Round-up of games played on 19 & 20 April

In the top Premier Division game at Alderson Drive, champions Cleethorpes lost by 21 runs to last season’s third-placed side, Tickhill. The hosts recovered from 12-3 to reach 188-9 after being put in to bat, largely thanks to debutant Bilal Anjam (65), whilst Josh Knapton took 4-53. Jordan Cook made 47 in the visitors’ reply, but Adam Copley, with 6-29 on his debut, bowled his team to victory. Kieran Lindley (61) was the mainstay of Appleby Frodingham’s 194-9 at home to Sheffield Collegiate, Shaaiq Choudhry taking 4-38 for the visitors. In reply, Collegiate reached their target with four wickets and nearly five overs to spare, thanks to Jack Timby (44) and Abdul Faseeh (51), before Sheryaar Ali weighed in with 42 on his debut. Promoted Wickersley Old Village put up a good fight on their return to the top division; Liam Patterson White took 4-45 as they bowled their bowled hosts Wakefield Thornes out for 190 after putting them in to bat. Hamzah Younis (53) and skipper Iftikhar Afzal (47 not out) then rescued the visitors from 75-6 with as seventh-wicket stand of 87, but new skipper Matt Taylor took 5-60 as Thornes got home by seven runs. A much-changed Barnsley Woolley Miners side put on an excellent display to beat Shiregreen by seven wickets at Hatfield House Lane. Haris Khan (55 off 42 balls) got the hosts off to a blistering start, but Mansoor Shinwari (6-35) and the visitors new South African all-rounder Shaun Whitehead (4-25) combined to bowl them out for 159. Whitehead then completed a superb debut with an unbeaten 66 off 47 balls in an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 86 with another debutant, Jash Giyanani (49 not out off 47 balls), as the visitors cantered home with 22 overs to spare. Doncaster Town produced a dominant display to crush Cawthorne at Dark Lane. Only Harry Allinson (79) got to grips with a varied visiting attack, and the hosts were bowled out for 127, after being put in to bat. Then Jaden Fell (44 not out) put on an unbroken stand of 111 with new Indian overseas all-rounder Bhargav Merai, who made a fine unbeaten 53 to add to his earlier three wickets, and Town cruised home with 23 overs to spare. Alex Hughes (48) and the returning Andre Bradford (53) gave Hallam a decent start after they were put in to bat by Whitley Hall at Baxter Field; but Callum Bethel took 5-40 to bowl them out for 167. Then Tim Smith (76) and the experienced Neil Longhurst (44 not out) put on 117 for the third wicket to see the hosts home with seven wickets and 17 overs to spare. 

 

The game of the day in the Championship Division saw Ackworth beat Wath by just as single run at Moor Road. George Gillespie top-scored with 41 in the visitors’ 160 all out, skipper Rob Barlow taking 4-46 for the hosts. Then Joshua Hen-Boisen bowled the decisive spell of 5-34 as Wath fell agonisingly short, despite an unbeaten 52 from debutant Fazil Reza. The two relegated clubs met at the Al-Murad Stadium, where new Treeton skipper Harvey Wootton (86) put on an opening stand of 144 with Mark Cummins (69) to take the visitors to 227-5 after they were put in to bat. In Elsecar’s reply, Arslan Mir made 48, but Cummins completed an excellent debut with 5-33 to see his side home by 46 runs. New overseas signing Parteek Khasa made an impressive start to his Sprotbrough career with an unbeaten 113 off just 68 balls (nine 4s, seven 6s) and, with half-centuries from Thomas Pepper and Lewis Hogg, the hosts reached an imposing 286-4 after being put in to bat by Rockingham Colliery at Melton Road. Only Lasith Lakshan (83) had much answer to the Sprotbrough attack, and the visitors were bowled out well short at 170 in reply. Arman Jaffer (76) and Danny Kemp (94) helped Whiston Parish Church to an impressive 270-8 against newly-promoted Oughtibridge War Memorial at Waterside Gardens. In reply, fifties from Jack Newton and Ikramullah Naseri were insufficient to stop the hosts falling to an 86-run defeat, Tom Bolland taking 4-28 for the visitors. George Bartlett (103) and Samuel Meadows (69) put on 144 for Sheffield Collegiate 2nds’ first wicket in their 249-4 at home to the other newly-promoted side, Tickhill 2nds. James Eaton (72) and Ibrahim Safi (54) were then in the runs for the visitors, but could not stop them from falling to a 21-run defeat, Matthew Tyas proving the match-winner with 4-21 for Collegiate. Aston Hall were restricted to 157-6 after being put in to bat by Doncaster Town 2nds at Green Lane; then opener Robert Grace made an unbeaten 62 as his side passed their target with seven wickets and eight overs to spare. 

