JCT 600 Bradford League First Teams review July 26, 2008

Posted: July 27 2008

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Second-placed East Bierley secured a 37-run over Manningham Mills in a high-scoring match which produced a bumper 625 runs.

Skipper Gavin Hamilton (122) and Greg Wood (101) hit centuries as East Bierley - who were without the Durham duo of Lee Goddard and Mitch Claydon who were at the Rose Bowl with their county Durham for the Twenty/20 finals - made 331-3 .

Skipper Hamilton - the former Yorkshire and England all-rounder - promoted himself to open the innings in place of Goddard and responded with a superb innings which contained four sixes and ten fours.

Hamilton shared in a first wicket stand of 120 with Gharib Razak (46) and then put on 189 for the second wicket with Wood who his three sixes and 12 fours.

Manningham Mills made a bold response to East Bierley's total. Adil Islam made a fine 87, former Pakistan Test player Quaiser Abbas (76) and Muenoddin Kadri (45) as they replied with 294-7. Former Yorkshire, Sussex and Middlesex left armer Paul Hutchison was the pick of the East Bierley bowlers with four for 25.

East Bierley remain nine points adrift of Woodlands who defeated a weakened Hanging Heaton by 84 runs. Left arm spinner Chris Brice (4-46) and Safraz Ahmed (3-39) set up their latest success by helping dismiss Hanging Heaton for 115.

Woodlands were indebted to Adam Goldthorpe (47), Scott Richardson (44) and Nicky Rushworth (41) as they made 199 all out. Amar Rashid took four for 68 for Hanging Heaton, while Imran Arif - limited to just three overs by his county Worcestershire - took three for eight. Stand in wicketkeeper Richard Thomas, deputising for the suspended Alan Mynett took six catches.

Left arm spinner Mushtaq Ahmed again had a huge influence on Baildon's six-wicket win over lowly Bowling Old Lane. Ahmed took six for 38 as Old Lane were dismissed for 184. Opening bowler Andy Walker picked up three for 49 as Old Lane, despite the efforts of young Fahid Rehman (36) and Shakeel Patel (30) failed to post a sufficiently challenging score.

Baildon breezed to their victory target with 10.4 overs to spare with skipper Ian Philliskirk continuing his good form with a knock of 83 which contained 14 fours. Ahsan Butt was unbeaten on 38 when victory was achieved.

Baildon remain tied for third place with Pudsey Congs who defeated Saltaire by 73 runs. The match-winners for Congs were veteran batsman Babar Butt and all-rounder Jeremy Batty.

Butt made an unbeaten 91, punctuated with four sixes and nine fours, as Congs recovered from a slow start to make 192-5. Batty chipped in with 31 to give the innings late impetus, but it was his efforts with the ball which proved most telling.

The former Yorkshire and Somerset off spinner took five for 28 as Saltaire subsided to 119 all out. Overseas player Rahul Kanwat 934) was their top scorer.

Cleckheaton were given a real scare by Esholt before snatching a two-wicket win with three balls to spare. Ian Wardlaw's aggressive 22 not out saw them home in a thrilling contest.

Shahzaib Khan (62no), Phil Carter (50), Paul Cummins (46) and Gulsheraz Ahmed (41) carried Esholt to a a score od 206-4, and Cleckheaton, after sliding to 40-3, soon found themselves under pressure.

Neil Nicholson (36), Craig Thornton (34) and John Wood (33) used their experience to rally their side, but Paul Cummins (4-46) kept them under pressure. In the end two big sixes from Wardlaw proved decisive as a relieved Cleckheaton picked up 16 points to move into fifth place ahead of Bradford & Bingley who went down by 12 runs to Pudsey St Lawrence.

Bradford & Bingley's batting let them down with only opener Scott Etherington 937) making an impression as they were dismissed for 137 in reply to Pudsey St Lawrence's score of 149 all out. Gareth Clough (3-28) and Tim Grey (3-30) were the pick of the St Lawrence bowlers.

