Senior Section round-up 7 August - Part II

 

 

Handsworth yet again produced a tremendous batting display as a big hundred from Mohammed Razvan Hussain saw them beat Coal Aston 2nds and move to the top of the table. Batting first at Stonelow Playing Fields, the away side found themselves 158-6 when Hussain came in, with only a half-century from Mahmood Hussain keeping them on track for a decent total. After that, the Handsworth wicketkeeper smashed 137 in just 72 balls, in an innings including 18 fours and 7 sixes. By the time he was out, his side had reached 278-7. The pressure of such a mammoth chase was always going to be too much, even for an in-form Coal Aston side, and Brett Pickford’s 36 (35) was the highest score as they were bowled out for 172. All six visiting bowlers picked up wickets as Hussain capped off a brilliant performance with three catches behind the stumps. 

 

Handsworth JSC 298-8 (46) Mahmood Hussain 50, Waqar Hussain 38, Mohammed Razvan Khan 137, Edward Rabjohn 5-50 

Coal Aston 2 172 (37.5) Brett Pickford 36, Matthew Boreman 30 

 

 

Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds succumbed to another defeat, this time at Darfield, which saw them stay firmly glued to the bottom of the table. The visitors were put into bat and were bowled out for 126 in a disappointing performance. Ben Bower, Craig Shepherd and Alan Clarke all showed fight, with Clarke scoring 35 from 126 balls, but the runs never flowed and batsmen toiled throughout the innings. Thomas Taylor was the best bowler for the home side and Kye Kitching picked up two run outs in a fine team effort. The chase was far from straightforward, however, as Darfield lost seven wickets before reaching their target. Kitching then came to the crease at 1-1 and took the game by the scruff of the neck with an impressive unbeaten 75 off 80 balls to almost single-handedly carry his team home. 

 

Bradfield VF 2 126 (46) Alan Clarke 35, Thomas Taylor 3-24 

Darfield 2 127-7 (24.1) Kye Kitching 75*, Nick Cutts 3-45 

 

 

Having started the day as league leaders, Kilnhurst Colliery were well beaten on their home patch by a Conisbrough side that remain just inside the relegation zone. To some surprise, the visitors put their in-form hosts into bat and proceeded to bowl them out for just 51. Gary Strephan was the man with a plan, and his season-best figures of 6-20 rifled through the home side’s order and saw them dismissed in under 22 overs. Stuart Coleman then carried the visitors to victory with 31 not out and Consbrough claimed a great win in 14 overs. 

 

Kilnhurst C 51 (21.1) Gary Strephan 6-20 

Conisbrough 2 52-2 (14) Stuart Coleman 31* 

 

 

Norton Oakes 2nds returned to form with what turned out to be a very comfortable win at home to Penistone 2nds, leaving their opponents below them in the relegation zone. After being put in to bat, the hosts would have been content with a respectable score that was glued together by a solid half-century from Martin Sayles at the top of the order. Thomas Trower and Josh Thompson produced quick-fire cameos of 43 (36) and 35 (25) respectively to put their team into a good position. It was too big a target for Penistone and their batting was dominated by a four-pronged Norton Oakes attack, as they were shot out for 53. All four took wickets, with Thompson again starring as he took 4-11 in 7.1 overs. 

 

Norton Oakes 2 191-8 (46) Martin Sayles 56, Thomas Trower 43, Josh Thompson 35, William Tyas 3-64 

Penistone 2 53 (25.1) Josh Thompson 4-11, Carl Fairhurst 3-17 

 

 

Rotherham Town 2nds moved above their hosts, Upper Haugh 2nds, into fourth place with a nail-biting win. After being put in to bat, Town would have felt their score of 158 was below par, especially after several batsmen seemingly got themselves in, but none reached 30. In fact, extras ended up as top scorer with 33, which cost Upper Haugh dear in such a tight game. Four bowlers bowled for the home side and all took wickets, with Adam Perry and Cameron Armin picking up three each. Chasing 159, the hosts started well, with opener Daniel Crofts scoring 65 to put them in a good position, before he was removed to leave his side 117-5. After his dismissal, the Upper Haugh lower order struggled against the Rotherham attack and fell just short. 

