Horsforth 102 a/o in 45.3 overs

Steeton 103-1 in 16 overs

Steeton began the 2022 season with an impressive demolition of Horsforth at King George’s Field. New skipper Steve Pearson started well by winning the toss and asking Horsforth to bat first. The top 5 Horsforth batsmen were all removed by players making their Steeton debut. Pick of the bowlers was new-comer Ryan Ridehalgh, who finished with 3 wickets for 19 runs from his 9 overs with catches taken by Ewan Johnston and Tom Winetroube. Another debutant Louis Horfield took 2 wickets for 27 runs from 10 overs with a catch taken by James Robinson. James was awarded a fielding point. With the top Horsforth batsmen removed skipper Steve Pearson and Matthew Nutter collected a brace of wickets apiece. Steve clean bowled 2 wickets for 22 runs from 13 overs; while Matthew took 2 wickets for 11 runs from 4.3 overs with a catch safely taken by Cameron Knowles. The other wicket to fall was a run-out by overseas player, Australian wicket-keeper Jack Ramage also making his Steeton debut. Steeton had crushed Horsforth to 102 runs all out in 45.3 overs.

Steeton’s reply was emphatic. Our opening batsmen notched up 92 runs before losing our overseas player Jack Ramage with the game all-but over. Jack had scored a fabulous 41 runs from just 40 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. His opening partner was James Robinson, who notched a great unbeaten 39* runs from 47 runs with 6 boundaries. Along with debutant Louis Horsfield (5*), James saw Steeton safely pass the meagre Horsforth target with the loss of a single wicket. Steeton had scored 103 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in just 16 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Horsforth (0 points) by 9 wickets.

Ryan Ridehalgh is my Man-of-the-Match

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Olicanian 248 a/o in 48.5 overs

Steeton 208 a/o in 41.4 overs

Steeton’s great start to the season came to a sudden stop at Summerhill Lane against Olicanian. Skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss and Olicanian chose to bat first. Olicanian were teetering at 83-4 but a strong lower order saw them post an impressive 248 runs all out in 48.5 overs. All the Steeton wickets were taken by just 2 of the bowlers, with the chief destroyer being James McDonald. James took a fantastic 6 wickets for 55 runs from his 12.5 overs with 2 catches taken by Louis Horsfield, 2 by keeper Jack Ramage and 1 by Matthew Nutter. Steeton’s other successful bowlers was Ewan Johnston, who took 4 wickets for 71 runs from 14 overs, with a further 2 catches taken by keeper Jack Ramage and 1 catch by Cameron Knowles. Fielding points went to Louis Horsfield and Cameron Knowles. Steeton would need to score consistently at 5 runs per over to overhaul the 248 runs Olicanian target.

Steeton began their reply in the worst possible way losing a wicket to the very first delivery. The innings was steadied by an good 52 runs 2nd wicket partnership between overseas play Jack Ramage (31) and Louis Horsfield, who scored 18 runs. Jack Ramage scored his 31 runs from just 25 deliveries with 6 boundaries. Cameron Knowles chipped in with 12 runs, but when he was out Steeton had slumped to 79-5. The innings was turned around by a masterful knock by skipper Steve Pearson who scored an excellent 67 runs from 78 deliveries with 1 six & 10 fours. Steve shared a solid 42-run 6th wicket partnership with Chris Wademan, who contributed 12 runs; followed by an even better 79-run 7th wicket partnership with Ryan Ridehalgh, who contributed a fine 43 runs from just 27 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. With Steeton looking firm favourites both Ryan and Steve were caught out with the score just over 200 runs. The end then came quickly as Steeton were balled all out for 208 runs in 41.4 overs. Steeton (7 points) lost to Olicanian (20 points) by 40 runs

James McDonald is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 244-9 in 50 overs

