Farsley v. Keighley

Date: Saturday August 23
Scores: Keighley 119 all out: Farsley 122-3: Farsley won by 7 wickets
Points: Farsley 15: Keighley 1
Weather: Fine
Venue: Red Lane

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Red Lane remained a fortress as the Rams ensured their return to Division One at the first attempt in recording their ninth victory of a highly successful season at their headquarters.

The only game Farsley have not won with only one game remaining at Red Lane was the abandoned game against Spen Victoria when not a ball was bowled due to rain.

Ashley Metcalfe with a a fine 4 wicket shift and Lorenzo Inghram with another calculated 66 not out were amongst the stars of another emphatic victory.

The visitors arrived as one of only two sides to have beaten Farsley this season – the other Undercliffe, both away from home – and their second in the table placing looked like ensuring a highly competitive game between the top two teams. It turned out to be no such thing!

The Lawkholme Laners had record breaking Richard Robinson in their ranks, the Division's top all-rounder who only the previous week had scored a massive 161 (and taken 6-1 with the ball!!) against struggling Lightcliffe and in so doing had become the League's highest ever run scorer with a total of 14,808 runs. The Farsley Club paid tribute to the popular cricketer's performance in their match day programme.

David Syers, the Ram's skipper, was again without Dan Clayton and, regrettably in this key game, the previously ever present Chris Henry, Farsley's opening bowler and top wicket taker this season with 47 League and Cup victims. Joe Greaves again stood in for Clayton and Ryan Lumb came in for the missing Henry as Syers won the toss and invited Keighley to bat on a wicket and outfield that which was testimony to the hard work put in by Farsley's ground staff during the previous wet week.

Keighley had set off like a train in the previous meeting at Keighley's Lawkholme Lane – or perhaps, more accurately, like trains used to set off – but there was little joy today as both Bozza Thornton and 'Muscle' Matthew Lumb made life difficult for both Robinson and Bottomley, the latter soon departing when playing on to Bozza and Robinson being caught behind off 'Muscles' , Keighley 15-2. Bozza brought one back a foot to remove Reape's leg peg, Keighley 37-3, and Enzo, on for Matthew Lumb, then took his first wicket of the afternoon in bowling Andrew Waggett, the visitor's already looking down the barrel at 40-4.

Ash's off spinners took over from Bozza just before drinks which were taken at 60-4, hardly a score or situation to set the pulses racing if you were from Keighley.

Those of us from Farsley lucky enough to still have a pulse have had ours racing for much of the season of course and whilst big Ross Towler hit Ash for one big 6 young Davison could not get his legs out of the way of one of the ex County player to be LBW, 68-5, and Ash made it 2 in 2 when another LBW saw off Stuart Ratcliffe next ball, Keighley in dire trouble now at 68-6 and Ratcliffe no doubt wishing he had gone shopping instead of playing cricket.

As made it 3 wickets in 5 balls when he had big Ross Towler caught behind by the ever alert David Syers, 69-7, which should have been 78-8 shortly afterwards but young Joe Greaves grassed a straight forward enough catch at cover off Enzo.

With10 overs remaining, Keighley were only a modest 88-7 with 'keeper Wood the only visiting batsman showing much run-scoring ability but Liam Dyson, in for the missing Quinlan in the Keighley side, stuck around usefully to help bring the 100 up just after Syers missed a chance of a stumping. With only 7 overs to go, Keighley looked short on runs and, frankly, short of a bit of spirit on this showing, even though they posted nearly 300 the week before at Lightcliffe.

Farsley, with respect to Lightcliffe, are a different proposition of course and Ash took an easy slip catch off Enzo, 102-8, before the former Yorkshire County opener then switched ends to see Bozza rearrange the sticks of number 10 at 112-9 and Ash ended the visitors' torment when Enzo pouched their last man to leave Keighley all out at 119 with 2 overs remaining. Farsley's sumptuous teas were perhaps less than adequate consolation to a Keighley side, whose appetites didn't match those of the Farsley' lads sitting at the next table.

Farsley's bowlers had remained on top throughout Keighley's innings, Ask finishing with another fine 4-41 in 10.3 overs (3 maidens), Bozza 3-25 in 14 overs of fire and brimstone (what an improved bowler Robert has been this season), whilst Matthew Lumb's big wicket was include in his 1-25 in 7, and Enzo's longest shift of the season brought him a remarkable 2-23 in a full 15 over s Pavilion End effort. Keighley's wicket keeper Richard Wood was their top scorer with 30 on a day when the visitors might just have blown their chances of promotion.

Farsley needed a good start but once again didn't get one, the second ball from Ross Towler seeing the well out of form Harvey Anderson LBW who is experiencing a run squeeze more than equating to a than a credit squeeze affecting the rest of us. Big Will Kitchen, also in need of runs, didn't mange many either but when he departed the Rams at least had moved on to 39 when Towler took a neat c & b, most of the runs so far coming from the flailing bat of 'Enzo who looked in good nick the moment he arrived at the crease. He had had a 'first baller' at Keighley so revenge was no doubting his mind.

Shabbs joined the quiet Jamaican (who has re-signed for the Rams by the way for another season) and the pair batted in tandem, as they have often done in previous games this season, and they moved Farsley quickly to safer waters at 99 at which Enzo reached another half century and Shabbs was given out LBW – the umpteenth of the afternoon – to a ball which hit him on the roll at full stretch against a bowler (Richard Robinson) bowling off spinners round the wicket. Umpires!

Robbo had had a belated introduction in to the Keighley attack at 86-2 and one felt the visitors' skipper had missed a trick here in not bowling the talented all rounder much earlier but Farsley weren't complaining and when Shabbs departed for 35 Syers sent in young Joe Greaves ahead of Ash or himself to join the dominant Enzo.

The West Indian brought Keighley to their knees and Farsley faithful lto their feet with one particular massive huge hit disappearing over the Farsley Club House in to the far blue yonder, the ball lost forever somewhere near the River Aire.

Young Joe Greaves had struck a couple of good looking boundaries in making a cameo 13 not out with Enzo, whilst Enzo himself finished with 66 not out to take his League and Cup runs well past 700 for the season. Big Ross Towler, always a hundred %, was the pick of Keighley's bowlers, with 2-32, Robbo being rather fortunate to finish with a dodgy 1-11 LBW and the only visiting bowler to take a Farsley wicket.

The Fat Lady is definitely singing now at Red Lane and Farsley's Trophy cabinet is scheduled for a good dusting down later this week, if any one can find the key! Farsley need just four points from their remaining last two games of the season to be crowned Champions of Division Two

POINTS TABLE as at Saturday August 23 top 5 clubs:
Farsley 292, Gomersal 256, Idle 247, Keighley 239, Undercliffe 230.