Senior Section round-up 4 & 5 September - Part I

 

 

Shiregreen were well beaten by fourth-placed Darfield but stayed top of the table heading into the final weekend. Darfield chose to bat first, and an excellent second-wicket partnership of 99 between Matthew Higgins and the in-form Kastun Stoute was the basis for their impressive total. Stoute made his way to 68 (76 balls) before being run out, after which there was an explosive cameo from Usman Khan, who smashed 32 from just 12 balls. Shiregreen will have been disappointed with their bowling performance, not to mention conceding 32 runs in extras. The visitors then fell to 15-2 in reply before Zulfiqar Ali and Aslam Hayat added 95 for the third wicket; Hayat was the aggressor, with 59 off 68 balls. After Saman Kursheed dismissed both on his way to a five-wicket haul, wickets fell regularly and Shiregreen ended 55 runs short. Despite their win, Darfield will have to do it all again next year, whilst Shiregreen will play in the Championship. 

 

Darfield 256 (49.5) Kastun Stoute 68, Matthew Higgins 75, Usman Khan 32, Muhammad Naseem 3-62 

Shiregreen 201 (39.5) Zulfiquar Ali 41, Aslam Hyat 59, Saman Kursheed 5-44, Spencer Lavender 3-58 

 

 

Green Moor’s chances of winning the Division 1 title will go to the final weekend, as they capitalised on Shiregreen’s loss with a comfortable win at home to Wakefield Thornes 2nds. The away side won the toss but, surprisingly, sent their hosts in to bat, a decision that proved costly in the end. Green Moor’s innings did not begin at all well, as they fell to 8-2 and then 56-3, but the middle order came to their rescue. Chris Matthewman (26) steadied the ship before Jamie Dixon and Wayne Hughes led then to a decent total. After losing a wicket to the fifth ball of their reply, Stephen Batty and Kamran Hussain posted a half-century partnership for Thornes, but when Hussain was later the first of three wickets to fall on 98 the visitors were not in the hunt and were eventually bowled out for 160. 

 

Green Moor 229 (47.2) Ben Simpson 32, Jamie Dixon 41, Wayne Hughes 52, James Donnachie 3-29, Edward Fowles 5-43 

Wakefield T 2 160 (37.1) Kamran Hussain 43, James Christopherson 3-28 

 

 

South Kirkby’s close-run win at Hallam 2nds left their hosts in a bleak position near the bottom. After winning the toss, Hallam bowled first, which initially did not look a good choice as South Kirby had a 46-run opening partnership, but a collapse, caused by a brilliant effort from James Chetwood, who took his best-ever figures of 7-45, saw them fall from 66-2 to 97-8 before the lower order helped them to a total of 124 all out. Hallam’s response was remarkably similar, with a useful innings of 37 from opener Sam Davison, followed by a collapse. Ricky Crompton was the star man for the away side as he took 6-36, his best figures of the season. At 62-8 after 22 overs it looked all over, especially as the number 10, Jay Singh, was a 14-year old junior. However, 32 overs later he and Nick Watson-Jones had put on 61 runs together in a remarkably disciplined performance, only for both to get out in successive balls with two runs still need to win. Hallam are left needing to win their last game and hoping for favours from others, whilst South Kirkby are safe in mid-table. 

 

South Kirkby C 124 (33.3) James Chetwood 7-45 

Hallam 2 123 (54.1) Sam Davison 37, Nick Watson Jones 31, Ricky Crompton 6-36 

 

 

In a must-win game for both sides, Sheffield United relegated Aston Hall 2nds, who struggled from the very first, and improved their own chances of survival. After United had put their visitors in to bat, Luqman Asad removed the first three batsmen for ten runs between them, but Dean Smith at the other end held things together, and his 52 was more than half his team’s score when he was out at 95-8. A last-wicket stand of 27 by Henry Renshaw and Tom Forster took Aston Hall to 130 all out, a total that looked unlikely to test the home side. Mohammed Altaf Khan, Danuka Hettiarachchi, Fazil Reza and Zaki Anjam all scored twenties to take them to their target for the loss of just four wickets in 24 overs. Sheffield United are now two places clear of the relegation zone with one match to go. 