Colton Institute 218-8 in 50 overs

Steeton made the long journey to Colton Institute hoping to put their season back on track after last week’s lapse. Steeton skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and chose to bat first…a decision which was soon vindicated with a great 107-run opening partnership. Both opening batsmen were rewarded with half-centuries: James Robinson, who scored 54 runs from 86 deliveries with 7 boundaries and Australian Jack Ramage, who scored 59 runs from 64 deliveries with 11 boundaries. The following batsmen all made cameo contributions with going to make a sizeable score: Louis Horsfield (10), Cameron Knowles (17), Ryan Ridehalgh (13), Steve Pearson (11) & Chris Wademan (18). Matt Nutter smashed a rapid 32 runs from just 32 deliveries with 1 six &  2 fours as Steeton closed with a formidable 244 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Colton were pegged back early by opening bowler James McDonald, whose opening blast earned him 2 wickets for 41 runs from 10 overs and reduced Colton to 49-2. James’s wickets were both catches taken by Chris Wademan, which earned Chris a fielding point. Pick of the bowling was off-spinner Adam Hardwick, who took 4 wickets for 72 runs from 15 overs with a catch taken by Louis Horsfield. As the required run rate steadily rose skipper Steve Pearson (1-47) had a catch taken by Matthew Nutter; and Ewan Johnston (1-50) had a catch taken by Steve Pearson. With ‘wides’ being the 2nd highest scorer Colton Institute closed with 218 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 50 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Colton Institute (8 points) by 26 runs.

Jack Ramage is my Man-of-the-Match

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Tong Park Esholt 272-6 in 50 overs

Steeton 192 a/o in 45.1 overs

Steeton entertained Tong Park Esholt at Summerhill Lane. Skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss and Tong Park chose to bat first…a decision that was justified by a 141 run opening stand. The opening partnership was finally broken by Matthew Nutter, who took 2 quick wickets for 51 runs from 7 overs. As Tong Park approached 200 runs it was skipper Steve Pearson (1-52) who collected the next wicket, but opening batsman David Hester completed a century. The next wicket was Tong Park’s centurian who was caught out by Cameron Knowles off the bowling of James McDonald (1-51). Ewan Johnston (1-74) chipped in with a further wicket caught by Louis Horsfield before the last wicket fell to a run-out by keeper Jack Ramage. Skipper Steve Pearson and Ryan Ridehalgh were awarded fielding points as Tong Park closed with a mammoth 272 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Steeton began strongly with a 58-run 2nd wicket partnership between Australian Jack Ramage and Louis Horsfield: Jack Ramage scored 38 runs from 52 deliveries with 1 six & 5 fours, while Louis Horsfield completed his first half-century for Steeton, with 64 runs coming from 97 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. Louis went on to add 22 runs for the 4th wicket with Matthew Nutter, who contributed a cameo 12 runs. Louis then went on to add 41 runs for the 6th wicket with Chris Wademan, who contributed 24 runs from 50 deliveries with 3 boundaries. Solid batting  down the order came from Ryan Ridehalgh, who scored 18 runs from just 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries, but when he was caught out the end came quickly. Steeton were bowled all out for 192 runs in 45.1 overs. Steeton (6 points) lost to Tong Park Esholt (20 points) by 80 runs

Louis Horsfield is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 305-6 in 45 overs

Guiseley 232-6 in 45 overs

Steeton entertained Guiseley at Summerhill Lane in the first round of the Waddilove cup. Skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and on a nice sunny day had little hesitation in batting first. Steeton began strongly with a fabulous 133-run opening partnership in 19 overs between top-scorer James Robinson (68) and Australian Jack Ramage (55). James  scored his 68 runs from just 69 deliveries with 1 six & 9 fours; while Jack continued his run of good scores with his 55 runs coming from only 57 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. A slight collapse saw Steeton go from 133-1 to 143-4, but this stutter was quickly corrected with an excellent 91-run 5th wicket stand between Cameron Knowles (36) and skipper Steve Pearson (59). Cameron scored his 36 runs from 40 deliveries with 4 boundaries; while Steve scored his 59 runs from 65 balls with 8 boundaries. The other partnership of note was an unbroken 7th wicket partnership of 47 runs from just 20 balls between Chris Wademan (37*) & Adam Hardwick (13*). Chris is an ideal man to have batting at the latter stages of an innings and his controlled hitting rewarded him with 37* runs not out from only 22 deliveries with 2 sixes & 4 fours; while Adam hit the last two deliveries of the innings for a 4 then a six and his 13* runs came from just 10 balls. Steeton had scored a massive 305-6 in their 45 overs setting Guiseley a target of almost 7 runs per over.

