Senior Section round-up for 18 June

 

 

Doncaster Town 2nds kept their grip on top spot in Division 1 with an impressive win away to a strong Upper Haugh side. Jack Zuurbier scored 61 as they made 260-9 in their innings, before bowling the hosts out for 156, with Warren Graca taking 5-37. The second-placed side, Darfield, hammered basement team, Oughtibridge War Memorial, by 167 runs at Waterside Gardens. Kastun Stoute scored 63 from 34 balls to help them post 215-8 after electing to bat, before Idris Khan (6-21) and Aaron Whitehead (4-19) removed the home side for just 48. An abandonment for Whitley Hall 2nds in their game against Wakefield Thornes 2nds meant that they slipped further behind in third place. Meanwhile, Sheffield United moved within four points of fourth-placed Upper Haugh with a five-wicket win away to Rotherham Town. Isuru Jayakody top-scored with 49, as they chased down 160 in 37.4 overs. 

 

At the opposite end of the table, Warmsworth got the better of Sheffield Collegiate 3rds in emphatic fashion to move above their opponents. Samuel Meadows’ 74 for Collegiate had seen them to 221-7, having been put into bat, a score they would have been confident of defending. But 101 from Rhys Mann and 80 not out from his opening partner, Thomas Whittaker, saw Warmsworth to the win by nine wickets in an impressive chase. South Kirkby climbed away from danger by beating Coal Aston by 110 runs, with fifties from Steve Secker and Adam Rollin, and 5-43 from Ricky Crompton. 

 

Doncaster lead the table by ten points, and Darfield are now 20 points clear of Whitley Hall in second; Warmsworth, Collegiate and Oughtibridge form the bottom three, with a ten-point gap to Coal Aston in ninth. 

 

 

There was a massive win in Division 2 for Ackworth, who beat Treeton 2nds at home by 234 runs to move further ahead of them in the battle for second place. Both openers were removed cheaply as the home side fell to 20-2 after electing to bat, but a 239-run partnership between Liam Carr and Shingi Masakadza saw them reach 305-3 in their 50 overs. The former ended 116 not out, whilst the latter hit 124 from 104 balls. Luke Townsend then took 4-22 in the second innings as Treeton were bowled out for just 71. Leaders Wickersley Old Village 2nds maintained their slender lead at the top, beating Norton Woodseats by 80 runs at home. Connor Snelgrove hit 34 not out at number nine as they posted 190-9, before bowling out their visitors for 110. 

 

In the relegation zone, Monk Bretton beat Caribbean Sports by 33 runs at home, to move off the bottom and above their opponents. Chasing 227 to win, Jordan Clayton took 4-37 to limit the visitors to 193 all out. Thorpe Hesley & High Green remain in the final relegation spot after their game at Aston Hall 2nds was abandoned after they had posted an impressive 280-7 in their first innings – Daniel Naylor (67) and Mateo Boulogne (107) having put on 185 for the first wicket. The game was delicately poised with the home side needing 44 off seven overs with six wickets remaining. Elsewhere, there was a thrilling finish at Penistone, who beat Hallam 2nds by a single wicket. Jack Unwin had scored 50 for the visitors as they posted 202, with Tom Exley taking 5-29. The hosts had seemed doomed to lose as they fell to 88-5 and then 138-8, but 44 from Ed Moss-Ward and an important 11 not out from 41 balls from Jack Meek at number ten saw them creep over the line. It was much more straightforward for Norton Oakes at home to Hatfield Town – they won by two wickets chasing 101, with Chris Baker taking 6-29 in the first innings.  

 

Wickersley lead Ackworth by four points at the top, with Treeton, 20 points behind Ackworth, the first of the next four clubs who are separated by only six points. Eight points separate Caribbean at the bottom from Thorpe Hesley & High Green, with Monk Bretton sandwiched between the two, whilst Hatfield are 16 points clear of the bottom three. 

