ThePress
Friday August 11, 2017
29
CRICKET WITH MIKE POPPLEWELL
Geldart’s knock leads to a big win HANGING HEATON returned to the top of the Bradford Premier League Premier Division in style with a convincing win over previous leaders Farsley. They now have to be careful to avoid slipping up in tomorrow’s derby clash at Mount Pleasant against Batley. A magnificent best of the season for Callum Geldart set the Bennett Lane men on their way to a 163-run victory over in-form Farsley. He reached 176 off 144 balls in an innings which included 22 fours and five sixes. Despite the absence of lead-
ing run maker Nick Connolly, the Hanging Heaton innings finally closed on 311 for five, having been 23 for two. It was a total the visitors never looked like chasing down. The architect of Farsley’s demise was undoubtedly overseas spinner Muhammed Rameez, whose 6-47 included the removal of the complete middle order. Four of those wickets fell with the score on 112. Batley continue their fight for Premier Division survival tomorrow. In their last game, half centuries from Muhammed
TOP-SCORER: Nicholson hit 71 for Cleckheaton Abubakar Khan (53) and Muhammed Tahir (50) helped Batley to 205 against Pudsey St Lawrence, but the home side cruised to a nine-wicket win to leave Batley third
from bottom, just 13 points above Cleckheaton. Cleckheaton’s woeful campaign shows no sign of improvement as they crashed at home to Townville.
This defeat further damaged their confidence ahead of a crucial derby against fourth-bottom East Bierley tomorrow. Wicket keeper Mally Nicholson gave the Cleckheaton score some respectibility, making a top scoring 71 out of the 192 for six total. Townville opener Jonathan Booth made an unbeaten 110 to steer his side home with seven wickets and five overs to spare. Bierley’s Umer Yaqoob (521) and Amar Rashid (4-16) bowled out Pudsey Congs for 102. This was supported by long -serving keeper Mark Gill,
who hit 44 not out at the top of the innings to secure a vital win. The victory keeps them out of the relegation places and Congs deeper in trouble at the bottom. Congs are sure to be wary of tomorrow’s visit from fourth-placed neighbours St Lawrence. Third-placed Woodlands stayed on the tails of Hanging Heaton and Farsley after recovering from a disastrous start to complete an 81run victory at Bradford and Bingley. They now face a visit from mid-table Lightcliffe tomorrow.
Hartshead enjoy nine-wicket haul Champ One hots up IT IS over 40 years since Hartshead Moor had their name on the Bradford League honours board, a Second Division title in 1974, but the merger with the Central Yorkshire League and subsequent reorganisation of the Cup Competitions has paved the way for a tilt at the Jack Hampshire Cup. On Sunday they are at Pudsey Congs’ Britannia Ground to take on Conference leaders Wakefield St Michaels in the Jack Hampshire final. As current runaway leaders of the Bradford League’s Championship Two, Moor must be hot favourites, but surprise defeats recently will have made sure there is no complacency in the camp. St Michaels are going very well in the Conference, but Buttershaw St Pauls have found it difficult to adjust to the next level after stepping up from the Conference this season.
The Wakefield men will clearly have to be at their very best to match Moor if the Championship Two side are at anything like full strength. While they are still 69 points clear at the top of their division, Hartshead will be keen to maintain their winning league run going into the final and a visit from relegation-threatened Hopton Mills is their next hurdle in the title race. It took just 32.1 of the 100 available overs for Moor to complete a nine-wicket win at Idle in their last game, skipper Danny Squire (5-16) and Iain Wardlaw (5-27) bowling the home side out for just 49. That five-wicket haul was the seventh of the season for Scottish international Wardlaw and it took his overall league tally to 59 for the season in 14 games, with a strike rate of a wicket every 17 balls. Half centuries from Chris Scott (62) and John Bowett (55) helped
Hopton Mills to a welcome, and comfortable, win over Carlton in their last game, but they are still only 12 points ahead of bottom-club Spen Victoria and six in front of second-bottom Brighouse. As for the cup final prospects, a one-wicket win in a low-scoring game against newcomers Windhill and Daisy Hill was hardly the encouragement St Michaels were looking for, but in skipper Mark Atkinson (64 not out and 2-11) they clearly have a man to watch. In the relegation battle, Hopton Mills will no doubt have one eye on events at Brighouse, who take on fourth-bottom Idle, and at Carlton where Spen Victoria will be hoping to improve on last week’s three-wicket defeat at home to Altofts and secure a fourth win of the season. As it stands only Championship One side Birstall have won less games in the entire League than Spen have.
RACING PREVIEW BY MIKE SMITH
Striking a Vibrant Chord in the cup T HE SHERGAR CUP does not make for much of a betting contest, but racing’s answer to Twenty20 cricket has some potentially eye-catching performers on show. The Charlie Hills-trained A MOMENTOFMADNESS ran a great race to be second at Glorious Goodwood last week and is set to line up in the Dash tomorrow (Saturday) at 1.05. But Henry Candy’s VIBRANT CHORDS looked like he needed a race when down the field at Goodwood, and could come on from that outing. He also has form on soft ground having chased home subsequent group horse ACLAIM at Newmarket last season. The best bet of the day at Ascot may be EUCHEN GLEN, who is entered in the Stayers but may well be better suited to the Challenge at 2.15 over 1m4f. Jim Goldie’s hold-up gelding remains unexposed over this trip and all four of his wins have come in single-figure fields, so the maximum 10 runners will further suit. In the aforementioned Stayers at 1.40 we might not have seen the best of BYRON FLYER who generally does his best work late on, and trainer Ian Williams has a fine record in this race having notched two 9/2 winners and a third at 9/1 from four runners since 2011.
