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10/09/11 Emley Clarence 172-7 (S Sykes 67no, R Haynes 28; J Storey 4-39), Meltham 169 (I Hussain 48no, N Ashraf 30) Chief reporter not present so no report. 03/09/11 Lepton Highlanders 126 ao Meltham 127-1 Meltham 6 pts Lepton 0pts Desperate for a victory Curator Cleaver and son agonisingly spent "hours" preparing a bouncy virgin deck at the WACA for our last home game of the season. The visitors batted first and were soon in trouble at 2 for 0 & 7 for 3 with Dale "69" Winterbottom and K Khan both going for blobs off Strongbow's first over. Clegster then removed the dangerous skipper Brown ( he had plundered 175 n o the week before off 25 overs) for another zilch with a 2nd team wicket taking half tracker that the writer himself would have been proud of. There was dogged resistance from the other opener Grey and the the Lepton stalwart Waring as they started to rebuild the innings. Nads replaced Cleggy uphill and initailly bowled without any luck but then had 2 as plumb as plumbthings Lbw's given by the Umpire strikes back.The dangerous Gary Hodgson then followed for another duck as he mis hit another half tracker from the newly named El Bandito ( after his 11 net birdied in our annual golf day on the previous day) taken by his Uncle at mid off. Cleggy then returned at the top ending sensing that the pot was on and he duly removed the last 2 batsmen - Edwards and junior "69", the former to a tidy piece of glovework by El Maltesero as Lepton closed on 126 off 38 overs. Strongbow was the pick of the bowlers again and would have surely returned to pick up the last few rabbits that were on offer had he not been aching after the dizzy heights he and his family reached in the golf day!!! Strongow had 4-51, Cleggy 3-18, Nads 2-34 and El Bandito 1-18. After a hearty fill of pie ad peas we set about chasing the target down. There was always a threat of rain in the air and progress was initially slow as we hit the fielders with the majority of our blows. With mizzle in the air and West Nab disappearing, the Umpires strangely decided to take the players off - much to the annoyance of some "grumpy old timers" barracking on the balcony. After a delay of 15 minutes or so for the non wetting downpour it was deemed fit to resume and Strongbow was out caught in the first over after the resumption. Promoted up the order Nads signalled his intentions immediatley with some ferocious hitting as he and RRRaymond Boycs plundered runs at will as we surpassed the target without further loss inside 25 overs. Retard scored another majestic 58 n o and Nads a quickfire 42 n o - perhaps Nads should bat under the threat of rain more often? With the news that Hall Bower had lost all 6 to Emley, we are now 3 points clear in second place . Clayton won to secure their promotion back to the Premiership and a win for us at Emley will secure ours - fingers crossed. Hopefully a victory would also more importantly ensure that R E Tard will be kept from the clutches of juniorless Honley!!!! 27/08/11 Paddock 171 ao Meltham 105 ao Paddock 6 pts Meltham 0 pts The least said about this game the better!!!! Paddock on a "sporting" track were reduced to 47 for 7 after a fine opening burst from Strongbow who was then surprisingly removed from the attack. Paddock's Aussie then tee'd off scoring 77 not out and set us a daunting total of 172 for victory. Srongbow returning to mop tail up finishing with an excellent return of 7-59. The track was a par 100 if ever there was one and it was soon evident that the Home side had enough runs in the tent as we painfully struggled to 105 all out - there was some poor shot selection and good bowling from both Rafiq & Siddiq who bowled through taking 6 and 4 for resopectively. Luckily Clayton and Hall Bower also lost all 6pts leaving the promotion push still wide open for all 3 sides. 20/08/11 Hall Bower 253-6 Meltham 218-9 Meltham 1 pt Hall Bower 5 pts Ist agin 2nd place on a warm afternoon at the WACA. The home side were dealt a devasting blow hours before the game with the news of the sudden and sad loss of Strongbow's mother and grandma of Lee earlier that morning. Our condolences go to the family at this time. In view of this the report will be brief. As a result of the above there was a recall for Ratboy Daz Hinchliffe and promotion of the VAC from 2nd team reserve to 1st team fielder. The away side were soon in trouble at 1 for 2 but they gradually rebuilt their innings mainly thanks to the grafting of Naidoo, Ahmed and to the rotund Tom Cliffe who went on to score a matchwinning and impressive 113 not out. R B Jun and Mohammed also contributed excellent cameo's as the Bower posted an excellent 253 for 6. We badly missed Strongbow's presence as the skipper even resorted to Boycs and asked him to bowl spin - something only seen previously in the nets.Cleggy's opening spell was impressive but who's lack of overs in the past few weeks showed in the second spell which was too short. Nads was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 3 - 44 off 15. I was not sure why he wasnt brought back into the attack at the death as he may have limited the score? Additionally, I was not entirely sure when we are going to get fielding positions right wherby we are actually saving the single or the boundary and not either!!! After creaming 2 majestic fours Boycs was out caught behind and Hamid soon followed. Maltesers again tried to t--t every ball out of the ground and threw his wicket away. I dont think anyone other than himself has been responsible for his dismissals all season. Daz and Ian Ginger Bell set about rebuilding the innings and batted well against the non spin of Peaker and the tiring Sykes - if the away side had more options in their attack then I am sure the latter would have been rested!! However fair play to him as he stuck to the task manfully finishing up with excellent figures of 7-91 off 25 overs. After Daz and Ernie both got in the 50's the innings fell away as the lower order seemed to be unclear as to whether they were trying to win the game or gain the point. In the end we safely secured the point thanks to a valuable red inker from the VAC. The visitors deserved their victory and for once we were outplayed and with Clayton West also gaining 6 points promotion seems a way off with only 3 games to go. Meltham 175-9 Almondbury 105 ao Almondbury 0 pts Meltham 6 pts Was our last visit to the Antigua Recreation Ground all a dream? there were no tunes from Chickys "Fernside" disco to greet us, no rock hard deck to be seen etc, in fact you couldn't distinguish the strip from the remainder of the outfield let alone the square! To be fair, the weather had been poor the last few days though. On winning the