Senior Section round-up for 13/14 August

 

The top two in Division 2 are now 24 points clear after third-placed Upper Haugh suffered a surprising defeat at home to Warmsworth; chasing just 118, the hosts fell 21 runs short thanks to Lewis Brown’s 6-48. Second-placed Darfield capitalised in style when they hammered Wakefield Thornes 2nds by 212 runs at Field Lane. After electing to bat first, the visitors racked up 349-9 in their 50 overs, with Kastun Stoute hitting 134 off 109 balls at the top of the order, and sharing a third-wicket stand of 191 with Will Scott (51); Riecko Parker Cole then scored 52 off 30 balls before Idris Khan took 4-29 to help bowl the home side out for 137. Leaders Doncaster Town 2nds also won comfortably by eight wickets at home to Coal Aston to keep hold of top spot; Warren Graca took 4-24 as they bowled their visitors out for 115, a score they chased with ease, Joe Gallagher top-scoring with 51. 

 

Towards the bottom, South Kirkby lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with an important 16-run victory at home to Rotherham Town. After electing to bat first, Kirkby scored 222-9, Steve Secker top-scoring with 52 before five bowlers took wickets to leave their visitors just short. As a result of results around them, Sheffield Collegiate 4ths fell deeper into trouble when they lost by nine wickets away to Whitley Hall 2nds; Nick Gaywood scored 62 to help the visitors to a respectable 205 all out, but an unbroken second wicket stand of 130 between Chris Siddall (101 not out) and Doug Muzawazi (54 not out) saw Whitley home with ease. Oughtibridge War Memorial continued their revival with a seven-wicket home win over Sheffield United, for whom Isuru Jayakody had hit 98 out of 162, but Naveed Asif’s brilliant 115 not out from 87 balls saw his side to victory. 

 

Realistically, only Upper Haugh can now challenge either of the top two, whilst at the bottom, Warmsworth are still only 18 points from safety, and a poor run at this stage could see any of the clubs in the bottom-half relegated. 

 

 

Division Two leaders Ackworth put on a show to seal promotion, hitting 413 to hammer third-placed Hallam 2nds at home by 177 runs. After they elected to bat first, Amitpaul Kundra hit a brilliant unbeaten 175 off 149 balls in innings, sharing a third-wicket stand of 249 with Shingi Mazakadza (94 from 83); the visitors’ Jack Unwin made 102 and Matthew Hopkins 59, but the task was too great and Luke Townsend took 5-61 for the hosts. Hallam’s loss presented an opportunity for Treeton 2nds to move back into third place, but they were bowled out for 121 and lost by four wickets at Hatfield; Andrew Decent (5-22) and Arron Horsfield (4-42) did the damage for Town. Wickersley Old Village 2nds strengthened their position in second in style, beating Thorpe Hesley & High Green by 167 runs at Northfield Lane. The hosts posted 318-2 in their first innings with James Buttler making 80 and Adam Bashford 78; David Mace then took over with 7-36 bowl the visitors out for 151. 

 

At the other end of the table, Thorpe Hesley & High Green’s defeat allowed Caribbean Sports to climb off the bottom with a 90-run triumph away to Norton Woodseats. They made 276-6 in the first innings after choosing to bat, with Bilal Hanif making 94, before Haroon Tariq then took 4-15 to wrap up the win, despite David Armitage’s 74, as the home side were bowled out for 186. Monk Bretton were restricted to 162-9 and lost by six wickets at home to Penistone; Kyle Armitage and Sam Kelly had put on a tenth-wicket stand of 67 to help the home side recover from 95-9, but it was not enough. Aston Hall 2nds remain in the promotion race after a thumping 114-run win at Norton Oakes; Daniel Baldwin took 5-53 for the home side as the visitors posted 179-9, but Corey Manderson’s 5-30 saw Norton Oakes bowled out for just 65. 

 

Wickersley are now 28 points clear of Hallam, who currently occupy third place, but remain under pressure from Treeton and Aston Hall, both within eight points of them; at the other end of the table, Thorpe Hesley are ten points behind Caribbean in eleventh place and are thirty adrift of safety – Monk Bretton and Caribbean continue to fight for safety, with Norton Woodseats, just 14 clear of the relegation places, most under threat. 

