Senior Section round-up for 4 & 5 June
Posted on 8th June 2022 at 18:24
Division One
Doncaster Town 2nds gained the advantage in the Division 1 title race as they beat Darfield at home to go ten points above their visitors at the top of the table. The hosts chose to bat first and, thanks in part to 55 from just 34 balls from Ben Stoves, posted a competitive 203-7. In reply, despite 93 from 92 balls from Kastun Stoute, Darfield were bowled out for 177 with Graeme Attenborough taking 4-25 for Town. In joint third place, Whitley Hall 2nds beat Sheffield United by 14 runs in a high scoring encounter at Baxter Field. After Whitley Hall were put into bat, Joshua Dobson (65) and Sam Chatterton (79) took them to 258-7. In reply, United got off to a flier with Anoop Surenderan smashing 93 from 54 balls, but they ultimately fell 14 short of their target. Level with Whitley are Upper Haugh, who were 94-6 at home to Coal Aston, but recovered to reach 192 thanks to Habil Malik (41) and Alex Keeton (34), There were then four wickets each for Malik and Shezad Shah, as the visitors were bowled out for 108. Bottom side Oughtibridge picked up four bonus points in their defeat at home to Wakefield Thornes 2nds. The visitors batted first, posting 195, with Joe Cuthbertson scoring 70 and Jonathan Scott 51; in reply, Oughtibridge recovered from 97-6 to 161-7, before ending nine wickets down and seven runs short. Second-bottom Sheffield Collegiate 3rds also picked up four points, but will have been disappointed not to have defended 196 at Rotherham Town. Thomas Hancock scored 57 not out for the visitors to set them up for a vital win, but 59 from 48 from Wasim Rana and 46 not out from Tuffail Dar saw Town over the line. Elsewhere, Warmsworth remain in the bottom three after picking up just two points in a 34-run defeat at South Kirkby. Doncaster lead the table by ten from Darfield, and there is then a 14-point gap to the next six clubs, who are separated by just ten points; whilst Oughtibridge are eight points adrift at the bottom behind Collegiate 2nds, who are two behind Warmsworth.
Division Two
There was a shock result in Division 2, as Wickersley Old Village 2nds lost their first game of the season at home to bottom side Caribbean. After being put into bat, the visitors posted a formidable 230-8 with Andre Jackson carrying his bat for an unbeaten 101, supported by 59 from his opening partner Haroon Tariq. The home side’s loss could have been much heavier had it not been for an excellent 96 not out from Charlie Harrison at number eight, and they eventually ended just five runs short. Nasser Rasool took 5-60 for the victors. Second-placed Ackworth capitalised on that loss, moving within twelve points of the leaders with a five-wicket win at home to Hatfield Town, thanks to 4-34 from skipper Luke Townsend and 86 off 70 balls from opener John Wood. There was a big win for Treeton 2nds by five wickets away to Norton Woodseats, whom they leapfrogged into third place. Jon Boden (4-34) and Matt Lambert (53) led the way for the visitors. Thorpe Hesley & High Green won away at Monk Bretton to move above their hosts in their relegation battle. Mateo Boulogne and Alex Galloway both scored 55 for the visitors in their 240-7. The home side never really got close in their chase, as wickets fell regularly, and they closed on 192-8. Penistone were well beaten at home by Aston Hall 2nds; 69 from Sohail Mohammed helped their visitors post 183-6 before Yousaf Ali’s 5-28 saw the home side dismissed for just 92. Elsewhere, Norton Oakes beat Hallam 2nds by 51 runs at Oakes Park, where the home side’s opening bowlers, Chris Baker (4-47) and Callum East (5-42) did the damage. Wickersley now lead the table by 12 points from Ackworth, who are eight ahead of Treeton; Monk Bretton are four points behind Caribbean at the bottom, with a further six-point gap to Thorpe Hesley.
