- Magic can happen in Headingley... -
The match is due to get underway on Thursday 19th May so we journey up the day before, the Beardsmobile making mincemeat of the M6 and M62 motorways. Our accommodation is literally just around the corner from the ground so we get checked in and then see what a Wednesday evening in Burley has to offer. One thing we notice immediately is how so many of the local telecoms cabinets have been painted over with all manner of weird and wonderful designs; naturally we feel an affinity with the cricket-related examples that recall the exploits of Botham and Willis in 1981 or Stokes and Leach in 2019.
- The Cardigan Arms (with added cardigan) -
Two contrasting establishments on the Kirkstall Road will help to get us acquainted with our temporary surroundings for the week. The Cardigan Arms is a magnificently-restored Victorian gem nowadays operated by the Kirkstall Brewery who themselves are based half a mile or so up the road; Black Band Porter is a cracking start to my holiday ale-wise while Mr B Senior is similarly complimentary about the standard Bitter, and otherwise we simply marvel at marble fireplaces and many a brewery mirror. Dave's Pie & Ale House meanwhile is altogether much smaller but certainly merits a visit, especially when they seem to have provided 'SB' beermats as if personalised for Stephen. I keep it dark with Salamander's Bright Black Porter, making it two excellent Yorkshire beers in a row.
- Not the start we were hoping for... -
Thursday morning heralds cricketing commencement as we troop expectantly into Headingley Stadium where Warwickshire have won the toss and elected to bat. We're keen to take up a perch in the Howard Stand which has transformed the south side of the ground since we last came - padded plastic seating has replaced the rickety old wooden equivalents and the new facility still doubles up as part of the adjacent Leeds Rhinos concourse too. Unfortunately the Bears batting isn't anywhere near as impressive and we're soon in trouble at 43/4. Matt Lamb and Will Rhodes help to steady the ship but the undoubted star of the day is wicket-keeper Michael Burgess with a sparkling 96, caught and bowled by Patterson (3/43) so close to his century. 244 all out then and Yorkshire make it to stumps unscathed on 28 without loss.
- The Midnight Bell, Holbeck -
Our close-of-play itinerary on Thursday involves a bus ride into Leeds city centre, the 1 being the route in question via Woodhouse Lane. We alight on Neville Street practically underneath the railway station from whence we can investigate a couple of Holbeck hostelries awaiting us on the other side of the River Aire. The Midnight Bell has gastro leanings in an area ripe with gentrification; Leeds Brewery have made this one of their flagship outlets and their Best Bitter is certainly on point for quality quaffing. By comparison the Grove Inn on Back Row is far more traditional with a John Smith's Magnet Ales frontage that gets dwarfed by the neighbouring office blocks. Ilkley's Mary Jane goes down well as a session pale here as we sit in the snug and overhear Covid-influenced lyrics from a singer-songwriter performance.
- Lyth lingers for a long vigil -
The second day of Headingley sporting action is dominated by the hosts who proceed to a relatively untroubled 269 for 4, their innings underpinned by a painstaking unbeaten hundred from opener Adam Lyth. Harry Brook was likewise in the runs, his 82 maintaining a sequence of 50+ scores that has earned him an England call-up. As for the Bears bowling attack, Henry Brookes looked the most dangerous and Oliver Hannon-Dalby racked up a series of maidens at one stage before proving less economical later in the day. Aside from the on-pitch activities, Friday should also be noted for an unfortunate ice cream spillage that cascaded my raspberry ripple across the car park even though I just about managed to cling onto my flake! Bad light brings a slightly early close, after which sharp showers set in.
