Arthington 1st XI – 238/9 50 overs	242/4 Studley Royal 1st XI 47.1 overs
Himanshu Satyawan: 76 Naveed Andrabi: 33	Rahul Khode: 13-0-64-2 Naveed Piran: 9-2-44-1

After an almost perfect campaign in league and cup last season, Arthington’s 1st XI were given a slight reality check at the start of the 2026 campaign when the visiting Studley Royal took away the spoils from the ACG.

Choosing to bat first upon winning the toss, Arthington made a steady start to their 50-over innings in a small five-over increase on the previous format. Hari Krishan made the bulk of the early run-scoring for the hosts but a thin edge through to the keeper ended his stay at the crease, which brought Arthington’s captain to the middle. He was clearly looking to impose himself too, striking his first scoring shot over cover for six.

A partnership grew alongside Sajid Hussain and the score had reached 82 before Andrabi looped a simple catching chance back to the Studley Royal bowler who accepted. The skipper made 33 including 4 fours and 2 sixes. Last season’s top scorer by some distance, Himanshu Satyawan, was the next man in and took little time in adjusting to conditions, belting balls to the boundary with belligerence and scoring at over a run-a-ball throughout his innings.

Hussain was the next wicket to fall via a run out, but Umar Farooq combined well with Satyawan and the pair managed to put on 52 runs before possibly the key moment of the match saw Farooq nudge a shot into the off-side only to see the ball hurled back towards where he had set off for a single to leave Satyawan marginally short of his ground, run out on 76 from just 57 balls including 7 fours and 3 sixes.

From that point, the promising Arthington innings which had showed signs of being able to breach 300 fell away somewhat due to regular wickets. Farooq was next to fall after sending a ball skywards to be grabbed at deep cover and new signing Daman Kumar could only manage 14 before his middle stumped was rocked back.

Ahmer Sadiq showed some fight in the closing stages, finishing on a well-constructed and unbeaten 26 but around him wickets tumbled as first Naveed Piran was caught at point before Rahul Khode was caught at cover from his first delivery and Syed Javaid was caught at deep cover again from the final ball of the 49th over.

Arthington did at least see out the innings with a wicket remaining, but ended their effort on 238/9, some way short on where they would have liked to have been after a promising start.

In reply, the visitors saw off the opening spells of Naveed Piran and Umar Farooq with relative ease and the opening pair put on over 100 runs before the first Arthington breakthrough, coming after Rahul Khode’s introduction via a catch from Hari Krishan. One soon became two when Naveed Piran dismantled the number three’s off-stump and a few overs later, a sharp stumping by Himanshu Satyawan gave Khode his second wicket.

Studley Royal then dampened any hopes that may have been ignited by the trio of wickets as their remaining opener and captain Jonny Harding combined excellently with the wicketkeeper-batsman for a 98-run partnership which brought the away side to the brink of victory. In doing so, Harding also reached his century, which came in good time. He would finish unbeaten on 106 from 117 balls, including 12 fours.

Though Umar Farooq did take one final wicket for the hosts, only five runs were required at that point and Studley Royal managed to knock them off with three overs to spare. Whilst the victory may not seem convincing from a glance at the scorecard, the away side were in control for most of the match, particularly in the chase. It was certainly not the start that the home side were hoping for, but Arthington will lick their wounds before their next match where they host Knaresborough at the ACG once again.

2nd XI summary – Away against Sessay & Raskelf

Arthington 2nd XI – 133/9 40 overs	134/5 – Sessay & Raskelf 1st XI 32.3 overs
Steve Potter: 40 Ritankar Chakraborty: 35	Joe Seaborne: 8-2-18-3 Zaid Anwar: 6-0-23-1

Arthington’s 2nd XI also suffered a defeat in their opening encounter when they travelled to Raskelf of Sessay & Raskelf, following their relegation from Division 3. Last season’s terrible form with the coin continued for Arthington’s captain, Luke Seaborne, as he lost the first of presumably many fifty-fifty throws and the visitors were asked to bat first.

On a slow and massive outfield, runs proved hard to come by and several of Arthington’s top run-getters last season came and went without much trouble to the scorer. Umer Khan lobbed a chance up to mid-wicket that was well held by the fielder as it came over their shoulder and Alex O’Neil and skipper Seaborne were both bowled by the terrific opening bowler and stand-in captain Matthew Burn, who ended up with four wickets in his eight overs.

The away side were 17/3 but their innings was rescued somewhat by Steve Potter and Ritankar Chakraborty, who put on 80 runs for the fourth wicket. Potter profited from some lusty blows down the ground, though such was the pace and size of the outfield that only four reached the boundary and the majority of his runs came from scampering between the wickets. He was eventually bowled for 40. Chakraborty followed in the same fashion shortly afterwards and was joined in the pavilion by Zaid Anwar after his meaty blow to mid-wicket was exceptionally well held above the head; a strike that had seemed destined to race to the boundary.

Martin Dickinson and Dave Howard accumulated what they could but the returning opening bowlers soon rearranged both sets of stumps and the home side’s wicketkeeper clearly wanted in on the  stump dismantling too, as he removed them to dismiss Riaz Piran who had strayed out of his ground. Arthington did bat out their 40-over allocation and Joe Seaborne struck a rare three into the off-side from the final ball of the innings to leave Arthington on 133/9.

With 82 wickets between them last season, Riaz Piran and Joe Seaborne were tasked with making some early in-roads but found themselves with one opener determined not to be dislodged and another who seemed blessed with good fortune as chances down the ground both dropped agonisingly short of fielders who on both occasions had managed to get a hand to the chances but could not hold on. Eventually, one did stick at mid-off when Luke Seaborne assisted in Joe Seaborne’s first wicket.

A 44-run partnership followed, tilting the game more in favour of the hosts, but was expertly broken by a diving catch by Zaid Anwar off his own bowling. Joe Seaborne then returned for a second spell, after other bowling options were tried and ultimately proved to be unsuccessful. The Arthington opening bowler struck in back-to-back overs, first with an LBW that kept low and gave the batsman no chance in front of his stumps before breaching the defence of the new man at the crease and leaving the stumps askew.

Riaz Piran, who looked more dangerous in his second spell, finally removed the Sessay & Raskelf opener for a well-made 45 including 3 fours and a six and, it seemed that the game was to go to the wire as the runs from the new middle-order batters had all but dried up until an unfortunate 33rd and final over left poor Steve Potter behind the stumps scrambling as eight extras were conceded from just three legal deliveries, taking the hosts over the line.

There were quite a lot of positives for Arthington in defeat, though all facets of their game can likely be improved upon, which should enable them to get on the right side of results in their upcoming fixtures. Next week they travel to South Kilvington.