Farsley CC v Windhill

Date: Saturday, May 31

Scores: Windhill 183 for 8: Farsley 187 for 4: Farsley won by 6 wickets

Points: Farsley 17 – Windhill 5 Weather: Fine

Venue: Red Lane, Farsley

Farsley's sixth win of the season of a so far successful season is already one more victory than the team achieved last summer when relegation was the eventual outcome of a very disappointing 2007. Things are currently much brighter however on the Red Lane front as Second Division cricket is proving palatable to Farsley's players and in this latest encounter, Windhill were soundly beaten for the second time in the month of May as evidence.

The first occasion of course was at Windhill in this season's first round of the Priestly Cup when the Rams had 7 wickets to spare in overhauling the home side's then 229 total. Rams were somewhat fewer on this second meeting but the result was fairly similar with Farsley staying in second promotion position slot after another convincing 5 wickets, 17 points victory haul.

Windhill won the toss on a run laden looking wicket and elected to bat first against a Farsley side welcoming back big Matthew Lumb and even bigger Will Kitchen from the victorious romp against Spen Victoria only 5 days earlier and although the 17 years young Lumb didn't open the bowling on this occasion, the two who did were quick to the fore. Some inspired early bowling from Chris Henry and much improved Robert (Bozza) Thornton set the Rams on their way, Windhill's veteran opener and current skipper, Paul Mosey, despatched for the first shower of the day, the fiery Bozza the bowler.

The other Windhill opener, left hander Neil Johnson, who lives in Rodley, but top scored for the visitors in the earlier Cup game, was all at sea against both bowlers, Bozza particularly beating his bat more times than a flea-ridden doormat and it was with some sympathy that he was eventually put out of his batting misery when 'keeper Syers neatly pouched an eventual snick, Bozza again the deserved bowler. Before this particular wicket, Harvey Anderson had managed to drop a routine slip offering which would have placed Windhill on 9-2 but Chris Henry did chip in with a wicket number 2 when rearranging the visitors' overseas batsman's castle after he made a useful 22. Bozza's removal of Johnson merely added to Windhill's early disappointment as they stood at 46-3 and the 'drinks' interval already 4 overs away.

The visitors' Mohammed Altaf and Tahir Amin then fashioned an alliance of 86 valuable runs, drinks coming at 66-3, with skipper David Syers switching his bowlers around in an attempt to unsteady Windhill's ship – Lorenzo Inghram getting his first bowl for the club with his left arm spin but not with any success however.

The pair had taken Windhill to a respectable 132-3 before Chris Henry's return at the scoreboard and – almost foreign to the Rams' quickie – sorted out Mr. Altaf, first ball for a valiant 47, the rather fortunate LBW going in Chris's favour.

From their , now, 132-4, Windhill somehow contrived to lose their way, Bozza's return removed Sugden for 5, Lorenzo then pouched a neat catch at cover and Ash's off spin saw off Zanan when Shabbs held on to a very good boundary edge catch to leave the visitors struggling at 155-7.

Metcalf then took Windhill's 8th wicket at 165 when the skipper took his 3rd behind-the-sticks catch and Windhill limped off to sample Farsley's sumptuous teas with what looked like a below-par 183-8 which belied groundsman Hinchcliffe's and President Raymond Illingworth's ground and wicket work which, with a few flowers here and there, might have taken the Chelsea Flower Show by storm.

Bozza was the pick of the Farsley's bowling attack – the much improved quickie's 4-32 in a full shift of 15 overs fully deserved whilst Ash (2-28) and Chris Henry (2-50 in another full stint) each also did well. Mahmood (22), Altaf (47), Amin (43) and Luke Holroyd's 26 not out were Windhill's best batting.

Farsle's 184 victory target got offto another good beginning when Dan Clayton and Harvey Anderson put on 95 runs for the first wicket – Farsley's 4th decent start ogf more than 45 runs this season, the best to date, Anderson peppering 3 fours off the luckless Dan Walton's 3rd over to get matters under way. The Rams' 50 came up in the 14th over and Harvey went to his first half century out of 70 for no wicket with Windhill's skipper and bowlers already admiring their own bootlaces.

Walton actually helped grab Farsley's first wicket with a good catch off Pringle's spin bowling, Harvey holing out for a fine 56 which brought the previous Monday's batting hero, Jamaican Lorenzo Inghram to the wicket with great expectations high in the Red Lane camp that more batting fireworks might be on their way.

The left hander got quickly off the mark with a deftly placed fine leg glance for 4 but when he made but a modest 7 he was surprisingly bowled by Mahmood, Farsley 112-2 and the only consolation being that several supporters decided to refresh their drinking taste buds now that the main act had left the stage!

Farsley have other stars of course, one being the in form Shabbir Rashid who entered the fray alongside the still there Dan Clayton, Shabbs again immediately looking at ease with the Windhill bowling. Dan did take the leave however, after his own highest so far for the club – 41 – and when Will Kitchen also fairly quickly departed, both to Mahmood again, the Rams still had a bit to do at 144-4.

Shabbs and Syers then put together an unfinished alliance of 43 quality runs to take the Rams home and dry at 187-4, Shabbs taking the eye again withan impressive 40 not out and the skip' making a nice cameo 22 not out with still 8 overs to spare.

Windhill's Mahmood finished with an impressive 3-47 in 11 overs but Pringle's wicket cost him 49 runs in his 10 over shift, the other visiting bowlers having nothing to show for their efforts.

This latest victory, alongside promotion-chasing Gomersal's surprise defeat against Great Horton, opens up a useful 15 point gap between the Rams and new 3rd placed Keighley who Farsley visit next Saturday (June 7th) in what promises to be a nice little tasty encounter.