Championship Division round-up -21 August

 

The visitors won the toss at Shaw Lane and asked Barnsley to bat first in a game reduced to 30 overs per side. Tight bowling performances all round enabled them to restrict the home side to little over two runs and over, and a target of just 65 proved no obstacle, Michael Goodchild contributing an unbeaten 27 off 22 balls. Barnsley remain precariously one place above the relegation zone, whilst Collegiate continue to keep up the pressure on the three teams above them. 

 

Barnsley WM 2 64-8 (30) 

Sheffield C 2 65-1 (9) 

 

 

Albeit rain-affected, the game at Chichester Road contained more cricket than any other in the Premier Section on Saturday. Having been put into bat by the visitors, Cleethorpes made a solid start, with Callum Carter and skipper Bill Kirby putting on 67 for the first wicket. Kirby and Sameera Sadamal took the score to 103-1, after which three wickets fell for 16 runs and overs were starting to run out, but Ian Mansfield’s 33 off 34 balls injected some impetus. Mansfield was dismissed by Alex Roebuck, who also took the key wicket of James Osmond in a good spell. Faced with a testing DLS-adjusted target, Wath slipped to 36-3 before Ainsley Swallow and Rob Barlow doubled the score. But Matthew Owen then dismissed both in a fine match-winning spell and the home side got back to winning ways with a comfortable victory, that keeps their noses in front of Whiston at the top of the table. After their excellent mid-season run, Wath have now lost three on the trot and have slipped to sixth place. 

 

Cleethorpes 192-7 (50) Bill Kirby 45, Callum Carter 40, Ian Mansfield 33, Alex Roebuck 3-49 

Wath 123 (32) Ainsley Swallow 31, Matthew Owen 4-26 

 

 

Houghton Main will be frustrated that, after winning the toss, putting their visitors into bat, and Imran Khan and Danish Hussain putting them right on top, the weather intervened to prevent them from pushing home their advantage. The home side are now 16 points behind second-placed Whiston with three games to go, whilst Sprotbrough, next-to-bottom, are ten points behind Barnsley, whom they play next week. 

 

Sprotbrough 58-6 (19.1) Imran Khan 3-22, Danish Hussain 3-15 

Houghton M did not bat 

 

 

After electing to bat first against bottom club Oughtibridge, in-form Rockingham lost three early wickets to reduce their visitors to 25-3, but opener Ben Dalton held the innings together with a patient half-century. Unfortunately, the rain intervened with the game still very much in the balance. 

 

Rockingham C 150-7 (40) Ben Dalton 53, Muhammad Asim Khan 3-22 

Oughtibridge WM 

 

 

Warmsworth asked visitors Conisbrough to bat first at Common Lane and had them in some trouble before rain brought proceedings to a halt. After they lost their openers with just eight on the board, Matthew Barnes and Stuart Coleman added 58 for the visitors’ third wicket before both fell to Lewis Brown. 

 

Conisbrough 78-5 (29) Matthew Barnes 30, Stuart Coleman 30 

Warmsworth did not bat 

 

 

After Whiston won the toss at Chuchfields and decided to bowl first; Danny Kemp dispatched both openers, Aamir Jamal struck twice, and then three wickets fell to Joe Norbury for the addition of just three runs, to leave Aston Hall reeling on 52-7. Jared Lovell and Adam Clark (21) offered some resistance, but both were dismissed by Jamal as the innings was brought to a swift conclusion. Joe Norbury and Lewis Sansome then put on 94 for the home side’s first wicket in quick time, to give second-placed Whiston the win before the rains came. Whiston remain two points behind Cleethorpes, but Aston Hall have now not won since 19 June, and slip into the bottom half of the table. 

 

Aston Hall 102 (28.4) Jared Lovell 30, Aamir Jamal 4-43, Joe Norbury 3-15 

Whiston PC 103-1 (11.2) Lewis Sansome 30*, Joe Norbury 56