DeGrandhomme's ton sinks East Bierley
Posted June 17, 2006
Baildon produced the performance of the day when they defeated East Bierley by six wickets to put a dent in their opponents' Division One title ambitions.
Teenage Zimbabwean opener Colin DeGrandhomme made 108 not out - his maiden Bradford League century - as Baildon overhauled East Bierley's score of 266 for seven to win.
DeGrandhomme, clearly enjoying playing on a firm wicket and in warm conditions, played delightfully and was well supported by skipper Ian Philliskirk (67) and Matthew Duce (32no) as the run chase was brought to a successful conclusion.
Jaffer Nazir (3-73) - bowling against one of his former clubs - was the most successful East Bierley bowler but even he couldn't stem the flow of runs.
East Bierley must have been stunned to lose after Richard Gould had made a superb 134 when they batted first. Grant Soames, back after suspension, chipped in with 36 not out.
East Bierley had to settle for seven points from the game and as a result they lost third place to Pudsey St Lawrence who were made to work hard for their three-wicket win at Keighley. It was a success which earned them 16 points.
James Smith (74no) and Iain Priestley (31no) used all their experience to guide their side home after Steve Reape took four for 41 to reduce them to 99 for five in reply to Keighley's total of 189 for eight.
Keighley were indebted to Richard Robinson who top scored with an unbeaten 66 when they batted first. Paul Spragg (36) gave him support as teenage off spinner Chris Marsden posed problems in a spell of five for 37.
Leaders Woodlands continued their recent good form with the bat as they racked up 285 for six batting first against Cleckheaton. Opener Russell Murray (66) and Richard Pyrah (67) added 90 for the second wicket after Scott Richardson was dismissed without a run on the board.
Adam Goldthorpe followed up his 17-ball half-century against Farsley with a slightly more leisurely 50 off 35 balls with four sixes and two fours.
Opener Mark Gill (72) and Craig Thornton (54no) fought hard for Cleckheaton but they finished 57 runs short of Woodlands' total. Woodlands collected 19 points and have stretched their lead to six points.
Pudsey Congs cemented their position in second place by gaining 18 points from an 18-run win over improving Bradford & Bingley.
Congs batted first and made 272 for four with Scott Cunningham leading the way with an unbeaten 85. Bradley Parker kept his good form going with 62 while skipper Matthew Doidge (49) and Andrew Bairstow (36) further swelled the score.
After two successive wins, Bradford & Bingley had the confidence to try and launch a victory bid. The experienced pair of Richard Nichols and skipper Carl Sharp served them well. Nichols made an impressive 111 while Sharp made 72, but the size of the target just proved too much for them as Congs secured another priceless win.
Saltaire opener Gharib Razak continued his run of good scores by making 71 as his side secured their third successive win - a 39 triumph over Idle. Razak was well supported by Safaraz Mahomed (66) and Gulsheraz Ahmed (55) as Saltaire posted a total of 239 all out. Dinusha Fernando was again the main wicket taker for Idle with five for 70.
Idle were restricted to 200 for seven in reply despite an unbeaten 89 from Paul Cummins. Imran Arif was the best Saltaire bowler with four for 64.
Farsley continue to hover just above the relegation positions after suffering a two-wicket loss against Hanging Heaton. Skipper Ashley Metcalfe top scored with 44 but a total of 171 all out was not sufficient. Teenage spinner Umar Rehman (3-21) and Sri lankan Thilan Thushara (3-67) were Hanging Heaton's main wicket takers.
Former Yorkshire wicketkeeper Ismail Dawood made 46 and Nick Whitehill (40) as Hanging Heaton edged home. Former Yeadon seamer Chris Henry took four for 46 to give Farsley hope.
Brighouse's overseas player Rizwan Ahmed is proving a good signing. He made 95 not out and took four for 48 as Brighouse inflicted a 58-run defeat on bottom team Morley.
Ahmed and Haroon Rashid (71) shared a fourth-wicket stand of 107 for Brighouse after their first three wickets fell for 25. Former Pudsey Congs fast bowler Shehzad Butt took four for 56.
Brighouse's total of 237 for nine proved too good for Morley who were bowled out for 179. Morley lost their first five wickets for 58. Nathan Bromby (36), Sam Medley (33) and Richard Winn (33) tried to revive their side but without success.
Esholt are the new leaders of Division Two after an eventful day which saw five of the top six teams at the start of the the day lose and five of the bottom six all win. Just 21 points covers the top nine clubs
Esholt, leapt from fourth to first after taking 17 points from their nerve-wracking one-wicket win over Bankfoot. Ben Lister, so often their hero with the ball, made a crucial contribution with the bat. His 30 not out steadied Esholt's nerves and allowed them to squeeze home. Sharma Bashir (52) and skipper Richard Whitehurst (40) were the other key contributors.
Bashir's half-century followed his fine bowling when he took four for 46 as Bankfoot made 207 for nine. Former Yorkshire batsman Neil Nicholson (58no) again top scored for Bankfoot, while Jonathan Lister chipped in with 48 and Michael Nicholson 34.
Esholt have a two-point advantage over Great Horton who collected just two points from a 114-run defeat at Undercliffe. David Taylor's stunning 122 not out, which contained nine sixes and nine fours helped Undercliffe make 284 for two. Skipper Craig Hunt (52) and James Clarke (58) helped ensure it was a miserable afternoon for the Great Horton bowlers.
Great Horton plunged to 25 for four in reply and though Abid Alishan struck out boldly for his 85 - an innings which contained two sixes and 13 fours - they were bowled out for 170 as overseas player Arun Lal took seven for 36. Five of his victims were caught by wicketkeeper John Barton.
Manningham Mills are level on points with Great Horton after taking eight from their defeat by Lightcliffe. Mills must have fancied their chances when they made 271 all out, Muenoddin Kadri hitting 59, Amar Rashid (49) and Afsar Nawaz (48).
Lightcliffe had other ideas and powered to a four-wicket win thanks to Michael Brooke (66), James Horne (41), Anthony Crilly (39) and Paul Ramsden (35no).
Bowling Old Lane also faltered. They suffered a five-wicket defeat at Yeadon. After being restricted to 162 for eight, Old Lane saw Yeadon cruise home with overseas star Amar Sajjad hitting a magnificent unbeaten 109. Amjid Khan's unbeaten 60 was the highlight of the Old Lane innings when runs were kept to a premium by Sajjad Ijaz (4-36)
Spen Victoria were given a real fright by bottom team Windhill before securing a five-run win in the final over. Seamer Chris Elstub again proved Spen's match-winner with six for 40 as Windhill were prevented from cashing in fully on Ahnu Mistry's half century. Kevin Dewhirst (34) was the other main contributor.
Spen owed their total of 207 for nine to the efforts of skipper Matt Taylor (66) and Sam Anderson (48). Tony Jones (4-29) was the pick of the Windhill bowlers.
Hartshead Moor's revival continues with overseas batsman Shoaib Khan in match-winning form once again. He made an unbeaten 114 as Moor recorded a four-wicket win over Gomersal. Khan struck four sixes and 13 fours.
Defeat was hard on Gomersal opener Amir Siddique who hit two sixes and 13 fours in his unbeaten 113 which helped them reach 246 for four.