LAIDBACK ROMEO stayed on late behind well-backed favourite GREEENSIDE last time out and has only gone up 1lb, so take Clive Cox’s 5yo to get back to winning ways in the 1m handicap at 2.50. BRANDO’S victory over CARRAVAGGIO in Deauville’s Prix Maurice du Gheest last Sunday showed that the Kevin Ryan string is over the bout of equine herpes that forced the yard to close back in June, and he drops back speedster LUALIWA to six furlongs. His third win of the season last time
out at York suggests he is still on the up. There’s a decent card at Haydock where the feature is the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes and LARAAIB looks to be a 3yo going places. Owen Burrows’ colt is still learning his job but is unbeaten and can handle this step up in grade. Burrows was headhunted from Sir Michael Stoute to be Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s retained trainer at Kingwood House Stables which his boss refurbished for the autumn years of Major Dick Hern nearly 30 years ago. How fitting it would be therefore if TALAAYEB took the Listed Dick Hern Stakes at 3.35, and if the ground dries out as anticipated she will take all the beating. Meanwhile CAPLA TEMPTRESS will put her unbeaten record on the line in the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket. The filly is by Lope de Vega so will relish any cut in the ground and was a dominant winner over this course and distance three weeks ago.
• CARRIGILL’S NAP (stake returned in a free bet if finishes outside top 4): CROWING GLORY, Saturday, Haydock 3.35. • AUGUR’S BEST BET: TALAYEEB (if ground good or better), Saturday, Haydock 3.35.
THERE ARE key promotion and relegation clashes in the Championship One programme tomorrow with bottom club Birstall travelling to fifth-bottom Yeadon. With 34 points separating the bottom five, these are games each of those embroiled in the battle need to win. In their last game, the clash with inconsistent Gomersal was one Birstall might have had their eye on winning, but a collapse to 94 all out left them staring down the barrel. Richard Wear, with 3-31 and 48 not out, took the honours for Gomersal in their seven-wicket win. There were also some good bowling performances from James Russell (3-30) and Chris Rhodes, who produced a 3-6 spell in five overs. Fourth-bottom Ossett, missing all three Sadler brothers, were beaten by 165 runs at Baildon. Their next game, at home to third-bottom Bowling Old Lane, promises to be a keenly fought affair. Although Gomersal look safe in their mid-table position, there will be plenty of attention on their game tomorrow at home to
Bankfoot as their visitors are in a precarious second-bottom position. At the other end of the table, the promotion battle is hotting up and all eyes will be on Scholes’ game at home to third-placed Wrenthorpe at New Popplewell Lane tomorrow. Scholes are currently joint top with Methley on 268 points after their six-wicket win at Old Lane, but Wrenthorpe are only 14 points behind in third. With Methley expected to win at home to Baildon, the Scholes against Wrenthorpe clash is one neither can afford to lose if they are to avoid slipping behind in the title race. In the Conference, third-bottom Crossbank Methodists are at home to leaders Wakefield St Michaels while Heckmondwike and Carlinghow are at Windhill and Daisy Hill. Both Crossbank and Heckmondwike find themselves in the bottom half of the table after their five-wicket defeats by Adwalton and East Ardsley respectively. Nevertheless, there was a fine batting performance from Crossbank opener Lee Peters, who hit a top-scoring 90 in his side’s 208 all out.
FOOTBALL
Goalfest sees Sedge get through FA Cup replay LIVERSEDGE FC came through their Extra Preliminary Round replay of the FA Cup following an eight-goal thriller against Armthorpe Welfare at the Clayborn Ground on Tuesday night. The two teams had drawn 1-1 in the initial fixture last Saturday, before Liversedge came out on top in the replay 5-3. The home side took a quick-fire 2-0 lead through a Devonte Morton header and a Roy Foggarty penalty after seven and nine minutes respectively. Craig Aspinall pulled a goal back for Welfare on 22 minutes, but Liversedge hit back to make it 3-1 on 31 minutes through Morton with his second of the night. Again, Welfare came back with a Wayne Brook goal on 43 minutes, but the home side added a fourth four minutes into the second half, Brandon Kane scoring direct from a corner. Steve Wales made it 5-2 with a
well-struck 25-yard shot on 56 minutes. Liversedge goalkeeper James Waggett gave Welfare some hope when he collected and then dropped a Stuart Preston free-kick on 63 minutes. But it was too little too late for the away side. Sedge will face Evo-Stik Division One North side Ramsbottom United away in the Preliminary Round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday, August 19. Liversedge’s league fixture against Athersley Recreation scheduled for August 19 will be rearranged. The victory against Welfare comes as Liversedge seek to get their new NCEL Premier Division campaign off to a winning start. They face Rainworth Miners Welfare at Clayborn (3pm) tomorrow. They play Clipstone away on Tuesday, August 15.