Senior Section round-up 11 September - Part I

 

 

Upper Haugh secured an eighth-place finish when they won away at relegated Aston Hall 2nds. Electing to bat first, the away side posted an imposing total, finishing on 230-8. It was an innings which could have been entirely different, as the hosts had them 23-4 in the early stages. That was until Tommy Hyde and Josh Middleton came to the crease and shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 110 to catapult their side towards a competitive score. Hyde was the aggressor as he scored an excellent 85 off 111 balls, whilst Middleton made his way to a measured half-century at the other end. Of the Aston Hall bowlers, who will have been frustrated to lose such a good position, Omar Wiggins came away with the best figures, 4-48. The home side’s openers, Stan Ashton and Tim Shaw, began well, sharing a stand of 85, but wickets soon started tumbling. There was some resistance from Ben Ashton (21) and Omar Wiggins (25) in the middle order, but they eventually fell well short. Two bowlers did all the damage for Upper Haugh; Tom Bolland and Tommy Hyde, the latter capping an excellent game with 5-46. 

 

Upper Haugh 230-8 (50) Tommy Hyde 85, Josh Middleton 52, Omar Wiggins 4-48 

Aston Hall 2 189 (48.3) Stan Ashton 36, Tim Shaw 44, Tom Bolland 4-32, Tommy Hyde 5-46 

 

 

Rotherham Town finished a good season in third place with a big win at home to Hallam 2nds, who have been relegated. After electing to bat, the home side posted 225 in their 50 overs, thanks mainly to an impressive 77 off 73 balls from Rahim Karim, backed up by cameos from the rest of the order. Michael Gilmour was the shining light in the visitors’ bowling display with season-best figures of 5-38. Hallam made an indifferent start in reply, but reached 82-3, after whch not a single batsman below the top four made it into double figures and they collapsed to 143 all out. Talha Shaheer led the way for Upper Haugh with 5-26 – another season-best. 

 

Rotherham T 225 (50) Dhruv Shahi 32, Rahim Khan 77, Nick Cooper 3-43, Michael Gilmour 5-38 

Hallam 2 143 (41.2) Jack Snelling 41, Saleem Karim 3-40, Talha Shaheer 5-26 

 

 

Promoted Green Moor won a tight game away at South Kirkby, to end their season on a high. After being put into bat, Chris Matthewman and Anthony Godley (28) added 62 for the second wicket, but the home side’s bowlers then got on top and the last eight wickets fell for 57. All five of the home side's attack took wickets with Bailey Hopkins claiming three cheap victims in the middle order. The home side’s task looked straightforward with no real scoreboard pressure, but Green Moor’s bowlers had other ideas. The hosts fell to 46-5 before a Lee Tarbuck and Dale Woolsey added 37. But the visitors attack then reasserted control, with Joseph White taking a five-wicket haul, and the home side fell just short. 

 

Green Moor 144 (50) Chris Matthewman 35, Callum Johnson 31, Bailey Hopkins 3-12 

South Kirkby C 135 (48.1) Lee Tarbuck 31, Joseph White 5-36 

 

 

Title-winners Shiregreen got the better of Treeton 2nds, whose defeat confirmed their relegation, on the final day of the season. The home side won the toss and elected to bat, hoping to spoil Shiregreen’s promotion party and give themselves a chance of staying up. Their hopes were soon dashed, however, as Muhammad Naseem inflicted most of the damage with a brilliant 7-48, his best figures of the season, which took him to 43 wickets overall. Shiregreen’s response was far from a walk in the park, as all of the top four were removed for single figures to leave them on 35-4. However, Kamran Khan (27*) and Naseer Nahaim (21*) stepped up and saw the champions over the line. 

 

Treeton 2 102 (29.2) Muhammed Naseem 7-48 

Shiregreen  105-5 (23) Jon Boden 3-34 

 

 

Darfield have finished the season strongly and ended with an excellent chase away at Wakefield Thornes 2nds. Electing to bat first, the home side will have been happy with their total; Joe Cuthbertson leading the way and falling agonisingly short of a century with 97 off 129 balls at the top of the order; the next highest score being 28 from Jonathan Scott. It was a total that put Darfield under some pressure, but they rose to the challenge magnificently. Josh Care and Kastun Stoute had put on 110 for the first wicket; Matthew Higgins then added 70 for the fourth wicket with Spencer Lavender to all but see their side home. Saman Khursheed then finished the job off with an unbeaten 28, as they made it home with six wickets and over ten overs remaining. 

