Charles crowns Carlton’s win with four wickets in five balls
CREDIT: Alan & Jack Birkinshaw @ Bradford Premier League
Carlton v Bradford & Bingley
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Carlton 201-8 (50 overs) | Bradford & Bingley 170 a.o (39.1 overs) |
| James Glynn 44 | Ben Moffat 57 |
| Daniel Ford 43 | Matthew Swallow 48 |
| Udith Patabadige 3-36 | Nash Charles 6-44 |
Carlton started their time in the Premier Division with a stirring comeback victory against Bradford & Bingley.
Bingley seemed to be cruising towards victory at 153-3, with Matthew Swallow and Ben Moffat going well and 17 overs to chase down the remaining 29 runs needed for victory.
Captain James Glynn turned to young Nash Charles, recently signed from Townville, and he took six of the remaining seven wickets, including a remarkable four in five balls in the 36th over, to lead them to victory.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Glynn would have been proud of the resilient way his team batted their overs to set a reasonable score. Glynn himself top scored with 44, sharing a 63 run partnership with Daniel Ford after some early grit shown by 62-year-old opener Steve Cooper who scored 30. Bingley’s two main wicket takers were overseas player Udith Patabadige and Reece Cockshott (3-73).
Result – Carlton (19pts) defeated Bradford & Bingley (5pts) by 31 runs
Farsley v Methley
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Methley 238-8 (50 overs) | Farsley 242-9 (42.3 overs) |
| Jared Warner 81 | Harry Duke 60 |
| Taylor Cornall 62 | Josh Sullivan 4-48 |
| James Wainman 55 | Ben Waite 3-48 |
| Seamus Nazir 3-45 |
Farsley made a habit of close games last season, including a tie with today’s opponents, and they started off this season with another tense result. Despite seemingly cruising towards Methley’s total at 181-3 with Yorkshire’s Harry Duke well settled on 60 and 21 overs remaining, Methley fought back through Ben Waite and Josh Sullivan to leave Farsley 229-9 and reliant on final pair Callum Fletcher and Seamus Nazir to score the last 10 runs required for victory.
Methley will have plenty of regrets coming out of this game, particularly with their bowlers conceding a remarkable 42 extras, including 21 wides and 10 no balls. They may also be without top order batter Alex Cree for some time, following an injury he sustained whilst keeping wicket.
Whilst 238 would often be seen as a strong first innings score, Methley will feel that they left runs out there due to a slow start, two run outs and a four wicket collapse from 114-2 when Taylor Cornall holed out to the only fielder on the boundary for 62.
A 97-run partnership between Jared Warner (81) and James Wainman (55) helped Methley accelerate, with Joe Pocklington a frequent target for their hitting. No other batters scored double figures for Methley.
Farsley got off to a fast start, scoring 82-2 off the first 10 overs and remained well ahead of the required run rate due to Duke, who was well supported by Stanley Brown (35) and Chris Beech (33).
But when Duke was caught off the bowling of Cornall, Farsley started to struggle to score and started regularly losing wickets to Sullivan and Waite. After losing four wickets for four runs, number 11 Nazir struck a much-needed six off Sullivan to ease nerves before Fletcher hit a boundary of his own two overs later to seal the victory.
Result – Farsley (19pts) defeated Methley (6pts) by 1 wicket
Baildon v Woodlands
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Woodlands 253-8 (50 overs) | Baildon 185 a.o (49.3 overs) |
| Matty Weston 103 (124) | James Skingle 50 (57) |
| Mosun Hussain 54 (74) | Henry Pearson 5-67 |
Woodlands new opening pair could not have made a better first impression after skipper Brad Schmulian chose to bat first at newly-promoted Baildon. They shared a century opening stand as Woodlands racked up maximum batting points. Opener Matty Weston (103) scored a debut hundred that anchored the innings when most of their middle order failed to fire.
Baildon put up a steadfast resistance, only being bowled out in the final over of their innings for a respectable 185. Wicketkeeper James Skingle was the standout batter, scoring 50, whilst supported by skipper Kevin Mcdermott (33) and some late hitting from Cameron Sharp (31 from 16 balls). Young spinner Henry Pearson (5-67), signed from Ossett this offseason, and Mohammad Ibrahim Ahmed (4-38), another new signing, were their main tormentors.
