Senior Section round-up for 7 May

 

Several teams were bowled out cheaply on an eventful weekend in Division 1. Only one side won after batting first, that being Coal Aston away at Sheffield United. There, Laurence Browes scored 51 for the visitors who posted 191-7, before Laurence Pickford took 4-18 to bowl out the hosts for 173 – Isuru Jayakody’s 53 for United coming in vain. The most convincing win of the weekend came at Darfield, who bowled Whitley Hall 2nds out for 68, then reached their target in 11.5 overs, with nine wickets to spare. Riecko Parker Cole took 4-34 for the hosts, as all four of their bowlers chipped in with wickets, whilst Josh Care and Kastun Stoute each scored 32 in reply. Doncaster Town 2nds travelled to Sheffield Collegiate 3rds, who posted 157-9, thanks to 50 from Lewis Hogg, but a strong collective batting effort, including 49 from 112 balls from Jack Zuurbier, saw Town to a five-wicket win. Rotherham Town joined the trend of strong bowling performances as they bowled Oughtibridge out for 63 at Clifton Lane, with Wasim Karim taking 5-27, although they then lost five wickets in passing their modest target. Elsewhere, Upper Haugh chased down 109 to win by three wickets at South Kirkby, and Warmsworth easily reached their target of 100 with overs and wickets to spare at home to Wakefield Thornes 2nds. Doncaster Town are now eight points clear at the top of the division from Coal Aston, Darfield and Sheffield United; with Oughtibridge remaining bottom without a win. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Top teams Norton Woodseats and Wickersley Old Village 2nds both won their away games in Division 2, but not without scares. The former bowled Aston Hall 2nds out for just 98 at Green Lane, thanks to Daniel Turner (5-21) and Aamir Ashfaque (4-19). In reply, Woodseats were reduced to 24-3, but reached their target with five wickets to spare, thanks to a fine unbeaten 47 from Turner, to complete an excellent game for him. Wickersley limited Monk Bretton to just 121-8 in their innings but were also made to toil in reply, making it to the target with three wickets left. Elsewhere, Norton Oakes put on an accomplished batting display as they won comfortably at Treeton 2nds. Ted Hutchings scored 73 as Oakes posted 237-8 in the first innings, before Iwan Hutchings’ 6-57 helped bowl the home side out for 175. Hatfield Town’s win at Thorpe Hesley & High Green was similarly convincing. Several batting cameos saw them to 189 all out in their first innings, before they bowled their hosts out for 117, Ellis Pattison to the fore once again with 4-41. In the other games, 50s from Moneeb Ahmed and Tom Arnold saw Hallam 2nds to a 31-run win at home to Caribbean; whilst Ackworth chased down 100 at Penistone with three wickets to spare. The top two maintained their 100% starts and are ten points clear of third-placed Ackworth, whilst Caribbean are ten points adrift at the bottom. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Elsecar remain clear at the top of Division 3 with a relatively comfortable victory at home to Parkhead. They bowled their visitors out for 133, despite Louis Marven’s 50, as Richard Stump picked up 5-24. 69 in 86 balls from Alfie Gibson, who shared a third wicket stand of 85 with Christopher Pedler (41), ensured the target was met with ease. There was an emphatic win at Church Fields, where Frecheville Community prevailed over Whiston Parish Church 2nds by 142 runs. 81 from Tom Powell and 59 from just 53 balls from Steven Booth saw the away side reach 212-5 before Todd Saxelby and Neil Ramsden took 5-15 and 4-38 respectively to bowl Whiston out for just 70. Tickhill 2nds scored a similarly large total after electing to bat at home to Sprotbrough 2nds, Nick Page’s 82 from 68 balls helping them reach 239-6. But their visitors pushed them close, finishing their 46 overs on 206-8, with William Rudkin top-scoring on 61. Significantly less runs were scored at Wath, whose second team bowled Bradfield Village Fellowship out for just 66 before chasing the target down for the loss of two wickets. Sam Whitlam’s 6-25 was the spearhead of the Wath bowling performance. The other games saw Worsbrough Bridge overcome Thorncliffe & Wentworth by 66 runs, the latter being bowled out for just 76 in the second innings, while Kexborough chased down 107 away to Oughtibridge 2nds for the loss of just one wicket. Elsecar 2nds are ten points clear of Tickhill 2nds at the top of the table; whilst Thorncliffe & Wentworth and Oughtibridge are on 14 points at the wrong end of the table. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Higham’s win at home to Maltby Miners Welfare was the most emphatic in the latest round of Division 4 fixtures. The hosts bowled their visitors out for just 91 in the first innings thanks to a strong all-round bowling effort, before Andrew Wood’s unbeaten 40 led them to a nine-wicket win. Cawthorne 2nds chased down 101 at home to Silkstone United with seven wickets in hand – Archie Greaves and Ryan Bagshaw doing the damage with four wickets each. Millhouses Works’ win at Whiston Forge came courtesy of a strong batting display as they easily defended 181. Brad Sampson top-scored for the visitors with 44 and a number of players chipped in with useful innings. Sampson also starred with the ball, taking 5-27 to leave Whiston 110 all out. In other results, Barnsley Woolley Miners 3rds saw off Shiregreen 2nds at home with five wickets to spare; Callum Bentley taking 5-30 to help bowl the away side out for just 92. There was a 17-run win for Sheffield Collegiate 4ths at Handsworth and a 21-run win for Rockingham Colliery 2nds at Stocksbridge. Millhouses and Collegiate keep up their 100% records and are 12 points clear of Cawthorne, whilst Shiregreen and Silkstone still await their first wins. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

