Farsley CC v Saltaire CC

Date: May 2
Venue: Red Lane, Farsley
Weather: Cool but dry
Result: Saltaire won by 87 runs
Points: Farsley 4 Saltaire 18
Scores: Saltaire 190 – 9 (50 overs): Farsley 103 all out.


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After doing the hard bit in restricting the visitors Saltaire to 190 tea time total, the Rams' batting fell apart at the seams when replying with a miserable 103 all out.

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Only veteran Ashley Metcalfe offered much resistance against a keen as mustard visiting attack and his gritty half century, after also being Farsley's best bowler, was the only positive the home side could take from this below-par performance.

David Syers returned to skipper and keep wicket for the Farsley side but James Lee missing for reasons best known to himself or the County club to whom he is contracted and Farsley's overseas all rounder Lorenzo Ingram was still absent as Syers won the toss and invited Saltaire to bat first on a cool but dry afternoon.

The visitors were also without fast bowler Arif who has been playing for Worcester against Yorkshire at Headingley this week and the quickie is believed to have left the club for pastures new already.

Farsley struck an early blow when Metcalfe took a neat head high slip catch to give Bozza Thornton a wicket and Saltaire's start was a laboured one, Chris Henry grabbing another wicket at 44 with what proved to be the first of many LBW's given by the umpires throughout the game. Another infringement of Law 36 gave Henry a favourable decision and at 48 – 3 Saltaire had much to do to fashion a decent score on another god looking Farsley track.

By the time 'drinks' came the visitors were recovering slightly at 80 – 3 Ash had begun what was to become a fine marathon 14 over shift but the 17 year old Slater was proving difficult to shift as he went to his first 50 for Saltaire out of 106 – 4, Ashley having gained another wicket with a third LBW decision.

The Rams were doing well with the ball and when Akram grabbed his first wicket for the club at 117 – 5 and claimed another wicket when Syers defied gravity to cling on to a diving catch at 131 – 6, the Rams could fel pleased with themselves with just 10 overs remaining in Saltaire's innings.

A run out took the visitors to 165 – 7 with now only 4 overs remaing and another similar dismissal at 177 8 Saltaire seemingly short of a few runs, albeit young Slater was certainly not as he went for a very fine 'ton' with the vistors first 6 of the innings only to fall next ball, caught at the edge at 183 – 9. The visitors went to tea with a total of 190 -9, the Rams probably thinking they would have settled for a "below 200" visitors scoreline at the start of the opponents innings.

Ash was the pick of the Rams bowlers with a 14-0-43-2 shift, Henry, Akram also picking up two apiece and Saltaire were obviously thankful for teenager Slater's fine 100 on a day when most of their batsmen struggled to get on top of Farsley's attack. Slater then took the wicket keeping gloves as stand I keeper for the missing George Hicks away studying. After almost overhauling a 282 total the week before against Yeadon, the Farsley faithful were confident that a 190 score would prove a much easier target this week and the Rams' openers Anderson and Clayton strode to the wicket in, surely, confident mode to face Saltaire's lanky Linley's first over.

This column has been slow to criticise Farsley's lack of runs from their two regular openers during 2008 and the start of this season but more woes befell the pair of them and, alongside another dodgy LBW decision against Shabbs, the Rams were fairly quickly in familiar territory at 30 – 3, Anderson clean bowled and Clayton caught at mid wicket, all three victims going to Linley's pace.

This then became 40 – 4 and 40 -5 as young Ryatt played on and rusty Syers went to another LBW. The Rams were again looking at evergreen Metcalfe and A.N.Other to salvage something from a torrid opening. Barry Frankland was that A.N. Other for a while in helping Ash to 97, drinks having earlier been heralded by Ash with a huge six in to the nearby bowling green. The ball helping Farsley legend David Storr beat another legend John Cockshott by displacing Cocky's "winning wood" to much merriment on the green.

The merriment didn't extend beyond the bowling green unfortunately, as a succession of Farsley wickets fell to anyone of the Saltaire ranks who choose to bowl. Bazza fell to another LBW at 97 – 6 (the umpire was rumoured as having a 7 o'clock bus to catch) and, apart from Metcalfe nobody seemed likely or prepared, to make a go of getting any way near the 191 target, particularly after Ash departed soon after clocking up another half century for his beloved Farsley.

It's early days, as they say, and the Rams are still hopeful of 'Enzo's pending arrival bringing and improvement but displays like this will surely send Farsley back from where they have just come – The Bradford League's Second Division.

On a day to forget, the Farsley teas were arguably the best thing to come out ofa disappointing Saturday afternoon and there is always next week!