to take your cap off to Norman and Sam. That was some defending. They were the men of the match.”"