First teams review May 5 2012

Division One

Undercliffe’s new opening bowler Mubtada Akhtar made a stunning debut for his new club taking 7-24 as last year’s runners-up Farsley were skittled out for 54 when the new season finally got under way.

Akhtar, a close season signing from Bowling Old Lane, announced his arrival in the top

flight in style as Undercliffe opened their campaign with an emphatic nine-wicket win.

Yorkshire’s Callum Geldart hit an unbeaten 46 as Undercliffe romped to their target in 12 overs. It meant that the entire match was wrapped up in just 31,4 overs.

East Bierley were another side to get bowled out cheaply. They were dismissed for 76 as Bradford & Bingley cruised to an eight-wicket victory.

Skipper Lee Goddard (38) was the only East Bierley batsman to come to terms with the bowling as Chris Thompson (4-30), Phil Slater (3-3), and new overseas player Sandheep Ravishankar (3-16).

Alex Atkinson, a close season capture from Netherfield, hit and unbeaten 49 to steer Bradford & Bingley home.

Newly-promoted Saltaire’s shrewd recruitment paid early dividends as they recorded an 11-run victory over the 2010 champions Pudsey Congs.

New overseas professional Nawaz Sardar – signed from Undercliffe – found conditions at Roberts Park to his liking and took 4-9 in an impressive 12.1 over spell of pace bowling. Evergreen skipper Ijaz Khan (3-34) was the other main wicket taker as Congs were dismissed for 96 in reply to Saltaire’s 207-4. Eugene Burzler (36) was top scorer for Congs.

Two of Saltaire’s new recruits, Irfan Amjad (58) and Tabbi Bhatti (36)– back at the club where he launched his Bradford League career – made key contributions along with Fahid Rehman (46no)

Lightcliffe lost by ten runs to Manningham Mills on their return to the top flight. New Mills overseas professional Ali Noman took 4-36 on his debut and was well supported by Iqbal Khan (3-24) as Lightcliffe finished on 179-9 in reply to the Mills’ score of 189-8.

Alex Stead (69) and Charles Roebuck (39) were the pick of the Lightcliffe batsmen but couldn’t prevent Mills from opening their season with a win.

Opener Farakh Hussain (66) laid the foundation for the Mills innings while Khan (36no) scored quick runs at the end of the innings after Lightcliffe’s new overseas player Suleman Khan took 5-50 on his debut. Khan’s hitting was to prove crucial. as he hit hit four sixes and two fours.

Champions Woodlands recovered from 16-3 to post the day’s highest score of 232-8 as they defeated Hanging Heaton by 36 runs.

Simon Mason led the way with a determined 58 and shared in a vital fourth-wicket stand of 112 with Chris Brice (39). Grant Soames (41) continued the good work before Sarfraz Ahmed produced some late fireworks with four sixes in his 33. Former Yorkshire leg spinner Mark Lawson was the most successful bowler with 3-42.

Hanging Heaton made a spirited reply but were always behind the asking rate as Woodlands skipper Pieter Swanepoel took 5-43. Joe Frazer (49) and former Yorkshire wicketkeeper Ismail Dawood – back at the club after a spell at East Bierley – chipped in with 44.

Cleckheaton are notoriously slow starters and the delayed opening to the campaign didn’t seem to help them as they went down to a 47-run defeat against Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup holders Pudsey St Lawrence.

Two of St Lawrence’s young batsmen David Hester (65) and Adam Waite (62) caught the eye as they helped their side to a total of 177-9 despite the efforts of Ian Wood (3-31) and Andrew Deegan (3-32).

Cleckheaton were dismissed for 130 with debut-making Richard Whitehurst top scoring with 58. He hit a six and eight fours in an innings that spanned 84 balls – positively pedestrian when compared with the record-breaking 11-ball half-century he made against St Lawrence for Gomersal two years ago.

Andrew Pollock, St Lawrence’s young overseas player from New Zealand, took 3-38, and fellow new boy Oliver Ashford (3-19) and both had the distinction of taking a wicket with their first ball in Bradford League cricket for the club. Andrew Pollock clean bowled Cleckheaton skipper John Wood and Ashford followed suit by bowling Tim Jackson in the next over. The pick of the bowlers was off spinner Steve Watts (4-37)

Division Two

New Keighley captain Max Davidson made a big impression on his first day in charge as he took 6-22 to secure a 115-run win over Idle.

The opening bowler destroyed the Idle innings as they were dismissed for 80 in reply to Keighley’s195-5, a score built around a solid innings of 72 from young opener Freddie Pearson.

The relegated duo of Baildon and Gomersal made winning starts. Baildon defeated Hartshead Moor by 29 runs at Jenny Lane while Gomersal secured a 52-run victory at Bowling Old Lane.

Tom Smallwood (68) and Jonny Reynolds (40) helped Baildon to compile a total of 216-9. Left-armer George Saville was the best of the Hartshead Moor bowlers with 3-56.

Hartshead Moor were dismissed for 187 in reply with Craig Field hitting 64. Sohail Raz, Baildon’s new-signing from Hunslet Nelson, proved to be the key bowler with 4-29.

Gomersal’s decision to promote experienced slow left-arm bowler Chris Rhodes from the second team paid early dividends as he took 4-21 as they bowled out Old Lane for 109 in reply to their total of 161-9. Left-arm opening bowlers James Russell (3-10) was the other key bowler for Gomersal. Only Tahir Khan (64) looked at ease for Old Lane.

The top scorer for Gomersal was former Old Lane player Abid Alishan (40) who was making his debut against his old club. New skipper Adam Greenwood chipped in with 34 while experienced leg-spinner Mahboob Hussain (3-30) and Awais Ejaz (3-34) were Old Lane’s most successful bowlers.

Morley, fourth last season, got off to a flying start with an eight-wicket win over Windhill. Overseas player Kashif Naveed took 4-18 as Windhill were bowled out for just 67.

Oliver Halliday was in good all-round form as Yeadon opened with a three-wicket win over Bankfoot. Halliday took 3-37 as he and last season’s winner of the Ernest Lodge Young Spinner of the Year award, Ben Elvidge (3-46), helped restrict the home side to 172-9. Halliday followed up with (43) and gave good support to Tariq Mehboob who made a fine 65,

Runs were in short supply as Spen Lane where the home side defeated Brighouse by five wickets. Brighouse laboured for 50 overs to make 87-7. Left-arm spinner Ben Platt, a winter signing from Gomersal, returned the stunning figures of 15-10-13-3. Former Woodlands player Nick Rushworth made 46 as Spen reached their target despite the efforts of their former off spinner Will Smith (3-20).