Townville move close to first title triumph with win
CREDIT: Alan Birkinshaw @ Bradford Premier League
PREMIER LEAGUE
Townville retained their eight-point advantage at the top of the Bentley Drains Bradford Premier League on a day which saw all the leading three collect maximum points.
With three games remaining, Townville have 308 points, defending champions New Farnley are second on 300 and Woodlands are on 298. Bradford & Bingley are now a distant fourth on 249 after going down to Carlton.
Townville made short work of Pudsey St Lawrence at Poplar Avenue, cruising to an eight-wicket victory after dismissing the visitors for 136. Harry Cullingford’s 37 was the top score as the Townville attack maintained a firm grip, Mathew Lumb took 3-20 and Usman Arshad (3-43).
Townville lost Abdul Wahid and Sanoj Darshika cheaply in reply, but from 13-2 captain Jonny Booth and Jack Hughes took complete control. Hughes struck an unbeaten 79, with 12 fours and two sixes, while Booth finished 53 not out as an unbroken stand of 127 carried the leaders to 140-2 in only 26 overs.
New Farnley ensured there was no easing of the pressure with a 171-run victory at Cleckheaton. They piled up 306-8 after being asked to bat, with their top order providing the platform. Aidan Langley made 50, Steven Bullen struck 86 and Alex Lilley 43 before Ed Brown accelerated the innings with 60 from only 34 balls, including six sixes. Fletcher Coutts added an unbeaten 31.
Lachlan Doidge took 3-44 and England Under-19 seamer Bradley Sylvester (3-97) for Cleckheaton, but their side never threatened the target. Hisan Ahmad made 34 and Muhammad Ammar (44) in a total of 135, Spinners Gurman Randhawa (4-39) and Adam Ahmed (3-8) took the bowling honours.
Steve Bullen top scored again for New Farnley with 86 (Picture: Ray Spencer)
Ed Brown picked up the tempo with 60 (Picture: Ray Spencer)
Oversea player Muhammad Ammar made 44 for Cleckheaton (Picture: Ray Spencer)
Gurman Randaw took four wickets for New Farnley (Picture: Ray Spencer)
Woodlands are only another two points back after Brad Schmulian produced the outstanding individual performance of the day in their 159-run victory over Morley at Albert Terrace.
Schmulian carried his bat for an unbeaten 128 as Woodlands amassed 309-9. He shared a major third-wicket partnership of 149 with Tim Jackson, who made 85, the pair turning an early 51-2 into 200-3. Matt Dowse took 3-105 and Jude Roberts (3-76) for Morley.
Schmulian then dominated with the ball, taking 6-44 from 11 overs as Morley were bowled out for 150. Henry Pearson claimed the other four wickets for 49. Sajid Azeem offered determined resistance with 81 from 71 balls, but no other Morley batter reached 30.
Bradford & Bingley’s hopes of staying in touch with the leading trio suffered a setback as Carlton secured a 31-run victory at Wagon Lane.
Carlton were bowled out for 224 in 48.1 overs, Syed Aqib Shah making 57, Naveed Malik 37 and Dan White (31). Udith Patabadige led the home bowling with 4-45, while Archie Barraclough claimed 3-39.
Hector Bowerman held Bradford & Bingley’s reply together with 78 from 109 balls, but wickets fell steadily around him, and the hosts were dismissed for 193. Matthew Smith took 3-44 and Kevin McDermott (3-27), with James Glynn adding 2-49, as Carlton picked up 19 points.
Methley produced the quickest chase of the afternoon as they swept aside bottom club Pudsey Congs by eight wickets at Little Church Lane.
Congs made 184-8 from their 50 overs without any batter reaching 30. James Wainman took 3-40 and Taylor Cornall 3-62 for Methley, but it was Cornall’s contribution with the bat which transformed the contest. He hammered 98 from only 72 balls, hitting 18 fours and a six, and shared a 180-run opening partnership with Kyle Welsh. During his innings Cornall passed 1,000 league runs for the season.
Welsh finished unbeaten on 72 from 70 deliveries, including nine fours and three sixes, as Methley raced to 190-2 in only 24 overs. The 19 points leave Methley sixth on 228, while Congs remain rooted to the bottom with 108.
Jer Lane also collected maximum points as they defeated relegation-threatened Farsley by seven wickets at Bradford Park Avenue.
Farsley were bowled out for 184 in 46.5 overs, captain Rahul Tangirala making 35. Umer Yaqoob was the chief destroyer with 5-72.