 

Wakefield T 2 222-7 (50) Joe Cuthbertson 97 

Darfield 223-4 (39.4) Josh Care 33, Kastun Stoute 69, Matthew Higgins 69 

 

 

Sheffield United completed a remarkable recovery in the later part of the season, jumping up to fifth in the final standings with a win away at Whitley Hall 2nds, who escaped relegation following Treeton 2nds' loss. The home side batted first and ended with a below-par total after several batsmen got themselves in but did not go on to make a match-winning score. Three batsmen made thirties, but it was Luqman Asad, whose 5-41 for United took his total wickets for the season to 45, and Lahiru Lihinikadu, with 4-60, who dominated the innings. The visitors made light work of the chase, losing only four wickets. Isuru Jayakody got them off to a good start at the top of the order, before Mohammed Altaf Khan weighed in with a half-century, and Fazil Reza (25*) finished the job off. 

 

Whitley Hall 2 179 (49.5) Jack Riley 34, Andrew Pickering 36, Max Temple 30, Luqman Asad 5-41, Lahiru Lihinikadu 4-60 

Sheffield United 180-4 (37.1) Isuru Jayakody 47, Mohammed Altaf Khan 52, Chris Siddall 3-50 

 

 

 

Fourth-placed Monk Bretton’s hard-earned win over promoted Coal Aston came too late to help them achieve their target of promotion. The home team decided to field first and James Taylor and Craig Heppenstall bowled the visitors out for 140 , with only opener Benjamin Hall providing significant resistance. Monk Bretton slipped from 34-0 to 42-4, and then 98-7, in their reply, but opener Corey Roebuck stayed firm, and his unbeaten eighth-wicket stand of 46 with Ryan Howarth (29*) saw them home against an attack in which Daniel Hemingway was outstanding. 

 

Coal Aston 140 (41.4) Benjamin Hall 42, James Taylor 3-27, Craig Heppenstall 5-39 

Monk Bretton 144-7 (38.2) Corey Roebuck 53*, Daniel Hemingway 5-68 

 

 

 

Another win for the underdog came at Abbeydale Sports Club, when fifth-placed Norton Woodseats beat promoted Collegiate 3rds. Woodseats got off to a decent start with openers James Eyre and Joshua Cross contributing thirties, and skipper David Armitage making 29 at number three. There was then a wobble as Matthew Stewart took three wickets, but Aamir Ashfaque weighed in with 31 to help the visitors set a challenging target. In reply, Collegiate had a decent enough start through captain Adrian Meadows and Jack Dixon (23) but Ashfaque then took three quick wickets, after which only Jonathan Udall provided prolonged resistance. 

 

Norton Woodseats 209-8 (50) James Eyre 32, Joshua Cross 34, Aamir Ashfaque 31, Matthew Stuart 3-20 

Sheffield C 3 165 (48.1) Adrian Meadows 38, Jonathan Udall 40, Aamir Ashfaque 3-28 

 

 

Divisional champions Doncaster Town underlined their superiority with a narrow win over mid-table Thorpe Hesley & High Green. The home team opted to bat first, but no-one reached twenty against penetrative bowling from Warren Graca and Max Garbutt. It looked like a formality for the visitors, but they too struggled with the bat, losing three early wickets and then slipping to 49-5, with only Robert Grace holding the innings together. Grace was then joined by Kirk Bennett (27*) and their partnership of 40 for the sixth wicket took the visitors to within sight of the winning post. 

 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 108 (44.5) Max Garbutt 4-25, Warren Graca 3-19 

Doncaster T 2 109-8 (38) Robert Grace 30 

 

 

Wickersley had to win this game in order to stay in the division and they did it in style. Frecheville elected to bat first and opening batsmen David Ratcliffe (27) and Adam Ramsden put on a half-century partnership. After that they struggled against Charlie Harrison, in particular, with only Thomas Duffield (21*) offering any significant resistance. Wickersley had no trouble in reaching their target after openers Matthew Burton and Adam Bashford got them half way there and Brady Saunders then joined Bashford to finish the job off. 