St Lawrence had found runs hard to come by when they batted first. Steve Thompson (39no) and Chris Marsden (30) were the only players to make an impression against a bowling attack spearhead by Richard McCarthy (4-18). Young all-rounder Chris Thompson took three for 43. The defeat has put a big dent in Bradford & Bingley's rapidly diminishing title hopes.

Yeadon picked up a maximum 20 points from their 123-run win over rock-bottom Brighouse. Opener Andrew Robertson made 111not out, an innings which contained 13 fours as Yeadon made 233-3 in 44 overs before declaring to give themselves more time to bowl out Brighouse. Grant Soames (78) shared a second-wicket stand of 176 with Robertson.

A magnificent unbeaten century from Lorenzo Inghram enabled Farsley to defeat second-placed Idle by seven-wickets and extend their lead in Division Two to 27 points.

The Jamaican all-rounder hit three sixes and 13 fours in a chanceless innings of 106 not out which enabled Farsley to overhaul Idle's total of 203 with more than eight overs to spare. Inghram was joined in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 143 by former Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire batsman Ashley Metcalfe who made 42 not out.

Metcalfe and Inghram, Farsley's spin twins, had earlier performed well with the ball. Metcalfe took four for 34 in 15 overs with his off spin, while Inghram picked up two for 62 with his left arm spin. Luke Heinemann (43), and skipper Dan Shuffe (32) were the top scorers for Idle.

Gomersal picked up a 20-point maximum against Bankfoot and are now just seven points adrift of Idle who they entertain at Oxford Road next Saturday. Once again the star man for Gomersal was opener Richard Gould. He made 128 to take his tally of league runs for the season to 934. Gould struck four sixes and 14 fours.

He was joined in a first-wicket stand of 106 by teenage batsman Umar Salim (38), while former Yorkshire player Bradley Parker (41) helped swell the score to 251-9. Left arm spinner Andrew Stothart took five for 50 for Bankfoot.

When Bankfoot batted they lost two quick wickets and never recovered. South African Gareth Von Hoesslin (41) and skipper Rob Ellis (32no) tried to spark a revival but their side were eventually dismissed for 153. Adam Greenwood (3-27), Kashif Naveed (3-31) and Nasser Hussain (3-57) were the men who did the damage.

Keighley aren't out of the promotion picture either. They are just six points behind Gomersal after a ten-wicket win over Hartshead Moor. Opener Richard Robinson smashed four sixes and 14 fours in an unbeaten 98 as he and Andy Waggett (36no) shared an unbroken opening stand of 142 in just 25 overs.

Ashley Robinson (3-19) and Dale Towler (3-32) were the key performers with the ball as Hartshead Moor were dismissed for 140. Skipper Simon North (36) offered the only prolonged resistance.

Undercliffe were also ten wicket winners. Mark Gilliver (103no) and Ben Heritage (49no) steered them to victory over a Windhill side who were dismissed for 168. Gilliver struck four sixes and 12 fours.

Heritage had a fine all round game. Earlier he took five for 59 as Windhill were bowled out for 168. Tahir Amin was their top scorer with 36.

Spen Victoria improved their hopes of avoiding having to apply for re-election for a second successive season with a six-wicket win at Lightcliffe. Overseas player Naeemuddin Qazi marked his return to form with an unbeaten 116 as Spen passed Lightcliffe's score of 209-9 with almost 10 overs to spare.

Qazi hit three sixes and 13 fours and shared in an opening stand of 132 with skipper Peter Jackson who made 57 before being run out.

Jonathan Wilson's 72 not out was the cornerstone of Lightcliffe's score of 209-9 while Imran Amin (3-39) and Maz Bhatti (3-56) were the best of the Spen bowlers.

Morley's slump continued as they were dismissed for 65 and suffered a 132-run defeat against Great Horton. The prospect of having to apply for re-election is now an increasing threat. Spinners Suleman Khan (4-15) and Mohammad Sharafat (4-4) brought about their downfall.

Great Horton made 197 all out when they batted first with Khan making 96 and Ziafat Ashraf (48). Rob French (4-30) was Morley's most successful bowler.