 

 

Elsecar 2nds confirmed their promotion and passed the 200-point mark at the top of Division 3 thanks to an 84-run win at Kexborough. After choosing to bat, Kieran Higgins’ 66 helped the table-toppers to 173-6, with Shaun Pedler then taking 4-23 to help bowl the hosts out for just 89. There were also victories for second-placed Tickhill 2nds and third-placed Parkhead. Tickhill’s win came by six wickets away to fourth-placed Wath 2nds after they had bowled the home side out for 91, with five wickets each for Joel Martin and Nathaniel Wilkes. Parkhead also won comfortably after posting 198 at home to Thorncliffe & Wentworth; Rohan Ardley’s crucial 60 helped the hosts recover from 71-6, before Chris Turner took 7-39 to wrap up a 55-run win. Fifth-placed Sprotbrough 2nds lost at home to Worsbrough Bridge by three wickets after Alex Littlewood made 59 as the visitors successfully chased down 170. 

 

Bradfield Village Fellowship and Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds both won in their battle to avoid finishing in the third relegation place. Bradfield beat bottom side Whiston Parish Church 2nds by eight wickets at home after Tim Pearce (5-25) helped bowl out the visitors for just 49. Oughtibridge’s win was tighter, chasing down 162 with two wickets to spare at Frecheville Community; the visitors’ match-winners were Dilshan Luxman Sukumar (4-45) and Himanshu Bhalla with 69 not out to carry them over the line. 

 

At the top, Elsecar lead Tickhill by 24 points, the latter having a comfortable gap of 30 to Parkhead in third, with Wath and Sprotbrough the only other teams with a realistic chance of snatching third place; at the bottom, Whiston look doomed and Thorncliffe are twenty points adrift of safety, whilst above them the battle to avoid tenth place continues. 

 

 

Stocksbridge and Millhouses Works continue to battle it out at the top of Division 4, with the former leapfrogging their closest rivals on net run rate thanks to a six-wicket win in the clash between the two at Millhouses Park. Stocksbridge successfully chased down 160 thanks to Jack Newton’s unbeaten 41 – Rameez Ebrahim Ahomed’s 51 coming in vain for the hosts. Higham strengthened their hold on third place, narrowing the gap to the top two to just ten points, with a huge 258-run win at Whiston Forge. After they had elected to bat, Glen Burden hit 80 from 61 balls and Richard Heeley 58 as they posted 316-9; Robert Mcinerney (4-25) and Ben Wood (5-23) then bowled the hosts out for just 58. 

 

Below Higham, there were differing fortunes for chasers Cawthorne 2nds and Handsworth Junior SC, and the two are now level 16 points adrift of third. Cawthorne had an unconvincing four-wicket win over bottom club Maltby Miners Welfare. Jonathan Bennett was the visitors’ match-winner with 5-13 as they bowled the host out for 95. Handsworth, however, lost by two wickets away to Shiregreen 2nds after being bowled out for 135. Ihtisham Mohammed won the game for the home side with an unbeaten 50, to give them a real chance of climbing out of the relegation places. Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds are now only six points above Shiregreen after their six-wicket defeat away to Rockingham Colliery 2nds. Joshua Hartfield’s 57 not out helped the visitors to 144 after they had chosen to bat, but their hosts chased their target down for the loss of only four wickets in 27.1 overs. Silkstone United won away to Sheffield Collegiate 4ths by 18 runs after being bowled out for 164, to see them move within two points of their hosts in eighth place. 

 

Stocksbridge and Millhouses are on 162 points, Highham 152, and Cawthorne and Handsworth on 136; at the bottom, Maltby are looking increasingly doomed 38 points adrift of safety, Whiston Forge are in deep trouble 14 points above them, whilst there are six points between Shiregreen and Barnsley, who are fighting to avoid the third relegation place. 