Skipper Steve Pearson bowled 6 tight overs for 18 runs and took the wicket that cut short the opening stand at 21 runs. When Guiseley had reached 89 runs they lost their 2nd wicket clean bowled by the off-spin of Adam Hardwick (1-34) When given a chance to bowl youngster Wilf Roberts (1-56) did not disappoint and removed stubborn opening batsman Robert Butterfield (42) courtesy of a great catch running in from the mid-wicket boundary by Cameron Knowles. His catch earned Cameron a club fielding point…and Wilf’s ground fielding also earned him a club fielding point. The Guiseley middle order found it difficult to cope with the bowling of Matt Nutter, who finished with 3 wickets for 45 runs from his 9 overs, courtesy of a great one-handed diving catch by keeper Jack Ramage as well as a regulation catch by Chris Wademan. Steeton were unable to take all the Guiseley wickets, but had restricted them to 232 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 45 overs. Steeton beat Guiseley by 73 runs and progress to the 2nd round of the Waddilove cup, where they will meet 1st division opposition North Leeds away on Sunday 29th May.

James Robinson is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 322 a/o in 49.4 overs

Harden 189 a/o in 46.1 overs

Steeton travelled to Harden’s Cuckoo’s Nest ground and skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and chose to bat without any hesitation. Steeton’s innings was built around a fantastic 2nd wicket partnership of 210 runs…the protagonists being Australian Jack Ramage and Louis Horsfield. Jack posted his first century for the Club with 139 runs scored from just 105 deliveries with 2 sixes & 22 fours; while Louis continued his promising start to his Steeton career with 79 runs from 103 deliveries with 10 boundaries. As Steeton sought to build on this great start there were a number of cameo innings: Cameron Knowles scored 26 runs from 25 deliveries with 3 boundaries; skipper Steve Pearson hit 22 runs from 27 deliveries with 1 six & 1 four; and Matt Nutter smashed 20 runs from just 10 balls with 1 six & 2 fours. Steeton posted an almost unassailable total of 322 runs all out in 49.4 overs.

In reply Steeton took wickets regularly with the initial breakthrough being made by skipper Steve Pearson (1-15) with the Harden score on 20 runs. Chief destroyer was Matt Nutter, who took a well-deserved 5 wicket haul. Matt took 5 wickets for 45 runs from 11 overs with a catch taken by keeper Jack Ramage as well as a caught & bowled. James McDonald (1-47) & Adam Hardwick (1-32) both had successful LBW appeals. Steve Pearson ran out a batsman and received a fielding point with Ewan Johnston also earning a FP. It took Luke Watson (1-0) just 1 delivery to wrap up the innings as Harden were all out for 189 runs in 46.1 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Harden (8 points) by 133 runs.

Jack Ramage is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 170-6 in 50 overs

Follifoot 171-2 in 43.3 overs

Steeton travelled to Follifoot’s Rudding Park ground on a bright day and when skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss he was asked to bat first. Steeton were immediately under the cosh as they lost both openers with only 5 runs on the board. The first respectable partnership was 25-runs for the 4th wicket between left-handers John Akrigg & Tom Stead. John scored a dogged half-century…his 51 runs coming from 135 deliveries with 3 boundaries; while Tom Stead scored 14 runs from 22 deliveries with 2 boundaries. John went on to share an excellent 82-run 5th wicket partnership with skipper Steve Pearson, who top-scored with an unbeaten 59* runs scored from 86 deliveries with 4 boundaries. No-one else managed double-figures as Steeton closed with a below-par 170 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Follifoot were commanding as they powered to a 8 wicket victory. The first wicket Steeton managed was a run-out by Ewan Johnston with Follifoot on 36 runs. Ewan was awarded a fielding point. The only successful Steeton bowlers was James McDonald (1-36) who had a catch taken by Chris Wademan. Follifoot has scored 171 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 43.3 overs. Steeton (3 points) lost to Follifoot (18 points) by 8 wickets.

Steve Pearson is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Cullingworth 162-6 in 20 overs

Steeton 165-4 in 19.3 overs

Cullingworth set a challenging target as they score 162 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Ewan Johnston (1-24) broke the opening stand with the score on 19 runs. Cullingworth’s total had swelled to 55 runs when overseas player Jack Ramage (1-26) had the next wicket LBW. Pick of the bowlers was James McDonald, who took 2 wickets for 24 runs from his 4 overs with a catch taken by Jack Ramage as well as a clean bowled. Keeper Cameron Knowles ran out a further 2 batsmen.

