CONTENTS
ADMINISTRATION
CLUBS
UMPIRES
FIXTURES
RESULTS
TABLES
AVERAGES
REVIEWS
HISTORY
PRIESTLEY CUP
PRIESTLEY SHIELD
HEAVY WOOLLEN CUP
OTHER CUPS
JUNIOR LEAGUE
LINKS
PICTURES
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Posted September 17, 200
Safraz Ahmed produced a sensational bowling performance as Woodlands crowned their outstanding season by winning their third major title. Ahmed returned the amazing figures of 10-7-3-4 as Woodlands added the Black Sheep Champions Trophy to the SDS Bradford League championship and Sovereign HealthCare Priestley Cup with an emphatic nine wicket win over Central Yorkshire League side Townville at Hanging Heaton. Ahmed proved to be virtually unplayable as he got the ball to bounce awkwardly and leave the batsmen as he produced a performance which few who saw it will ever forget.
It earned him the Man of the Match Award, but more significantly it set up a thoroughly deserved win for a Woodlands side who have enjoyed an absolutely magnificent campaign. With Ahmed bowling so accurately, Townville found run scoring difficult after being asked to bat first on a wicket which was still wet from Thursday's deluge. Townville skipper Lee Smith admitted afterwards: "Ahmed was outstanding. He got the ball to bounce at different heights and it was just impossible to find a way of scoring off him. "Our opener Tim Walton warned after his first over that we needed to see him off and he was certainly right. It was tremendous bowling." Walton was one of only two Townville batsmen to threaten Woodlands' dominance. He made an attractive 54 with ten fours and a six at a time when the wicket, which got better and better as the match progressed, still possessed a little early life. He made light of the early loss of both Andy Ward and overseas professional Bilal Hussain to Ahmed to dominated until he was bowled by the persevering Richard Spittlehouse. When Murphy Walwyn dismissed former Hanging Heaton player Steve Bourne for 14, Townville were struggling at 77 for four. Skipper Lee Smith and former Pudsey Congs player Stuart Clifton fought hard to rebuild the innings. They added 55 before Safraz was recalled to the attack and struck almost immediately to remove Smith for 14. Safraz also dismissed Glenn Yates for 13 as the Townville innings went into decline. The last five wickets fell for 28 runs . Pieter Swanepoel finished with three for 54 while Murphy Walwyn, playing with a cracked jaw after his collision with skipper Tim Orrell at Saltaire on Saturday, took two for 33. A total of 178 was below par as Woodlands showed when they batted. The Townville bowlers looked ineffective as openers Scott Richardson and former Townville player Russell Murray put on 94.
Richardson looked particularly impressive with his powerful driving and hit eight fours as he reached 50 before being bowled by John Rickers. Murray, who should have been run out before he had scored, made the most of his lucky let off in his final innings for Woodlands before moving to Scotland. Murray hit 11 fours as he made an unbeaten 87 as Woodlands eased home with 12 overs to spare. Murray shared an unbroken second-wicket stand of 85 with Nicky Rushworth (29no) and to crown a memorable farewell performance he hit the winning boundary and was then chosen by his team mates to go up and receive the Black Sheep Champions Trophy. As farewell performances they don't get much better, but Murray and his team mates were fully aware that their success was set up by their giant all-rounder Ahmed who produced a bowling performance of a quality the like of which they have probably never seen in a Black Sheep final.
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