 

Frecheville C 130-9 (50) Adam Ramsden 31, Charlie Harrison 4-22 

Wickersley OV 2 132-2 (19.3) Adam Bashford 58*, Matthew Burton 33 

 

 

It was a must-win game for Worsbrough Bridge at home to relegated Elsecar in their efforts to avoid relegation. Elsecar’s decision to bowl first back-fired badly, as firstly, Shak Jamil (28) and Callum Bentley put on 44 for the first wicket; then after both openers were out, Mark Wilkinson came in to take control, sharing partnerships of 65 with Alex Littlewood and 49 with Phil Smith on his way to an unbeaten 102 off 124 balls. Only Richard Stump, who bowled 15 overs for 42 runs, managed to keep a lid on the scoring. In reply, the visitors lost a wicket with no runs on the board and then after partially recovering to 37-1, lost wickets regularly and fell well short, with Liam Hague being the pick of the home attack. Ultimately though, Wickersley's win means that Worsbrough's efforts were in vain and they are relegated.  

 

Worsbrough Bridge 268-6 (50) Mark Wilkinson 102* 

Elsecar 2 133 (37.2) Liam Hague 5-54 

 

 

Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds v Tickhill 2nds – match cancelled due to Covid – null & void 

 

 

Maltby Miners Welfare won at home to Wath 2nds to end their season on a high, depite their relegation to Division 4 for next season. The visitors won the toss and decided to bowl first, bowling Maltby out for a disappointing 106. Only two of the hosts’ batsmen made it into the 20s and none passed thirty as Kate Cooper picked up the excellent figures of 4-16 for the visitors. The reply was where it all unravelled for Wath, however, as the home side’s bowlers put on an impressive showing to bowl them out for just 68. Liam Woodward was the pick of the four-man attack with 6-17, to take him to 31 wickets for the season. 

 

Maltby MW 106 (43.1) Kate Cooper 4-16, Harrison Roebuck 3-21 

Wath 2 68 (31.5) 

 

 

Penistone came out on top at home to Caribbean Sports in a tightly-fought game, as the two promoted sides battled it out for the divisional championship on the final day of the season. After being put into bat by their visitors, the league champions underwhelmed with the bat, ending their innings on 132-7 after a collapse from 68-2 to 106-7 had halted their momentum. Christopher Walmsley was their top scorer with 37, which proved to be a vital innings on a tough batting day. Caribbean soon fell to 12-2 and suffered from a regular loss of wickets before falling just four runs short. Hussnain Hussain provided fight in the middle order with 41 off 63 balls, before Nasser Rasool nearly got them over the line with an unbeaten 16, just running out of partners before they could make it. Scott Jones was the star with the ball for Penistone, taking 5-28 in an impressive showing. 

 

Penistone 132-7 (46) Christopher Walmsley 37, Shakil Ahmed 3-35 

Caribbean SC 128 (41.2) Hussnain Hussain 41, Christopher Walmsley 3-30, Scott Jones 5-28 

 

 

Rockingham Colliery 2nds suffered a disappointing end to a disappointing season as they were well beaten at home by Kexborough. After choosing to bat first, the home side simply collapsed and were bowled out for just 49 in 24.2 overs with only one player, James Andrews, making it to double figures. Only three bowlers were needed by the away side, and Robert Mynett picked up season-best figures of 5-21, while Tom Lees took 3-20. The chase was a formality for the visitors – despite Joseph Bullock having to retire on 20 – and they finished off a good season in fourth place. 

 

Rockingham C 2 49 (24.2) Robert Mynett 5-21, Tom Lees 3-20 

Kexborough 50-1 (7.4) Liam Woodward 6-17 

 

 

Whiston Parish Church 2nds beat relegated Silkstone United to finish off their season in eighth, well above the drop zone. Playing at Church Fields, the home side bowled first with the view to removing their struggling visitors for a low score, but that wasn’t to be as they racked up 179-5. Will Clegg was the star of the show for United, with a standout innings of 70, his highest-ever score. He was backed up by Luke Heath, as they recovered from losing early wickets, before Oliver Thomas scored an unbeaten 32* to finish off the innings. The away side would have seen the target as defendable, but Whiston made quick work of it in the end. Richard Daughtrey set the tone perfectly at the top of the order with 54 off 66 balls before a collection of double-figure scores saw them to the win in just 32.4 overs. 