In reply Steeton began with a fine 77-run opening partnership between Australian Jack Ramage & skipper Chris Wademan. Jack scored 42 runs from 31 deliveries with 3 sixes & 1 four; while Chris top-scored with 46 runs from just 21 balls with 3 sixes & 3 fours. The good scoring continued with Louis Horsfield scoring 30 runs from 26 balls with 3 boundaries. Ryan Ridehalgh faced just 16 deliveries as he his 2 sixes and finished with 25 runs. In a close finish Cameron Knowles (10*) saw Steeton home. Steeton had scored 165 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 19.3 overs. Steeton beat Cullingworth by 6 wickets and progress to meet Haworth in the next round of the Keighley T20 cup.

Steeton 293-7 in 50 overs

Calverley St Wilfrid 232 a/o in 45 overs

Steeton entertained Calverley at Summerhill Lane on a dry bright & sunny day and when vice-skipper Chris Wademan won the toss he chose to bat first. Overseas player Jack Ramage has been in great form and this continued with an excellent 51 runs from 64 deliveries with 1 six & 8 fours. Jack shared a fine 74-run 2nd wicket partnership with with Louis Horsfield, who scored 23 runs from 34 deliveries with 1 sixes & 2 fours. Both Jack & Louis departed with the score on 82 runs, but the good scoring continued with an excellent 103 runs added for the 4th wicket: the batsmen being top-scorer Cameron Knowles, who scored a fabulous 59 runs from 70 deliveries with 9 boundaries and Matthew Nutter, who also scored a half-century with 53 runs from just 47 balls with 2 sixes & 5 fours. Skipper Chris Wademan chipped in with a quick-fire 21 runs off only 15 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours. The final partnership of note was an unbroken 57-run 8th wicket stand in 5½ overs between Luke Watson, who smashed 30* runs not out from 22 balls with 2 sixes & 2 fours; and Wilf Roberts, who scored 24* runs not out from 17 balls with 4 boundaries. Steeton had posted a huge 293 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply James McDonald (1-51) made the early breakthrough with a catch taken by Louis Horsfield. The next 3 wickets all fell to Matthew Nutter, who finished with 3 wickets for 41 runs from 7 overs, with catches taken by keeper Jack Ramage & Ryan Ridehalgh. Wilf Roberts removed Calverley’s top scorer and finished with 2 wickets for 37 runs from 7 overs with catches taken by skipper Chris Wademan & keeper Jack Ramage. Jack also ran out a batter, before Ryan Ridehalgh polished-off the tail as he finished with the best figures of 3 wickets for 31 runs from 8 overs, with catches well pouched by Ewan Johnston and Louis Horsfield. An excellent fielding performance was rewarded with 4 fielding points: Chris Wademan, Louis Horsfield, Ewan Johnston & Ryan Ridehalgh. Calverley St Wilfrid’s had been bowled all out for 232 runs in 45 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Calverley (8 points) by 61 runs.

Matthew Nutter is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 330-7 in 45 overs

North Leeds 212 a/o in 39.3 overs

Steeton travelled to North Leeds’s Homestead ground to play the second round of the Waddilove cup against opposition from the division above them…a tough match to win! When stand-in skipper Chris Wademan lost the toss Steeton were asked to bat first. Steeton began badly as they crashed to 3 wickets down with only 15 runs on the board. The innings was steadied by a solid knock by Matt Nutter, who scored 38 runs from 40 deliveries with 2 sixes & 5 fours. Matt shared a 57-run 4th wicket partnership with James Robinson, who went on to score a fabulous 130* runs not out from 116 deliveries with 3 sixes & 14 fours. The best partnership however was yet to come when James was joined by skipper Chris Wademan. Together James & Chris added a fantastic new club record 5th wicket partnership of 231 runs. Chris too collected a century as he notched a sensational 124 runs from just 86 deliveries as he smashed 10 sixes and 8 fours. Steeton went in to tea with a mammoth 330 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton were without many of their usual bowling attack (including usual skipper Steve Pearson, who is enjoying his honeymoon), but the replacements definitely performed admirably! The opening partnership was broken by Matt Nutter (1-36), before youngster Wilf Roberts (2-47) took 2 wickets with catches taken by Louis Horsfield & Matt Nutter. The best bowling performance came from one of Steeton’s unsung heroes making his 1st XI debut…Jake Hill. Jake is a regular 3rd XI & 2nd XI bowler, who always gives 100%, but today he was a hero as took 4 wickets for 39 runs from his 9 overs, courtesy of catches taken by Cameron Knowles, Matt Nutter & Ewan Johnston. With one batsman still in A&E with a broken finger, the innings was polished off by Ewan Johnston (2-20). North Leeds finished with 212 runs for the loss of 9 wickets (all out) in 39.3 overs. Steeton beat North Leeds by 118 runs and now meet Beckwithshaw away on 19th June in the quarter finals.