Division Three
Elsecar 2nds are now one of just two teams with 100% records in the Senior Section after their latest win away at second-placed Tickhill 2nds saw them pull further ahead in the table. Their victory was emphatic, dismissing their hosts for 71 before chasing down the target for the loss of three wickets. Tickhill’s downfall opened the door for third-placed Parkhead, who took the opportunity to move within two points of second place with a comfortable win at home to Oughtibridge 2nds. Oliver Harrison scored 65 for the hosts to help them on their way to 170, before they bowled their visitors out for 93, with Edward Butcher taking 5-23. At the opposite end of the table, Whiston Parish Church 2nds stayed bottom after a ten-wicket loss away to Wath 2nds, for whom Jonathan Plater scored 76 not out, as they overhauled the visitors’ below-par 119. Worsbrough Bridge also fell into the relegation zone after a five-wicket loss at Kexborough, Thava Nig taking 6-35 for the home side to bowl the visitors out for 114 in the first innings. Elsewhere, there was a thrilling encounter at the Sands, where Bradfield Village Fellowship lost by three wickets to Thorncliffe & Wentworth, who moved out of the bottom three. Liam Hague scored 86 for the hosts as they posted 208, but 69 from Peter Smith spearheaded an impressive chase to ensure the visitors' win. The other fixture of the day saw Sprotbrough 2nds defend 188 to beat Frecheville Community by 22 runs on their home patch. Elsecar are now 22 points clear of Tickhill at the top, with Parkhead a further two points behind; Whiston are eight points adrift at the bottom, with Thorncliffe & Wentworth, Oughtibridge and Worsbrough Bridge separated by just two points above them.
Division Four
There were surprises galore in Division 4 as the top two both lost their games against bottom two clubs. The divisional leaders, Millhouses Works, lost just their second game of the season at Silkstone United, where they fell just two runs short in a valiant chase of a 246 target. Robert Wade scored 114 for the home side, backed up by 53 from Luke Whitmore, before an excellent bowling effort saw their opponents fall just short. Jakob Taylor and Ben Dowle took three wickets each, whilst Peter Chamberlain scored 80 for the visitors. Second-placed Cawthorne 2nds’ loss at Shiregreen 2nds was more emphatic, falling 112 runs short in their second innings efforts. Zeeshan Ahmad scored 52 for the home side as they posted 203-8, before Fida Mohammad took 5-32 to help bowl the visitors out for 91. These results gave greater importance to the game between Sheffield Collegiate 4ths and Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds in the chasing pack, with the former winning to go level with their opponents in third place. Charlie Wall scored 83 and Benjamin Hartog 89 not out for Collegiate as they set Barnsley 206 to win. The visitors got within six runs, thanks to half-centuries from Bilal Imtiaz and Jake Chapman, but four wickets each for Mark Longley and Ben Jackson ensured Collegiate’s important victory. Elsewhere, four batsmen passed fifty for Rockingham Colliery 2nds as they reached 262-4 away to Maltby Miners Welfare, with Zobair Khaliq taking 6-25 as the home side lost by 120. Whiston Forge dropped to the bottom of the table as they fell 51 runs short of the visitors’ 251-6 at home to Stocksbridge; whilst Higham successfully chased down 161, for the loss of six wickets, at home to Handsworth. Andrew Wood (6-45) and Joshua Bird (4-36) shared the wickets for the home side, and Wood completed a remarkable all-round performance by leading his side to victory with an unbeaten 85. Millhouses now lead Cawthorne at the top by just four points, with Barnsley and Collegiate six further points behind; Whiston Forge trail Shiregreen by two points at the bottom, with Silkstone a further six points ahead.
Division Five
All the top four sides in Division 5 won their games, to keep the promotion race wide open. Leaders Wombwell Main had a comfortable win away to strugglers Mexborough Athletic. Richard Wilkinson took 5-29 to bowl the home side out for 127, with Thomas Goldsby-West’s 56 not out carrying the visitors to an eight-wicket victory. Second-placed Doncaster Town 3rds’ victory at home to Norton Oakes 2nds was even more emphatic; a succession of 20s and 30s took Town to 211-8, after which Ryan Marsh and Nathan Gunn took four wickets each to remove the visitors for just 59. Third-placed Upper Haugh 2nds kept up the pace with a 69-run win away at Coal Aston 2nds, Matthew Bacon setting them on their way to 217 with 58 at the top of the order, and there were three wickets each for Oliver Cunningham and Adam Perry as the home side was bowled out for 148. Fourth-placed Fishlake bowled Conisbrough 2nds out for just 46 in their nine-wicket win at Pinfold Lane, James Yeaman and Frederick Stevens each taking five wickets for the home side. The other two games of the weekend saw Rotherham Town 2nds successfully chase 159 away at Darfield 2nds, to win by five wickets; and Hallam 3rds beat Sheffield University Staff by seven wickets at Norton. Wombwell still lead the table by eight points, with Doncaster eight points behind them and two above Upper Haugh; Norton Oakes still have only two points at the bottom, ten behind Mexborough and a further 28 adrift of the rest.