 

Rotherham T 2 158 (44.1) Adam Perry 3-58, Cameron Armin 3-23 

Upper Haugh 2 153-9 (47) Daniel Crofts 65, Ayman Karim 3-46, Tauseef Arifeen 3-5 

 

 

Whiston Forge got the better of lowly Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds to return to form and propel themselves back up to third place. After putting their visitors into bat, they produced an excellent collective bowling display, spearheaded by 4-42 from Sameer Sarwary, to bowl them out for 138. Having been at one stage 7-4, however, the visitors only reached that score thanks to good cameos further down the order, in particular 29 (39) from Charlie Richard Taylor at number ten. In reply, Whiston Forge made light work of the target as Kristian Lee-Green’s 67 (54) and John Wagstaff’s 43 not out carried them to the total with eight wickets and plenty of overs remaining. 

 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2 138 (44.5) Sameer Sarwary 4-42 

Whiston F 144-2 (24.2) Kristian Lee-Green 67, John Wagstaff 43* 

 

 

 

An easy win for third-placed Green Moor, who beat relegation-threatened Brookhouse by nine wickets. After they put their visitors in to bat, League administrative stalwart David Ward turned destroyer with a fine four-wicket spell, as Brookhouse were all out for 64, with only two men reaching double figures. The home side swept to victory in under ten overs, with Harry Airstone leading the way with an unbeaten 36. 

 

Brookhouse 64 (26.4) David Ward 4-12 

Green Moor 2 66-1 (9.5) Harry Airstone 36* 

 

 

Another fine win for second-placed Wombwell, who beat promotion challengers Handsworth by eight wickets. Handsworth were asked to bat first and were thankful to Saiful Alam Nury, who top-scored with 42, sharing in a 40-run fourth-wicket stand with Imran Khan. Richard Wilkinson took his wickets tally up to 33 with another four-wicket haul. After losing Wilkinson and Jonathan Scaife cheaply, Wombwell powered home with an unbeaten third-wicket stand between Kev Linney and Thomas Goldsby-West (25*). 

 

Handsworth JSC 2 109 (36.5) Saiful Alam Nury 42, Richard Wilkinson 4-27 

Wombwell M 110-2 (27.5) Kev Linney 63* 

 

 

In a battle between two sides in the relegation zone, Sheffield United took the honours with a comfortable win over Thorncliffe. Opener Richard Berry hit a positive half century after the home side were asked to bat first, but he lacked meaningful support. After he was dismissed at 110-6, the innings folded quickly, with Tawqeer Hussain taking three cheap wickets. Faizan Nawaz and captain Faiz Hussain got United off to a good start in response with an opening stand of 46; after which Tawqeer Hussain took over and saw his side to within 18 runs of victory before he was fifth out. 

 

Thorncliffe 2 129 (38.3) Richard Berry 59, Faiz Hussain 3-28, Tawqeer Hussain 3-6 

Sheffield U 2 130-5 (33) Faizan Nawaz 30, Tawqeer Hussain 30 

 

Millhouses Works 2nds v Wickersley Old Village 3rds and Wentworth v Doncaster Town 3rds (cancelled due to Covid – matches null & void) 

 

 

 

Wath 3rds’ poor form continued at Doncaster and they remain well and truly stuck to the bottom of the division. After being asked to bat first by their hosts, they made just a dismal 39 with Jak Hotchkiss taking a remarkable 5-5, which was backed up by Oscar Jones’ four-wicket haul. Only Oliver James Hyde (17) was the only man to make it into double figure. Town knocked off the required runs in just under 11 overs, but lost three wickets in the process. 