It was a good weekend for Hallam 3rds, who started the weekend without a point in Division 5. They had a comfortable win at home to fellow strugglers Mexborough on Saturday, chasing down 124 for the loss of only two wickets, with William Laycock unbeaten on 57 and Neil Stewart notching 46. Then on Sunday, they somehow managed to easily defend 81 at Rotherham Town 2nds, who would have gone joint top with a win. The visitors appeared to be in deep trouble losing half their side for 24 and being bowled out cheaply, but then James Fletcher took 4-7 to help reduce Rotherham from 20-1 to 36 all out. The previous day, Rotherham Town chased down 156 away to Upper Haugh 2nds, with Hamid Khan taking 5-23, and Issar Rathar scoring a crucial 42 in their three-wicket win. Elsewhere, Wombwell Main produced a thrilling performance to win by a single wicket at home to Doncaster Town 3rds. Ewan Whittaker (56) helped Town to 129, before Wombwell got home with a highest individual score of 23. Fishlake produced an impressive second innings batting display to chase down 186 on the final ball at Coal Aston 2nds. They had earlier let their hosts off the hook somewhat, when Thomas Trower hit 64 from 54 balls to help them recover from 27-4; but 75 from opener Jonathan Holmes held the Fishlake innings together perfectly and they reached their target with three wickets to spare. In the other fixtures, Conisbrough 2nds chased 155 to win at Norton Oakes 2nds by five wickets, and Sheffield University Staff won comfortably at home to Darfield 2nds, successfully defending 172. Wombwell Main remain top by eight points from Doncaster 3rds; with Norton Oakes 2nds and Mexborough are at the bottom still awaiting a win. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Thorpe Hesley & High Green 2nds are the only team yet to lose in Division 6, after a thrilling one-wicket victory away at Caribbean Sports 2nds. The home side had posted a solid first innings total after Awais Ishfaq’s 53 helped them to 174 all out. The hosts looked to be in a good position when they had five wickets down cheaply, but a crucial sixth-wicket stand between Matthew Bradley Green (44) and Mark Dufty (69 not out) saw Thorpe Hesley to a remarkable win. Wickersley Old Village 3rds remain top of the division though, having played a game more. Their game at home to Handsworth was dominated by bowlers as they chased 72 with just four wickets to spare. Alfie Berry took 4-8 for Wickersley before Daniel Roe’s saw them home with 33 from 63 balls. Barnsley Woolley Miners 4ths might have fancied their chances at Green Moor 2nds after posting a respectable 150-7 in their first innings, thanks to George Abernethy’s 68. However, 57 from Anthony Godley saw the home side home with five wickets remaining. Another encounter that went down to the wire was at Bradfield Village Fellowship, whose 2nds lost by just four runs against Penistone 2nds. After the visitors’ lower order had got them to 141-8, Bradfield’s tail also wagged, but Penistone’s four-man bowling attack held their nerve to leave the hosts agonisingly short. Finally, Sprotbrough 3rds also fell short at home to Whitley Hall 3rds, missing out on their target of 139 by 21 runs. Wickersley’s lead at the top is just two points, having played a game more than Thorpe Hesley, who are joint second with Wickersley; whilst Caribbean remain bottom by six points. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Higham 2nds and Ackworth 2nds both maintained their strong starts to the season at the top of Division 7, but the former dominated, whilst the latter were made to toil. Higham’s win came at Millhouses 2nds, where they bowled their hosts out for just 56, Robert Mcinerney taking 4-19, and they reached their target for the loss of a solitary wicket. Ackworth’s win, however, came by just two wickets at home to Thorncliffe & Wentworth 2nds. Aaron Whittaker scored 74 for the visitors, who racked up 155-5 before reducing the high-fliers to 89-7. It took a crucial innings of 48 from 38 balls from Neil Carr at number nine to push Ackworth to the win. Elsewhere, Brookhouse backed up a fine bowling effort with a less than convincing batting display to chase 70 for the loss of six wickets at Frecheville Community 2nds. Jasneet Gulati won the game in the first innings, taking five Frecheville wickets for five runs. The other fixtures saw Harley defend 139 to win at home to Monk Bretton 2nds by 33 runs, and Mexborough 2nds comfortably protected their first innings 174 when they hosted Eden Grove Parklands. Higham and Ackworth kept their perfect records with 48 points at the top of the table; whilst Monk Bretton sit bottom by four points. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