Division Six
Division 6 saw a rare tied game, between Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds and Whitley Hall 3rds at Smithywood Road. Charlie Taylor had a remarkable game, first by scoring 70 off 86 balls to take his side to 149, then taking 5-28 to limit Whitley Hall to 149-9. Penistone 2nds are now joint second with Thorpe Hesley after a dominant win at Woolley against Barnsley Woolley Miners 4ths. David Harrison took 4-31 to limit the hosts to 124-9, before 63 not out from Sam Lee helped Penistone to an eight-wicket win. The division's leaders, Sheffield United 2nds, also won with plenty to spare, as 4-8 from Safiullah Stanikzai helped bowl Sprotbrough 3rds out for 82, a score United overhauled for the loss of two wickets. It was a significant day at the bottom as Caribbean Sports 2nds picked up their first win of the season at home to Bradfield Village Fellowship 2nds. Waqar Arshad scored 63 not out to help the home side to 225-5, before Jamil Ali took 4-41 as they bowled their visitors out for 162, despite a defiant 74 from Ben Bower. The other game of the day saw Wickersley Old Village 3rds win at Green Moor 2nds, moving above their hosts in the process. A good all-round bowling effort saw the home side all out for just 91, a target that was reached for the loss of three wickets. Sheffield United lead the table by 12 points from Penistone and Thorpe Hesley; whilst at the bottom, Caribbean are now four points ahead of Barnsley, with a gap of 22 points to Handsworth.
Division Seven
Brookhouse are the only other side in the Senior Section to keep a 100% record, after their latest win at home to Higham 2nds in Division 7. It was a clash of the top two and it was a tight encounter with the leaders eventually winning by four wickets. The visitors, after being put into bat, posted a below par 128 before Wasim Kazi’s 52 helped the hosts to their latest victory. Ackworth 2nds failed to take advantage of Higham’s slip and move into the promotion places, as they lost comprehensively away at Eden Grove Parklands. Tony Singh took 4-18 for the home side, who bowled their visitors out for 106, with Ashley Grace’s 56 not out then seeing them home with eight wickets remaining. Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds remain winless after they were well beaten at home to Harley. Callum Sverdloff took 4-5 as they were bowled out for 88, a score their visitors passed for the loss of two wickets. Monk Bretton 2nds also lost comprehensively, away at Warmsworth 2nds by seven wickets. Mark Shanks took 6-12 for the home side to limit the visitors to 119-9, before Andy Matthews scored 53 not out to lead Warmsworth home. Millhouses Works 2nds lost away to Frecheville Community 2nds after they posted just 107 in the first innings, a target that Frecheville passed with five wickets and 14.5 overs to spare. Brookhouse lead the table by eight points from Higham, with Ackworth a further four points behind; Thorncliffe & Wentworth remain on six points at the bottom, with Monk Bretton six points above them, and Millhouses a further 16 points ahead.
Division Eight
Second-placed Doncaster Town 4ths lost ground on the leaders in Division 8, when they lost away to Worsbrough Bridge 2nds. After Mark Wilkinson (38 not out) and Adam Reynolds (37) had lifted the hosts from 89-5 to 170-6, Town narrowly failed to reach their target of 171, despite Oliver Booth (46) recording the highest score of the game. Meanwhile, Scholes recorded the most emphatic win of the day when they reached 219-7 and prevailed by 145 runs away to Wath 3rds. David Watson scored 85 not out, backed up by 53 from Aidan Shaw, before Matthew Holmes’ 4-22 helped bowl the home side out for just 74. The only other game of the day saw Rockingham Colliery 3rds successfully chase 153 at Stocksbridge 2nds, where Craig Wilkes and Stephen Ball helped them recover from 119-7 to win by three wickets. Doncaster are now 20 points adrift of Hatfield Town 2nds at the top of the table, with Stocksbridge two points behind them; Fishlake are eight points behind Wath, who are ten points behind Dearne in ninth place.
Division Nine
Whiston Forge 2nds tasted defeat for the first time this season in Division 9, after being bowled out for 149 by Upper Haugh 3rds at Rawmarsh. William and Seth Adams both took three wickets for the home side before Fazer Young’s 48 led the Upper Haugh to victory with three wickets to spare. Second-placed Adwick-le-Street took advantage to narrow the gap at the top in emphatic fashion with a 177-run win at home to Brookhouse 2nds. Nick Bisby hammered a brilliant 124 not out from just 98 balls to help his side to 225-5 after their 40 overs, before 6-22 from Carl Newbold saw Brookhouse dismissed for just 48. The only other game to take place saw a comfortable win for Hampole & Skelbrooke, who chased down 102 for the loss of three wickets at Sheffield United 3rds. Sunday’s game between Rockingham Colliery and Kexborough was cancelled due to the weather. There is now a gap of just two points between the top two, with Upper Haugh sitting six points behind in the chasing pack. Sheffield United remain bottom and without a win, 18 points adrift of Rockingham.
by Sam Chadwick
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