toss the home side had no hesitation in inserting us and with the twitter rumours of Mobbers being injured unfounded, Boycs and Strongbow opened on the sporting track. Both reached the late teens before falling to Mr Mobeen as did Middy and we were struggling to cope with the variable bounce etc. El Maltesero again threw his wicket away and that left ever ginger Garfield and Nads to graft and eventually get to grips with the track and their attack. Mobbers was replaced by a non spinning spinner who nearly stopped in delivery "Ajmal" style and Nads helped himself to the buffet before throwing his wicket away - again getting into the forties before chasing a loose one abnd was caught at point. Ginger grafted away for 36 but in the last 13 overs after Nads departed we could only muster 32 runs for the loss of 5 wickets as we limped to 175 for 9 with Last man Hamlet nearly caught off the penultimate ball off a leading edge but he managed to safely negotiate the final ball. The most surprising on the Home side's part was that their local Dutch South African only bowled the last five overs and made it talk, bowling a mixture of deliveries and he had Ernie wearing a few!!! If he had been introduced earlier the we may have been reduced to less than 150? He finished with 2-13 and Mobbers with 3-44. In reply, the home team were soon in troubling loosing their opener in the fast over - caught by the unrecognisable Ian "Ginger" Bell under the dome at short leg of all places - speedy hands or what Ern - not!!! Strongbow enjoyed the conditions getting movement and the same bounce as the others at that end, Nads bowled some beauties but kept missing the edge, Only Kamran with 44 got to grips with the track for them. Bebby removed Nads from the attack and brought on our non spinning spinner from the far end and wickets soon began to tumble. Middy snaffled 3 catches at Mid / long on much to the amazement of his teamates and some spectators but he did drop a gobber off Ibby when Liam Brothers tickled one round the corner to him at a deep leg slip and then threw the ball at the running end as the batsman decided to attempt a run? Skipper Bebb was not backing up as I seem to recall him on his knees Basil Fawlty style banging his head on the ground as the ball whistled past him to the boundary for over throws!!! It however didnt proove to be too costly Almondbury must have been watching us bat over the years as they too have a domino effect style to their batting and were reduced to 105 all out after being comfortably placed at 50 odd for 1 off 18 or so. Strongbow was again the pick of the attack taking 6-58 and Ibby 3-22 as for the second week running only 3 bowlers were required!!! With Hall Bower defeating previous leaders Clayton West we now sit top by a point from them who travel to the WACA next week in a table topping fixture. They have defeated us twice this year already after we gifted them the first game at home and then fell foul of a poor decision at the Bower with their last pair at the crease - so the signs are that it will be another close affair. 06/08/11 Clayton West 118 ao Meltham 119-3 Meltham 6 pts Clayton West 0 pts After last week's disapointment, we welcomed League leaders Clayton West to the WACA. After a morning's worth of moor grime and mizzle etc. the game eventually started at 2.50pm reduced to 36 overs aside. I assume Bebby won the toss as the visitors were duly inserted? Stongbow and Nads opened the attack and soon had Clayton in deep trouble reducing them to 13 for 3 in no time - I find myself repeating the same each week but Jonnie bowled superbly - extracting bounce and movement off the assisting strip aided by some excellent fielding etc. Only Aussie Del Prete putting up much by way of resistance early on. At 48 for 5, stalwart Kevin Rank joined the man from Aus and they set about grafting and trying to rebuild their innings. Maybe Bebby should have changed the bowling slightly earlier as the tiring Nads ( fasting for Ramadan) started to bowl a few loose deliveries and with attacking fields set, boundaries were easily found. Stongbow accounted for Del Prete for 30 and save for some lusty blows from K Rank the visitors would and should not have posted in excess of 80. Lockwood batting at 10 snapped his achilles whilst attempting a run and had to be carried off leaving Rank to bat with their no. 11. He ws finally dismissed for an excellent 53 and effectively they were all out for 118 in the 31st over. Strongbow finishing with figures of 7-28 off 15.2 inc 7 maidens. After a hearty tea,thoughts about subfielders ( remembering the antics at Clayton a few weeks earlier!!!) and the threat of rain, we set about overhauling the relatively low total. Boycs returned to open the batting and after creaming two glorious 4's of Del Boy Prete in his 1st over, he was superbly caught one handed diving backwards at gully by Rank K. Boycs was clearly angry with himself as he trudged off muttering expletives that were clearly heard by all on the balcony including his Grandad. At the other end Strongbow continued his impressive form with the bat winding Del Prete up at the same time- You could clearly hear the Aussie questioning Jonnie's sex as he made room for himself outside leg stump, attempting to carve a delivery over cover point. Abdul played a few nice shots before being bounced out off Jaggers first ball for 18 - with Rank S leaping high to snaffle a fine catch behind the sticks. Nads managed to take a look at the burly left arm slow "throw" of Wood's first delivery after being castled by him first ball in the earlier home fixture, however, he soon departed for 7, giving Jagger another victim. As the threat of rain loomed, El Maltesero was allegedly given licence to thrill - Licence to do himself some mischief might have been more apt - judging by his first few ugly mow's!!! Strongbow was still motoring at the other end and when he dispatched another 4, one spectator shouted in the Aussie's direction that it was "not a bad shot for a girl", leaving Del Boy and Square Leg Ump's chuckling away. Luke (31 no) finally got to grips with his bat and hit some lusty blows, Jonnie completed his half century (55 no) and the target was reached in 23.3 overs, with Jagger the pick of their bowlers. The Victor Ludorum M O M winner was never in doubt as Strongbow effectively won the game single handedly. Next week we return to the Antigua Recreation Ground and Chickys disco et al to face a rapidly improving Almondbury side who will still have thoughts of a late promotion charge themselves. 