Congratulations Barnsley Woolley Miners, Aston Hall and Elsecar 2nds

On Sunday, Barnsley Woolley Miners won through to the Viking Cricket Cup final; Aston Hall won their area final in the Vitality Club T20 Plate, and Elsecar 2nds won the President’s Trophy. 

 

At Shaw Lane, Barnsley Woolley Miners, asked to bat first by Clifton Alliance of Yorkshire Premier League North, posted 200-8 in their 40 overs. Owen Smith’s half-century, made in 56 balls, which included a fifth-wicket stand of 69 with Stevie Walters, rescued his side from a slightly perilous 77-4. Four wickets then fell for 16 runs before Ollie Jackson and Matty Clegg added another 38 in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand to take their side up to the 200 mark. Beck Frostick (3-31) and Ali Jahangir (3-37) then kept the pressure on the Clifton batsmen, who were unable to find the partnership they needed to reach their target and fell 18 short. 

 

Barnsley now face the winners of Woodhouse Grange v Sheriff Hutton Bridge in the final at Wakefield Thornes CC on Sunday 5 September. 

 

In the Group 2 Area Final of the Vitality Club T20 plate at Bawtry CC, Aston Hall won both their matches convincingly to progress to the next stage of the competition. In their first game, against Bawtry, the Green Lane side posted 180-6 in their 20 overs, with the main contributors Mark Barnard (37), Rob Ward (28), Nathan Ward (38) and Josh Coulson (37). There were then three wickets each for Tom Coulson, Nasir Omar and Joe Stickland, as the home side were bowled out for 112 to give the Championship leaders a 68-run win. 

 

In the second game, against Driffield Town of YPLN, an opening stand of 102 between Nasir Omar (35) and Mark Barnard (68) was the foundation for Aston’s 177-7. There were then three more wickets for Tom Coulson, and two for Stickland, as Driffield were restricted to 137-7. 

 

The next stage of the competition, the North Regional Final, on Sunday 28 August, will be played at the Al-Murad stadium, Elsecar, where Aston Hall will face Ribblesdale Wanderers in the first semi-final at 10.00. 

 

In the President’s Trophy, Elsecar 2nds were asked to bat first by Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds and were bowled out for 154 in the 38th over. Kieran Higgins (35), Christopher Pedler (31) and Jason Meadows (34 not out) were the main contributors with the bat, whilst Dilshan Luxman Sukumar took 3-16 for Oughtibridge. Oliver Cockbill-Black (25), Waheed Bhatti (34) and Zayn Wasim (29) top-scored in the Oughtibridge reply, but they lacked support against a strong Elsecar attack, in which there were two wickets apiece for Shaun Pedler, Harrison Hayes and Matthew Tonks, whilst Jason Meadows had the remarkable figures of 8-7-1-3. Elsecar wrapped up the win by 30 runs in the 36th over. 

 

Sadly, Doncaster Town did not progress beyond the semi-finals of the T20 Blast area finals at Wollaton, being beaten by 17 runs by Sleaford of the Lincolnshire League. Unfortunately, Doncaster’s overseas player, Umar Amin, had to return home before last weekend, whilst Sleaford’s overseas, Henry Cooper, was still available and scored a match-winning 79 not out off 58 balls. Andrew Parkin-Coates, with 3-23 in his four overs, was Town’s best bowler. A target of 153 was still within reach, but Town were soon 16-3 in their reply, and despite the efforts of James Keast (48), James Dobson (24) and James Ward (29), they fell just short.