 

 

Elsecar 2nds continued their incredible start to the season as they made it ten wins from ten at home to Whiston Parish Church 2nds, who remain bottom. Shaun Pedler took 5-22 as they bowled their visitors out for 113, before Matthew Tonks’ 86 not out from 48 balls made light work of the chase, and they prevailed by nine wickets. Below them, Sprotbrough 2nds kept hold of second place with a similarly emphatic win by beating Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds at Melton Road. There were fifties for Callum Marsh (67), Scott Sykes (50) and Rocco Cook (75) as the home side posted 287-7, before Jacob Swales’ 4-14 helped bowl the visitors out for 150. 

 

Third-placed Tickhill 2nds made it a clean sweep for the top three as all of them overcame sides in the relegation zone. They bowled out Worsbrough Bridge for 152, with three wickets each for Joel Martin and Jimmy Johnson, before James Waller hit 91 not out from 83 balls to see them home by eight wickets in just 25.5 overs. Meanwhile, there was a tight affair at Kexborough, who beat Frecheville Community by just four runs. Danny Bowering top-scored with 42 for the home side on their way to 191-7, before Neil Hinchcliffe’s 6-44 saw them hold on for the win by the skin of their teeth. Two games were abandoned; Parkhead were on top in their game at Bradfield Village Fellowship with Louis Marven and Christain Millard going well in at 119-2, chasing 199; and Thorncliffe & Wentworth were denied a valuable win when they had Wath 2nds 126-7 chasing 229 to win. 

 

Elsecar now lead the table by 22 from Tickhill, who are eight clear of Sprotbrough; six points separate the bottom three, with Whiston on 22, Worsbrough Bridge on 26 and Oughtibridge on 28 – there is then a further six-point gap to Thorncliffe & Wentworth. 

 

 

Millhouses Works’ 42-run win at home to Sheffield Collegiate 4ths saw them keep their 12-point lead at the top of Division 4; Eisa Hussain scored 60 out of 196-9, before extraordinary figures of 8-23 for Rameez Ebrahim Ahomed wrapped up the game by 42 runs. Stocksbridge took a firmer grip on second place, winning rather easily, as they chased just 66 to win by nine wickets away at Handsworth JSC. Cawthorne 2nds, who began the day in third, lost by eight wickets at Higham; it could have looked even worse had Tom Jenkinson’s 59 from 31 at nine not seen the visitors recover from 99-8 to 173 all out in the first innings. Their hosts still made light work of the chase, however, as Liam Dickinson hit 108 from 95 balls, with George Deegan’s 52 not out seeing them over the line with eight wickets and 18 overs to spare. 

 

Elsewhere, Rockingham Colliery 2nds moved up to fourth with a six-wicket win at home to strugglers Shiregreen 2nds. Richard Skipworth’s 5-11 limited the hosts to 120 all out in the first innings, despite Fida Mohammad’s 54, before 55 not out from Andy Shore saw the home side to victory. Whiston Forge lifted themselves off the bottom with a seven-wicket win over Silkstone United. Chasing 164 in a game limited to 30 overs apiece, they made their way to the victory with four overs to spare, Steve Cowles hitting 64 not out from just 47 balls. In the other game of the day, Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds were going well in their chase of 192 at Maltby, before a rain put a stop to proceedings. 

 

Stocksbridge are now second, 12 points behind Millhouses, eight clear of Higham, and a further four ahead of Rockingham; Shiregreen prop up the table, eight points behind Whiston Forge, a further four behind Maltby in tenth, with Silkstone just a further two above Maltby. 