Anwar Shah then gave Jer Lane’s chase early momentum with 62 from 50 balls, including 11 fours and a six. Muhammad Wasim Khan completed a fine all-round performance with an unbeaten 44, and Jer Lane reached 186-3 in 30.1 overs.
The result lifts Jer Lane’s tally to 176 points in ninth place, while Farsley remain 11th on 159. With only three matches remaining, Farsley have a six-point deficit to make up on Morley, who occupy tenth place on 165, ensuring the fight to avoid the second relegation position remains very much alive. Pudsey Congs are bottom on 108.
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DIVISION ONE
Hanging Heaton took a significant step forward in the Division One title race as they moved 15 points clear at the top after Yeadon suffered a heavy defeat at third-placed Sandal.
Hanging Heaton moved onto 285 points with a six-wicket victory at Ossett, while Yeadon’s defeat leaves them second on 270. Sandal’s maximum-point success strengthened their position in third on 245 and kept them within striking distance of the leading pair.
Hanging Heaton’s bowlers laid the foundations for their victory by dismissing Ossett for 141 in 45.3 overs. Callum Geldart made 31 and Oliver Eldridge (30), but the visitors took charge through Muhammad Ahmadzai’s 4-45 and Upul Indrasiri’s 3-21.
Charlie Kendall made 42 at the top of the order before Tom Lindsay hit an unbeaten 43 as Hanging Heaton reached 142-4 in 35.1 overs.
Yeadon’s challenge suffered a setback at Barnsley Road, where Sandal produced one of their most impressive performances to win by 167 runs.
Danny Riley anchored Sandal’s 275-6 with 86 from 127 balls before the innings gathered considerable late momentum. Sasindu Malshan finished unbeaten on 40, and Umar Abbas smashed 58 from just 35 deliveries, hitting six sixes.
Yeadon never threatened the target. Mali Bardouille-Lewis made 37 but wickets fell regularly around him as they were bowled out for 108 in 28.4 overs. Michael Carroll led the way with 4-33, and Sam Noden took 3-20 as Sandal collected the full 20 points and reduced the gap between themselves and Yeadon to 25.
Lightcliffe consolidated fourth place with a 38-run victory over Baildon in a high-scoring contest. Hasan Raza led the way with 80, and Niall Lockley struck 44 as Lightcliffe made an excellent start. Jordan Pickles added 34 as the home side eventually reached 257 before being dismissed in the final over. Harry Dibb was Baildon’s most successful bowler with 5-67, while Abdullah Ijaz took 3-52.
Baildon’s reply revolved around a superb century from captain James Skingle. After Brendan Palmer had made 32, Skingle fought on as wickets fell around him and reached exactly 100 from 111 balls, hitting 13 fours and three sixes. Abdullah Ijaz contributed 31, but Baildon were eventually dismissed for 219. Yusuf Malik took 3-43 and Jordan Pickles (3-61) for Lightcliffe, who move onto 220 points in fourth place.
Undercliffe picked up maximum points with a five-wicket victory over Birstall at Intake Road, with Faizan Zafar making a major contribution with both bat and ball.
Shabir Rashid made 57 for Birstall, but Zafar’s 5-42 and Mohammed Suleman’s 3-30 helped dismiss the visitors for 152 in 40.1 overs.
One bright spot for Birstall was the sight of overseas player Sharoon Siraj passing 1,000 league runs for the season when reached five in his innings of 21.
Undercliffe were in early trouble at 7-2 before Zafar and Gulsheraz Ahmed transformed the chase with a third-wicket partnership of 116. Zafar made 58 from 52 balls and Ahmed finished unbeaten on 54 as Undercliffe reached 154-5 in 27.1 overs.
There was a remarkable run chase at East Bierley, where the bottom side chased down Bankfoot’s imposing 281-9 in only 38.4 overs to win by four wickets.
Bankfoot’s innings contained four scores of 40 or more. Byron Haycock made 69, James Lee (52), Hamza Shahzad (44) and Amer Ayoub (41) before Usman Maqsood added an unbeaten 37. Asad Raza prevented the total becoming even bigger with an outstanding 5-31 from 13 overs, while Tom Burton took 2-34.
East Bierley then attacked from the outset. Ben Heritage made 30, Farakh Hussain struck 81 from 70 balls and Hamza Saeed contributed 32 before Burton took charge. His unbeaten 70 came from only 41 balls and included five fours and seven sixes, while Nate Holdsworth added 32 in a fifth-wicket partnership of 104. East Bierley reached 282-6 with more than 11 overs unused to collect 19 points.
Despite the victory, East Bierley remain bottom on 146 points, but they have closed the gap on 11th-placed Crossflatts to 12 points.
