Senior Section round-up for 20 & 21 August

 

Darfield hit the top of Division 1 this weekend by beating previous leaders, Doncaster Town 2nds, at home; they won by five wickets chasing just 115 after Idris Khan had taken 5-41 in the first innings, with Matthew Higgins’ unbeaten 34 seeing them home. Upper Haugh kept up their slim hopes of promotion by beating lowly Coal Aston by 58 runs at Stonelow; Habil Malik, with 101 from 91 balls, and Sam Thompson (79) led them to 260-9, whilst Benjamin Hall’s 74 for the hosts was in vain. 

 

It remains tight at the opposite end of the table as, in addition to Coal Aston, South Kirkby also lost, this at Warmsworth who, as a result, moved off the bottom. Warmsworth’s win came by two wickets after chasing down 193 with seven balls to spare; Adam Rollin had scored 101 not out for the visitors, but Thomas Whittaker’s unbeaten 53 breathed life into Warmsworth’s survival push. The 12 points saw them jump above Sheffield Collegiate 3rds, who were well-beaten by 67 runs at home to Rotherham Town and are now bottom. Adding to a weekend of several centuries, Muhammad Virad Mujahid’s unbeaten 123 off 120 balls helped the visitors to an unassailable 279-9 after they had chosen to bat first; Collegiate ended 212-7 in their 50 overs despite Charlie Wall’s 88. Sheffield United easily chased down 130 to beat Whitley Hall 2nds by eight wickets at home, thus moving above their opponents into fourth place, with Sonal Amarasekara taking 5-27. There was also a high-scoring win for Wakefield Thornes 2nds, who beat Oughtibridge War Memorial by 22 runs to move further from danger; after being put into bat, Jonathan Scott (106 not out) and Jamie Howarth (52) helped Thornes to 234-6, and in reply, Benjamin Tyers’ 50 not out was not enough as regular wickets curtailed Oughtibridge’s chase. On Sunday, Rotherham jumped above Wakefield Thornes with a four-wicket win at Field Lane; Joshua Hen-Boisen top-scored with 65 in the home side’s 189, but Irfan Mirza’s unbeaten 57 saw Town home by with 16 balls to spare. 

 

Darfield lead Doncaster by eight points, with a further 16-point gap to Upper Haugh; at the bottom, Collegiate are on 84 points, Warmsworth 90, Coal Aston 96, and South Kirkby are just above the relegation places with 100. 

 

 

Surprise results near the top of Division 2 saw Aston Hall 2nds surge into the top three as we head towards the end of the season. They had a thumping 105-run win at home to Penistone having scored 214, Joe Fletcher top-scoring with 58, and six bowlers shared the wickets as they wrapped it up in the second. They took advantage of home defeats for both Hallam 2nds and Treeton 2nds. The former lost by 45 runs at home to Norton Oakes, when they fell well short of their 185-run target; Ted Hutchings hit 61 for the visitors before taking 3-22 as Hallam were all out for 140. Treeton lost by 40 runs at home to Norton Woodseats, who scored 211 before a brilliant 7-45 from Daniel Turner left the hosts all out for 171. Top side Ackworth sealed promotion with a five-wicket win away to Hatfield Town; Luke Townsend took 5-62 and Dale Longfield 4-33 as they bowled Hatfield out for 172, before Sam Swindin saw them over the line with 64 not out. 

 

Near the bottom, there was a massive win for Caribbean Sports, who beat second-placed Wickersley Old Village 2nds by three wickets at home to keep themselves in the hunt for survival; Afzaal Ahmad did a lot of the damage in the first innings, taking 4-49 as his team bowled the visitors out for 116, a score they overhauled thanks to Haroon Tariq’s 52 not out. Bottom team Thorpe Hesley & High Green put a huge dint in Monk Bretton’s survival hopes when they beat their fellow strugglers by 88 runs; Tiger Dalby scored 84 as the home side hit 226-6 after being put into bat; Jack Myers and Jordan Hanson then took four wickets each to bowl the visitors out for 138. 

