The victorious Wrenthorpe team
Wrenthorpe won the Solly Sports Heavy Woollen Cup for the first time when they defeated Wickersley by 68 runs at Hanging Heaton, today.
Their hero was opening batsman Eric Austin who was voted Man of the Match after making an unbeaten 101 which helped them compile a formidable total of 285-4.
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| Man of the match Eric Austin receives the award from Raymond Illingworth |
It was Austin's second century in the competition. The prolific opener also made 124 not out in the crucial third round win over the previous holders Barnsley. This time his innings was measured and contained 11 boundaries.
And just as in the Barnsley match, Austin shared in another big partnership with former Yorkshire all-rounder Gary Fellows. This time they put on 128 - it was far more modest than the 321 they piled up against Barnsley - but was equally as important.
Fellows contributed 56 this time and the third-wicket pair enabled Wrenthorpe to cash in on the excellent start given to them by Austin and Paul Carroll (40) who put on 94 for the first wicket.
Wickersley's bowlers looked nervy and their direction was wayward. This was reflected in the concession of 36 wides in a total of 55 extras - the sort of bonus you don't want to be giving to a side of Wrenthorpe's ability.
It appeared that Wrenthorpe's bowlers might be suffering the same affliction when Dinusha
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Roy Holdsworth |
Fernando opened with three successive wides at the start of the Wickersley innings, but the Sri Lankan soon found his range and accounted for both openers Alex Hughes and Haider Jahangir.
Wickersley found run scoring difficult and slipped to 103-6, but to their credit they didn't give up. In fact they treated the crowd to some explosive hitting in the later stages of the game.
Skipper Andy Harrison had residents and motorists searching out their insurance policies after hitting three huge sixes out of the ground. Two hit parked cars while the third crashed into tiles on the roof of a nearby house.
Harrison was eventually dismissed for an entertaining 38, but Chris Holt kept up the entertainment for the crowd as he completed an excellent half-century off 61 balls which contained two sixes and five fours.
He finished unbeaten on 59 and thanks to his efforts Wickersley finished with a total of 217 all out. It took the match aggregate of 502 runs and underline what a fine pitch groundsman Roy Holdsworth had produced.
Fernando, despite his wayward first over, finished with three for 23, while skipper Kevin Watson took three for 55 on the day when he became the first Wrenthorpe captain in the 124 tear history of the famous competition to hold the cup aloft.
The match was a fine advert for the Heavy Woollen Cup and both the match and the occasion were worthy of the famous competition.
|
Eric Austin |
|
Not out |
101 |
Paul Carroll |
|
b Higgins |
40 |
David Paynter |
St Chapman |
b Hussain |
13 |
Gary Fellows |
c Jahangir |
b A Harrison |
56 |
John Storey |
|
b Zahid |
18 |
Jonathan Kirk |
|
Not out |
2 |
Luke Patel |
|
Did not bat |
|
Dinusha Fernando |
|
Did not bat |
|
Neil Gill |
|
Did not bat |
|
Jonathan Smith |
|
Did not bat |
|
Kevin Watson |
|
Did not bat |
|
Extras b2 lb15 wd 36 nb2 |
55 |
Total (4wkts) |
285 |
Fall: 1-94 2-128 3-256 4-281 |
|
|
|
|
|
Andy Harrison |
10 |
0 |
74 |
1 |
Mohammad Zahid |
10 |
2 |
47 |
1 |
Graham Higgins |
10 |
0 |
48 |
1 |
Shahid Hussain |
10 |
1 |
51 |
1 |
Haider Jahangir |
10 |
0 |
48 |
0 |
|
Alex Hughes |
c Smith |
b Fernando |
5 |
Haider Jahangir |
|
b Fernando |
11 |
Graham Higgins |
c Storey |
b Watson |
18 |
Matt Lowe |
|
Run out |
21 |
Richard Harrison |
c Paynter |
b Storey |
26 |
Chris Holt |
|
not out |
59 |
Paul Lund |
|
lbw Watson |
1 |
Andy Harrison |
|
lbw Fellows |
38 |
Shahid Hussain |
c Carroll |
b Watson |
8 |
Mohammad Zahid |
c Paynter |
b Gill |
6 |
Phil Chapman |
c Patel |
b Fernando |
2 |
Extras b1 lb9 wd 10 nb2 |
22 |
Total (all out) |
217 |
Fall: 1-14 2-21 3-46 4-81 5-101 6-103 7-158 8-186 9-209 |
|
|
|
|
|
Dinusha Fernando |
8.1 |
2 |
23 |
3 |
Neil Gill |
8 |
1 |
29 |
1 |
Gary Fellows |
9 |
0 |
38 |
1 |
David Paynter |
5 |
1 |
24 |
0 |
Kevin Watson |
10 |
1 |
55 |
3 |
John Storey |
6 |
1 |
38 |
1 |
|
Man of the Match: Eric Austin (Wrenthorpe) |
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