Cricket: Smith makes 54 but Aston Hall's struggle goes on

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Only half the games were played in the Nicholas Associates South Yorkshire Senior Cricket League Championship on Saturday, but there were some interesting results.

Appleby Frodingham shook off last week’s loss with an emphatic win against Sprotbrough.

Alex Grimes scored his seventh 50 of the season with 62 and Matthew Fowler made 42 out of 227-7, while Sprotbrough, despite a fifty stand by Dean Wiiliamson and Tom Kaye, could only manage 93 after losing seven wickets for ten runs thanks to a remarkable spell of 5-9 in 3.5 overs by Kieran Lindley.

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Conisbrough pulled themselves out of the relegation zone, again, with a strong performance against bottom club Aston Hall 2nds.

Will Scott made 89 and there were encouraging performances from all the batsmen as Conisbrough made 229-6 – their best score of the season and only the third time they’ve scored 200 or more.

One of the others was also against Aston Hall, who went on to win the match comfortably.

That was then. This time, Aston Hall tried hard to catch them - Dean Smith made 54 and Dawud Hafejee 40 - but they ended up on 175-5.

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Darfield dropped into the relegation zone vacancy left by Conisbrough, after losing to Wath. James Barnard (105*) and Richard Whitehurst (62) put on 128 for the 4th wicket as Wath made 224-4, but would it be enough?

Earlier in the season Darfield had scored 276-7 against them. At 114-2, with Dinura Gunawardena on 55, it looked as though they might again but then Shawn Hopkins took 4-51 and Darfield stumbled to 172 all out.

The games between Cawthorne and Sheffield Collegiate 2nds, Rockingham Colliery and Houghton Main, and between Whiston PC and Oughtibridge were all cancelled because of rain, without a ball bowled, so Appleby Frodingham are now 16 points clear at the top, Aston Hall are bottom and Darfield, Conisbrough and Sprotbrough are within three points of each other, trying to avoid the second relegation slot.

The top two clubs, Appleby Frodingham and Cawthorne were also in action on Sunday in the Whitworth Cup final.

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The weather was blustery and the much anticipated game never quite lived up to expectations. Cawthorne won the toss and batted, somewhat hesitantly at first, till a stand of 96 for the fifth wicket by Jacob Deavin-Baker (48) and Jancan Adams (60), steadied the nerves and took them to 180-5, but the next five wickets could only add another 44 – 224 all out.

Ximus Du Plooy took 4-36. Appleby Frodingham had a dreadful start – two down for nine – but seemed to have recovered, with the customary fifty (66) from Alex Grimes. When Grimes was out it was 125-4, with overs to spare, but Jacob Deavin-Baker (3-22) and Muhammad Kaleem (3-42) closed out the game taking the remaining wickets for just 21 runs, to win the cup for Cawthorne.

In Div 1, leaders Warmsworth were rained off but Wakefield Thornes 2nds couldn’t take advantage – losing to Rotherham Town in a reduced overs game – but Barnsley Woolley Miners won again, as did Upper Haugh, so the race for promotion is not over yet.

As a side show, this coming Friday, August 16th, Elsecar are entertaining Lashings CC – a team of former Test and County players with Henry Blofeld as master of ceremonies.

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Elsecar will again be strengthening their team by bringing in other clubs’ overseas players, so it should be a good contest and there are U9s and the Yorkshire Walking Cricket final between Barnsley and Doncaster at noon.

With lots of other entertainment, it should be good value for the £5 admission.

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