Premier Division round-up for 30 July

Champions Appleby Frodingham took a huge step towards retaining their title at Brumby Hall yesterday. After being asked to bat first by their nearest challengers Tickhill, the Steelmen did not have matters at all their own way, slipping to 46-5 as Josh Court and Paddy Turner took two early wickets apiece. Skipper Matt Morland and keeper Drew Silvester then dug in and added an invaluable 48 for the sixth wicket in a patient and determined stand. Alex Rowland then dismissed both, and the home side closed on a modest 127-8. This proved to be a match-winning score however, as the visitors collapsed from 28-1 to 59 all out, with all four home bowlers amongst the wickets. Appleby now lead the table by 30 points with six games left, whilst Tickhill’s lead over Wakefield Thornes in third is cut to just six points. 

 

Appleby Frodingham 127-8 (50) Drew Silvester 38, Alex Rowland 3-41 

Tickhill 59 (25.4) Paul Hilton 3-14, Kieran Lindley 3-2 

 

Another side to ask their opponents to bat first were Wakefield Thornes, against Cawthorne at Field Lane. Cawthorne’s top four all fired, but without any of them going on to make a match-winning score. Michael Jepps and Liam Wiles put on 77 for the first wicket, and the visitors reached 204-4 before number four batsman Kade Fletcher was run out by Jawad Akhtar for 58 off 58 balls. But Matty Taylor then took over and added four more wickets to his earlier dismissal of Archie Greaves, as the visitors lost their last six wickets for just eight runs. Facing a testing target of 213, Thornes got off to a fine start as Kieran Donnachie shared stands of 75 with Jamie Howarth and 71 with Joe Billings for the first two wickets. But when James Rhodes was fourth out at 181, Thornes lost four wickets for 24, and it was Taylor, with 12 not out, who steered his side home with three wickets and five balls to spare. 

 

Cawthorne 212 (48.5) Michael Jepps 55, Liam Wiles 35, Taruwar Kohli 34, Kade Fletcher 58, Matty Taylor 5-57 

Wakefield T 215-7 (49.1) Kieran Donnachie 68, Jamie Howarth 40 

 

There was another last over finish at Shaw Lane, where visitors Treeton, who had been asked to bat first by Barnsley Woolley Miners, had earlier posted a competitive 219-7 in an innings shortened by rain to 48 overs. Treeton’s top order took them to 144-3 and, with Viraj Bhosale and Sam Drury going well, a big score looked on the cards; but after Ali Jahangir dismissed Drury, the home side managed to exert some control. Jake Weatherald and Beck Frostick then put on a brisk 54 for the home side’s first wicket before Weatherald fell to Vinnie Ogden, at which point a longer stoppage due to rain reduced the target to 174 in 32 overs. Vinnie Ogden took two more wickets to make it 69-3, but Jon Trower, with 44 off 42 balls, added 53 with Jahangir before being bowled by Liam Johnson. The Griffins reduced the ask to just ten, before Ogden took three more wickets without addition to the score. With still ten required off the last over and Ollie Jackson on strike, he hit two off the first ball and boundaries off the next two to provoke jubilation from the home side. Barnsley move up to joint fourth, whilst Treeton are still just four points above the relegation places. 

 

Treeton 219-7 (48) Chris Cobb 33, Viraj Bhosale 44, Sam Drury 32 

Barnsley WM 175-9 (31.3) Jon Trower 44, Vinnie Ogden 6-56 

 

Doncaster Town beat both visitors Whiston Parish Church and the weather with a win inside 37 overs after the visitors had won the toss and elected to bat first at Town Fields. Joel Gunn took three of the first four wickets to fall, and when Kazim Hassan was run out by Jaden Fell, the visitors were 25-5. James Dobson also weighed in with three wickets, as Danny Kemp provided the only real resistance with 31 off 56 balls before being last out at 55. Fell then hit 40 off 32 balls as the home side cantered to a victory that keeps them level on points with Barnsley, whilst Whiston are 36 adrift at the bottom. 

 

Whiston PC 55 (27.1) Danny Kemp 31, Joel Gunn 3-18, James Dobson 3-17 

Doncaster T 56- 0 (9.1) Jaden Fell 40* 

 

At Abbeydale, Sheffield Collegiate were another side to ask the opposition to bat first, and visitors Cleethorpes responded with the division’s highest partnership of the day – 110 for the first wicket by Tom Keast and Bill Kirby. But batting was not easy, and after that five wickets fell for 21 runs before Ian Mansfield and Kieran Brooker gave the visitors a decent total to bowl against. Henry Eldred was the pick of the Collegiate attack. The home side did not find batting any easier, and Sameera Sadamal took four of the first five wickets to fall as Collegiate stumbled to 78-5. Dan Priestley and Sam Hunt then added 66 for the sixth wicket to get their side back into the game, but after David Mansfield, back with the club after three years away, took the wicket of Priestley, the last five wickets fell for just 23 to give Cleethorpes a rare, but vital, win at Abbeydale. They now have a little breathing space, 14 points above the relegation places, whilst Collegiate appear consigned to a mid-table finish. 

 

Cleethorpes 197-6 (50) Tom Keast 71, Bill Kirby 43, Kieran Brooker 30*, Henry Eldred 4-46 

Sheffield Coll 167 (45.4) George Bartlett 31, Sam Hunt 45, Sameera Sadamal 5-42, David Mansfield 3-34 

 

 

League table and leading averages