Morley v Farsley


Date: Saturday, August 30
Scores: Morley 102 all out: Farsley 105-4: Farsley won by 6 wickets
Points: Farsley 15: Morley 2
Weather conditions: Fine
Venue: Morley CC


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After their 17th League victory of the season at Morley by six wickets, the Rams cannot be overtaken with only one game remaining and when they receive the trophy it will be the team's first League Championship sine they lifted the Division Two Title back in 1977.

It was also the Rams' 12th League victory on the trot, excluding their two abandoned games when not a ball was bowled, and they have not tasted defeat since going down by 49 runs to Keighley on June 7th. Consistent Championship form indeed!

Farsley had come into this game needing just 4 points from the game to secure their immediate return to Division One, a mammoth 36 points advantage over second placed Gomersal making Farsley odds on favourites to lift the title.

Those Farsley faithful making the trip to the big Morley ground saw skipper David Syers win the toss and, as expected, put Morley in to bat on what looked like a decent wicket, the Rams welcoming back Dan Clayton and leading bowler Chris Henry after last week's victory over Keighley.

Morley have had a difficult and unsuccessful season after losing their overseas player, then skipper Matthew Taylor, and Yorkshire contracted batsman Chris Taylor, and their bottom League placing will have disappointed everyone connected with the Scratchard Lane side after obvious hard work done in recruiting new players during the close season.

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Farsley have had no such disappointments and Chris Henry and Bozza Thornton once again opened the Rams' attack against openers Danny Lloyd and Dave Nebard and it wasn't long before a happy Bozza clean bowled Lloyd who chose the wrong line to play down, Morley 15-1. This was as good as it got for a while however for Farsley as the home side moved their score slowly but surely to 46, skipper Adam Larkin and Nebard batting in a determined fashion against the Championship contenders.


Big "Muscles" Lumb had by now come on for Bozza and Enzo had taken over from Chris, and Syers' changes hadan almost immediate impact as Shabbs held a neat outfield catch off Larkin, Enzo the bowler, Morley 46-2 - Larkin still short of a handful of runs to get 500 for the season. David Nebard (20) was then fooled by teenager Muscles' slower ball to be caught and bowled, Morley 48-3, and further slow progress by the home side saw them to a modest 66-3 at the half way drinks stage.

The drinks might well have been spiked although no Farsley official was actually seen to go near them but, whatever, the break lifted the visitors to claim another wicket, Chris Henry clinging on to a skier off Enzo's slow bowling and with the home score at 87-4 but with still 16 overs remaining, some one in the Morley camp was clearly going to have to settle and do well to deny Farsley their sought-after victory.

Chris switched from catcher to wicket taker by grabbing a wicket with his first ball when returning for his second spell, Enzo taking another quite breathtaking catch – right handed too – at wide slip, Morley 87-5, which then became 94-6 and 94-7 in 2 balls bowled by Ash who is making something of a habit recently in taking two-in-two.

The time was just 3.30 pm when Ask clean bowled victim number 8, also with the score on 94, thus ensuring the Rams the Championship of their Division, thus the 4 bonus bowling points from their 8 wickets then bringing handshakes and congratulations all round amongst the Rams' players, and a pint or three amongst the travelling faithful.

Enzo then finished off a poor Morley batting display with the final two wickets – one caught by Shabbs, again, and the final wicket being a neat stumping by skipper Syers, Morley 102 all out and Enzo finishing with 4-34 from 12.1 (his 3rd '4 for') and Ash another 3-18 from his 9 overs. 'Muscles' Lumb. Bozza and Chris each took a wicket (Lumb most impressively with 1-6 in 7 overs) and Morley's 3 principle scorers were Nathan Bromby (21), David Nebard (20), and Verundev Sambhi (20); nothing much here to write home about from a Morley prospective however.

Teas were taken with Farsley firmly in the driving seat, not even Gomersal's 292-9 scoreline which was coming through now having any distraction effect on Farsley's players and with 6 of the home side's overs to add to their own 50, the Rams knew they needed at least two runs an over for another clear cut victory.

The way Harvey and Big Will set off the Rams' reply one could hardly be forgiven for thinking that someone had got their sums wrong in the Farsley dressing room, 20 of the 103 needed for victory flying off both bats in the first two overs, Big Will creaming 4 fours for fun in impressive fashion. It couldn't last of course – it never does with the Farsley openers – and Harvey departed, caught at mid off for 10 and when Enzo went quickly – mis-hitting to be caught for only 2 – the Rams were at an early 37-2 and Morley figuring they might have a chance of upsetting the Farsley apple cart.

The Rams have plenty of decent apples however in their apple cart and Shabbs bats without fear or favour and 3 very quick fours took Farsley to 51 before Will, for some reason, decided to give the bowler the charge to be stumped for a useful, but nevertheless disappointing 18, Farsley 53-3.

Syers sent in another decent apple ahead of both Ash and himself in Barry Frankland but it was Shabbs who took the eye again with successive boundaries, one a 4, one a huge 6 which is rumoured disturbed a courting couple in some far away long grass. When he planted another trio of scorching boundaries and Baz 2 of his own, Morley were nearly down and out with the Champs on 94-3, at which point Shabbs was caught at gulley for a blistering 36 – his umpteenth 30 odd of the season.

Baz himself had got in on the act before Shabbs' departure with some decent batting of his own and he was 28 not out when he won the game for the Villagers at 105-4, Dan Clayton hardly having time to take guard before it was game, set and match to the new Division Champions.

Nathan Bromby (6-1-27-2) and Richard Baker (8-2-34-2) were the Morley two wicket takers but Farsley were comfortable winners with plenty of overs and drinking time to spare.

Gomersal's 17 points victory over Lightcliffe, Idle's 15 pointer against Great Horton and Keighley's 18 point haul at home to Windhill leaves the last match dog fight to join Farsley in Division One as shown below in the points table, Undercliffe (winners at Bankfoot with 19 points) now out of the race.

Even without skipper for this coming last match of the season, the Rams will not want to surrender their season long winning streak at Red Lane, supporters are reminded that the game starts at 12.30 pm


POINTS TABLE as at Saturday August 30th top 5 clubs:
Farsley 307, Gomersal 273, Idle 262, Keighley 257, Undercliffe 2249.


Boundary Edger's Note: Those eagle-eyed readers amongst you might have noted a mistake I made in my report on the Hartshead Moor game on August 2nd in which I stated the Rams' 14th win of the season that day was a club record. It was not!

Farsley's 18 wins – when they won the Division Two Championship in 1977 (as referred to earlier in this report) – is the actually record number of First Team victories in a season. Sorry about that.

Farsley Cricket Club's second team result:
Baildon 134-9 (50 overs) v * Farsley 135-6 (32.3 overs)
Baildon batting: P Hiley 32, M Reed 36
Farsley bowling: James Higgins 3-37
Farsley batting: Matthew Green 88no
Farsley (15 pts) bt Baildon (4 pts) by 4wkts
This leaves them in a good mid-table position on 223 points.