Farsley CC v Hanging Heaton CC

Date: Saturday, June 13
Venue: Red Lane, Farsley
Weather: Fine and warm
Result: Farsley won by 47 runs
Points: Farsley 18: Hanging Heaton 5
Scores: Farsley 175-9 (50 0vers): Hanging Heaton 128 all out

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Lorenzo Ingram might have had a modest batting start to his second season of Bradford League cricket, but his left arm spin bowling was certainly too good for a winless hanging Heaton who, almost to a man, failed to fathom the guiles of the talented West Indian to give the Rams their first victory of the season on their own Red Lane ground.

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The Rams left Harvey Anderson out of their side and Ashley Metcalfe and Lorenzo opened the home side's batting after 'Heaton surprisingly put the Rams in to bat after winning the toss.

Former Farsley leg spinner and Yorkshire County player Mark Lawson (now a regular in the Derbyshire side) turned out for his third game of the season for the bottom of the table side.

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The Farsley openers were quickly in to their stride with 10 off the first over on a dry wicket which, in truth, looked as though it might have something in it for the two teams' spin bowlers.

In fact the introduction of 'Leggie' Lawson in the game's 13th over did the trick for the visitors, Ash going 'caught and bowled' to the former Yorkshire spinner, the Rams 48-1.

'Enzo was looking in fair shape but then unluckily fell LBW at the same score with the umpire taking more time to put up his finger than it does to brew a cup of tea. Surely if an umpire has to deliberate that long, ther must be sufficient doubt in his mind as to give the batsman the benefit – one of cricket's unwritten laws but more and more on the wane as LBW's continue to be a rash on our lovely game.

Shabbs and Phillips settled well however to move the Rams to a promising 96-2 before the Woodhouse Grove student spoiled a nice cameo innings with a wild ya-hoo which would not have pleased his coach Arnie Sidebottom.

It certainly pleased the visitors however who then took three more quick wickets as Farsley lost concentration and that so necessary determination not to give your wicket away.

Shabbs was caught behind for a nice 38 when he could –should – have gone on for many more. County Second Teamer James Lee – last week's batting hero at Woodlands – came and went in a flash of an eye, a terrible big lunge going skywards to his send ball to be caught and bowled for a 'duck', Mark Lawson the bowler and young Harpal Ryatt dollying a simple catch to cover, the Rams in serious trouble now at 106-6.
Lawson had already bagged 3-28 by this time before taking his 4th wicket when another out of form batsman Dan Clayton, chipped to mid-off, 121-7, and 'Heaton now looking cock-a-hoop.

Skipper David Syers was holding up well at the other end and Ayyaz Akram, a newcomer yet to make his mark with the Red Laners, helped add another 20 runs before trying to cut a straight ball and losing his off stick in the process.

Another of last week's batting hero's – Chris Henry – came and went fairly quickly on this occasion, another dolly caught and bowled ending his innings with Syers pulling his hair out in desperation at the other end; Farsley 157-9 with 3 overs remaining.

Skipper Syers, rumoured to be joining Farsley Celtic AFC in July in his other role as a semi-pro-mid-fielder, had batted well and last man 'Bozza' Thornton helped take the Rams to a third batting point at 175 as the tea room called, David left on a gritty and fighting 38 not out.

Mark Lawson was the pick of the 'Heaton 4-42, followed closely by Sharafat's 4-45 as the visitors went on to partake of Farsley's sumptuous teas in good heart and probably quietly confident of making this game their first victory of the season at Farsley's expense.

Just as the wicket had read like a spinners deck, and been proved to be so by 'Heaton's two spinners having bagged 8 of Farsley's wickets, the musings of those oldies around the boundary edge were being made along the lines of what Ash and 'Enzo might do when Syers switched to his spinners after Lee and Henry had the first bite at the Hanging Heaton batting cherry.

Jimmy Lee's first over was more akin to one bowled by Christopher Lee, the recently knighted British Horror film veteran as a very wide wide, a 4, 4 byes and an assortment of other balls of pace but little direction got the visitors off to a 10 run start.

Chris Henry, from the crumbling score box end, did rather better in grabbing the Rams' first wicket when an intended pull went straight up in the air and a diving Chris held on to it at 13-1.

This was as good a start as it got for the Rams for quite some while however as the 'Heaton – the aroma of a first win of the season in their nostrils – moved comfortably to 73 when 'Enzo made his first telling impact on the innings by pouching a mid-wicket catch to give Ash his first wicket and Farsley's second.

It was the start of a quite remarkable input by the West Indian all-rounder as 'Heaton went from a comfort zone in to a war zone as Farsley, and 'Enzo' went about their business of wrecking an innings which had had victory scrolled in to it only minutes ago.

Jimmy Lee did about his first good deed of a disappointing day for the Yorkshire quickie by holding a shell like shot off 'Enzo, 75-3, Stansfield crashed a six on to Farsley's leaking Club House roof and tried the same next ball county experience did him no good at all as Lorenzo pinned him LBW 84-5, and one of the Rashid brothers went caught and bowled right on drinks with 'Heaton now wobbling no end at 96-6; 'Enzo with 4 wickets already to his name couldn't get back in action quickly enough.

'Heaton are not bottom of the League for nothing of course and their innings went from bad to worse as 'Enzo spun his web from the score box end. Ash defied his 45 years and gravity itself in holding off a vicious pull, again off 'Enzo's bowling at 103-7, then Skipper Syers pouched another one for 'Enzo behind the sticks to just about give the Rams game set and match at 103-8.

There was some modest resistance from 'Heaton's stalwart Mark Inwood who cluttered who clattered the West Indian for two spanking fours but with their score on 128 Lee took another catch off 'Enzo before the Jamaican pinned the visitors' last man LBW to complete a day he will probably remember al his life as 'Heaton trudged off the field having suffered their 9th straight defeat of a so far demoralising season.

'Enzo's final 8-43 was the best by a Farsley bowler since Laurel and Hardy topped the bill at the Bradford Alhambra and although I might be wrong with my fact here nobody at Red Lane will be bothered to dispute it.