Senior Section round-up for 3 & 4 September

 

Doncaster Town 2nds sealed their promotion with a very comprehensive win at home to third-placed Upper Haugh, thereby ending their visitors’ promotion hopes. Robert Grace (51) and Jack Woodiwiss (73) set Doncaster on the way to 203-9 with an opening stand of 116, before they bowled their visitors out for just 59. Doncaster are eight points behind leaders Darfield going into the last games, after Darfield’s 93-run win over Oughtibridge War Memorial. Saman Kursheed (60 not out) top-scored in Darfield’s 262, before taking 5-15 as they bowled their visitors out for 169. 

 

At the other end of the table, defeat for South Kirkby at Stonelow confirmed their relegation, which will have positive ramifications for some clubs in the divisions below. Because the former Pontefract & District club were promoted into the SYSCL through the pyramid agreement, upon relegation they must, by the terms of that agreement, return to the Pontefract league. Fifties for Richard Mintoft and Harry Simpson helped Coal Aston to 223-8, before they bowled South Kirkby out for 195 – Daniel Hemingway taking 5-55. A last-ball defeat for Sheffield Collegiate 3rds at Warmsworth also means that they will be relegated to Division 2. Nick Gaywood (52) and Mark Hickman (47 not out) led Collegiate to 177-7, but forties from Gordon Laidlaw and Paul Green helped the home side to a win by one wicket. Warmsworth’s win means that they go into the final day with a chance of staying up – if they could pull off a shock win away to Darfield, they could overtake either Coal Aston or Oughtibridge and escape. Elsewhere, there were comfortable wins for Rotherham Town over Sheffield United, by 93 runs, and Whitley Hall 2nds by seven wickets over Wakefield Thornes 2nds. Muhammad Virad Mujahid took five wickets for Rotherham at Bawtry Road; as did Rehan Khan for Whitley at Field Lane, before Andrew Pickering’s unbeaten 103 off 109 balls led the visitors to their 184 target with 14 overs to spare. 

 

 

Wickersley Old Village 2nds are now promoted, by virtue of a resounding 196-run win away to Norton Woodseats. Liam Heathcote hit 133 off 103 balls as Wickersley posted 274, before Adam Whitford (5-31) and David Mace (4-44) bowled unchanged as Oakes were rolled out for 78. Champions Ackworth were made to work hard away to promotion-chasing Treeton 2nds before winning by 38 runs, skipper Luke Townsend (4-34) leading the way as the home side were bowled out for 143. Hallam 2nds are favourites to finish in the third promotion place after beating Penistone by 77 runs at Crimicar; they posted 198-9 despite William Tyas’s 5-56, and Matthew Hopkins took 4-40 as the visitors were dismissed for 121. Aston Hall 2nds were beaten by eight wickets away to Thorpe Hesley & High Green and now trail Hallam by ten points. Sam Drabble took 8-74 for the home side, in another instance of bowlers bowling unchanged – he and Jack Myers were the only bowlers used as Aston were bowled out for 134 in exactly 30 overs. Mateo Boulogne then hit an unbeaten 64 for take his side to a comfortable win. 

 

At the bottom of the table, the South Kirkby relegation has meant that only two teams will be relegated from this division, so if Thorpe Hesley & High Green could win at Treeton next Saturday, they could retain Division 2 status if Caribbean Sports fail to pick up any points away to mid-table Penistone. Thorpe Hesley were bottom and apparently relegated at the start of play, but their win took them above relegated Monk Bretton, who were beaten by 142 runs at Caribbean. Half-centuries for Haroon Tariq and Hussnain Hussain took Caribbean to 271-8, and Shaikil Ahmed took 5-35 as the visitors were hustled out for 129. 

 

 

No further issues were resolved at the top of Division 3, where Parkhead and Wath 2nds both won, so their battle for the third promotion place will go into the final weekend. Parkhead fought off a brave challenge from relegation-threatened Bradfield Village Fellowship to win by eight runs at Eccleshall Road; skipper Christian Millard top-scored with 68 in the home side’s 213-7, before visiting skipper James Shepherd made 54 in vain, as his side fell just short of a vital win. Wath won by four wickets away to Thorncliffe & Wentworth, Scott Hibbett’s 73 being comfortably the game’s top score as the visitors chased down 148. Champions Elsecar 2nds bowled out Whiston Parish Church 2nds for just 93, Matthew Tonks taking 5-19, and recovered from 32-4 to win by five wickets. Second-placed Tickhill 2nds, their promotion secure, were beaten by 60 runs away to Worsbrough Bridge. The home side rattled up 278-4, Shak Jamil top-scoring with 81, before restricting their visitors to 218-6, despite Ted Ruston’s 107. 