 

Ackworth lead the table by 40 points, Wickersley are a further 26 ahead of Aston Hall, and Hallam and Treeton are two and four points outside the promotion places respectively; the bottom three are 20 adrift of Norton Woodseats, with Caribbean now on 86, Monk Bretton 80 and Thorpe Hesley 76. 

 

 

Elsecar 2nds now require only one more point to be assured of the Division 3 championship after hammering second-placed Tickhill 2nds by 150 runs at the Al-Murad; Harrison Hayes hit 62 off 44 balls as they set their visitors 204 to win, before Shaun Pedler and Richard Stump combined to bowl Tickhill out for just 53, taking 6-18 and 4-35 respectively. This result meant third-placed Parkhead closed the gap to second after breezing past Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds with a nine-wicket win at Waterside Gardens; Harry Pollard’s 5-21 meant they needed only 90 to win, a score they reached in 22.3 overs. Below the top three, Wath 2nds kept up their push for promotion with a ten-wicket win away to Whiston Parish Church 2nds; they bowled their hosts out for just 108, with Luke Roddison taking 4-26, before Jonathan Plater hit 72 not out from 52 balls to finish the game in 15.2 overs. 

 

In the bottom three, Thorncliffe & Wentworth reignited their survival hopes with a 44-run win at home to fellow strugglers Bradfield Village Fellowship; they posted an impressive 221-4 thanks to Connor Brunt’s excellent 121 and 54 from Hummad Younis, whilst their visitors were limited to 177-8 in reply, with Michael Gilmour taking 4-39. There was another important result for Worsbrough Bridge, who beat Kexborough by five wickets at home, to pull further away from the drop zone; Mark Wilkinson and Callum Bentley picked up four wickets each to bowl the visitors out for 148, which they chased in 30.2 overs. Frecheville Community picked up a four-wicket win after chasing down 111 to beat Sprotbrough 2nds at home, thanks to Todd Saxelby’s 5-18. 

 

Elsecar are 36 clear of Tickhill at the top, with a further 18 point gap to Parkhead, and only Wath, 16 points further back, have any chance of breaking into the top three; at the bottom, Whiston are all but relegated, whilst one of Bradfield, Oughtibridge and Thorncliffe will survive, with Bradfield currently in pole position, six points clear. 

 

 

Higham will be looking nervously over their shoulders in the Division 4 promotion race after they lost by five wickets away to fellow hopefuls Handsworth Junior SC. The visitors will have been confident between innings after George Deegan’s 104 and Rikki Sephton’s 57 had helped them to 213-6; however, their hosts finished the game with an over to spare, with Sher Khan’s 53 not out seeing them over the line. Higham’s defeat also helped Cawthorne 2nds back into the promotion chase after they hammered Shiregreen 2nds by 108 runs at home. They reached 284-3 after choosing to bat first, thanks to Nicholas Lowe’s brilliant 141 not out from 126 balls, backed up by Ryan Bagshaw’s 64; all four bowlers then took wickets as the visitors were all out for 176. 

 

Stocksbridge and Millhouses Works remain level on points in the title race. Millhouses’ win was particularly exciting, as their hosts, Silkstone, fell just two runs short in their pursuit of 209; Tom Roper (61) and Callum Sampson (64) top-scored for the second-placed side, before Jakob Taylor’s 78 and Ross Whitmore’s 52 took the hosts agonisingly close to an unlikely victory. League leaders Stocksbridge’s win was much more straightforward, as they overcame Whiston Forge by 52 runs at home; the hosts posted a modest 149 in the first innings, but Jack Newton then took 5-29 to bowl the visitors out for 97 in reply. Sheffield Collegiate 4ths helped themselves into the safety of mid-table with a four-run victory away to Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds; Matthew Butler’s 72 carried the visitors to 156-8 after they had been put into bat, with Jim Lomas, Mark Longley and Elliot Boardwell each taking three wickets to bowl Barnsley out just short of their target. 

 

Stocksbridge and Millhouses are on 174 points, with Higham on 152, but the latter now have Cawthorne and Handsworth both breathing down their necks just four points behind; it is looking bleak for Maltby and Whiston at the bottom, but Shiregreen still have a realistic chance of closing the ten-point gap to Barnsley and safety. 