Result – Woodlands (20pts) defeated Baildon (5pts) by 68 runs
Cleckheaton (4pts) v Townville (20pts)
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Cleckheaton 187 a.o (45.4 overs) | Townville 188-4 (38.5 overs) |
| Aaron Ratnalingam 36 | Jack Hughes 59* |
| Conor Harvey 4-52 | Lachlan Doidge 3-36 |
Townville recorded a comfortable victory against Cleckheaton, due to strong performances from stalwarts Jack Hughes and Conor Harvey.
Put into bat by new Townville skipper Jonny Booth, Cleckheaton lost wickets at regular intervals, including their last four for just six runs, as they were held in check by Harvey and Hughes (3-46). Despite six batters all passing 20, none were able to kick on and make a significant score.
Booth and opening partner Abdul Wahid got Townville’s chase off to a solid start with an 83 run partnership before Cleckheaton took four quick wickets for 30 runs, three of which were taken by spinner Lachlan Doidge before Hughes (59no) and new signing Liam Collins took Townville to their target with 11 overs to spare.
Result – Townville (20pts) defeated Cleckheaton (4pts) by 6 wickets
New Farnley (20pts) v Pudsey St Lawrence (3pts)
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Pudsey St Lawrence 177 a.o (48.1 overs) | New Farnley 182-3 (28.3 overs) |
| Archie Scott 79 | Aidan Langley 75* |
| Abhay Negi 3-36 | Ryan McKendry 55 |
| Gurman Randhawa 3-48 | Ed Brown 35* |
Champions New Farnley got off to a successful start of their title defence with a clinical 7 wicket defeat of local rivals Pudsey St Lawrence.
Captain Barrie Frankland won the toss for Saints and elected to bat first, but that was one of the few successful moments for his team in this fixture. Archie Scott (79) played almost a lone hand in resisting the New Farnley bowling attack, with number nine Archie Phillipson (35) the only batter to provide them with meaningful support.
Abhay Negi impressed on his debut for New Farnley (Image: Ray Spencer)
Overseas Indian signing Abhay Negi had a dream first over, recording a wicket maiden that included the prized wicket of league stalwart Mark Robertshaw. He ended up with an excellent 3-36 from 14 overs as he and Gurman Randhawa led New Farnley’s attack.
Aidan Langley led the way with a half century for New Farnley (Image: Ray Spencer)
Opener Aidan Langley, untroubled by the early loss of Steve Bullen and Alex Lilley for ducks to Josh Priestley, struck an unbeaten 75 and shared strong partnerships with Ryan McKendry (55) and new signing Ed Brown to chase down PSL’s total with 21.3 overs to spare.
Result – New Farnley (20pts) defeated Pudsey St Lawrence (3pts) by 7 wickets
Undercliffe (2pts) v Jer Lane (20pts)
| 1st Innings | 2nd Innings |
| Undercliffe 108a.o (33.5 overs) | Jer Lane 112-2 (25.1 overs) |
| Kyle Welsh 40 | Sabir Mahmood 55* |
| Muhammad Aamir 5-28 | Adal Islam 33 |
| Amir Hussain 4-21 |
Undercliffe supporters may have been forgiven for feeling optimistic when Kyle Welsh and Danish Hussain (31) had led them to 91-1 after the first 22 overs of their innings after being put in to bat. However that soon turned to horror as they saw their side collapse spectacularly to 108 all out at the hands of spinners Muhammad Aamir (5-28) and Amir Hussain (4-21).
Jer Lane took their time in chasing down the low target but, other than after losing opener Farakh Hussain for a three ball duck, they were rarely troubled as Sabir Mahmood (55no) and Adal Islam put together a 91 run partnership for the second wicket. Undercliffe’s new opening bowler Amir Shahzad was the only Undercliffe player to pick up wickets, finishing with a creditable 2-19 off his five overs.
