We've Reached Patchwork Quilt

Yorkshire Vikings 224 for 3 

beat 

Northamptonshire Steelbacks 142 all out (19.3 Overs) 

by 82 runs 

Blast T20 North Group 

Saturday 26 June 2021 

Played at Headingley 

Spanking win from Yorkshire, as we reach the Patchwork Quilt phase of the T20 campaign. With Rashid, Root, Bairstow, Malan & Willey away on England duty in one capacity or another. And Kohler-Cadmore & Fraine bust, in one capacity or another. Yorkshire have decided to draft in Mark Stoneman, who can't get in Surrey's White Ball team. Franchise Cricket is already living amongst us. Newbie Mark has walloped 50 off 31 balls, with 10 fours. A 79 run second wicket stand with man of the moment Jordan Thompson. Those, Stoneman my son, along with two catches an' all, are that'll do nicely for a patchwork quilt numbers.

Jordan Thompson is on top at the mo'. Tonight, another T20 best. Promoted up t'order to bat at three. A crushing 7 sixes. Some of them (I swear) still rising as they went over the boundary. Thommo was third gone at 166 - with 27 balls still remaining. His fifty came off (as it happens) 27 balls. And his new personal T20 ridic best was 74 off 35 balls. An unbroken 58 stand between Brook & Ballance pushed Yorkshire into the far distance. I mean, doesn't always happen, indeed "never happens", but that top 5 has clicked there.

The Steelbackers actually made a good starting fist of what looked a daunter. 46 for one. 60 for two. 74 for three off 8.1 overs. But, Dom Bess pulled it back, snaffling Nabi & Parnell. Eventually returning his T20 career best - 4 overs, 3 for 17 - outstanding. Wickets falling consistently, and those from the Hampton Norths were never back in it.

In a cricket format I often dub - make 14 off the last over - Northants had to make eighty fucking eight. Didn't…...

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SUFC are past tense

Sheffield United 2 v Blackburn Rovers 1
EFL League Cup
Tuesday 27 August 2019

Yorkshire Vikings 187 for 7
beat
Northamptonshire Steelbacks 107 all out (18 overs)
by 80 runs
T20 Blast, North Group
Thursday 29 August 2019
Played at Headingley

Chelsea 2 v Sheffield United 2
Premier League
Saturday 31 August 2019

SUFC 2019/20 Games 16 & 17

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I was a bit introspective during the Chelsea game. Like many others, it looked to me like Lys Mousset had knocked in the equaliser on 89 minutes. Later credited as an O.G. Obviously, we can press on, caution to the wind, for the injury time winner. Obviously, we can game manage the clock down & see the point out. But, you know what. I'd have been broadly OK if Chelsea had got the winner. Analysing that. It's because I feel the first rung is to be competitive. To live with teams. Not just the Big Six or the Small Thirteen. All of them, the Premier League teams. Get beat one nil, but compete. Get beat two one having competed. At half time, two nil down, standing off, conceding space. You wonder - can we be competitive. Whereas, at 90, two each. We're past tense. We have competed.

Coming back to that Mousset "goal". He's not quite up to speed yet is he? A whipped in cross from his twin strike partner out wide. Ask yourself - what's the first thing Lys should be thinking? Get on the end of this one? Have a nudge at my marker? No Fam. This is Sheffield United. His first thought, on the edge of the six yard box, should be - which one of my Centre Backs is with me and is he in a better scoring position. Oh yeah - John Egan - up there, fucking competing.

A good bunch of my mates are Chelsea. Old Skool. So, the Carrier Bag Firm have a bit of a free pass in the pubs down that way. I was very happy to press the flesh, pat the backs & do the smiling pre match. But, there wasn't going to be much going on Beer Adventure wise. A compromise drink. A much tighter joint utility firm after. No compromise. We celebrated the competitive two all with an IPA Frenzy.

Ghost Whale is a lovely single room, shop front affair not far from East Putney tube station, on Richmond Road. They've also got an outlet in Brixton. Sofas, stools & a welcoming central table running down the middle. Bottle & can fridges lining the walls. A keg wall at the back. Six on. The tale of the tape was;

Wylam Jakehead on keg at 6.3%
North Brewing Co. Paria IPA 3.0 in a tin at 6%
Vibrant Forest, Kaleidoscope in a tin at 6.2%
Brew York, X-Parrot Tropical IPA in a tin at 6.5%
Polly's Brew Co Citra Ekuanot India Pale Ale in a tin at 7%
Wylam Currency Of The People in a tin at 8.2%

And a non-IPA
Laughing Monk Brewery, Strawberry Pulpit (Belgian Blonde) on keg at 6%

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