CRICKET SECOND XI’s: Blackley maintain perfect start with win at Triangle

It was a match that produced a strange looking 180 all out scorecard for the home team who batted first.

Esward Denham came in at 14-5 and blasted 97 not out in 65 balls only to lose five partners in the process and, perhaps most gallingly of all, with more than eight overs remaining his last one was run out with him requiring only three for a well deserved century.

The slump of the top order was due to a spell from Dave Peel jnr who removed five of the top six, his final figures of 5-41 rather spoiled.

However Blackley was not phased by the Denham deluge and with Ibbi Mir (56 not out) anchoring the innings, for 74 balls, once he was joined by wicketkeeper Joseph Hardcastle (67 not out) an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 88 runs maintained their team’s fine record.

There was an excellent match at Thornton as Shelf Morthowram HT, rather surprisingly, moved out of the bottom two with a well deserved win.

Thornton’s total of 235-4, with notable efforts from Tristan Holroyd (86), Liam Crabb (52) and Jordan Swaine (40 not out), looked formidable but SNHT was up for the challenge and led by Dominic Prentice (74 not out), with assistance from Jonatham Marshall (46) plus two other efforts over 20 runs, the winning runs came with 17 balls to spare at 237-7.

Second-placed Mount kept the pressure on the leaders with a comfortable eight-wicket win at Bradshaw.

The home team chose to bat first but whilst over half of the batsmen made good starts none could continue into the forties and with Amjad Hussain taking 4-35 the innings closed at 166 all out.

Mount lost a couple of early wickets but once Ahmed Sallu (75 not out) and Hamza Nazir (56 not out) came together it was curtains for Bradshaw as a winning 170-2 was reached in the 34th over.

SBCI moved into fourth place, on the average points per match system in use for this season, and it came with some extra pleasure just three miles down the hill at local rivals Sowerby Bridge.

The Bridge batted first as Martin Mellor (42) top-scored in a total of 164-8.

The SBCI middle order, in the form of Matthew Bamford (47), Jonathan Hampshire (36 not out) and Bradley Holt (32 not out), delivered the goods at 168-4 with time to spare.

Copley had one of the easiest wins of the day by 109 runs on its visit to Outlane, the latter opting to field first.

Perhaps not the best decision as Nikhil Bushkute (77 not out) and Jarred Moore (46) both enjoyed batting at nearly 900 feet and the visitor’s 189-4 looked a tall order for its hosts.

And so it proved as no Outlane batsmen reached 20 runs and, with six bowlers used by Copley, the wickets tumbled at frequent and even intervals, proven by 40-5 becoming 80 all out.

Warley’s second string is usually prominent in the upper echelons of the table but unusually now finds itself in the bottom two, having lost all of its three starts thus far.

Its latest setback came at home to Great Horton PC playing, the writer believes, at Paradise Lane for the first time.

The visitors put its hosts in to bat and at 55-5 it was in trouble as Ryan Frankland-Martin (4-28) found conditions to his liking.

Zeeshan Iqbal (47) led a mini-recovery with the 40 overs yielding 145-7. Despite Horton losing an early wicket at 15-1 that brought skipper John Bavington (65 not out) to the crease and his run-a-ball innings, assisted by Nick Speight (23 not out) and a mountain of 28 extras, ensured the win in only 28 overs at 146-4.

Like Blackley the 100% record of First Division leaders, Illingworth St Mary’s, was maintained at the expense of its hosts, Cullingworth.

With ease it has to be noted by 116 runs as Daniel Patchett (131 not out) produced the day’s highest individual score in only 72 balls, and that after joining the fray batting at No 5.

Opener Jack Watson (39) had set the ball rolling but it was totally eclipsed by Patchett’s efforts, from a batsman whose previous three knocks this season had brought only 31 runs with his highest ever score (145) dating back to 2004! Cullingworth’s innings was a slow affair and it took all but three balls of the 40 overs for St Mary’s to collect the maximum, as four batsmen slowly moved into the twenties

None stayed the distance however as the visitors employed six bowlers, all taking one wicket or more, before the sixth, Watson, claimed the tenth with those three balls left – 124 all out.

Queensbury won for the second week on the trot and it was skipper Phil Sharples who led from the front again.

Stones was the visiting team at Old Guy Road and it found conditions difficult, the strike rate below three an over as it scored 141-7, Sam Whitton (41), making the best effort.

Sharples was the mainstay of Queensbury’s 142-6 winning response, with 64 not out in 100 balls, but the opener needed some excellent support from No 8 Khalid Mahmood (33 not out) to ensure the victory after the scoreboard had read 84-6.

Low Moor HT, 11 points adrift of the leaders, had the easiest of tasks in claiming a maximum, beating Augustinians by 156 runs.

Taking first knock Trinity scored 209-5, the runs flowing from Sunny Kumar (53), Babar Malik (51 not out) and Simon Howard (42).

The Rastrick team’s reply hardly troubled the scorers as its top scorer managed just nine runs, with Matthew Haley (5-19) and Craig Green (5-23) routing it for 53 all out in 17.5 overs.

Upper Hopton entertained Southowram at Jackroyd Lane, winning by 33 runs as both teams lost nine wickets.

Hopton batted first and a fine start took it to 154-2 as Daniel Martin (53) and George Turton (49) featured.

A late rush of lost wickets, particularly to Neil Eastwood (4-27), resulted in a 194-9 score at the close.

In reply the Rams never really looked like it would chase successfully and despite a late effort from James Eastwood (36 not out) the innings finished at 161-9.

The Greetland v Luddendenfoot match was cancelled due to safety reasons.