 

Aston Hall 2 130 (45.2) Dean Smith 52, Luqman Asad 4-37, Lahiru Lihinikadu 3-17 

Sheffield U 131-4 (24.1) 

 

 

Treeton 2nds put their fate in their own hands going into the final weekend, with a priceless win over close relegation rivals Upper Haugh. All-rounder Ridwaan Daya was their match-winner, as he top-scored with 50 and took a remarkable 7-40 – his best-ever figures. After being put into bat, the visitors posted an impressive 229-9 with all their top five firing. Will Cooper and Edward Brunton provided the main support to Daya, whilst Shezad Shah took 5-37 from 15 overs for Upper Haugh, in an otherwise disappointing display. Openers Daniel Jeffries and William Turner got home side off to a fine start in their response, but after they were both removed, Daya ripped through the middle and lower order to leave Upper Haugh 61 runs short. Both sides are now on the same average points, either side of the drop zone, but with Treeton having won more games, it is all in their hands as they move into the final weekend. 

 

Treeton 2 229-9 (50) Edward Brunton 38, Will Cooper 37, Ridwaan Daya 50, Tom Bolland 3-73, Shezad Shah 5-37 

Upper Haugh 168 (44.4) Daniel Jefferies 40, William Turner 52, Ridwaan Daya 7-40 

 

 

Rotherham Town beat Whitley Hall 2nds in high-scoring encounter, but Green Moor’s win condemns them to another season in Division 1. Having won the toss and reaching 219-4, Whitley Hall might have been disappointed with their 230-9. Douglas Muzawazi scored 57 off 56 balls at the top of their order, with Sam Chatterton, Chris Verity and Stephen Bethel all making significant contributions. Saleem Karim and Irfan Mirza were the pick of the visitors’ attack. Town’s batsmen had a lot to do, but they did it in style, chasing down the target with six wickets remaining. After the dangerous Dhruv Shahi was run out at 57-2, Talha Shaheer and Rahim Karim (24) added 50 for the third wicket before Ijaz Riaz took over and blazed his way to an unbeaten 81 in 64 balls, leading his team to victory in an unbeaten 92-run fifth-wicket stand with Irfan Mirza. 

 

Whitley Hall 2 230-9 (50) Douglas Muzawazi 57, Chris Verity 42, Sam Chatterton 57, Stephen Bethel 41, Saleem Karim 3-44, Irfan Mirza 4-44 

Rotherham T 234-4 (41) Dhruv Shahi 34, Talha Shaheer 34, Ijax Riaz 81*, Irfan Mirza 31* 

 

 

 

Coal Aston secured their promotion place with a four-wicket win over Norton Oakes. After winning the toss, Oakes were bowled out for 86, with James Furniss taking 4-24 in his eight overs. Daniel Hemingway, who has been in fine form this season, took 2-14 and scored 25 from 27 balls to help his side chase down the target inside 25 overs, helping secure Coal Aston a twelveth victory of the season. Despite their defeat, Oakes are just about safe in mid-table. 

 

Norton Oakes 86 (31.3) James Furniss 4-24 

Coal Aston 89-6 (24.2) 

 

 

Doncaster Town maintained their lead over second-placed Coal Aston with a comfortable seven-wicket win over relegation-threatened Wickersley Old Village 2nds. Doncaster opening bowler Bradley Heaps took four early wickets to put the visitors in trouble and Graeme Attenborough mopped up the tail as Wickersley were shot out for 98. Doncaster lost three early wickets before George Fisher and Bradley Heaps (22*) lead them to the win. 

 

Wickersley OV 2 98 (33.5) Bradley Heaps 4-30, Graeme Attenborough 3-18 

Doncaster T 2 99-3 (16.1) George Fisher 41* 

 

 

Worsbrough Bridge kept their hopes of avoiding relegation alive by beating close relegation-rivals Frecheville Community. The home side, after being put in to bat, were 14-2 before Martyn Tideswell and Adam Ramsden added 69 for the third wicket. After that, only Michael Donson offered much resistance against the visiting attack as Frecheville were restricted to 175-9. In reply, Worsbrough Bridge were 43-4 before Mark and Owen Wilkinson took over, the latter adding to his three wickets with a match-winning unbeaten 72 off 66 balls. 

