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SBCI 2022 – September 2022 review
The second team came agonisingly close to winning the Second Team Premier Division title, losing to Blackley by 7 runs on the final day to see the title taken from them by Sowerby at the very last. Our first XI secured their top-flight status with a win at the beginning of the month and the Sunday side remain in the middle division despite losing their only match to be played in September.
Senior Cricket
1st Team
The First Team beat Great Horton Park Chapel at the beginning of the month to ensure another season of top-flight cricket in 2023. Batting first, we made a more than above average 254/5 with all of the top four contributing. Sam top scored with 77, Alex made 63, with Tom and Simon backing them up with 36 and 42 respectively. Our visitors made a good fist of the reply, but wickets fell at regular intervals to ensure they were never really in with a chance of winning the match. Tom and Dan Sykes the pick of the bowlers with three wickets a piece and Alex taking an alright catch off the last ball of the game to give us the maximum point haul.
We paid our respects to the Queen the following week away at Thornton and then watched Alex score 102 out of our total of 212 for 7. Tom 48, Sam 17 and Lewis 16* backing up Scoffer. We then watched Josh Hutchinson smash 154 off 63 balls to take the game away from us. The bowling figures (obviously) don’t look overly pretty but Alex and Ikhlaq took the three wickets to fall.
There was an end of term feel about the final match of the season at home to Illingworth, especially when our visitors found out that they weren’t in with a chance of winning the league, with Copley running away with the title away at Warley. It was also the final match in SBCI colours for opening bowler Oliver Benson, who moves to Australia with his family at the end of next month. We did well to make 147 for 9 in our 45 overs, especially when only six of the side scored the runs. Arun top-scored with 61* and there were scores of 21 for both Ikhlaq and Dan, and 20 from Alex and Adam.
At 85 for three and then 103 for five in the Illingworth reply, we were in with a chance of pulling off an unlikely win but some quick scoring meant that our visitors got over the line with more than ten overs left, despite another couple of wickets falling- Lewis 4 for 29, the pick of the bowlers and Simon Wood snaring his 50th “victim” of the season to ensure the league wicketkeeping prize will be heading back to the SBCI trophy cabinet for the second year in succession.
2nd Team
A case of so near, yet so far for our second XI. 24 points in two weeks at the beginning of September left us needing a win away at Blackley on the final day to lift the Premier Division second XI title. Agonisingly, we came up short by 7 runs, despite 73 from Chris, 30 from Tyson and double figure scores from John , Rob and Brad as we so very nearly chased down 156. Earlier in the day, Matty, Tyson and Brad had each taken three wickets to restrict Blackley to a below par score after they’d got off to a good start. Spirits were dampened, but not extinguished as the end of season do at the club showed, and the 2’s will look to bring home the title in 2023. Given that in 2021, they had to win their final match of the season to secure their top-flight status, 2022 can be a season to look back on with enormous pride, regardless of the ultimate outcome- well done everyone.
The month had started so well with a thumping win away at (then) title contenders Mytholmroyd. Simply put, we were ruthless with bat, ball and in the field to blow the opposition away. Chris and Tyson batted us back into contention after we had been 55 for 3 and then Jonathan and Brad went at better than a run a ball scoring 43 and 21 to give us some real momentum as our innings came to a close. We ended up on 242 for 9 and as it turned out, that was more than enough as 5 for 48 from Brad and 4 for 29 from Simon ensured the ‘Royd reply never got going and we cantered home by 135 runs.
It was a bit more nervy the week after at home to Great Horton. We bowled our guests out for 91 with Matty mopping up their middle and lower order with 4 for 29 after Brad had taken 3 for 30 off his 14 overs. Tyson chipped in with 2 wickets as well and only went for 7 runs from his seven overs. Greeny anchored our innings home with a watchful 29, with Chris, Tony and Tyson also contributing double figure scores. It was left to Rob and Dylan to hit the winning runs as we won by four wickets with 4.5 overs remaining.
Sunday Side
So, the Sunday side survive in division 2 of the Sunday section, thanks to our final-day opponents not being fully aware of the rules around which players can and can’t play. We benefitted from Northowram Fields fielding at least two players who had played too many games for their first team, so we took the 20 points, they were deducted some which sees us “survive” by a more than comfortable 22 points, and we’ll welcome Outlane, Queensbury, Illingworth and Great Horton into the middle division in 2023.
For what its worth in the final game, Northowram scored 204 for 9 off their 40 overs Greg, Sud and Bash taking two wickets a piece and we made 109 in our reply with Dave 33 and Nick 22 being the only players to make double figures.
Junior Cricket
The junior presentation evening will be held this coming Friday up at the club-starting at 6:30 with our Under 9’s and finishing off with the Under 13’s- bar open and food being expertly provided by Yvonne Larkin- all are welcome.
Dave