Warley recover superbly to retain Shield

Odds-on favourites and holders Warley duly completed a Crossley Shield double at Stones CC on Sunday.
Cricket - Crossley Shield final between Southowram and Warley at Stones CC, Ripponden. Dominic Oates bats for Warley.Cricket - Crossley Shield final between Southowram and Warley at Stones CC, Ripponden. Dominic Oates bats for Warley.
Cricket - Crossley Shield final between Southowram and Warley at Stones CC, Ripponden. Dominic Oates bats for Warley.

Opponents Southowram gave them several palpitations along the way in the Halifax Carpets-sponsored event but were eventually steamrollered by the comprehensive 205-run winners.

The host club somehow conjured up an excellent pitch from a surface covered in water 48 hours earlier.

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Warley captain Craig Brennan had no hesitation in batting in the Foster’s Halifax League second teams’ showpiece game but what he was thinking two hours later was anyone’s guess.

A pumped up Southowram team managed to reduce the holders to 124 for six and the Rams’ vociferous supporters were dreaming of one of those sporting shocks that come along now and again.

Warley’s top six batsmen contributed just 101 runs between them, unheard of in recent seasons, thanks to some accurate bowling, excellent catching and, on a couple occasions, dreadful choices of shot.

Five Southowram bowlers took wickets and Jamie Moody, with his three catches, would have caught the proverbial pigeon if one had flown over Swift Cross.

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Alas for the underdog-supporting neutrals and the Southowram contingent, their Final basically ended at this juncture.

Brennan had stated pre-match that his side batted to No 11 and so it proved. In came Harroon Razzak and his 104 not out visibly deflated the opposition.

Ably assisted by Junaid Rashid’s 46, their quick-fire partnership was worth 109 runs with Warley eventually closing on 277 for nine.

That always looked a tall order for the Ashday Lane side and after opener Simon Tandy (31) departed at 52 for two the wickets shuttered at an alarming rate.

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Just 20 more runs were added as Liam Keywood recorded figures of 5-1-25-6 to prove just how much the Razzak/Rashid batting assault had affected the Southowram team.

Warley took the Shield for the third time in four years with Razzak and Keywood sharing the man-of-the-match award.

Southowram had to settle for simply holding their heads up high and providing two hours of a dream.

Crtossley Shield final

Southowram II v Warley II

Warley won by 205 runs

WARLEY 277 for nine

J Sarwar c Uttley b Mahmood 15

D Oates lbw b J Moody 34

T Ahmed c J Moody b Gorringe 10

R Severn c J Moody b Jowett 31

A Oates c J Moody b Eastwood 1

L Keywood c G Moody b Jowett 11

H Razzak not out 104

J Rashid b Gorringe 46

J Cooper b G Moody 0

C Brennan c Mahmood b Eastwood 6

R Keywood not out 0

Extras 19

Bowling: T Mahmood 9 2 21 1, G Moody 9 0 57 1, K Gorringe 9 2 58 2, J Moody 4 0 32 1, N Eastwood 6 1 27 2, D Jowett 5 1 37 2, M Mohammed 3 0 29 0.

SOUTHOWRAM 72

D Jowett b Brennan 3

S Tandy c Ahmed b L Keywood 31

M Mohammed b L Keywood 6

T Mahmood run out 14

G Moody b L Keywood 0

D Pummell b Ahmed 9

I Uttley c & b Ahmed 5

S Hawksworth c Cooper b L Keywood 2

J Moody b L Keywood 0

K Gorringe c Cooper b L Keywood 0

N Eastwood not out 0

Extras 2

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Bowling: R Keywood 9 3 17 0, C Brennan 7 3 16 1, L Keywood 5 1 25 6, T Ahmed 4 0 14 2.

Barkisland completed a superb Huddersfield League cup double when their seconds edged out Honley by one run at home in a Paddock Shield final thriller on Sunday.

The club’s firsts had upset favourites Scholes in the Sykes Cup final at Elland a week earlier.

Paddock Shield final

Barkisland II v Honley II

Barkisland won by 1 run

BARKISLAND 226 for nine

M Bridges b Taylor 35

B Jobson b Kenworthy 27

N Miller b Lindley 76

B Westbrook c Lindley b Taylor 22

J Colman lbw b Taylor 0

C Thompson b Taylor 0

P Dawson lbw b Kenworthy 1

C Cocking c Sykes b Green 21

I Pollitt not out 6

S Senior b Lindley 25

J Travis not out 1

Extras 12

Bowling: E Kaye 10 3 28 0, B Lindley 10 2 40 2, T Taylor 10 1 41 4, L Kenworthy 10 2 33 2, T Willitts 8 0 53 0, M Green 3 0 27 1.

HONLEY 225 for nine

S England lbw b Cocking 56

L Kenworthy c Colman b Westbrook 12

M Sykes b Travis 1

R Moore c Westbrook b Pollitt 63

M Green lbw b Colman 16

C Woodhead c Cocking b Senior 16

T Taylor c Cocking b Senior 9

T Willitts b Thompson 14

A Cawtheray not out 15

B Lindley run out 5

E Kaye not out 0

Extras 18

Bowling: I Pollitt 10 0 57 1, C Thompson 10 2 29 1, B Westbrook 10 4 30 1, J Travis 6 2 23 1, J Colman 5 0 30 1, C Cocking 5 1 18 1, S Senior 4 0 27 2.