30/7/11 Holmfirth 228 ao Meltham 153 ao Meltham 0 pts Holmfirth 6 pts Yet again we showed what an inconsistent side we are after throwing away another game with a monumental co-lapse that resembled our domino effect "trick" of the last few years!!! Womfirth batted first and suprisingly Bigeli opened the bowling uphill with Strongbow as ever downhill. Perhaps Bebby and Bigeli had a plan to trap Iqbal snr early doors? It worked in reverse with Cowell going caught behind to Luke off Bige for a blob. Sam Denton and Iqbal then set about the home attack as Bebby changed his bowlers - the 2 put on 101 before Bigeli returned to the attack to finally get his man Iqbal for 76 again LBW. Ibby was on a roll as he then had Denton caught by Moo Ju for a fine 77. Ibby then snared his "mate" Uzzy for 15 again LB. The 2 Gummy Bear Borthers also fell to Bigeli for 11 & 19 respectively, before there was the first of the 2 batting collapses. Womfirth went from 182 for 4 to 228 all out as Ibby finished with impressive figures of 7 - 62 - he was clearly spurred on playing against his former club, Strongbow also returned to catch a few rabbits as he saw the pot was boiling - taking 3 - 45. El Maltesero finished with 4 snafflers behind and a stumping. On a warm day and a fast outfield it was thought that their total would not be enough. In reply we got off to an excellent start with Hamid (29) and Strongbow (45) taking the attack to Denton and Iqbal snr, with the score advancing to 71 in 15 overs before the rot set in and this coincided with the introduction of the nagging Iqbal jnr into the attack and Denton finding a better length. The dominoes were well and truly stacked correctly for a customary topple - Nads and Maltesers again threw their wickets away to poor balls and shot selections, Ginge went for 4 and Bigeli for 1, Matty White (1) soon followed and at 113 for 7 we were obviously staring defeat with 171 required for a point. Moo Ju and skipper Beppy took the score to 142 before the former was bowled for 13, Hamlet followed for a blob, leaving the best no 11 in the league and Beppy to try and grab an undeserved point, Bepster played a few ugly mows before being caught behind for a gallant 28 , leaving Clegster high and dry on 5 no with 6 overs to go and still 18 sort of a point. A disappointing result and if we want promotion then we will have to improve and get some consistencty in the last 6 games as we await the visit of table toppers Clayton West to the WACA next week. 23/07/11 Meltham 257-6 vs Lepton 214-8 Lepton 1 pt Meltham 5 pts Enter the holiday season as we travelled to Lepton (which has not been a happy hunting ground in the past) with a youthful looking side - there were 5 players 18 yrs and under , including a 1st team debuuu behind the stumps for the Hyphen - deputising for our regular gloveman who was topping up his stock of Spanish Maltesers. Due to 2nd XI umpiring commitments, we only have half a report, however we posted an excellent score of 257 for 6 with good performances from Nads - 87, Bigeli - 60 and skipper Bebster with 30+ no. Strongbow and the impressive Clegster opened the attack and the perma tanned Dale W was lucky to escape 2nd ball, being dropped by Shara ( gobber by all accounts!!!). In fact that was to set the tone for the day as 6 or 7 catches of differing ease / difficulty were spilled by us. The Hyphen's regulation drop off Strongbow - he was already celebrating was another disappointment as Dale continued to lead a charmed existence. Strongbow yet again defied his 39 year old body and bowled with a mixture of pace and bounce like a stag for 25 overs being rewarded with 3 for 104. Cleggy bowled well for his first 6 over spell before Nads replaced him. Shara replaced Nads and after a few grunts and groans and customary LBW appeals he struck taking 3 - 28 off his 7 over spell. Dale top scored for the home side amasssing his favourite number - a pleasurable "soixante neuf" as well as managing to ruffle Strongbow's feathers along the way!! Despite some lusty blows from their top / middle order, Lepton never looked like overcoming our total and fell 43 runs short of victory. We now have 2 vital home games to follow against Womfirth and Clayton West which may go a long way to deciding the final table with only 7 games to go and the latter stretching their lead with another 6 pts against Almondbury. Ther may be some competition for places with 3 back from their jollies next week!! 16/07/11 Meltham vs Paddock no play rain Meltham 2 pts Paddock 2 pts 09/07/11 Meltham 207-7 (W Fraine 52, N Ashraf 49, C Earnshaw 47; J Ahmed 3-67), Hall Bower 208-9 (B McDonagh 52, R Bottomley 48no, P Naidoo 43, M Umar 43). Hall Bower 5 pts Meltham 1 pt No match report but a dubious decision with the Bower's last pair at the crease still needing 20 + for victory cost us a vital win. The nick behind by the Home side's number 11 Peaker - beautifully snared by Maltesers as all 10 fielders and Bowler Nads went up was not only heard by those on top of the nearby Castle Hill but also by those on West Nab!! To rub it in,Peaker knew he'd knocked the case off it , as did the gracious in victory Ray Bottomley Jun ( who batted well and steered them to the win). Hopefully we can get back to winning ways against lowly Paddock next week? 2/07/11 Meltham 262-7 (W Fraine 110, A Hamid 65, I Hussain 26no; M Mobeen 5-70), Almondbury 154 (U Salim 45, J Van Ee 28; J Storey 5-78, I Hussain 4-63 Meltham 6 pts Almondbury 0 pts Firsts impressive form continues with a big win over Almondbury as they move clear at the top of the table (Hall Bower and Emley both losing). Maiden 1st team ton for Will Fraine backed up by Hamid (65) gives Meltham a score to bowl at. Almondbury skittled for 154 with Storey, Hussain and Clegg the wicket takers. 25/06/11 Meltham 285-5 vs Clayton West 263 ao Meltham 6 pts Clayton West 0 pts With the 1st team reporter staying to watch the 2nds enthralling encounter there won't be a match report I expect, especially as he hasn't done last weeks yet. Meltham batted 1st and got a par score for Clayton's little ground with most batters making a contribution, Nads 84*, Maltesers 68, uncle Jon 51, Hamid 29 & Ibby 27*. Only The Wall (1) failing after being consistently the best batter over the past few weeks. Clayton got off to a decent start and were probably favourites needing 75 or so in the last 10 with only 4 down but a Meltham style collapse saw them stutter to 265ao with uncle Jon 6/108 and Nads 3/64 the main wicket takers. A good win despite the fact that there was some controversy with the home side deliberating whether to allow a sub fielder for the Injured Cockshaw. After finally agreeing to provide one we may have found a dustbin more useful! Surely if you decide to grant your opponents a sub then he should field to the best of his abilty??? At the end of the day we were still victorious. 