 

The loss of the third relegation place in this division means that Bradfield Village Fellowship will be safe if they pick up any points at all at home to Sprotbrough 2nds – but if they do not, and Thorncliffe & Wentworth win at Tickhill, then they will be relegated by virtue of having the better of the results between the two clubs. Oughtibridge War Memorial 2nds ensured their safety from relegation with a three-wicket win at home to Sprotbrough 2nds, Adil Nasim’s unbeaten 55 being crucial in taking them to their target of 155. In a mid-table clash, Frecheville Community won by eight wickets at home to Kexborough, Todd Saxelby hitting 89 off 64 balls as his side powered to a target of 176. 

 

 

Millhouses Works’ four-wicket win away to Sheffield Collegiate 4ths in a low-scoring game on Sunday confirmed their promotion. Amir Riaz and Lee Stewart, with three wickets each, were the key men as Collegiate were restricted to 122-9, having elected to bat first. The battle for the third promotion spot took another turn as Higham, third at the start of the day, were soundly beaten away to Cawthorne 2nds, who have leapfrogged them into pole position – albeit still level on points with Handsworth Junior SC, who pulled off a fine win away to the promoted leaders, Stocksbridge. In the game at Dark Lane, Higham posted a respectable 175, but it was made to look completely inadequate as Nick Lowe (111 not out off 103 balls) and skipper Ryan Bagshaw (51 now out) helped their side romp home without loss of wicket in the 32nd over. Handsworth’s win at Stocksbridge was a lot closer, but no less impressive. The visitors’ 204-7 owed much to a third-wicket stand of 148 between Qasim Banaris (63) and Waqas Ali (78), before Mohammad Tufail took 5-52 as the leaders were bowled out for 192. 

 

At the bottom, Shiregreen 2nds lost away to Rockingham Colliery 2nds by 58 runs and will join Maltby and Whiston Forge in Division 4 next season. When the home side were 117-6, it all looked good for Shiregreen, but the Colliery recovered to 201-8, Steve Taylor top-scoring with 47, and then Ben Shore took 6-22 as Shiregreen were bowled out for 143. Elsewhere, Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds bowled out bottom side Maltby Miners Welfare for 74 (Josh Hartfield 5-25) and won by nine wickets; and Silkstone United beat the other relegated side, Whiston Forge, by seven wickets; Chris Barraclough finishing with the remarkable figures of 10.1-7-6-6 as the visitors were bowled out for 110. 

 

 

Wombwell Main’s nine-wicket win over Darfield 2nds means that they are confirmed as Division 5 champions. Richard Wilkinson’s 7-24 saw the home side bowled out for 115, and he then went on to make an unbeaten 69 off 47 balls as his side romped to victory in just 17 overs. Below them, both Upper Haugh 3rds, who beat Hallam 3rds, and Doncaster Town 3rds, who did not play, are both promoted. Upper Haugh won by 127 runs, posting a massive 301-5 after Matthew Bacon and Chris Pearson, who both scored 59, had put on 100 for the first wicket, and Andrew Lintin (74) figured in partnerships of 75 with Connor Sanderson (37) and 85 with Steve Reynolds (49 not out in 31 balls); Reynolds then starred with the ball, taking 4-27 as Hallam were bowled out for 174. 

 

At the bottom, with Norton Oakes 2nds and Mexborough Athletic both relegated, the fight is between Hallam 3rds and Sheffield University Staff to avoid finishing in the third relegation place. The Staff took advantage of Hallam’s defeat by beating Norton Oakes by 47 runs and now lead this private battle by six points going into the final games. Sabeethan Kanagasingham top-scored for the Staff at Oakes with 81, but Tom Graham took 6-30 to restrict them to 189, before Aden Biddle again led the way for the visitors with 4-37, and Oakes were all out 142. Elsewhere, in a high-scoring game at Park Road, Conisbrough 2nds beat Coal Aston 2nds, chasing down 236 to win by six wickets with eight overs to spare; and relegated Mexborough beat Fishlake by one run at the Athletic Club, after Richard Copley (6-28) had bowled the visitors out for 145. 

 

 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds sealed their promotion with a resounding 140-run win away to Handsworth Junior SC 2nds. Jack Pemberton hit 102 not out for the visitors off 78 balls as they amassed 313-4 after electing to bat first; Andy Barlow then took 4-54 as they bowled Handsworth out for 173. There now remains a battle between Penistone, Wickersley Old Village 3rds and Whitley Hall 3rds for the third place. Penistone were beaten away by champions Sheffield United 2nds by 21 runs, Harry Burton taking 4-36 as United slipped from 89-0 to 157 all out, before Tawqeer Hussain (4-28) and Aydin Talib (5-34) combined to bowl Peniston out for 136. Wickersley lost away to Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds by seven runs after the home side were restricted to 153-9, despite opener David Fearnley’s highest score of the game (59); David Palazon (4-20) then helped Bradfield bowl their visitors out for 146. The Penistone and Wickersley defeats meant that Whitley Hall were able to close the gap to the promotion places by beating Caribbean Sports 2nds by three wickets, after Charlie Jones’ 5-22 helped bowl Sports out for 110 and Charlie Wragg’s unbeaten 71 off 66 balls saw the visitors home. Whitley are now just ten points behind Penistone. 