 

 

Doncaster Town 3rds fell behind in the race for promotion in Division 5 after a surprise six-wicket defeat at Norton Oakes 2nds who, as a result, moved off the bottom; Tom Graham took 5-12 as the visitors were bowled out for just 110 in the first innings, a score the hosts passed with ease. This meant that Upper Haugh 2nds could pull further away in second place after they won by five wickets at home to Coal Aston 2nds; David Plummer was the star man, and his 5-51 helped bowl their visitors out for 119, with Christopher Pearson hitting 50 in the successful chase. Above them, Wombwell Main remain in a strong position after a comfortable eight-wicket victory at home to strugglers Mexborough Athletic; Richard Wilkinson took 6-21 as the visitors were bowled out for 119, and Jonathan Scaife top-scored with 44 not out in the Wombwell innings. 

 

At the other end of the table, there was a huge result for Sheffield University Staff, who successfully defended 120 to beat Hallam 3rds by 41 runs away from home. The result took them within six points of their hosts in ninth after Aden Biddle (5-18) and Rahul Ravi (4-14) had bowled Hallam out for just 79 in the second innings. There were wins for Darfield 2nds and Conisbrough 2nds in low-scoring games; Darfield’s victory coming a single wicket as they scraped past a 96-run target away Rotherham Town 2nds, where Evan Todd took 5-27 and Declan Dickinson 4-18 to set up the result. Conisbrough won by ten wickets at home to fourth-placed Fishlake after bowling their visitors out for just 52, with Craig Jackson taking 6-16 and Naseer Ahmed 4-25. 

 

Wombwell lead the table by six from Upper Haugh, and there is then a 12-point gap to the only other promotion contenders, Doncaster. At the bottom, Hallam 3rds are still edging the battle with the University Staff to avoid finishing third from bottom by six points. 

 

 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds surged to third this weekend in Division 6 as they picked up maximum points in their double-header weekend. Saturday’s win was key, when they beat fellow promotion hopefuls Whitley Hall 3rds by 44 runs at the Civil Service Ground. After choosing to bat, Thorpe Hesley hit an imposing 236-5 thanks to Mark Dufty’s 94 not out and Lewis Pursglove’s 76. A fine all-round bowling effort then left their hosts short at 192-8. Their Sunday win was tighter; after they were all out for 130 away to Wickersley Old Village 3rds they won by 21 runs thanks to Andy Barlow’s 4-30. Sheffield United 2nds have sealed promotion at the top of the table, and they beat Sprotbrough 3rds by 98 runs after Anoop Surendran had hit 85 from 47 balls and Faiz Hussain had taken 4-18 to bowl out the hosts for 110. 

 

It was a roller-coaster weekend for Caribbean Sports 2nds, who also played out a double-header. A 91-run win at Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds kicked off the weekend in style; they made 241, in which Tair Abbas top-scored with 82, before Basharat Ali took 5-33 to wrap up the victory. However, on Sunday, their eight-wicket defeat away at home to fellow strugglers Green Moor 2nds means they are still 18 points away from safety; after being put into bat, Ikram Amjad’s 55 helped Sports to 165 all out, but Harry Airstone then hit a brilliant 97 not out to end the game inside 34 overs. 

 

Sheffield United are 34 points clear of second-placed Penistone, who must see off the challenge of Thorpe Hesley, eight points behind them, to earn promotion; at the other end, Caribbean and Sprotbrough are separated by just two points, but are 18 adrift of Green Moor and safety. 

 

 

The last 100% record in League was ended when Division 7 leaders Brookhouse were well-beaten by second-placed Higham 2nds at Royd Lane, the latter thereby securing their promotion; the visitors were bowled out for just 48, thanks to Steven Bamforth’s 6-7, and lost by eight wickets. This was not the only surprising result of the weekend, as third-placed Ackworth 2nds were beaten by 72 runs at home to strugglers Eden Grove Parklands; chasing 165, the home side were bowled out for 93, with Tony Singh picking up 6-28. The result brought Warmsworth 2nds back into the promotion race after they had chased down 175 to beat Monk Bretton 2nds by seven wickets at the Castle Ground; Julian White hit 50 for the home side, but Jack Rodgers’ 84 not out from 42 balls catapulted his side over the line. 