18/06/11 Meltham 129 ao Emley 132-9 Meltham 0 pts Emley 6 pts Inconsistency inconsistency inconsistency!!!! - is what you might say about Meltham's performances this season our batting and decisions made by the men that stand in the middle! This clash was a reverse of last week's fixture and one which we were expected to win. On an allegedly under prepared and unsatisfactory wicket to quote one "umpire" - we were inserted by Emley and were soon in as much trouble as we were in a week earlier with all the top order giving their wickets away cheaply. Enter for the second time in a week the Ginger one at 6 with less than 30 on the board - renamed by Emley as "the wall" and the one they needed to shift. Rahul Obeng Dravid didnt disappoint his growing army of admirers and like a vintage port (colourless of course) - maturing with age he showed some excellent patience and grafting ability stroking the ball nicely and punishing the odd loose ball served up by the away attack. The out of sorts Moo Ju (10) - suffering a crisis in confidence, doggedly stuck around for a while, whilst Dravid continued to blunt the attack. The Emley attacks "dibble" was the order of the day. Ginge eventually fell for 40 - an excellent knock considering the conditions, when Lee Storey was given out caught behind after flicking his pad with his bat we were all out for a measly 129. However on an "under prepared strip" you should never count your chickens when attempting to chase down a meagre total! When the visitors commenced their reply - Strongbow continued to show his excellent recent form bowling with a mixture of aggression, swing, control and extracting bounce but with no luck. Sykes was strangely given not out after middling it down the leg side to be snaffled by Maltesers diving to his right only for the same umpire to advise it came off his thigh pad despite Sykes asking Luke if it had carried - pad and wood surely dont make the same sound!!! In a low scoring encounter Sykes' top score of 26 surely made all the difference. The decision certainly riled Jonny Strongbow and the match reporter no end!! Nads was out of sorts for a change - 2 overs costing 12 runs as Emley's reply reached 30 without loss in no time. He was replaced by Boydy making his seasonal 1st team debuuu after playing in the mid week T20 . Boydsville impressed in a 9 over spell taking 2 for 20 odd. The returning Cockshaw then took over from Jase and continued to tie the batters down taking 3 -14.Strongbow bowled through at the other end and after a silly run out the visitors werer reduced to 124 for 9 with only their Old man to bat at 11. Strangely with no fine leg, a wide third man and no backward square leg Strongbow decided to bounce the no.9 who hooked it for 4, when Jon then pitched the next one up he clubbed it for 4 over Bebbys head at mid off, stuck his bat under his arm and walked off to the joy of his team mates leaving the home side bitterly disappointed after nearly snatching a famous victory. The middle division is certainly a strange one this time and as David Lockwood commented in his pre season report - does anyone actually want to be promoted this season? Clayton West next week when we will need to score a lot more than we have in the last few games to stand any chance. 11/06/11 Emley 166 ao Meltham 167-5 Emley 0 pts Meltham 6 pts Due to Chief Editor being absent injured / on his jollies our roving reporter had to cover both the 1st's and the stiffs this week - therefore the Emley innings is a blur!!! The sun short but it was slightly chilly and Meltham welcomed a 1st team debuu to Matty White. The outfield was still uneven but at least the grass was all the same length - unlike last season! Emley batted first and were in trouble at 41 for 3 and 73 for 5, with the opening partnership of Strongbow and Nads continiung with their excellent early season form bowling with a varaiation of pace, bounce and control. Whilst many of the home side's batters got into double figures, they couldnt make a telling contribution - with only Stratford (31) and "pickled" Onions with 52 coping with the away side's attack. Nads finished with economical figures of 3 -31 off 13 and "ooh Jonnie Jonnie" impressing with 6-55 off 18, Bigeli contained well with his non spinners and Lee took a wicket to leave Emley all out for 166 off 46 overs. Bebby ( without the prolific Boycs) decided to open with Hamid and promote Strongbow to the top of the order and they both got off to a flowing start before chipping to Hassan at mid wicket off Pickled for 18 & 16 respectively. Nads was castled for a blob, Maltesers (11) also chipped to mid wicket where Hassan snaffled another and when Bigeli prodded one to gully also for a blob. We were reelin at 51 for 5 off 11 overs. Enter the old stager Ginger ( or Garfield) and Matty who firstly steadied the ship and then played some excellent attacking strokes and were both unlucky to find the aptly named Rhino excellent in the field. Matt showed no nerves and the patience of a saint and the home side soon let their heads drop as the runs flowed. The two batters took us to victory with 6 overs to go finishing with 71 no and 34 no respectively and left the remaining batters with a large dose of pad rash and Ernie blowing out of his a - - e. A good 6 pts and as the results went our way we are now only 1pt off the top and look forward to the reverse fixture at home this coming Saturday. 04/06/11 Meltham 208-9 Holmfirth 158 ao Holmfirth 0 pts Meltham 6 pts We returned to "Lords" for the second time in 6 days as the weather was set fair. Jonnie Storey returned from his jollies to spearhead the attack along with Hamid and Nads pronounced himself fit to bowl after having pulled a fetlock at Yeton the previous Saturday which had left him unable to bowl on the damp BH Monday. There were a few different Womfirth faces too. Cleggy and Shara were back in the stiffs!!! I assume skipper Bebb won the toss? We elected to bat and were soon on top of the home attack. Boycs yet again demonstarting his class on his way to another majestic 50 before being alleged caught behind after the he had flicked his pad with the bat!. Hamid continued his good run before falling for 30.Nads reached 20 before the Domino's were out again - Maltesers, Ginger, Moo Ju , Shah and Bebby all failing to reach double figures. We had gone from 100 for 1 to 150 for 8. Ibby (with a bee in his bonnett about his lowly batting position and the fact he was playing his old club) had a point to prove and he and Jonnie managed to put on approx. 