 

At the bottom, Green Moor 2nds’ remarkable nine-wicket win away to Sprotbrough 3rds means that they have leapfrogged the latter into the now-safe tenth place. Mark Elsworth finished with figures of 6.1-1-8-7 as Sprotbrough were bowled out for 16 at Hootton Pagnell. Green Moor have a six-point advantage to take into the final games – but the situation could change at both ends of the table if they win their appeal about the Wickersley game. 

 

 

The leaders at the start of play, Brookhouse, were beaten for only the second time this season in a very tight low-scoring game away to Ackworth 2nds. The home side restricted them to 132-8 in their 40 overs, Arran Taylor taking an excellent 6-9 in ten overs, before skipper Sam Swindin (50) took them to 73-2, after being 10-2, to pave the way for the third place contenders’ three-wicket win. This meant that Higham 2nds’ win at home to relegated Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds moves them to the top of the table – both sides are promoted, but Brookhouse, who led the table for so much of the season, are now relying on Higham dropping points for them to win the championship. On Saturday, Higham amassed 268-4 at home to Thorncliffe, after Richard Heeley (72) and Harry Bamforth (51) had put on 125 for the first wicket, and Paul Wroe took 4-9 as they bowled the second-bottom side out for 115. Ackworth still have a two-point advantage over Warmsworth 2nds in the fight for the third promotion place, but the latter kept pace by beating Eden Grove Parklands by 117 runs. Warmsworth reached 151-8, thanks to Muhammad Taimur Khan, who came in at 56-5, and then bowled Eden Grove out for just 34, Jack Rodgers taking 5-6 in four overs. 

 

At the other end of the table, despite a 174-run defeat away to Millhouses Works 2nds, Mexborough Athletic 2nds, in tenth place, have been reprieved from the threat of relegation by the knock-on effect of the South Kirkby relegation. Tom Winter (54) top-scored in Works’ 234-8, before Andy Belfield took 6-16 in six overs to bowl the visitors out for just 60. Elsewhere, Frecheville Community 2nds beat Harley by 24 runs at Clayfields Lane, Max Dexter scoring 109 in Frecheville’s 230, whilst Callum Sverdloff took 6-42 for Harley and going on to complete a fine all-round match with 63 in. the reply, but his efforts were all in vain as Adam Gibson took 4-25 to help bowl the home side out for 206. 

 

 

The one remaining issue in Division 8 was resolved when Scholes were beaten at home by Worsbrough Bridge 2nds and thus consigned to the third relegation place. The visitors reached 219-8 thanks to sixties from Robert Kennedy and Kevin Sherif, before bowling their hosts out for 172, Sherif completing a fine all-round game with 4-16. 

 

Hatfield Town 2nds, having already assured themselves of the divisional championship, were beaten by six wickets by Doncaster Town 4ths at Finningley, for whom Ewan Whitaker was unbeaten on 81 as they chased down 161. The two other promoted sides, Houghton Main 2nds and Stocksbridge 2nds, met at Middlecliffe Lane, where the home side won by 37 runs; Houghton reaching 172 despite Paul Hargeaves’ 5-43 for the visitors. In mid-table, Silkstone United 2nds beat Rockingham Colliery 3rds by 71 runs at Stainborough; whilst Dearne conceded to Fishlake 2nds in what would have been a battle between the two other relegated sides. 

 

 

Adwick-le-Street deservedly claimed the Division 9 championship by beating fourth-placed Whiston Forge 2nds at Guilthwaite Hill. They were made to work hard however; having posted 197-7, which owed much to Nick Bisby’s 92, whilst Mark Daly took 5-36 for the home side, Bisby then completed a remarkable all-round game with 6-58, as Adwick bowled the home side out four runs short of their target. Wombwell Main 2nds beat Brookhouse 2nds by ten wickets to seal promotion, Rob Owen and Henry Skelton taking four wickets each as the home side were hustled out for 79. Upper Haugh 3rds ensured that they too were promoted with a seven-wicket win away to bottom club Sheffield United 3rds. 

 

Elsewhere Eden Grove Parklands 2nds won by six wickets away to Kexborough 2nds, Tom Daykin (4-19) and Reginald Strawbridge (75 not out) being their match winners as they chased down 130; and on Sunday, Whiston Forge 2nds won by 42 runs away to Sheffield United 3rds, Aydin Talib again amongst the wickets with 5-22 for United, but Guli Safi and Mark Daly took three wickets each to help Forge bowl their hosts out for 134. 

 

Full scorecards 

 

League tables