 

 

The weather had a big impact on fixtures in Division 5, with three games abandoned. Leaders Wombwell Main were just 30 runs from victory away to Darfield 2nds before they were halted, allowing Upper Haugh 2nds and Fishlake to make up ground on them. Fishlake’s win at home to bottom team Mexborough was particularly emphatic with Josh Yeaman plundering 141 from just 61 balls in an innings that included 12 sixes. Yeaman's fellow opener, Charlie Metcalfe, made 88 as the hosts declared on 285-2 from just 29.3 overs. The move was clearly made with the weather in mind and the bowling effort was similarly efficient, as Dylan Sisman took 5-13 to bowl Mexborough out for 131. Upper Haugh’s win at Hallam 3rds was much narrower but saw them keep hold of second spot. Oliver Cunningham took 4-27 to bowl their hosts out for 108 in the first innings; the chase was far from easy, however, as they scraped over the line with three wickets in hand. 

 

The only other game to be played in the division was a notable one as Norton Oakes 2nds finally got off the mark with a six-wicket win away to Sheffield University Staff. They made their way to the 162 target in 33 overs thanks to 56 from Jack Dickinson and 45 not out from Ben Gaskell. The other two games to be abandoned were between Coal Aston 2nds and Conisbrough 2nds at Stonelow, where the home side were well-placed; and Doncaster Town 3rds at home to Rotherham Town 2nds, where there could have been an interesting finish.  

 

Wombwell’s lead at the top has been narrowed to four points from Upper Haugh, with a further two-point gap to Fishlake – these three being 14 clear of the field; At the bottom, Norton Oakes are now two points ahead of Mexborough, but there is then a 26-point gap Hallam in tenth place. 

 

 

Sheffield United 2nds kept hold of top spot in Division 6 by beating Penistone 2nds, who dropped to third after losing both games in their weekend double-header. United prevailed by nine wickets at Bawtry Road, bowling their visitors out for 68 after electing to field, with Ibrahim Shakil taking 4-14. Siraj Alam then top scored with 41 not out in the brief chase. Second-placed Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds won similarly comfortably at home to Handsworth JSC 2nds. Charlie Richard Taylor scored 55 not out as they posted 143-7, with Harry Taylor then taking 4-24 to help bowl the visitors out for 72. Handsworth came back strongly on Sunday, however, to beat Penistone by 21 runs. Humayan Bashir contributed 57 as they scored 181 all out, before 4-18 from Allahditta Bashir helped limit their visitors to 160-9. 

 

Nearer the bottom, Caribbean Sports 2nds were well beaten at home by Whitley Hall 3rds. The visitors scored 271-6, having been put into bat, with Ben Gillott and Charlie Wragg scoring 84 and 93 respectively. Wragg then took 4-29 to limit the hosts to 135 all out in reply. Sprotbrough 3rds lost by three wickets away to Green Moor 2nds, where the home side successfully chased down their target of 136 with three wickets to spare, mainly thanks to 70 from opener Jack Berry. Elsewhere, Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds won by 11 runs away to Wickersley Old Village 3rds, to move above their opponents into fifth place; all four of their bowlers took wickets as they successfully defended 146.  

 

Sheffield United lead by 12 from Thorpe Hesley, with Penistone now a further eight points behind; at the bottom, Caribbean on 18 poioints and Barnsley on 14 are well adrift of the field, but four go down from this division, and Handsworth and Sprotbrough currently occupy the other two relegation places – but three more sides, up to Bradfield in fifth, are only one win above the relegation zone. 

 

 

Brookhouse continued their winning start to the season in Division 7 with a close-run victory at home to fellow promotion candidates, Ackworth 2nds. Wasim Kazi’s 73 saw the hosts post 171-9 in the first innings, and they had appeared well on their way to the win when the visitors were 55-7. But 69 not out from Finlay Martin brought the visitors agonisingly close to victory, and they were eventually limited to 164-8 in their 40 overs. The result paved the way for Higham 2nds to move into the promotion places when they won by three wickets at Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds, who remain winless this season. 4-32 from Alex Green saw the strugglers all out for 146, in reply to which Higham were 104-7 before Dan and Steven Bamforth put on an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 46 to see their side home. Warmsworth 2nds kept up their hopes of promotion as they won by seven wickets at home to Eden Grove Parklands. Jonathan Iball scored 93 not out as they chased down 169 with ease. 