 

 

There now appears to be a three-horse race for two promotion places in Division 5. Leaders Doncaster lost top spot following a surprising two-wicket defeat at home to relegation-threatened Hallam 3rds, after the visitors successfully chased down a target of 183; Dan Wylie took 7-44 for Hallam before William Laycock set them on their way with 54 and wicket-keeper Sam Yellops finished the job with 69 not out. Doncaster’s defeat allowed Wombwell Main to hit the top after a 69-run win away to Rotherham Town 2nds; George Butterfield (48) top-scored in a brilliant lower order effort that saw Wombwell recover from 69-5 to 250-9 after they had been put into bat; Henry Skelton (5-51) and Thomas Goldby-West (4-29) then bowled Rotherham out for 181. Upper Haugh 2nds moved level with Doncaster in second after an excellent four-wicket win away to fourth-placed Fishlake; Tim Elliot made 85 not out for the hosts in their 181, but fifties from Mathew Bacon and Connor Sanderson led Upper Haugh’s successful chase. 

 

At the other end of the table, none of the bottom three won, and they fell further behind. Mexborough Athletic lost by eight wickets at home to Conisbrough 2nds, Craig Jackson and Liam Stainthorpe taking five wickets each for the visitors to bowl the hosts out for 167, despite John Hubery’s 69; James Doran (73 from 52 balls) and Stuart Coleman (52) then put on 109 for the first wicket as Conisbrough won the game in 26.5 overs. Norton Oakes 2nds and Sheffield University Staff both lost away games by five wickets. The University lost away to Coal Aston 2nds, where Junaid Abbas’ 50 saw the hosts to their 178-run target; whilst bottom team Norton Oakes were undone by Alfie Spurr’s 59 not out as Darfield 2nds comfortably overhauled their 167. 

 

The two promotion places seem certain to be filled by two of the top three, who are 30 clear of the field; whilst Mexborough and Norton Oakes are now relegated, and in the third relegation place, the University Staff are now 18 points behind the only team they can hope to catch, Hallam 3rds. 

 

 

Sheffield United 2nds are now only one win from promotion from Division 6 after a resounding home success over Wickersley Old Village 3rds. After they elected to bat, Hasan Yasin hit 82 not out and Anoop Surendran 77 from 42 balls to help the hosts to 227-7; Tawqeer Hussain and Daniel Clench then took four wickets each to bowl the visitors out for 61. There were also wins for Handsworth Junior SC 2nds and Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds, to keep them firmly in the chase for promotion, in joint-third place, 12 behind Penistone 2nds, who had the weekend off. Handsworth won by three wickets at home to fellow hopefuls Whitley Hall 3rds, with whom they are now level on points; the visitors had posted an imposing 187-4 after choosing to bat, thanks to Charlie Wragg’s 84, but Wagar Hussain’s crucial innings of 53 from 45 balls helped the hosts recover from 98-6 to get over the line. Bradfield won after dismissing another promotion hopeful, Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds, for 138 at Smithywood Road, before Paul Garnett’s unbeaten 95 saw them to a comfortable eight-wicket win. 

 

At the bottom, there was a rare win for relegated Barnsley Woolley Miners 4ths, who defeated Sprotbrough 3rds by 38 runs at Woolley; Jake Chapman (67) and Adrianna Darlow (58) helped the home side post 190-9 after electing to bat, before they bowled their visitors out for 152. It was a miserable weekend for Wickersley Old Village 3rds, who lost both games in their double-header to fall from fourth to sixth. After their heavy defeat at Bawtry Road, they lost by 64 runs at home to Green Moor 2nds on Sunday. The visitors’ Harry Airstone hit a brilliant 138 from 104 balls in a 201-run opening partnership with Joseph White, who hit 71 from 72, before Owen Taylor’s 5-23 dismissed them for 238; it was too tall a target, and they ended 172-9. 

 

Whilst Sheffield United are almost there in the first promotion place, the chase behind them could not be tighter, as everyone down to Thorpe Hesley in seventh, 20 points being second-placed Penistone but with two games in hand, could finish second; at the bottom, Green Moor and Caribbean continue to battle to overtake Sprotbrough and avoid being relegated with Barnsley. 

 

 

Brookhouse maintained their 100% record in Division 7 and sealed their promotion with a convincing eight-wicket win at home to mid-table Harley; both Sam Lowery and Tom Wade had passed fifty for the visitors as they scored 157 all out in the first innings, but Jonathan Kirk’s 76 from 66 balls blasted the high-fliers home. Third-placed Ackworth 2nds strengthened their position in third this weekend with an outstanding win away to second-placed Higham 2nds; they posted 186-7 after choosing to bat, thanks to Sam Swindin’s 72, before James Clarke took 4-47 to help bowl the pre-match favourites out for 133. Just below the top three, Warmsworth 2nds overtook Millhouses Works 2nds to move into fourth with an eight-wicket win at the King George Playing Fields; they bowled their visitors out for 111 after they had chosen to bat, a score that they overtook in 28.2 overs. 