50 off the last 5 / 6 overs to post a respectable and defendable 208. Ibby finishing with 30 not out and Jon with 18. Agin Iqbal / Dibbie jnr was the pick of the bowlers with 4-80 off 25 along with their "spinner" - Morley returning flattering figures of 6 for 54. After watching the chief selector eating a whole CO OP roast chicken during the tea interval we parambulated a few laps as we watched our opening bowlers using the new ball to great effect and their two openers who had set off like trains in the previous game found it difficult to get it off the square. Nads bowled like a dream and he finished with 2 - 34 off 20 overs. Only Iqbal Snr (60) got to grips with the bowling although he was lucky not to be given out after he and UZZY both ended up at the same end. Wickets continued to tumble and Lee Storey picked up 2 wickets before hobbling off - Ibby again produced another great spell finishing with 2 - 23 and Maltesers kept superbly to pick up 2 stumpings on a track which had uneven bounce. Jonnie also took 2 wickets. As the rain began to fall we mopped up the tail and collected all 6 valuable points which closed the gap on the opponents. It was an excellent team effort and the bowlers were well supported by some exceptional fielding apart from Gingers poor attempt early doors and the skippers juggling act close to the selection committee. Next up its a trip to Emley Moor Mast - lets hope the grass isn't two different heights as it was last July when we visited in the pop and crisps semi!!!! 30/05/11 Holmfirth 125-7 Meltham 101 ao Holmfirth 6 pts Meltham 0 pts So much for an enjoyable and sunny Bank Holiday fixture against near neighbours and table topping Womfirth!!! The rain finally stopped about 2.30 pm leaving a brief mopping up session and a 25 over slog!!!. Bebby won the toss and obviously unaware of the fact that you bat second at your peril at "Lords" , inserted the home side. The decision seemed evenmore strange as we were without Jon Storey (hols) and KK (Sabatical). They got off to a brisk start and were soon approx. 70 for 1 off 10, with openers Shara and Lee proovong wayward. Ibby and Shah were able to put the brakes on and took 5 wickets between them as they crawled in the end to a modest total of 125 for 7 in the allotted 25 overs. Ibby finishing with 3-28 off 9 and Shah 2 -21 off 6, openers Denton and Cowell top scoring for them. As those who have watched us recently, we are not having much luck with decisions and this seemed to continue when we set about the chase!!! The home side were vociferous in their appeals and at once stage, one stalwart spectator queried whether we were playing Holmfirth Amateur Dramatics Society. Boycs and Nads were stumped for 13 and 16 respectively and then our Domino effect returned for the first time this season as wickets tumbled with regularity- only Ginge got to grips with the nagging Iqbal Junior and the game changed when Ernie was caught one handed on the edge just as it looked liked the fielder may collide with the wall. He made an impressive 18. With Under 17 Shara and Under15 Clegster at the cerase we still need 50 or so off the last 5 overs. Cleggy hit some lusty blows inc. one into the bowling green but then fell as he was aiming big again for 18 to match Ernie as joint top scorer. Wallis faced the last over with the last pair at the crease and was unluckily adjudged to have glanced one down the leg side to be caught behind when it seemed to hit his thigh pad and we were all out for a paltry 101. Iqbal jnr was the pick of their bowlers claiming 6-42 and rather like Peter "Dibble" Dibb we will need to knock him off his line and length early next time. It was a disappointing end to the weekend and hopefully we will have chance to redeem ourselves when we return this Saturday and hopefully win the toss and bat first. 28/05/11 Pop n Crisps 1st Round Kirkheaton 227-9 vs Meltham 196ao - Home win It was like Groundhog Day at a blustery Bankfield Lane, where we were embarassingly defeated by the bottom club in the lowest division. With late withdrawals and holiday absences, half the team were aged 19 or under, but that was no excuse. Impressive opening spells from Nads and the returning Shara left the home side in trouble at 65 for 5. Nads completing his 10 over spell returning figures of 2-12 and Wallis taking 3 early wickets in the wind in his first spell. Lee Storey replaced Nads and had some excellent LBW appeals turned down and then to all the players amazement had a caught behind declined when No.7 Lodge was in his 30's.Clegster replaced Wally and looked to extract bounce in his first spell in the First Eleven. He was unlucky not to take a wicket, finishing with 0-39 off his alloted 10.Lodge aided by Conroy (28) batting at 9 tucked into the bowling aided by some poor fielding. Ginger was brought on at the death to bowl his military medium pacers into the wind and went for 45 in 6 overs, he did however remove Lodge next to last ball for a "clubbed" 107 as they finished on 227 for 9 when really they shouldnt have got more than 120 at most. Things went from bad to worse after the tea interval, when both umpires seemed to spring to life. Three contentious LBW's and an appalling shot left us reeling at 15 for 4, including 2 golden ducks. The bowling was reasonble but nothing special. Hamid carried on where he left off the previous weekend, helping himself to the change bowling and he was supported by a dogged innings from Mooey Ju as they took the score to 100 without the loss of any more wickets. There was a flurry of wickets and when Hamid went it looked a lost cause as we were reduced to 140 odd for 9 with last pair Ginger and Shara at the crease. The pair batted superbly and took the score to 196 with 9 overs left, before Wally was bamboozled by a googly. Ernie was blowing at the other end as Young Wallis had him running between the wickets as the ball seemed to slow on the outfield with regularity. Kirkheaton were worthy winners but again we didnt play as a team, we were inconsistant in the field, with the ball and with the bat and like last week at Marsden we didnt bat the overs!!!! 