Scholes Cricket Club: Scholes C.C.:159 - Micklehurst:156

  Scholes C.C.:159 - Micklehurst:156 Back to Games & Reports
  Teams: Score:      
  Scholes C.C. vs 159      
  Micklehurst 156      
Game Played 6/6/2009 1:30PM  

Scholes steal a march on rivals
Saturday 6th June Scholes (159 for 1) beat Micklehurst (156 all out) by 9 wickets 40 over match
Scholes stole a march on their nearest Premiership rivals last Saturday, safely securing an emphatic six point win at home to Micklehurst, while all their nearest rivals failed to play due to 24 hours of incessant rain that only ended at lunchtime. The fact that the old ground was perfectly fit only a few hours after such a deluge, is of course testimony to the hundreds of hours of verti-draining, scurrifying, feeding and cutting carried out throughout the year, which has left Chapelgate looking an absolute picture, and just about the best draining ground in the Huddersfield League. The groundsman has pleaded for anonymity, a request blown apart by this week’s Examiner which offered fulsome praise to “Bubbles” for his efforts in getting the game played - not knowing that it was his diminutive and dedicated younger Lieutenant “Chimp” Dearnley, who as ever was at hand to get the covers on in quick time on Friday night after cutting the grass in the afternoon, while his boss was away re-living his youthful dedication to his boyhood heroes Take That at a concert in Sunderland.
Poor old Micklehurst must have been praying for more rain on Saturday afternoon, as the mood at the Saddleworth outfit had been further deepened overnight by a break in at their clubhouse, another cruel blow on top of their recent financial difficulties that has left them bereft of a number of their best players. The toss was duly lost by the visitors in what was to be a 40 over game, and calamity struck in the first over when Clayton was run out by miles by a direct hit from Tom Brook without even facing a ball. Alsop did for Blomley (7) and Gleave (11), and Micklehurst were struggling at 37 for 3. To their credit however Whitehead and Darnborough added 60 for the fourth wicket, showing that the visitors still have a nucleus of talented young players, even though they would probably concede that a relegation battle looms long ahead for the rest of their season. Micklehurst stood at 95 for 3 after 25 overs, a decent enough platform for a late assault, but then Darnborough finally perished two runs later for a spirited 27. Then Whitehead, who had compiled an accomplished half century was hopelessly run out, the classic scenario of both batsmen standing at the same end unfolding in pantomime like slow motion, as Scholes still nearly failed to secure the breakthrough after an uncharacteristic case of butter fingers from keeper Holmes. Lawrence (21) was briefly defiant, as Scholes only had four overs left to take the final three wickets they so craved, and skipper Noble’s choice of the combination of the speed and accuracy of Mott and the wily off spin of Iqbal Khan did for the visitors. Micklehurst fell away to 155 all out in the 40th over, as Alsop and Mott took two wickets apiece and Khan 3 for 25 in five tantalising overs of finger spin.
Smith went for 7 to a brute of a ball from Brylowski early on as Scholes replied, but the Chapelgater’s were rarely troubled thereafter as Noble and Khan took charge. They paced the run chase with aplomb, reaching 66 after 20 overs, and smoothly accelerating thereafter, as 35 came from the next five overs and another 40 from the following five as a comfortable and yet crucial six point victory beckoned. The winning runs came in the 33rd over, as Noble (77*) and Khan (67*) completed their unbroken second wicket stand of 144. The former had faced 85 deliveries and stroked a splendid twelve 4’s and two 6’s, while the always elegant Khan had ten boundaries and two maximums in his 61 balls innings.
Scholes 20/20 side pulled off a tremendous win on Tuesday night at Honley, making amends for the previous week’s narrow home loss to Shepley. The home side racked up an impressive 165, but Iqbal Khan, possibly inspired by having the whole of the Indian 20/20 squad for the current World Cup round to his house in Dewsbury at the weekend for tea, stroked the most sublime undefeated century as Scholes won by 7 wickets in the last over, to keep their chances alive in the Examiner sponsored competition.