 

In the relegation zone, Mexborough Athletic 2nds’ were defeated by four-wickets at home to Frecheville Community 2nds after being bowled out for 108, with Jake Kempton taking 4-18. Harley’s win against basement side Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds was particularly impressive given they only had eight players; they chased down 186 for the loss of just two wickets thanks to Michael Dearden’s 82 and Tom Wade’s unbeaten 77. 

 

At the top of the table, the two promoted sides, Brookhouse and Higham, are 34 points clear of Ackworth, who are being challenged for the third promotion spot by Warmsworth – 28 points behind them but with a game in hand; at the bottom, Monk Bretton and Thorncliffe are already down, whilst Mexborough are trying to make up the 16 points from them to Eden Grove and safety. 

 

 

There was an important win in Division 8 for third-placed Stocksbridge 2nds, who they overcame fifth-placed Rockingham Colliery 3rds by 38 runs; after posting 178-9, Callum Haywood top-scoring with 40 at number eight, Jenson Beever took 3-24 as they restricted the home side to 140-8. Fourth-placed Doncaster Town 4ths scrapped their way to their target of 79 in a one-wicket win at home to Worsbrough Bridge 2nds; Matthew Goodwin’s 20 not out saw them nervily over the line after being 68-9. Promoted leaders Hatfield gained a further 12 points after Dearne conceded, whilst second-placed Houghton Main 2nds had a weekend off. 

 

At the opposite end of the table, Scholes beat Wath 3rds at home by 79 runs to maintain their hopes of survival; Chris Williams hit 72 fin the hosts’ 165 before Matthew Holmes, David Watson and Dean Oxley took three wickets apiece as they bowled their visitors out for 86. Their win narrowed the gap to Silkstone United 2nds and safety to 14 points after the latter lost by two wickets away to relegated Fishlake 2nds; Nigel Bentley made 77 out of United’s 173, but forties from Paul Trimmington and Keith Bee saw the bottom side home with two wickets and two balls to spare. 

 

Hatfield lead Houghton by 40 points, Stocksbridge being only two further points adrift, with Doncaster still challenging 14 points behind them.; At the bottom, Dearne’s chances of avoiding the drop with Fishlake are starting to look remote, they are 26 points from safety with three games left, but Scholes, with a game in hand, are just 14 behind Silkstone. 

 

 

Division 9 leaders Adwick-le-Street got back to winnings ways in style this weekend and sealed their promotion by comfortably winning both games in their double-header. Saturday saw them chase down 165 at a canter when they won by nine wickets at Brookhouse 2nds; Carl Raynes had scored 54 not out for the hosts, but James Wadsworth’s 83 not out saw his side ease to the target. On Sunday, they made it to their 124-run target with eight wickets to spare away to bottom side Sheffield United 3rds; this time around, their top four shared out the runs to cap off a fine weekend. Below them, there was a huge 173-run win for second-placed Wombwell 2nds away to Eden Grove Parklands 2nds after they posted 225-6 in their first innings; Chris Ferris was their standout performer with 108 from 81 balls, before Sam Walters took 7-31 to bowl their hosts out for just 52. Third side Upper Haugh 3rds gained 122 points as Whiston Forge 2nds conceded. 

 

Elsewhere, there was a 75-run victory for Kexborough 2nds at home to Rockingham Colliery 4ths; Ethan Shillito produced the performance of the weekend with 170 from 110 balls to take his side to 249-8, before taking 4-42 in the second innings to limit the visitors to 174-7. Finally, Sheffield United 3rds were also defeated on Saturday, falling 67 runs short of their 156-run target away to Hampole & Skelbrooke, for whom James Beresford top-scored with 52 not out. 

 

The top three are now 34 points clear of the field and looking odds-on for promotion. Adwick lead on 190, with Wombwell on 176 and Upper Haugh 174. 

 

Full scorecards 

 

League tables