22/05/11 Sykes cup 2nd Round Marsden 188-8 vs Meltham 141ao - Home win Championship Meltham travelled the short but wet and windy distance to near neighbours Marsden for an eagerly awaited tie against many familiar and "friendly" faces - it was a chance to see how Bebby's Boys would fare against Premiership opposition. Due to numerous and heavy showers, the start was delayed by over an hour and after winning the toss, the away skipper had no hesitatation in inserting Butters' men on the damp and green track. After a few deposits of sawdust, Jon and Nads soon found their rhythm and early wickets tumbled, the dangerous Kyle being triggered by former Meltham Allrounder Keith "Bear" Hallam, before a rainbreak halted preceedings for a few minutes.After heaving a lusty blow for 6, Jack T Smith soon found Nads unplayable managing to trap one in the goolies and was sent packing by Barry Dy!! The Overseas pro soon followed as Nads kept jagging the ball both ways and this brought 2nd team skipper and svelt like Fazloid to the crease, after some dogged resistance he lost his footing and was smartly stumped by the impressive Maltesers for not so many. At 39 for 5, the home side were teetering and when hard hitting Kilner skied one before reaching double figures, it seemed that they would not reach 100. As the ball towered in the air -approx 5 yards behind the return crease, Nads called for it off his own bowling, either fleet of foot - Moo Ju or the "pacy" - Obeng would have easily reached the ball, however Nads piroetted 3 times before unsucessfully not managing to get a hand on it, I was not sure which language the resultant expletive was in but he was clearly upset with himself!!! Kilner continued to plunder runs aided by the streaky haired pediatrist skipper who "caressed" the ball around the ground as if he was stroking some old dear's feet!!! The two took the score passed 130 before Kilner fell for an excellent 52, Butters then fell agonizingly short of his half century. Enter Curtly Ambrose-Coulson ( apparently clocked at 100mph on the speed gun in his younger days) who swung his bat with great gusto but must have needed a "bell" in the ball as he again fell to a smart take by Maltesers off Ibby. Shah and Ibby again bowled at the death and the former was particularly impressive and Marsden eventually made 188 for 8 off their alloted overs. Whilst it was more than they should have got I am sure that Bebby would have settled for that as the wicket seemed to be easing. The "injured" Kilner took the new ball with Mr Mackay or was it Barrowclough ( Porridge ) , the former clearly not fit as Boycs smashed his first ball for 4. Young Boycs soon fell to the former Meltham speedster after thick edging a long hop to 2nd slip. Hamid helped himself to the bowling and he and Nads looked in control as they had done a day earlier taking the score to 60ish for one off 11 overs. Butters "massaged" his ailing attack and brought the impressive Longmore into the attack and he soon accounted for Nads, Hamid (42) and Maltesers in the space of a few balls- jagging the ball both ways. We were reduced to 66 for 4 in no time. Despite some resistance from Moo Ju (28) and skipper Bebb (12) who unluckily played on to be last out, the lower order failed again throwing their wickets away needlessly and we were eventually all out for 141 with 20 overs to spare - as I write this a day later, I can still hear Colin Booth's words ringing in my ear - "bat yer bloody overs out"!!!!!!! On the face of it , it seems that it was comfortable victory for the Premiership side but I am sure they were not thinking that as Nads was performing his "showcase showpiece" when they were less than 50 for 5. Next week its the return of the Pop and Crisps Cup at cold Kirkheaton before 2 league visits in 5 days to Lords - sorry I meant Holmfirth. 21/05/11 Paddock 182ao vs Meltham 184-1 - Paddock 0pts Meltham 6pts Due to "lure" of "great whale pig" watching with the return of Meltham's finest and indeed largest batsmen of the past 20 years- the one and only Percy Palmer, Meltham's 1st XI correspondent was not present for the first innings at Championship newcomers - Paddock, who had yet to score a point this season. The writer's decision was fully justified as he witnessed his longtime friend and drinking partner trip and stumble over after attempting a "relatively - quick for him" - single - which was somewhat reminiscent of but not as hilarious as the current 2nd team skipper's refusal at a cold Craggy Island in the mid 2000's. Percy looked to have purchased some shiny new boots and blamed his new spikes!!! - just like the aforementioned Baz Barry had done. Notwithstanding the aboveand thanks to constant texts from the 1st team scorer known affectionately as "Wendy Wimbush" regular updates were available. Paddock got off to a decent start with 4 of the home side contributing 20+ and after reaching 150/3 off 35 overs or so, it looked as though we would be chasing over 200 against the rock bottom outfit. Skipper Bebb played his trump cards and brought on the "under-used" duo of Shah and Ibby which resulted in a collapse of Meltham proportions with the latter snaring 3 for 13 and the former snaffling 4 for 29 to reduce Paddock to 182 all out in 46 overs. In reply, Ginger was soon returning to the "portacabin" getting an inside edge onto his stumps for an uncharesteristicly attacking score of 1. If the home side thought the were in with a sniff then their fire was soon extinguished by some hard hitting from Hamid and Nads, who appeared to take a liking to the buffet served up by the home attack, plundering boundaries at will and trying to hit the passing trains to Manchester on a frequent basis. Both finished with 85 not out and the opponents score was surpassed with more than 21 overs to spare, allowing some of the players to get back to Meltham and watch the 2nds fall agonisingly short. 14/05/11 Lepton 192-8 vs Meltham 141 ao - Meltham 0pts Lepton 6pts With the regular correspondent off at a posh Cheshire wedding do I can only report on the bit I saw. On a cold and damp day play kicked off on time at Meltham with the much talked about Meltham wicket looking a little greener than usual. There must have been a definite chill in the air as not even Dale was sporting flip flops and Hawaiian shirt. Lepton batted and posted what looked a decent score of 192/8 with Smith (58), Slack (27) & Winterbottom (27) the main runscorers. Nads impressing for the home side with a magnificent spell uphill to take 4-66. After tea Meltham started poorly, Hamid hanging his bat out a wide one to be caught at slip early doors then Earnshaw turned like an oil tanker and ran like he was in quick sand for Gary Hodgson to run him out by a yard to leave Meltham at 15/2. Nads and Luke both looked hungry for runs and a quick finish as they took to the score onto 70 quicksticks. I nipped for a pint and when i'd come back both Nads and Ibby were out. Maltesers continued to hit a few but when he was out for (56) it was all over for the home side as they slipped to another disappointing defeat against their bogey side. The home side finished on 141, Brown 3-31 and Winterbottom 3-45 the doing the damage. Must do better next week in the league and cup double header away at Paddock then away at Marsden as the early season promise looks to be drifting away. 07/05/11 Meltham 170-8, Hall Bower 171-7 - Meltham 1 pt, Hall Bower 5 pts After a resounding win in the cup against the same opponents last week, it was back to earth with a bang! Heavy downpours on the previous evening and just prior to the scheduled start put a dampener on Meltham's now semi