Championship Division round-up - 14 August

 

 

Barnsley 2nds gave their Championship survival hopes a huge boost with a tense two-wicket win at Green Lane. After deciding to bat first, Ali Ahmed (18) and Rob Ward (27) put on 48 for the home side’s first wicket. The visitors then bowled themselves back into the game, four wickets falling for the addition of 56 runs, before Jared Lovell and Johannes Bothma put on 66 for the fifth wicket to enable the hosts to set a competitive score. Barnsley were 33-2 when Zak Jahangir came to the crease, and he turned the game in the visitors favour, adding 101 for the fifth wicket with William Nicholson to take his side to within sight of victory. Barnsley are now 14 points clear of the relegation zone, whilst for Aston Hall, their seventh successive defeat drops them into the bottom half of the table. 

 

Aston Hall 194-6 (50) Jared Lovell 42, Johannes Bothma 41 

Barnsley WM 2 195-8 (49.5) Zak Jahangir 76, William Nicholson 41 

 

 

Cleethorpes' six-match winning run came to an end at St Peter’s Drive. After electing to bat first, a 55-run third-wicket stand between Sameera Sadamal and Tom Rollinson appeared to be rescuing them from a poor start in which they lost both openers with just 16 on the board. But both fell to the outstanding Hassan Bin Shahab, who, with fine support from Scott Lowe and Buddhika Sanjeewa, precipitated a collapse from 71-2 to 107 all out. The visitors' only hope lay in taking quick wickets, but Mathew Lowe and Joe Farmer put on 75 for Conisbrough’s first wicket, and they inflicted on Cleethorpes only their third defeat of the season. It was a first win in five for the home side, and keeps them clear of the relegation zone, whist the Seasiders are now just two points ahead of Whiston at the top. 

 

Cleethorpes 107 (34.1) Sameera Sadamal 33, Tom Rollinson 30, Buddhika Sanjeewa 3-36, Scott Lowe 3-45, Hassan Bin Shahab 4-23 

Conisbrough 109-3 (34.2) Mathew Lowe 32, Joe Farmer 31, Edd Lumby 3-34 

 

 

The visitors won the toss and elected to bowl first at Waterside Gardens. Only when Hamzah Ilyas and Ashley Naseby added 50 for the home side’s third wicket did they look like making the visitors regret their decision. But Aamir Jamal, in another outstanding spell, dispatched Ilyas, after which wickets fell regularly. A target of 137 was never going to be enough against free-scoring Whiston, and openers Andrew Tomlinson and skipper Gareth Davis knocked off the runs in quick time. The win leaves Whiston just two points behind leaders Cleethotpes; whilst Oughtibridge remain rooted at the bottom of the table. 

 

Oughtibridge WM 136 (45.4) Hamzah Ilyas 34, Ashley Naseby 44, Aamir Jamal 5-39, Andrew Tominson 3-5 

Whiston PC 140-0 (20.4) Andrew Tomlinson 64*, Gareth Davis 62* 

 

 

When Collegiate, who had elected to bat first, were 112-5 and the experienced Ed McKenna retired injured, Warmsworth would have been happy with their afternoon’s work. But then Michael Simpson blasted 95 off 58 balls, adding 101 for the sixth wicket with brother Andy, and Collegiate suddenly had a large total to bowl against. After the loss of two early wickets, Rhys Mann and Limar Pierce added 80 for the third wicket for Warmsworth, but after Tom Eldred dismissed Mann for the first of his four wickets, the visitors’ challenge subsided and the home side recorded a comfortable win. Collegiate remain in fifth place and Warmsworth eighth. 

 

Sheffield C 2 262-8 (50) Tate Miller 32, Michael Simpson 95, Matthew Wilson 3-88 

Warmsworth 164 (42.5) Rhys Mann 50, Limar Pierce 50, Tom Eldred 4-52, Ben Fielding 3-16 

 

 

Sprotbrough elected to bat first at Melton Road and, despite a determined knock from Gordon Thomson, struggled to get on top of a visitors’ attack in which Nazakat Khan was outstanding. Facing a comparatively modest target, Harry Grindle and Ben Dalton got Rockingham off to a decent start with an opening stand of 63. Khan re-entered the fray at 90-2 and his unbeaten 44 off 63 balls ensured a comfortable win for his side as well as completing a fine all-round personal performance. Sprotbrough are now winless in six games and remain in the relegation zone, whilst Rockingham, with four wins in five, are now in the top half of the table. 

 

Sprotbrough 169-7 (50) Gordon Thomson 45, Nazakat Khan 3-39 

Rockingham C 172-4 (41.4) Harry Grindle 45, Ben Dalton 31, Nazakat Khan 44*, Gordon Thomson 3-42 

 

 

Wath elected to bat first at Moor Road but found run-scoring difficult against a visiting attack in which Dylan Smythe was outstanding. When they were 103-1, the home side appeared to have put down the foundations for a decent score, but they then lost four wickets for just three runs, three of them to Smythe. Rob and Mark Barlow attempted to rebuild with 53 for the sixth wicket but a target of 178 was insufficient to trouble the visitors. Openers Michael Brown and Brent Law put on 140 for the first wicket to put the result beyond doubt. Houghton Main remain in third place, ready to pounce if either of the leaders falter, whilst Wath are safely ensconced in mid-table thanks to their six-match winning run in June and July. 

 

Wath 177-7 (50) Jams Barnard 46, Bradley Williams 33, Rob Barlow 36*, Dylan Smythe 4-33 

Houghton M 181-1 (37.5) Michael Brown 50, Brent Law 83*