The largest win of the weekend in Division 8 came at Carr Side Lane, where Hatfield 2nds team beat Wath 3rds by 130 runs. Paul Davies smashed 100 from 75 balls and Andy Cutts hit 50 for the Town as they posted 218-6 after electing to bat. The bowlers were just as fired up, and Josh Platt took 5-18 to limit their visitors to just 88-9. In contrast, Stocksbridge 2nds’ win at Silkstone United 2nds was a much tighter affair. After bowling their hosts out for just 91, thanks in part to 4-18 from Paul Hargreaves, Stocksbridge will have been confident. However, after falling to 56-8, they had to rely on a dogged unbeaten ninth-wicket stand of 37 between Chris Thwaites and Paul Hargreaves, and no little help from extras, to get them over the line with nine balls to spare. Rockingham Colliery 3rds bagged a good win at Doncaster Town 4ths, where they chased down 115 for the loss of four wickets – Craig Wilkes leading the way with 45 from 86 balls. The other two games were both won comfortably, as Houghton Main 2nds won by 41 runs at Dearne after scoring 155, and Fishlake 2nds bowled Scholes out 54 runs short of their 156 target. Houghton Main 2nds are top of the division, above Hatfield by two points, with Scholes and Wath still looking for a win at the bottom. 

 

Full scorecards and table 

 

 

Upper Haugh 3rds recorded a convincing win at Rockingham Colliery 4ths in Division 9. Hayden Cooney took 4-1 for the visitors, who chased down their modest target for the loss of two wickets. Hampole & Skelbrooke should have won with similar ease after they limited Eden Grove Parklands 2nds to 87-7 in their first innings, with three wickets each for Melvyn Caddick and Stuart Stubbins. But Eden Grove’s Connor Marklew took 5-15 to make for a nervy finish, and the visitors were grateful to James Lawson, whose 45 from 98 balls saw them home by just three wickets. Another tight finish saw Whiston Forge 2nds’ chase down 158 away to Brookhouse 2nds with just two wickets left. Luke Wilson had scored 58 for the home side as they made their way to 157-8, but Michael Raleigh (70) put on 103 for the fourth wicket with Thomas Scotland to help Whiston recover from 12-3. Kexborough 2nds successfully chased 112 for the loss of six wickets at home to Wombwell Main 2nds and Adwick-le-Street made their way to their target of 115 by the same margin at home to Sheffield United 3rds. Whiston Forge remain top on maximum points with 48, with four clubs 12 behind them on 36; Sheffield United remain ten points behind Rockingham at the bottom. 

 

Full scorecards and table