famous straw coloured "WACA" wicket!!! The start was delayed and the game reduced to 45 overs a side. After winning the toss, the Bower had no hesitation in inserting the Home side. Youthful openers Boycs and Moo Ju were back after their respective enforced absences, with the former soon plundering the attack to all parts with some impressive strokeplay, Moo Ju was soon out caught behind for 2 and Colourless Ginge, poked around for an age before having a wrive for 0. Nads for once looked out of sorts but was not impressed with his LBW , falling for 9. Meanwhile Boycs raced to his 50 and was the only batsman that did not look in any difficulty, coping with the return of the "usual" sticky Meltham track. He was harshly adjudged LBW , when triggerd by the umpire for an excellent 52 ( the ball was too high and too far down the leg to be given out). Maltesers (23) struggled with Ibby (11), and runs dried up as all the batsmen allowed "spinner" Peaker to send down 14 legsided overs for a meagre 33 runs. Luke seemed to finally get to grips with the pitch - clubbing Ahmed for 16 in the space of 4 balls before stopping his shot in the same over and giving the bowler a simple return catch. The 2 Storeys soon followed and the innings was teetering but as at Almondbury, Bebb (29 no) and Shah (18 no)added a decent 9th wicket partnership to post a decent and defendable total of 170 on a difficult track. Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers returning 6 - 83. In reply, Hall Bower were soon in trouble, losing their top three cheaply, but there was some resistance from Cliffe (26) and Ahmed who was looking increasingly dangerous. Nads bowled an impressive opening spell of 2- 35 and Lee Storey chipped in with 3 cheap wickets to leave the Bower struggling on 102 - 7, and it was thought that the tail would collapse as they had done in the Cup the week earlier!!! The track seemed to dry out and the "carry" returned and Ahmed plundered runs at will aided by a solid knock from keeper Crines (23 no). Ahmed took the attack to the bowlers and was aided by some indifferent fielding, some poor field placements ( particularly a lack of a fine leg) and he also survived a realtively easy chance at mid wicket ( when 42) . The pair put on 70 or so and cantered to victory with 13 balls to spare. Lepton are the next visitors to Mean Lane and Bebby and the lads will be hoping to return to winning ways against a team who may have started indifferntly this time, but who were too strong for us on all 3 ocassions last year. 30/4/11 Sykes Cup 1st Round Hall Bower 125 all out, Meltham 127-3 - Away win Bebby Boys continued where they left off last week in the first round of the cup against fellow Championship outfit Hall Bower. The sun again shone but there was a sneaky wind to contend with with all bowlers preferring the changing room end. The home side won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat on what looked a perfect deck. New ball bowlers Nads and Jon again bowled excellent opening spells and runs were at a premium, the former finishing with 1-18 from 10 excellent overs. "Uncle" Jon took 3-42 from his allotted 15 overs. The pair were ablely supported by the change bowlers "nephew" Lee and KK (who again bowled well, finding pace and bounce) and had it not been for the skipper setting attacking fields, the home side would not have reached 3 figures, oh and coupled with a few spillages in the slip cordon!!! Lee Storey finishing with 2-9 off 6 overs into the wind and KK with 4-21 off 5.4 overs downwind. The only real contribution for the Bower being 25 from Umar. With Boycs back at posh school, and "Rocky" Moo Ju sporting Top Gun shades to hide his 2 shiners sat on the sidelines, there was a change to the top order with the evergreen or ginger Ernie and Hamid sent out to chase down the paltry total. The former soon launched himself into some excellent cover drives, whilst the latter played some nice shots off his legs, reaching 13 before guiding a full toss to cover. The majestic Nads walked to the wicket and set about the Home attack, pulling, cutting and driving etc. scoring a fluent 55 not out, Ginger nearly "wore one" - doing well to get bat on it - but the ball looped to the keeper for 19. Maltesers (13) played some customery drives before giving his wicket away, with Ibby (13 no) then joining Nads and guiding us to victory with plenty overs to spare. That's 3 wins from 3 and with the side showing promise in all departments,they will be looking forward to playing the Bower for a second time at home in the League next week. 23/04/11 Meltham 248/8, Almondbury 133 all out - Almondbury 0pts Meltham 6 pts Following on from last week's excellent start Bebby's new charges travelled the short distance to Antigua - sorry I meant Almondbury who we failed to win against in any of the 3 League Meetings last term ( the ball out in the "pop n crisps" excluded) The sun again shone but with dark clouds in the distance, rumbles of thunder, the odd flash of lightning and the constant drone of Chickys disco somewhere off Fernside Avenue, it almost felt that we were at the Antigua Recreation Ground! Luckily the rain never appeared, despite some games amazingly being abandoned only a few miles away. The visitors batted first and soon lost Moo Ju, caught behind third ball off Daz Hinchliffe's best mate, Mr Mobeen. Young Boycs (restored to his opening berth) and Nads looked at ease against Mobbers and his Dutch South African new ball partner and the runs came freely until Boycs was also caught behind for 20+. Malteser boy entered the fray and tucked into the home side's attack with a mixture of some powerful and well timed shots. Nads fell in his 20's and Ibby took up the gauntlet and hit some nice shots in making 33. Hamid was watchful and scored 21 before being trapped plumb LBW. Luke was finally out for 69 with plenty overs to spare. The returning Mobeen soon accounted for the 2 Storeys and that left skipper Bebb (16 no) and Shah (24 no) to keep the score ticking over and the latter hit 16 off a Mobeen over to help post an excellent score of 248. Mobeen finishing with 5 - 59. The Home side were soon in trouble when they lost their opener to the first ball of the innings, with Nads holding a fine catch at slip off Jon Storey. The new ball pair of Jon and Nads bowled tidily, although two relatively simple catches went down. Jon finished with a deserved 3 for not so many. However, it was the returning KK (in at the expense of the "injured" Wally) that changed the match - he was aided by the the fact that every home batsmen seemed to want to score off every ball and wickets began to fall at regular intervals. KK (like Mobeen) has a steady run up but bowled with plenty of pace and extracted