 

Frecheville C 175-9 (50) Adam Ramsden 33, Martyn Tideswell 46, Michael Donson 30, Owen Wilkinson 3-16 

Worsbrough Bridge 176-6 (36.4) Mark Wilkinson 36, Owen Wilkinson 72 

 

 

Despite a hard-earned win over Norton Woodseats, just below them in the table, Monk Bretton have had to concede defeat in their promotion battle after Collegiates’ narrow win. A determined half-century from Hamzah Shah was the backbone of the Woodseats innings, whilst the visitors’ wickets were shared by five bowlers. Monk Bretton were 28-3 in reply, with Sam Hudson taking a couple of early wickets, before Eddie Allen took over, hitting a brilliant 76, with support from Jordan Clayton (22), to take his side to victory. 

 

Norton Woodseats 167-9 (50) Hamzah Shah 54 

Monk Bretton 168-7 (41.5) Eddie Allen 76*, Sam Hudson 3-50 

 

 

Relegated teams Thorncliffe and Elsecar met at the Crucible Oval, where the home side came away with a comfortable win. After Thorncliffe had elected to bat first, opener James Toal anchored the innings, taking his side to 120-3 before falling to Hassan Khan. After that, a late flurry from Jason Clark, who hit an unbeaten 38 off 43 balls, propelled his side to a challenging score, despite a fine four-wicket haul from Molly Whittaker. In reply, Elsecar struggled against a match-winning spell from Peter Lomas, who took 5-30 in 13 overs, and were unable to put together the partnership they needed, finishing well short of their target. 

 

Thorncliffe 194-9 (50) James Toal 44, Jason Clark 38*, Molly Whittaker 4-57 

Elsecar 2 122 (42) Matthew Jackson 31, Peter Lomas 5-30 

 

 

A tremendous game of cricket at Smithywood Road saw Sheffield Collegiate 3rds claim the victory they needed to seal promotion. Having won the toss and elected to put Collegiate in, Thorpe Hesley had a tight grip on the game until the seventh wicket pair of Lewis Hogg and Lewis Bent gave their side something to bowl at. Richard Taylor was the pick of a six-man attack with 3-42, and three of his team-mates took a couple of wickets each. Openers Daniel Naylor and Adam Taylor (23) got the home side off to a decent start, and skipper Tiger Dalby contributed 26 at number four, before Lawrie Brennan decimated the lower middle-order. Even then, there was a sting in the tail as an unbeaten 20 from Hafeez Ali, in partnership with number eleven batsman Thomas Arnold, nearly got Thorpe Hesley home; Lewis Bent taking fine vital wicket in the 53rd over to give Collegate the win. 

 

Sheffield C 3 165 (44.2) Thomas Currie 33, Lewis Hogg 34, Lewis Bent 32, Richard Taylor 3-42 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 162 (52.5) Daniel Naylor 31, Lewis Bent 3-25, Lawrie Brennan 5-60 

 

 

 

Caribbean’s promotion party continued as they beat mid-table Whiston Parish Church 2nds at the Sports Club in another tight game. The visitors chose to bat first, and openers Peter Wilson and Richard Daughtrey got them off to a fine start. After that only Owen Struggles, with 29, and Richard Spurr got into double figures against Arslan Tariq and Shakil Ahmed, but the visitors still posted a decent total. Andre Jackson gave Caribbean a fine start, but the rest of the batting struggled against Spurr and wickets fell regularly. It was Hussnain Hussain (25) and Arslan Tariq (27) whose contributions took their team over the line for their fourteenth win of the season. 