Result – Jer Lane (20pts) defeated Undercliffe (2pts) by 8 wickets
Division One
New Zealander Max Butler produced an impressive performance with the ball as Bankfoot romped to a nine-wicket opening day win at Morley.
Butler (5-19) and new ball partner Quadratullah Azizi (5-28) made Morley regret their decision to bat first by bowling them out for just 49. Bankfoot took just 11.4 overs to knock off the runs.
Sandal edged a nail-biting one-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter at Batley. The home side’s decision to bat backfired as they were bowled out for 107, Umar Abbas taking 5-14. Aadam Hussain (34) proved to be the top scorer.
Batley’s overseas player Ali Hamza Waseem (7-40) was a constant threat to Sandal who edged home thanks to an unbeaten 21 from Soh between Callum Oliver ail Hussain.
An opening stand of 125 between Callum Oliver (94) and Hassan Butt (53) provided the foundation from which Pudsey Congs were able to chase down Ossett’s score of 252-8 to win the battle between the two sides relegated from the Premier Division by six wickets. Nick Lindley marked his return to the club with 53.
Defeat was tough on James Keen who made 109, an innings featuring four sixes and 13 fours, for Ossett. Zak Stolarkski was the pick of the bowlers with 3-43.
Daniel Marlow marked his return to Birstall by taking 5-30 as they opened their campaign with a three-wicket win at Hartshead Moor.
The home side made 211-9 thanks to Hasnat Yousaf (68) and Lewis Lomax (35no). They were given a boost when James Rogers dismissed Eric Austin with the first ball of the Birstall reply, but Noah Chapman (70) and skipper Nick Kaye (47) hit back with a second-wicket stand of 134. Overseas player Sharoon Siraj (44no) then stood firm as wickets tumbled to see his side to victory on his debut. Moin Hussain (4-71) and James Rogers (3-35) were the pick of the Hartshead Moor bowlers.
There was no opening day joy for the two teams promoted from Division Two. Crossflatts lost their first game in the second tier by 53 runs at East Bierley, while Gomersal went down by 61 runs at Yeadon.
The top three of Danny Cross (79), Ben Heritage (49) and Sam Gatenby (42) were backed up by Hamza Saeed (35) as East Bierley compiled a score of 253-7. Overseas player Preston McSween (3-80) was the most successful bowler.
Jacob Stephens (63) and Sajid Azeem (35) were the top scorers as Crossflatts were dismissed for 200 as spinner Tom Burton (4-40) and opening bowler Mustafa Rafique (4-49) shared the bowling honours.
An opening stand of 101 between new signings Raheel Ahmed (82) and Will Pritchett (38) set Yeadon on their way to a total of 236-8 despite the effort of Gomersal’s Chris Rhodes (5-34). Adeel Ashraf (44) also made valuable runs.
Despite half centuries from Shabir Rashid (71) and Ibrar Younis (50), Gomersal were restricted to 175-9. There were three wickets apiece for Adeel Ashraf (3-25), Daanyaal Ahmed (3-36) and Waqas Khan (3-49).
Division Two
East Ardsley’s new overseas player Kabi Kohli got off to a good start by taking 6-43 in his side’s tied game with Northowram Fields.
After being bowled out for 170 with opener Ben Snith making 43 as Hazrat Abbas claimed 6-29, East Ardsley hit back with the ball. They looked set for victory when they reduced the visitors to 144-9, before last wicket pair Joe Hough and Max Gardner added 26 to tie the scores. With one run needed to victory, Hough was run out.
Hanging Heaton ran up the division’s highest score of 339-3 as they defeated Buttershaw St Paul’s by 66 runs.
Opener Bradley Wood )116no) and skipper Luke Patel (98) led the way with a second wicket partnership of 208. Wood made his runs from 139 balls with 16 fours.
Buttershaw St Paul’s replied with 273 all out to secure maximum batting points. There were half centuries for Muhammad Addas (57), Paul Carroll (52) and Amjid Hussain (51) while Zahir Abbas made 40. Tom Lindsay was the most successful bowler with 4-77.