Crossflatts’ position became more precarious after they suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat against Batley at Ryshworth Park.
Khalid Hamidi ripped through the home batting with 6-28 from 9.1 overs and Aadam Hussain took 3-40 as Crossflatts were dismissed for just 69 in 18.1 overs.
Batley needed only 13 overs to complete an eight-wicket victory. Arbaab Hussain finished unbeaten on 27, and Aadam Hussain made 25 not out as they reached 70-2 and collected 19 points.
The result moves Batley onto 169 points in tenth, 11 clear of Crossflatts, while East Bierley’s victory has tightened the battle at the bottom. Crossflatts have 158 points and East Bierley 146, with the two relegation places currently occupied by those sides.
DIVISION TWO
Bowling Old Lane clung on to top spot despite losing to Hunslet Nelson who are now just six points behind them.
Hunslet Nelson’s four-wicket victory moved them onto 258 points, three behind their opponents, while Great Preston’s win at Keighley lifted them to 257. Keighley remain in contention themselves on 255, making the closing stages of the promotion race particularly intriguing.
Bowling Old Lane were restricted to 183-9 after being asked to bat, with Shoaib Iqbal’s unbeaten 34 and Asif Yousaf’s 32 their leading contributions. Ibby Younas took 3-49 for Nelson…
Hunslet had to work hard in reply and were 97-5 before Bailey Goodlad and Younas turned the contest with an 81-run sixth-wicket stand.
Goodlad finished unbeaten on 34 and Younas made 31 as the visitors reached 184-6 in 44.2 overs. Iqrar Amjad’s 4-57 kept Old Lane in contention, but Nelson held their nerve to collect 19 points.
Great Preston moved to within four points of the summit after beating Keighley by 35 runs in a high-scoring encounter.
Moosa Azad made 51 and Sohail Ahmed (58) before Jack McGahan provided the major impetus with 79 from 61 balls as Great Preston reached 292-9. Muhammad Shah also contributed 42, while Gareth Lee was outstanding with the ball for Keighley, taking 5-65 from 13 overs.
Lee then produced an even better performance with the bat, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 114 from 155 balls. Keighley had slipped to 112-5 before he and Ahmed Ali, who struck 73, added 130 for the sixth wicket. Their efforts were not enough, however, as Keighley finished on 257-6 to give Great Preston an 18-point return.
Northowram Fields produced one of the day’s most emphatic victories as Ahsan Alishan delivered a spectacular all-round performance in their 180-run defeat of Streethouse.
Jacob Golding-Smith made 68, Shahzaib Khan (42) and Farhan Hussain (52) before Alishan transformed an already useful total.
He smashed an unbeaten 82 from only 28 balls, with seven fours and seven sixes, and shared an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 112 with Joe Hough, who made 30 not out. Northowram closed on a formidable 360-6.
Alishan then completed a remarkable afternoon by taking 5-38 from 13.1 overs as Streethouse were dismissed for 180. Max Gardner took 3-44 while Lee Stuckey’s unbeaten 48 was Streethouse’s highest score. The maximum 20 points take Northowram to 241, level with Hartshead Moor.
Hartshead Moor kept themselves in the leading group with a convincing 94-run victory at Altofts. Chris Wynd gave them a solid start with 55 before Mohammed Khan’s unbeaten 71 lifted the visitors to 219-9. Altofts shared the wickets around, Saif Tahir taking 3-46 and Shamsullah Dost (3-67).
Muhammad Waleed then took charge with the ball. Altofts were bowled out for 125 in 34 overs as Waleed claimed 5-25 from seven overs. Shamsullah Dost’s 34 was the home side’s highest score.
There was an extraordinary afternoon at Buttershaw St Paul’s, where Jonathan Burston and Aiden Cushan both hit centuries as the home side amassed 378-7 before defeating Gomersal by 67 runs.
Buttershaw had been 170-7 before Burston and Cushan launched an astonishing recovery. Their unbroken eighth-wicket partnership was worth 208, Burston finishing unbeaten on 114 from 147 balls while Cushan hammered 133 not out from only 68 deliveries, striking eight fours and 14 sixes. Joe Shuttleworth took 3-29 for Gomersal.
Gomersal responded positively despite the huge target. Haris Mahmood made 41, Adam Holroyd (38) and Adam Greenwood (33), while Logan Silverwood led the resistance with 87. They eventually reached 311 before being dismissed in 42.2 overs.
Cushan completed a decisive individual performance with 4-46, while Amjid Hussain took 3-72.