 

Whiston PC 2 196-8 (46) Peter Wilson 46, Richard Daughtrey 50, Richard Spurr 44*, Arslan Tariq 3-41, Shakil Ahmed 3-46 

Caribbean SC 199-8 (42.4) Andre Jackson 67, Richard Spurr 5-36 

 

 

Mid-table Kexborough beat Silkstone United at Bence Lane to condemn their visitors to relegation. The visitors batted first but only managed 127 thanks to an unbeaten 30 from number five batsman Ross Whitmore. Neil Hinchcliffe did a lot of the damage for Kexbrough, with all four of the home side’s bowlers taking wickets. Kexborough’s reply was not convincing, and they too were indebted to a number five batsman, Lewis Bray, who hit 55 off 57 balls to see his side to the brink of victory before becoming Thomas Grimshaw’s third victim. 

 

Silkstone U 127 (42.4) Ross Whitmore 30*, Neil Hinchliffe 4-26 

Kexborough 131-5 (32.1) Leis Bray 55, Thomas Grimshaw 3-28 

 

 

A win on the final day of the season will secure Penistone the title after their victory at Sprotbrough. Having been put in to bat, the visitors will have been disappointed a below-par 156. The third-wicket stand of 58 between Christopher Walmsley and James Sen rescued them from 8-2, but only George Tyas (27) and keeper Nick Shaw offered much further resistance against the home side’s attack, in which Robert Ibbotson was outstanding. Sprotbrough made a disastrous start to their reply however, and they never really recovered from being 0-3. George Thompson replied with a defiant 41 off 34 balls, and had some support from skipper Thomas Langley, but Walmsley followed his batting display with a five-wicket haul to win the game and take his wickets tally for the season to 42. 

 

Penistone 156 (45.5) Christopher Walmsley 37, James Sen 32, Robert Ibbotson 4-43 

Sprotbrough 2 117 (36.5) George Thompson 41, Thomas Langley 30, Christopher Walmsley 5-37, Jack Meek 3-30 

 

 

Relegated Rockingham Colliery 2nds stayed bottom of the league as they lost at mid-table Tickhill. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the visitors made just 125 in their 46 overs after collapsing from 80-2. Opener Andy Shore played a lone hand for the Colliery, carrying his bat for an excellent unbeaten 85. For the home side, Joe Senior and Lee Bradshaw did the damage, the latter taking his best-ever figures of 5-19. In reply, Paul Shepherd got Tickhill off to a fine start, dominating a 73-run opening stand, and adding 52 for the second wicket with Neil Conchie, to take the home side to the brink of victory. 

 

Rockingham C 2 125 (46) Andy Shore 85*, Joe Senior 4-40, Lee Bradshaw 5-19 

Tickhill 2 126-2 (25.3) Paul Shepherd 64, Neil Conchie 30* 

 

 

There were two very similar innings in this rearranged match. Maltby, batting first, scored 183 all out with opener Paul Pendle making 64, and the remainder of the top six scoring 24 between them. Oughtibridge then totalled 164 with opener John Musgrove scoring 67, and the other top six batsman managing just 22 runs between them. Even more coincidentally, both sides conceded 33 extras. The difference was that the last five for Maltby made 63 - notably Kevin Green (44) who put on a crucial 41 with John Pinkos - while the last five for Oughtibridge made 42, despite at one stage a 42-run partnership between John Musgrave and Denis Smith threatening to carry their team to the win. Aden Biddle was the best bowler best for Oughtibridge; but the match-winning performance was by Maltby’s Liam Woodward who took 7-50 in 13 overs. 

 

Maltby MW 183 (45.1) Paul Pendle 64, Kevin Green 44, Aden Biddle 4-32, 

Oughtibridge WM 2 164 (35.4) John Musgrove 67, Liam Woodward 7-50 

 

 

 

 

It will need an arithmetical miracle now for Bradfield Village Fellowship not to achieve promotion after a crucial win over main rivals Cawthorne by 63 runs. After putting the home side in to bat and restricting them to 129-8 in 46 overs, visitors Cawthorne will have felt they had given themselves a great chance. Openers Will Higson and Stephen Abbs (21) put on 63 for the first wicket, but after that only number nine Harry Crossley reached double figures as the rest of the Bradfield batting struggled against the visitors' attack, in which Ryan Bagshaw was outstanding. But in their reply, Cawthorne were 1-1, then partially recovered to 54-3, before losing their last seven wickets for twelve runs, to fall well short of their target. Harry Crossley was their main destroyer with a five-wicket haul and all four Bradfield bowlers picked up wickets. 