 

Mexborough Athletic 2nds are still in the relegation zone after they lost by eight wickets at home to Millhouses Works 2nds. Joe Morgan took 5-14 as the home side were bowled out for 116, before Ben Hyman top-scored with 46 not out in the chase. Harley won much more emphatically away to Frecheville Community 2nds in a mid-table battle. Lewis Varley scored 58 as they reached 158-8 after being put into bat, with Callum Sverdloff then taking an excellent 6-22 to bowl their hosts out for 60. 

 

Brookhouse lead the table with 108 points, eight clear of Higham and a further 12 ahead of Ackworth; at the other end, Thorncliffe have just eight points, four adrift of Monk Bretton, and there is then a 26-point gap to Mexborough, who occupy the final relegation spot, tenth place, just four behind Eden Grove and Frecheville. 

 

 

Hatfield Town 2nds lost their second game of the season in Division 8, against Doncaster Town 4ths, who cut their lead at the top to four points. The game was surprisingly one-sided as Town, thanks to 5-15 from Iain Wormald, bowled out the league leaders for just 82. The chase was a formality, being completed for the loss of three wickets. The result opened the door for Stocksbridge 2nds, who started the day second, but they couldn’t take advantage as they lost at home to Houghton Main 2nds. The home side would have been confident when James Hague’s 4-44 helped bowl their visitors out for just 100, but they were removed for just 83 in reply, will Bilal Hussain taking 4-41. 

 

There was a bruising loss for bottom club Fishlake 2nds at Dearne. The hosts chose to bat first and piled on the runs, Jamie Mctaggart’s 56 helping them to 210-8, before the visitors were bowled out for just 53 in reply. Silkstone United remain in danger of relegation after failing to defend 151 at home to Rockingham Colliery 3rds and losing by six wickets – Joe Evans contributing 52. Elsewhere, Worsbrough Bridge 2nds and Scholes played out a high scoring encounter, with the latter winning by 29 runs. Chris Hemming scored 67 not out as Scholes made their way to 238-6, but Darren Newton’s 108 was in vain for the home side and they closed on 209-8. 

 

It is tight at the top, where Hatfield lead Doncaster by four, with another four points to Stocksbridge in third- the latter only being two ahead of Houghton Main; Fishlake are 16 behind the rest at the bottom, Wath (30) and Dearne (40) occupying the other two relegation spots, with Silkstone just two points above them. 

 

 

Whiston Forge 2nds took a big step forward in the title race in Division 9 when they won away to Adwick-le-Street, who dropped to third. The win came courtesy of a thrilling chase after the hosts had chosen to bat and, with the help of Nick Bisby’s 76, had posted a more than competitive 203-6. Whiston’s reply started shakily as they fell to 56-4, but 66 from Michael Raleigh followed by 60 not out from Richard North saw them to victory with just two wickets remaining. Upper Haugh 3rds moved up to second with a thumping win over strugglers Sheffield United 3rds. Joshua Platts took 4-8 as they bowled United out for just 42, a score they overhauled without the loss of wicket. 

 

Eden Grove Parklands 2nds fell 116 runs of their 223 target at home to Kexborough 2nds. Matthew Woods scored 54 for visitors, with Ethan Shillito’s 6-22 wrapping up the win. Brookhouse 2nds lost on Sunday by just two wickets at Wombwell Main 2nds, as they failed to defend 134 in a chase that went to the final over. Finally, Hampole & Skelbrooke’s game at Rockingham Colliery 4ths produced an unusual score. The away side batted first and scored 140 for the loss of just one wicket in their 40 overs, with James Lawson scoring 71 not out. The home side then managed to knock off the required runs with three wickets and 2.3 overs remaining. 

 

Whiston Forge lead Upper Haugh by eight points, the latter now being ten ahead of Adwick, who themselves are a further 24 ahead of the field; Sheffield United are now 24 points adrift at the bottom. 

 

 

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