bounce and was supported by some excellent fielding especially by the 2 younger lads - Boycs and Mooey, who both snaffled 2 catches apiece, with the latter's at 2nd slip being the pick of the four. KK finished with a 5 for on his seasonal return. Bebby was able to ring the bowling changes, Lee Storey bowled an excellent spell without picking up a deserved wicket. Luke continued to look impressive behind the sticks and is showing signs that his intense kiwi training is now paying off - Money well spent by papa!!! The last two batsmen were mopped up by Shah and Ibby - who was running down the wicket in celebration of his LBW long before the umpire raised his finger and the 6 points were in the bag. Two games - maximum points, lets hope we can continue the unbeaten run against Hall Bower next Staurday in the Sykes Cup? 16/04/11 Clayton West 113ao, Meltham 115 - 4 - Meltham 6 pts Clayton West 0pts The sun shone, the square looked the best it had done for many years and Bebby's new look side got off to an excellent start against a Clayton West side that had plundered many a run off the home side last term. The opening pair of Nads and Uncle ( Jon Storey) bowled excellent and soon reduced the away side to 29 for 4. Wally replaced the tiring Nads and was economical and deserved his wicket ( 7 overs 1-14). Nephew ( Lee Storey) took over from Uncle Jon at the top end and after a shaky start soon found his rhythm and some bounce, picking up 2 wickets in his 8 over spell. The Clayton tail wagged a bit, Ibby was tried but soon the returning Uncle Jon mopped up the tail to finish with 4 - 30 off 13.4 overs inc. 6 maidens on debuuuuu. Roll on pie and peas for tea - Young Boycs enjoying them so much he was late back to pad up and last years young opening duo were broken up as skipper Bebby had to quickly pad up and promote himself from No. 9 to 1? The skipper got off to his customary " watchfull / slow " start before holing out to mid wicket, Moo Ju played a few nice shots but was then caught behind for 18. Boycs strolled to the crease still licking the pie off his lips aided by his mum's tissue and continued to look mightily impressive as his caressed the ball around the ground for a majestic red inker of 41 - He'll be fined for his 50 avoidance which he would surely have achieved had he been ready to open. Nads failed to have a look at the burly young spinner and was bowled off the lad's first ball, Malteser boy fresh fom his 6 months masterclass in Kiwi land hit some nice shots before being stumped for 27, leaving debutant Hamid to smote a punchy 6 to get off the mark before Boycs hit the winning runs. An excellent first performance of the season - lets see how we fare against Almondburty away next week and our nemesis Mr Mobeen et al? 11/9/10 Meltham 92-8 (J Moulson 41, S Lane 25; A Hussain 4-36), *Shelley 94-1 (A Ahmed 46no) Final League tables - here 4/9/10 Meltham 206-8 (W Fraine 65no, L Kenworthy 42, N Ashraf 37; M Mobeen 5-30), *Almondbury 210-5 (N Latif 58no, D Swann 52, A Kamran 46; S Lane 4-56) 14yo Will Fraine carries his bat for a magnificent 65no and is the highest scoring Fraine in first team cricket in the weekend. 28/8/10 Meltham 171-9 (W Fraine 43, N Ashraf 29; C James 4-67), *Clayton West 175-5 (S Rank 58no, G Davis 53, D Baxter 32) 21/8/10 Micklehurst 104 (D Hinchliffe 6-49, J Chan 4-23), *Meltham 107-2 (N Ashraf 54no) 14/8/10 Meltham 53 (J Geldart 3-7, A Wiles 3-9), *Kexborough 54-1 (R Diver 46no) Poor performance as only 4 batsmen trouble the scorer in 2 hour game. 7/8/10 Lepton Highlanders 159 (A Slack 64; K Mhunda 4-30), *Meltham 96 (I Hussain 41; D Winterbottom 4-39, M Ali 4-43) 31/7/10 Meltham 156-6 -(colourless and boring innings from Ginger - 68 no in 50 overs!!!! - probably won the game, asssisted by the returning Cockshaw 31 no.- C Sykes 3-40, A Peaker 3-56) Hall Bower 142 all out (after going back on following rain delay needing 20 or so with 4 wkts left - S Barry 46, Daz Hinchliffe 5-33, Gok Wan 3-38) 25/7/10 Meltham 205-8 (D Hinchliffe 83; J Lee 3-36), *Emley Clarence 209-3 (S Hassan 77) 24/7/10 Meltham 234-6 (N Ashraf 68, I Hussain 59no, S Lane 39), Hall Bower 193-9 (R Bottomley 40, T Cliffe 28; D Hinchliffe 4-66) 17/7/10 Meltham 171 (L Kenworthy 54, M Usman 37, D Bebb 32; R Mynett 3-19, N Hinchliffe 3-39), *Kexborough 172-3 (A Wiles 72no, M Bray 47) 10/7/10 Shelley 177 (S Marsh 62; I Hussain 5-17), *Meltham 178-9 (D Hinchliffe 50, N Ashraf 36; A Ahmed 4-49, R Saini 3-55) 3/7/10 Meltham 228 (M Usman 69, S Lane 60, N Ashraf 38; S Chanley 5-34, J Darnborough 4-62), Micklehurst 131 (N Lawrence 36, A Whitehead 32; K Mhundwa 4-53, J Wallis 3-20) 27/6/10 *Meltham 290-5 (N Ashraf 109, I Hussain 33), Lascelles Hall 255-9 (R Hall 75, M Umar 49, S Woodhams 40, R Shaw 35; S Lane 3-52) 26/6/10 Meltham 150-9 (I Hussain 44; W Khaliq 4-55, M Mobeen 3-26), *Almondbury 154-3 (A Kamran 60, D Swann 53) 22/6/10 Meltham 146-7 N. Ashraf 58, S. Scott 3-17) v *Shelley 149-6 (S. Scott 70*, L. Brothers 25) It was not going to threaten Elland, however, as Lee Baxter (66no) and Greg Buckley (73) put on 119 for the second wicket, after 39 from Richard Whiteoak" - Huddersfield Daily Examiner David Lockwood 25/05/10 22/05/10 Lepton Highlanders 298-6 (A Slack 106, S Brown 104, G Hodgson 40; C Earnshaw 4-56), Meltham 235-8 (I Hussain 92, S Lane 50, N Ashraf 35, J Moulson 25; D Winterbottom 3-49) High scoring game played in hot conditions in front of a boisterous, partisan & extremely knowledgable home support. Only report I have is Ibby batted well, Ashraf hit 3 big sixes after only bowling 5 overs due to pulled fetlock! and Jack Moulson batted ok then run himself out. The defeat leaves Meltham in trouble in the league - table 15/05/10 Kexborough 246/9 vs Meltham 134ao link to scorecard 8/5/10 Hall Bower 239-6 vs Meltham 234-6 Melthams unbeaten run comes to an end at Hall Bower. click here for scorecard. 1/5/10 *Barkisland 241-7 (G Colman 65, J Taylor 54; I Hussain 3-29), Meltham 242-7 (S Lane 82, L Kenworthy 80; C Thompson 3-62) A brilliant win completed by lunch on day 2 over premier league Barkisland which keeps the unbeaten run going. The only reports I have are that "Luke & Laney batted well" & "I fielded like a stag and got double figures" - Thanks Jack Moulson for that in depth report. 24/04/10 Almondbury 201/9 vs Meltham 201ao 17/04/10 Micklehurst 207/9 vs Meltham 211/3 The highlight of the day was the unbeaten century by Usman as Meltham coasted to an opening day victory. A good bowling display let down by some indifferent fielding enabled Micklehurst to post a decent score on a beautiful spring day. However a solid batting effort enabled Meltham to start the season with a good win. click here for scorecard |
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