 

Wath 3 39 (24) Oscar Jones 4-21, Jak Hotchkiss 5-5 

Doncaster T 4 41-3 (10.5) 

 

 

Houghton Main 2nds claimed a huge victory away at Fishlake 2nds to keep them within touching distance of safety after a run of poor form. Their batting won them the game, as they posted 241-7 in the first innings with some outstanding performances. After losing Philip Taylor cheaply, Adam Cutmore and Adil Muhammad scored fluent 60s in a second wicket stand, after which there were quick-fire cameos from Naseem Shahid and Mohammad Asgher. Only skipper Keith Bee bowled an economical spell for Fishlake, and he started the Fishlake innings promisingly too, with a patient half-century. But his opening partner Harry Smith was the only other batsman to reach double figures against a varied attack, in which Adil Muhammad was outstanding. 

 

Houghton M 2 241-7 (40) Adam Cutmore 60, Adil Muhammed 60, Naseem Shahid 32, Mohammad Asgher 39, Dominic Johnson 4-70 

Fishlake 2 105-8 (40) Keith Bee 50, Adil Muhammad 3-8 

 

 

Frecheville Community 2nds kept up the pressure on those above them as they beat struggling Dearne on their home ground to stay in third place. Putting their visitors into bat, they turned the screw straightaway with a wicket off the third ball, and only number three batsman Conor Turford saved his side from humiliation with 63 from 67 balls. Aadil Hassan and Simon Westbury did the damage for Frecheville, with four wickets apiece. In reply, the home side slipped to 49-5 before Aadil Hassan’s unbeaten 46 from just 30 balls saw them to an important win. 

 

Dearne 109 (25.5) Connor Turford 63, Aadil Hassan 4-24, Simon Westbury 4-46 

Frecheville C 2 113-6 (30.4) Adil Hassan 46*, Connor Turford 4-20 

 

 

Higham 2nds produced a dominant second innings bowling display to dispatch Warmsworth 2nds and move above them into fifth place. The home side were bowled out in just 30.4 overs after being put into bat. Frustratingly for Warmsworth, extras top-scored by quite a margin, with 38 runs being given away. The target did not look particularly daunting, but a great spell by Steven Bamforth, who took 5-10 in 10 overs, led the home side to a comfortable win, with only two visiting batsmen reaching double figures. 

 

Higham 2 144 (30.4) Matthew Wilson 3-16, Mark Shanks 3-12 

Warmsworth 2 54 (22.3) Steven Bamforth 5-10, Alex Green 3-9 

 

 

A thrilling tie saw Scholes move off the bottom of the league, whilst Harley, in fourth, lost ground on Frecheville above them. The home side were asked to bat first after losing the toss, but their batsmen failed to put their stamp on the match after skipper Ian Couldwell had opened with a responsible 32. The only significant partnership was 48 for the seventh wicket between Azahat Saleem and Chris Hemming, whilst Callum Sverdloff was the top performer with a four-wicket haul for the away side. Harley had 42 overs to chase their modest target and started well with Peter Dearden providing a platform before he was run out by Kieran Horbury. At the other end, however, Harley struggled as no other batsman scored above 15, and the visitors failed to take advantage of their two extra overs, the scores finishing level. 

 

Scholes 148 (37.3) Ian Couldwell 32, Azahat Saleem 33, Chris Hemming 31*, Callum Sverdloff 4-29 

Harley 148-8 (42) Peter Dearden 65 

 

 

Sprotbrough 3rds swept aside Silkstone United in a game shortened to 30 overs apiece, to stay top of the division. After winning the toss at the Silkstone Cricket Field, they put their hosts in to bat and produced a fine bowling performance to limit them to 74-6. Several United batsmen had prolonged stays at the crease, but the runs did not flow and Joe Green was the top scorer on 27 off 66 balls. It was a credit to an economical Sprotbrough attack, in which three bowlers bowled their overs at less than three runs per over. In reply, the visiting batsmen had no such struggles with William Rudkin and Mark Chambers putting on 69 for the first wicket to all but take them to the win. 