 

Silkstone U 179-5 (46) Will Clegg 70, Luke Heath 40, Oliver Thomas 32* 

Whiston PC 2 180-7 (32.4) Richard Daughtrey 54 

 

 

 

 

This was a crucial battle in the fight against relegation, which resulted in Fishlake gaining a slight advantage. The home team elected to field first and despite four batsmen scoring twenties and thirties, no-one went on to make a match-winning score, and Richard Copley’s 4-35 was the key contribution in the first innings. In reply, William Metcalfe (29) and Jonathan Holmes got them off to a promising start, but after they were out the next three all departed for single figures as the batsmen struggled against Eddie Raper. Ben and Charlie Metcalfe, with 20 and 18 respectively, then gave Fishlake fresh hope before Copley (28) and Paul Trimmington (22*) took them to the brink of a vital win. The sides will have to do it all again next week, with Fishlake at home to Collegiate 4ths whilst Millhouses host champions Parkhead. 

 

Millhouses W 159-7 (46) Kieran Mallett 36, Richard Copley 4-35 

Fishlake 162-8 (44) Eddie Raper 4-28 

 

 

This game went to form with promoted Bradfield Village Fellowship beating relegated Hallam 3rds – but the home side made their visitors fight for the win. Having elected to bat first, Hallam set a modest target, which owed a lot to Thomas Wills, who came in at 20-2 and departed at 90-5. The rest of the batsmen struggled against Tim Pearce and James Shepherd. In their reply, a second-wicket stand of 56 between Matthew Hurt and Liam Hague put the visitors in the driving seat, and they stayed there, despite losing four wickets for 13 runs when Hurt was out – Matthew Grime doing most of the damage. But Hague stayed there to see them home with overs and wickets to spare. To win the division, Bradfield must beat Hampole & Skelbrook next week, and hope that Millhouses beat Parkhead. 

 

Hallam 3 135 (44.2) Thomas Wills 33, Tim Pearce 3-34, James Shepherd 5-34 

Bradfield VF 136-6 (28.3) Matthew Hurt 43, Liam Hague 57*, Matthew Grime 4-46 

 

 

The division's fourth and fifth placed teams, Higham and Sheffield Collegiate 4ths, provided a surprisingly one-side contest. Higham chose to bat first and their 141 was hardly a daunting target, but Collegiate got nowhere close. Higham owed a lot to openers Andrew Wood and Paul Wroe, who put on 72 for the first wicket, after which there was something of a procession of batsmen returning to the pavilion – Mark Longley being the chief tormentor. In the reply, only Mark Hickman (19) made it to double figures as Collegiate struggled against Higham’s four-man attack, all of whom took wickets. 

 

Higham 141 (41.2) Andrew Wood 47, Paul Wroe 37, Mark Longley 4-34 

Sheffield C 4 58 (32.3) Joseph Green 3-19 

 

 

Top of the division Parkhead were made to struggle by lowly Mexborough Athletic, winning by just two wickets. Opener Daniel Jenkinson held the early innings together for the visitors, before skipper Gareth Hughes took over and received positive support from William Hubery and Scott Harris. It was not a particularly daunting target, but without the home side’s number four batsman Oliver Harrison, who hit a commanding 75, it would have been enough. Parkhead retain the advantage in their battle with Bradfield at the top going into the last Saturday’s games. 

 

Mexborough A 154 (34) Daniel Jenkinson 44, Gareth Hughes 36, Chris Turner 3-27 

Parkhead 156-8 (44.3) Oliver Harrison 75, Andrew Sharp 3-10 

 

 

With only pride at stake, this game went to form, mid-table Shiregreen gaining an eight-wicket win over relegated Hampole & Skelbrooke. Asked to bat first, the visitors were indebted to numbers three and four, Ijaz Khan and Greg Young, who provided the backbone of their innings, whilst Nazam Mohammed was a handful for the batsmen. The target was no problem for Shiregreen though, and after Nazam Mohammed and Mohammed Nawaz had put on 78 for the first wicket, they cantered home effortlessly. 

 

Hampole & Skelbrooke 134-5 (46) Ijaz Khan 40, Greg Young 52*, Nazam Mohammed 3-39 

Shiregreen 2 135-2 (31.1) Nazam Mohammed 52*, Mohammed Nawaz 49