 

In Division 1, promoted Coal Aston stretched their winning run to 21 league games, with a five-wicket win over Wickersley Old Village 2nds at Northfield Lane. After they put the hosts in to bat and restricting them to 193-9, Jack Hall’s unbeaten 101 led the visitors to victory with seven overs to spare. Darfield got their promotion bid up-and-running with a comfortable 91-run win over Penistone at Queen Street. Skipper Joe Stickland (91) and Jabari Mills (65) helped them to 223-8, despite Jack Meek’s 5-51. Saman Kursheed took 4-23 as the hoists were bowled out for 128 in reply. Habil Arshad, with 4-31 and 90 not out was the main man for Upper Haugh, who bowled Conisbrough out for 150 after putting them in to bat at Park Road, then knocked off the required runs for the loss of three wickets in the 18th over. Riaz Khan took 4-60 for Houghton Main when they bowled Whitley Hall 2nds out for 194 after asking them to bat first at Middlecliffe Lane. Chris Siddall then took 4-22, to add to his top first innings score of 44, when the hosts were bowled out for 149 in reply. Limar Pierce took 5-22 for Warmsworth to help them bowl Barnsley Woolley Miners 2nds out for 103 at Shaw Lane, then Rhys Mann was unbeaten on 50 when the visitors passed their target without loss of wicket in 24 overs. 

 

Division 2 newcomers Frickley Colliery got off to a winning start at home to relegated side Wakefield Thornes 2nds. George Harrison took 4-59 as the hosts were bowled out for 122 after being put in to bat, but Kieran McIntyre then took 5-37 to inspire his side to a 37-run win. Hallam 2nds, who narrowly missed out on promotion last year, got off to a good start this time by beating another relegated side, Elsecar 2nds, at Crimicar. They asked their visitors to bat first and restricted them to 149-7, before the game’s top-scorer, Tom Burford (46), led them to a three-wicket win with eight overs to spare. Promoted Cawthorne 2nds made it a forgettable afternoon for the relegated teams when they got their own campaign off to a fine start, chasing down 249 to beat Aston Hall 2nds at Green Lane. Keeper Thomas Moss (72 not out) and Zaheer Mirza (71) lifted the hosts from 115-6 with a 131-run seventh wicket stand, taking them to 248-7. Opener Brennan Wilson spearheaded the visitors’ response with 108 off 114 balls, and they passed their target with five wickets and two balls to spare. Another promoted side, Norton Woodseats, got off to a good start, with a seven-wicket win over Sheffield United at Bawtry Road. Aamir Ashfaque took 6-38 to help bowl the hosts out for 145 when they were put in to bat, and then skipper Daniel Laughlin was unbeaten on 60 when Woodseats passed their target with seven wickets and nine overs to spare. The third promoted side, Millhouses Works, were not so lucky. Lee Stewart (4-20) helped them bowl near-neighbours Parkhead out for 166 at Eccleshall Road; but then Luke Davison’s 4-28 was instrumental in bowling the visitors out for 125. At Smithywood Road, Thorpe Hesley & High Green made 145 all out after being asked to bat first, Hafeez Ali making 66 and Sam Patel taking 4-37. In reply, Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds passed their target with seven wickets and 11 overs left. 

 

Two of the three sides promoted to Division 3 opened their seasons with wins. Last season’s Division 4 champions, Frecheville Community, put Higham in to bat at the Hobson Bowl and bowled them out for 98, Thomas Duffield taking 4-22. The hosts then lost five wickets in scoring the required 99 with nine overs left. The two other promoted sides met at Hoyland Common, where Shiregreen 2nds were put in to bat by Rockingham Colliery 2nds and bowled out for 110. The hosts were 41-5 in reply, but skipper Matt Cox and Johnson Marumisa then both hit forties in a brisk unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 71 to steer their side home with 23 overs to spare. Hatfield Town took the first step towards an immediate return to Division 2 when they visited Oakes Park and beat Norton Oakes by six-wickets. After they put their hosts in to bat and restricted them to 165-9, debutant Joshua Hartfield hit an unbeaten 51 to lead his side home with 15 overs to spare. Sheffield Caribbean had a five-wicket win over Bradfield Village Fellowship at the Common. Noah Jackson made an unbeaten 51 to take the visitors to 155-6 after being put in to bat, then Bjorn Taylor (67) led the hosts to victory with four overs to spare. Alex Charlesworth (57) and Lewis Wilkinson (49 not out) put on 84 for Worsbrough Bridge’s seventh wicket to lift them from 86-6 after being put in to bat by Treeton 2nds at Washfield Lane. Liam Levitt then took 5-25 as the hosts fell 94 short of their target of 205. Sheffield Collegiate 3rds were only a point away from promotion last year, and on Sunday, they opened their campaign with a hard-fought win over Wath 2nds at Abbeydale. James Barnard (67) top-scored in the visitors 170-5, then Andy Simpson (87 not out off 77 balls) rescued Collegiate from 39-4 and helped them to their target with three wickets and three overs to spare. 