- Leeds Pale in the Original Oak -
Despite the rain, we venture out on Friday evening to sample some of Headingley's wide and varied pub selection. The Head of Steam is initially abuzz with pre-match Leeds Rhinos fans building up for their game against Wakefield but things quieten off slightly the nearer we get to 8pm. Stephen alternates his standard purple peril persuasion (lemonade and blackcurrant) with a few Diet Coke dalliances while his dad sticks to the Bitters where possible. After a very enjoyable Ainsty Oatmeal Stout in my case, we relocate to our old friend Arcadia on the main Otley Road. Roosters' London Thunder meets Timothy Taylor Boltmaker as we sit upstairs discussing what Wolves need to do in the summer transfer window. A chip shop tea from St Michael's Fisheries comes with a liberal scattering of scraps/batter bits, and our Original Oak finale coincides with the end of the rugby league match (Rhinos won 24-6 for the record).
- Another spluttering start -
Saturday sees us ensconced in the Howard Stand for the third day in succession, looking on as Lyth is eventually dismissed for a commendable 145 compiled over 431 obdurate minutes. Helped by some late-order fun and games from Matthew Revis (53 not out), the home side are all out for 449 which equates to a lead of 205 runs. Warwickshire's Australian overseas player Nathan McAndrew took 4/111 - his figures boosted by mopping up the tail - but it was hard going for an attack missing the likes of Woakes, Stone and Norwell due to injury. In a repeat of Thursday's tricky start, the Bears again lose early wickets and at 25/3 there's a risk we might not make it into the fourth day. Rhodes and Sam Hain dig in to avoid further damage but 57/3 at stumps means we're still a long way behind and a draw is our best hope.
- Cottage Road Cinema -
Our Saturday evening attentions daringly turn to the Otley Run, a famed pubcrawl covering some 15 - or is it 16? - calling points between Far Headingley and Leeds City Centre. Roving groups of fancy-dressed students are said to attempt the full set every weekend but we take a more sedate approach, merely combining the New Inn, Woodies Craft Bar and the Skyrack. Big babies and swashbuckling pirates are encountered along with good beer (Selby Pale, Kirkstall Three Swords and the bright pink sourness of Vault City's Cherry Cola Cubes). We get to see a few extra Headingley landmarks too including St Chad's Church - complete with its accompanying cricket pitch and tennis club - plus the Cottage Road Cinema, the latter having been independently showing films since 1912.
- Hain and Rhodes to the rescue -
The conclusion of our cricketing contest occurs on Sunday 22nd May whereby Warwickshire remarkably bat out the entire day without losing a single wicket. Hain and Rhodes progress their partnership to a mammoth 227 stand with both batsmen reaching centuries within a couple of deliveries of each other. Handshakes at ten to five mean a hard-fought draw has been secured, thus ensuring that Stephen and I keep intact our proud unbeaten record of never having seen the Bears lose in Yorkshire - that's two wins (2011, 2019) and two draws (2013, 2022) from our four visits now.
- Cheers from the New Headingley Club -
Content with an ultimately solid performance that places Warwickshire in mid-table ready for when the County Championship resumes from its T20 Blast-induced break, we sign off with some Sunday pints in Headingley. First up is the Golden Beam which Wetherspoons have lavishly converted from a disused former school arts centre - the building is highly distinctive with its Portland stone facade and hints of a church organ. We make this our teatime haunt, accounting for gammon, burger and ham, egg and chips respectively, then seek out the New Headingley Club on St Michael's Road which we'd only spotted earlier that morning. The club proves a fine choice for a relaxing lounge natter over a Guinness or an M&B Mild, although Mr B Senior is subsequently gutted to discover that our hotel bar has closed early and he can't have his nightcap cans of John Smith's - cue much chuntered consternation!
- A Rhinos Farewell -
John is still bemoaning such smoothpour deprivation when we reconvene on Monday morning for our final Headingley breakfast. I stretch my legs before the journey home and top up the WME photo quota with a Leeds Rhinos mural moment honouring Kevin Sinfield on Ash Road; St Stephen's Parish Church in Kirkstall and Headingley railway station make similar late bids for archive inclusion, then its time to munch more motorways in the Beardsmobile. Those five days flew by in a flash and we're already looking forward to our next instalment of Warwickshire-watching spectatorship - cheers, and Come On You Bears!
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