Bowling Old Lane’s new opener Chaudhary Anwar Ul Haq hit the day’s highest individual score of 130 to guide his side to a four-wicket win at newly promoted Great Preston.
Three sixes and 20 fours flowed from his bat as Great Preston’ score of 230 was chased down. Asif Yousaf (43) provided the main support against a bowling attack in which Lee Russell took 3-3-46.
Defeat was tough on Jack McGahan who made an unbeaten 102 on his Great Preston debut. Fellow new boy Alfie McMillan chipped in with 54 as Shahid Mehmood impressed with 6-70.
Craig Wood took 4-58 and followed up with 41not out as he helped Altofts edge a two-wicket win over newly promoted Windhill & Daisy Hill.
Altofts were struggling at 141-7 in reply to Windhill & Daisy Hill’s score of 205 until Wood and Usman Maqsood revived their fortunes with a stand of 63. Zeeshan Haider took 3-73 for Windhill & Daisy Hill after earlier making 41. Nasir Chowdrey (47) was top scorer.
In a repeat of last season’s Gordon Rigg Jack Hampshire Cup final, Hunslet Nelson again came out on top against Scholes. This time the margin was five wickets.
Spinners Sam Thewlis (4-53) and Matthew Varley (3-37) joined forces as Scholes were dismissed for 181, Sayed Salman top scoring with 36.
Nelson were guided towards their victory target by skipper Jack Scanlon (63). Alistair Finn (33) and Omar Aziz (32no) gave good support.
Another overseas player to get off to a flying start was Indian bowler Rajat Dey. He took five for 34 and joined forces with Andy Walker (4-69) as Lightcliffe bowled out Keighley for 124 to complete a 59-run win. Scott Etherington was top scorer with 37 on his Keighley return.
Zeeshan Qasim, who won the Premier Division bowling averages with last season with Undercliffe before joining Keighley, proved once again what a good bowler he is with 6-44.
Division Three
Hopton Mills bagged a maximum 20 points as they got underway with a 29-run win over Adwalton.
Chris Scott (69), overseas player Joel Austin (64) and Adam Siddique (59no) led the way as Hopton Mills posted a score of 259.
Nathan Cant (4-65) was the best of the bowlers for Adwalton who were bowled out for 230 in reply. Will Cutt )50) and James Lord (34no) were the top scorers as Myles Auty (4-53) and Muhammad Rehan (3-36) sealed victory for Hopton Mills.
Wrenthorpe’s new-look young side made a promising start with a three-wicket win despite Ubaid Zia scoring a century for Wakefield St Michael’s.
Zia hit five sixes and 13 fours to dominate his side’s total of 192. Young Alfie Holden was the pick of the bowlers with 3-13.
Afghan Ghofran Shasawar (66) and Imran Dawood (45) helped Wrenthorpe to overhaul their opponents’ score.
Streethouse got off to a winning start as they chased down a Heckmondwike & Carlinghow total of 218 to win by three wickets. Ismail Patel (42), Ben Brown (38), Mackenzie Stanley (37) and Zamurad Khan (30no) countered the threat of Waqas Asaad (4-47) to see their side home with 5.1 overs to spare.
Patel had earlier taken 5-50 as he and Zamurad Khan (3-27) shared the bowling honours in a Heckmondwike & Carlinghow innings which saw Zahid Mahmood make 87 and Umaid Sajjad (39no).
Brighouse made the day’s highest total of 349-5 as they defeated Liversedge by 93 runs. Sohail Ahmed (87) and Moosa Azad (80) put on 156 for the first wicket before Junaid Anwar (63) and Wasiq Ur Rehman (49) joined the spree. Reuben Shuttleworth took four wickets at a personal cost of 72 runs.
Opener Graeme Winn (88) led the Liversedge reply of 256-6. Hasan Hafeez (44) and Shuttleworth (36) were the other main contributors.
Sam Carroll made a fine start to his Spen Victoria career. After taking 5-8 as East Leeds subsided to 128 all out – losing their last eight wickets for 21 runs – Carroll hit an unbeaten 51 to help his new side to a four-wicket win.
CREDIT: Alan & Jack Birkinshaw @ Bradford Premier League