 

Bradfield Village Fellowship 129-8 (46) Will Higson 62, Ryan Bagshaw 4-24 

Cawthorne 2nds 66 (26.4) Harry Crossley 5-33 

 

 

Having elected to bat first, relegated Hampole & Skelbrooke were 20-2 when Ithshaam Akram came to the crease. The number four batsman then took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring a brilliant 112. After opening batsman James Roche had departed at 50-3, Daniel Read (20), who helped Akram to add 68 for the fourth wicket, was the only other batsman to make it into double figures. Opening bowler Harry Burch was the most successful member of the visitors’ attack. Skipper Robert Frost led from the front when Hallam replied, but wickets fell steadily at the other end, and only a 64-ball half century from Dan Wylie at number eight, and an entertaining cameo from last man Matthew Grime (27 off 18 balls), secured the visitors a bonus point that was insufficient to stave off their relegation. 

 

Hampole & Skelbrooke 215-9 (46) James Roche 34, Ithshaam Akram 112, Harry Burch 4-67 

Hallam 3rds 180 (41.4) Robert Frst 47, Dan Wylie 51, James Beresford 6-33 

 

 

Divisional leaders Parkhead recorded a resounding win over relegated Mexborough Athletic. Harrison Vinall and Rohan Ardley put on 101 for the first wicket after the visitors had elected to bat first, then skipper Christian Millard and Parwan Ali added 105 for the fourth, Millard’s 81 coming off just 52 balls, as Parkhead powered to a formidable score. In the home attack, Scott Harris stuck manfully to his task, and was rewarded with three wickets. The target was far too much for Mexborough, who never recovered from being 4-2 – skipper Jamie Lomas and Stephen Addy were the only batsmen to reach double figures before number nine Jonathan Bradley hit an unbeaten 22 off 20 balls at the end. Tom Wellman and Ed Butcher were the pick of the visitors' attack with three wickets each. 

 

Parkhead 295-7 (46) Harrison Vinall 30, Rohan Ardley 72, Christian Millard 81, Parwan Ali 61, Scott Harris 3-62 

Mexborough Athletic 97 (21) Jamie Lomas 30, Tom Wellman 3-22, Ed Butcher 3-18 

 

 

There was another fine win for Shiregreen, this time against Fishlake, who are still battling the odds to stave off promotion. But it was not all plain sailing for the home side, who were 59-4, with three wickets for Ben Metcalfe, before Mohammed Nawaz and Liaquat Ali came together in a 107-run fifth-wicket stand that was the basis for a very challenging total. Metcalfe, with 7-59 in 13 overs, did not deserve to finish on the losing side. In their reply, Fishlake lost wickets too regularly, and were never really in the hunt, despite the efforts of opener Charlie Metcalfe and skipper Tim Elliott, with an unbeaten 25 at number nine. Nazam Mohammed and Akhtar Khan shared the early wickets, before Billy Haigh weighed in with his five-wicket haul for the victors, who are now safely ensconced in md-table. 

 

Shiregreen 2 239-9 (46) Danny Currie 33, Mohammed Nawaz 40, Liaquat Ali 99*, Ben Metcalfe 7-59 

Fishlake 166 (44) Charlie Metcalfe 35, Nazam Mohammed 3-22, Billy Haigh 5-51 

 

 

Fishlake’s bounced back from Saturday's defeat with a two-wicket win over Sheffield Collegiate. Sheffield Collegiate elected to bat first, and opening batsmen Daniel Longley (28) and Charlie Wall put on 57 for the first wicket. After that, the innings went downhill, with Ben Metcalfe taking 4-30. In reply, Fishlake skipper Richard Copley's unbeaten 29 at number eight was crucial as he rescued them from 96-7. Mark Longley had done the earlier damage for Collegiate with 3-22. 

 

Sheffield C 4 131-9 (46) Charlie Wall 38, Ben Metcalfe 4-30 

Fishlake 132-8 (44.5) Mark Longley 3-22