Windhill & Daisy Hill gave their survival hopes a significant boost with a 51-run victory over Spen Victoria at Busy Lane.
Alex Antoine struck 46 from 29 balls before Nasir Chowdrey made 35 and Hasnain Ahmed Khan 57 to help Windhill reach 207 all out. Kabir Bashir took 3-45 and Samuel Carroll (3-37) for Spen.
Antoine then made his presence felt with the ball, taking 4-57, while Owaise Mehmood returned 3-38. Spen were dismissed for 156 in 37.1 overs. The 19 points take Windhill & Daisy Hill onto 121, cutting the gap to tenth-placed Spen Victoria to 47 points.
DIVISION THREE
The Division Three title race remains finely balanced with Adwalton and Scholes level on 289 points after Scholes produced a crushing victory over East Ardsley.
Scholes have played one game more than Adwalton but ensured there was no room for error by collecting the maximum 20 points. East Ardsley were dismissed for 156 before Christian Jackson launched a spectacular assault which saw the target knocked off in only 15.1 overs for the loss of one wicket.
Joshua Fell took 3-35 and Greg Keywood (3-48) as East Ardsley struggled to build momentum, Ashley Chapman top-scoring with 40.
Jackson then dominated the reply, racing to an unbeaten 86 from just 43 balls with 14 fours and four sixes. James Robson was unbeaten on 30 as Scholes powered to 159-1.
Hopton Mills consolidated third place with a seven-wicket victory at Brighouse which took them onto 224 points.
Brighouse were dismissed for 193 in 37.1 overs, but that represented a considerable recovery after they had slumped to 115-8.
Ranjith Karunanithi transformed the innings with a rapid 57 from 32 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes, while Subhan Cheema made 38. Ben Haigh was the most successful bowler with 3-56.
Hopton Mills made light work of their target. Stephen Bland contributed 49 before Alfie Gatehouse took control with 82 from 76 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes.
Their 105-run second-wicket partnership put the visitors firmly on course before Chris Scott’s unbeaten 19 helped complete the chase at 194-3 in 32.1 overs.
Wakefield St Michael’s remain seven points behind Hopton Mills after Cavan Connolly’s six-wicket haul inspired a comfortable five-wicket win at Heckmondwike & Carlinghow.
Connolly ripped through the home batting with 6-35 from 12 overs, including four maidens, as Heckmondwike & Carlinghow were dismissed for 141 in only 27.2 overs. Mustafa Bhatti provided the main resistance with 40 from 38 balls.
Wakefield St Michael’s had an uncomfortable start to their reply, losing Ubaid Zia and Noah Barone with only one run on the board and slipping to 14-3. Umaad Bashir steadied matters with 33 before Nazakat Hussain made an unbeaten 33 and Atta Ul Mustafa 25 not out to guide them to 144-5 in 32.2 overs.
Manni Hussain produced a fine all-round performance as East Leeds defeated Wrenthorpe by 105 runs.
Hussain made 54 and shared an opening partnership of 122 with James Watling, who narrowly missed his half-century when dismissed for 49. Muhammad Shayan Umer then provided the acceleration with 65 from only 38 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes, as East Leeds reached 274-9. Sam Anderson took 3-60 and Alfie Holden 3-63 for Wrenthorpe.
Hussain then dominated with the ball, taking 6-49 from 14.3 overs as Wrenthorpe were dismissed for 169. Kush Chaturvedi top-scored with 34, while Abdul Rahman Ijaz supported Hussain with 3-34. The maximum-point victory moved East Leeds onto 188 points, just three behind fifth-placed East Ardsley.
Liversedge gave their battle towards the foot of the table a significant lift by edging past Crossbank Methodists in a tense finish at The Rumbolds.
Crossbank were dismissed for 193 in 42.5 overs. Adam Zahid led a late recovery with an unbeaten 43 from 30 balls after Owen Sutherland had made 35. Juned Hasim Delair was the pick of the Liversedge attack with 4-37 from 14 overs0.
Liversedge then found themselves in serious difficulty at 49-5, but Hamzah Hafeez responded with 55 from 105 balls. He received support from Will Atkin, who made 26, before Usman Qureshi’s unbeaten 37 carried the visitors towards their target. Hafeez eventually fell at 182-8, but Qureshi and Delair, eight not out, completed a two-wicket victory in the 49th over. Adam Zahid’s 4-72 kept Crossbank in contention.
The victory took Liversedge onto 135 points, only seven behind Crossbank Methodists on 142, while Wrenthorpe remain eighth on 165.
CREDIT: Alan Birkinshaw @ Bradford Premier League