 

Silkstone U 2 74-6 (30) 

Sprotbrough 3 75-1 (15.5) William Rudkin 30, Mark Chambers 38* 

 

 

Second placed side Whitley Hall 3rds comfortably beat Worsbrough Bridge 2nds to keep the pressure on Sprotbrough above them. After electing to bowl first, the visitors will have been highly satisfied to bowl their hosts out for 110. Worsbrough Bridge’s top four all got into the teens and got out, before number six batsman Darren Newton played a fine knock of 37 not out, that deserved better support as the next four batsmen all got ducks. Matthew Brown was the star for the Whitley Hall attack, taking 5-18, his best figures of the season. In reply, the away side coasted to their target, losing only three wickets on their way. Joshua Dobson scored 56 at the top of the order and his partner, Elliott Ashton, was there to finish the job off, scoring 40 unbeaten runs. 

 

Worsbrough Bridge 2 110 (33.5) Darren Newton 37*, Matthew Brown 5-18, Charlie Jones 3-53 

Whitley Hall 3 112-3 (24.1) Elliott Ashton 40*, Joshua Dobson 56, Clayton Taylor 3-24 

 

 

 

 

Mexborough Athletic in second place in the division kept the pressure on leaders Monk Bretton with a very comfortable win over mid-table Eden Grove. Daniel Jenkinson led the way with a responsible innings after Athletic were put in to bat, and a quick-fire cameo from Yasir Mumtaz (25 off 12 balls) provided acceleration. The later order perished in the face of a fine spell from Stu Setterington (4-16 in four overs). The target was out of reach for the home side, and after Mandeep Singh’s 25 they collapsed completely, with the last seven wickets falling for just seven runs against Jonathan Guest and Mumtaz, who took four wickets in his two maiden overs. 

 

Mexborough A 2 180-9 (40) Daniel Jenkinson 70, Stu Setterington 4-16 

Eden Grove P 57 (23) Jonathan Guest 5-20, Yasir Mumtaz 4-0 

 

 

Third-placed Rockingham Colliery beat fifth-placed Adwick-Le-Street after the visitors had reached a respectable total of 188-6. Luke Bishop set them on their way with a responsible half-century, and he was joined in an excellent fourth-wicket stand of 103 by Carl Newbold, who hit a tremendous 74 off 64 balls. But the Colliery responded well thanks to a magnificent century by opener Julian Harris, who was joined in a match-winning fourth-wicket stand of 98 by Alan Lockwood. 

 

Adwick-le-Street 2 188-6 (40) Luke Bishop 56, Carl Newbold 74 

Rockingham C 3 192-4 (39.2) Julian Harris 103, Alan Lockwood 51* 

 

 

Both these sides are in the lower half of the table, with Rockingham having the handicap of playing nearly all their games away from home. They put Kexborough in to bat and after skipper Scott Shillito’s 41 at the top of the order, reduced them to 85-7, with four wickets from Simon Grindle. But an unbroken eighth-wicket stand between James Stoddart (22*) and Aamir Razaq then helped Kexborough to a respectable score. The second innings was all about the Colliery skipper Dave Smith, who opened the innings and, with little support at the other end, led them to a five-wicket win with his fine unbeaten 88. 

 

Kexborough 2 140-7 (40) Scott Shillito 41, Aamir Razaq 31, Simon Grindle 4-25 

Rockingham C 4 141-5 (38) Dave Smith 88* 

 

 

Fourth-placed Upper Haugh recorded a very comfortable win away to next-to-bottom Sheffield United. William Adams soon had United in trouble after they were put in to bat, and only Tom Bradley provided any real resistance as they were bowled out for 94. After losing an early wicket in their reply, Upper Haugh cruised home thanks to a match-winning second wicket stand between Shaun Cristinacce and Adams. 

 

Sheffield U 3 94 (37.1) Tom Bradley 41, William Adams 3-13 

Upper Haugh 3 95-2 (12.4) Shaun Cristinacce 45*, William Adams 37