 

At the bottom, there was a third win of the season for Monk Bretton 2nds; this came away to Eden Grove Parklands, where Jenson Hayes (78 not out) and Julian White (55) took them to 173-5, before Colin Deakin (5-24) and Ged Mcinerney (4-18) bowled their hosts out for 88. Bottom team Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds also picked up a rare win, this by four wickets at home to relegation-threatened Mexborough Athletic 2nds; chasing 176 after James Clark had scored 55 not out for the visitors, Joe Pearson’s 65 secured an excellent victory. 

 

Higham and Ackworth look likely to join Brookhouse in the promotion places, their nearest challengers Warmsworth 2nds are 26 points above the top two; Eden Grove and Mexborough are fighting it out to avoid the third relegation place, with Monk Bretton and Thorncliffe looking likely to finish in the bottom two. 

 

 

The top three in Division 8 pulled away from the rest as leaders Hatfield 2nds and second-placed Houghton Main 2nds both won comfortably and Stocksbridge gained 12 points when Fishlake 2nds conceded. Hatfield’s victory came at Silkstone United 2nds, where they chased down 107 with seven wickets to spare; Neil Palmer took 4-20 for the visitors, and had it not been for Joe Green’s unbeaten 54 not out, it would have been worse for United, for whom no other player made it into double figures. In a similar game, Houghton won by nine wickets at home to Rockingham Colliery 3rds, for whom Julian Harris scored 70 out of 114, but Adam Cutmore’s 60, in a 95-run opening partnership with Kyle Head, wrapped up the match for the second-placed side. Doncaster Town 4ths fell further behind in quest chase for promotion after they lost at Wath 3rds on Sunday; the fourth-placed side were restricted to 120-9, Aiden Hinchcliffe taking 5-28, which Wath chased down with five wickets to spare with forties from Jack Lewis and Stephen Cook. 

 

Elsewhere, Dearne maintained their outside hopes of survival with a five-wicket win at Worsbrough Bridge 2nds; they were set an imposing target after Robert Stubbings’ 59 helped the home side to 197-9, but Nick Petty (73) and Luke Copley (58) led them to an impressive win. 

 

Hartfield are on 180 points, followed by Houghton Main (152) and Stocksbridge (138), with Doncaster outside the promotion places on 124; at the bottom, Dearne are eight points from safety with Scholes four points behind them – both are trying to overhaul eighth-placed Wath 2nds. 

 

 

There was a rare defeat for Division 9 leaders Adwick-le-Street this weekend, at second-placed Wombwell Main 2nds in the division’s match-of-the-day, which means that the top three are separated by just four points. Wombwell posted 228-7, with Jack Smith scoring 93 and Matthew Shaw 77 not out, before bowling Adwick out for 165 thanks to Billy Smith’s 5-24. This result put Upper Haugh 3rds right back in the race for the title after their crushing 166-run win at home to Brookhouse 2nds; Gurvinder Singh top-scored with 62 from 45 as they posted 251-9 with their visitors restricted to 85-9. Fourth-placed Whiston Forge 2nds lost ground on third place, and are now 18 points adrift after an agonising two-run loss away to Hampole & Skelbrooke. Chasing 139 after James Lawson had scored 65 for the hosts, Daniel Parker’s 64 helped them recover from 29-6 to within toughing distance of their target; ultimately, however, four wickets each for James Beresford and Melvyn Caddick proved decisive as Hampole secured a thrilling victory. 

 

Elsewhere, on Sunday, Kexborough successfully chased down 162 away to Sheffield United 3rds to win by six wickets; Ethan Shillito and Prasath Selvarajah both passed fifty in a 91-run opening partnership that put them well on the way to a comfortable win. 

 

Adwick remain top with 166 points, but Wombwell are now just two points behind them, and Upper Haugh a further two further back. 

 

Full scorecards 

 

League tables