 

Only Coal Aston 2nds out of the three promoted clubs in Division 4 were able to open their campaign with a win, this by eight wickets over Sheffield Collegiate 4ths at Stonelow, when chasing 128 for victory. Louis Richardson took 5-24 for Sprotbrough 2nds against Sheffield University Staff at Warminster Road, after the hosts were put in to bat and bowled out for 71. Chris Stride then took 4-16 to ensure that the visitors did not have everything their own way, but they still had four wickets and 18 overs to spare after reaching their target. Callum Bentley’s unbeaten 50 was the highlight of Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds’ 171-5 against Barnby Dun at Woolley, and the hosts duly completed an 84-run win. Jonathan Scaife (4-30) helped Wombwell Main bowl Stocksbridge out for 148 after being put in at Bracken Moor, then Thomas Goldsby-West (59 not out) led the visitors to a four-wicket win. Michael Gilmour (5-42) helped hosts Thorncliffe & Wentworth to bowl Kexborough out for for 151, despite 53 from Joseph Bullock. Thorncliffe then cruised to an eight-wicket win in the 38th over. Kirk Bennett took 5-35 after Doncaster Town 3rds had put Upper Haugh 2nds in to bat at Wentworth Road and they were all out for 176. Keeper Ewan Whittaker then hit an unbeaten 68 in the visitors three-wicket win. 

 

In Division 5, Ackworth 2nds, who finished just outside the promotion places last time, had a massive 176-run win over relegated Silkstone United; keeper Jai Makkar with an unbeaten 94 led another relegated side, Hallam 3rds, to a 30-run win over Fishlake; Kevin Marshall took 5-13 to help promoted Hatfield Town 2nds to a 59-run win over Conisbrough 2nds; skipper Kelvin Defty (99) led promoted Warmsworth 2nds to 207-6 against Maltby Miners Welfare, before Marcus Green took 6-0 in 13 balls to seal a 134-run win; and Whiston Forge bowled Whiston Parish Church 2nds out for 59 before completing an eight-wicket win. 

 

In Division 6, there was a tie at School Lane, where relegated Darfield 2nds made 159-8 in reply to Sheffield Caribbean 2nds’ 159-6; Sajid Hussain (97) and Amrithesh Uppumtharamel (5-18) helped Waverley mark their YCSPL debut with a 146-run win over Mexborough Athletic; James Needham (71) led the second new team in the division, Wadworth, to a four-wicket win over Whitley Hall 3rds; Dan Finch (5-20) bowled Millhouses Works 2nds to a 67-run win over relegated Handsworth Junior SC; skipper James Proctor’s unbeaten 71 and 7-20 from Dominic Proctor helped Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds to a 32-run win over promoted Scholes & Harley; and there was a very close finish at Brookhouse, where relegated Wickersley Old Village 3rds had one wicket and two balls to spare when they beat promoted Green Moor. 

 

Alistair Cooper (118) and James Lawson (84 not out) put on 220 for the third wicket in Higham 2nds’ 246-3 in their 33-run win over Sheffield United 2nds, in a battle between two relegated sides in Division 7; James Wadsworth (56) and skipper Matthew Eades (73) put on an opening stand of 135 to ease Adwick-le-Street to a nine-wicket win over Barnsley Woolley Miners 4ths; Nick Cutts’ 5-32 for relegated Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds was in vain as they fell to a 22-run defeat to Stocksbridge 2nds; Doncaster Town 4ths beat promoted Rockingham Colliery 3rds by just three runs at Blaxton; and despite an unbeaten 61 and three wickets for Jasneet Gulati, Upper Haugh 3rds beat Brookhouse by four wickets. 

 

Jamie McTaggart’s 4-1-4-5 helped promoted Dearne to a 48-run win over relegated Eden Grove Parklands in Division 8; but Mehdi Naqvi’s 5-31 for Norton Woodseats 2nds helped them beat the other promoted side, Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds, by eight wickets; a fine all-round performance by Hallam 4ths saw them to a 123-run success over relegated Houghton Main 2nds; an unbeaten 56 from keeper Dale Lattimore led Barnby Dun 2nds to a four-wicket win over relegated Sprotbrough 3rds; Wombwell Main 2nds beat another relegated side, Norton Oakes 2nds, by four wickets; and there was a seven-wicket win for Monk Bretton 2nds over Kexborough 2nds. 

 

Waverley 2nds emulated their first team by getting off to a winning start in the League, Belgin Thomas’ 80 leading them to a 65-run win over relegated Frecheville Community 2nds in Division 9; Mexborough Athletic 2nds made a good start to their bid for an immediate return to Division 8, as Matthew Blackman (64 not out) led them to an eight-wicket win over Silkstone United 2nds; Elsecar 3rds did likewise, beating Fishlake 2nds by the same margin; and Worsbrough Bridge 2nds made it a hat-trick for relegated sides with a 54-run win over the debutant Sheffield University Staff 2nds, Darren Newton taking 5-22 for Bridge as the Staff were bowled out for 146; Whiston Forge 2nds enjoyed a 102-run success over newcomers Oughtibridge War Memorial 3rds; and Wath 3rds beat Scholes & Harley 2nds by eight wickets. Eden Grove Parklands 2nds conceded to Frickley Colliery 2nds.