James Robinson & Chris Wademan are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Adel 260-6 in 50 overs

Steeton 92 a/o in 27.1 overs

Steeton travelled to Adel’s Church Lane ground on the back of a winning weekend last week and with their captain back from his honeymoon. When skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss Adel chose to bat first. Adel were initially pegged back at 40-2 with 2 wickets for Ewan Johnston who bowled 14 overs which conceded 57 runs as he took a C&B and had a catch taken by keeper Jack Ramage. Wickets became scarcer but the next 2 fell to left-armer Will Smith, who finished with 2 wickets for 78 runs from 13 overs, with a C&B and a catch taken by James Robinson. Adel were now 163-4. Skipper Steve Pearson (1-61) had a catch taken by Chris Wademan and the only other wicket to fall was a run-out by Ewan Johnston. After their 50 overs Adel had scored an impressive 260 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

The less said about Steeton’s reply the better. Needless to say top-scorer was Australian opener Jack Ramage, who scored 25 runs from 37 deliveries with 3 boundaries. The only other batsmen to manage double figures were Louis Horsfield (18) & Wilf Roberts (19). Steeton were all out for an embarrassing 92 runs in 27.1 overs. Steeton (3 points) lost to Adel (20 points) by 168 runs

Jack Ramage is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Bardsey 199 a/o in 49.5 overs

Steeton 205-4 in 37.2 overs

Steeton entertained Bardsey at Summerhill Lane on a sunny but chilly day, and when skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss Bardsey chose to bat first. Steeton soon ripped into the Bardsey batting and had them reeling at 14 runs with 3 wickets down. Both openers were accounted for by Matthew Nutter, who finished with 2 wickets for 59 runs from 13 overs, with both batsmen being caught behind by keeper Jack Ramage. Adam Hardwick (1-47) chipped in with a single wicket, but that batsman was Bardsey’s top scorer Tom Franklin (89) with a fine edge to the keeper Jack Ramage…and in a heartening show of sportsmanship he ‘walked’ long before the umpire raised his finger. The best bowling figures were returned by skipper Steve Pearson, who needed no help from any of his team for his wickets. Steve took 4 wickets for 22 runs from 10.5 overs with 2 batters clean bowled and a further 2 sending return catches for Steve to catch. Steve was awarded a fielding point along with Chris Wademan. Not far behind Steve was James MacDonald, who claimed 3 wickets for 39 runs from 12 overs, with comfortable catches taken by Matthew Nutter & Steve Pearson. Bardsey had been bowled all out for 199 runs in 49.5 overs.

In reply Steeton’s positive batting meant they were always ahead of the scoring rate and so if the forecast rain did arrive then the DLS would have been kind to them. Opening the innings Matthew Nutter scored 41 runs from 43 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. Matt shared a 42-run 2nd wicket partnership with Louis Horsfield, contributed a solid 39 runs from 78 balls with 4 boundaries. Louis went on to share an even better 91-run 4th wicket partnership with top-scorer James Robinson, who finished with an unbeaten 73* runs from just 61 deliveries with 3 sixes & 7 fours. In a 2nd show a great sportsmanship when James had been given run out by the square-leg umpire, he was ‘called back’ by the Bardsey keeper, who admitted that he had not removed the bails whilst the ball was in his gloves. A reprieved James went on to share a match-winning unbroken 33-run 5th wicket stand with skipper Steve Pearson, whose contribution was to smash 24* runs not out from just 16 deliveries with 1 six & 3 fours. The match was concluded in style with James hitting a maximum 6 – Steeton had scored 205 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 37.2 overs to secure a comprehensive victory. Steeton (20 points) beat Bardsey (5 points) by 6 wickets, but I do hope Bardsey were awarded some sportsmanship points!

Steve Pearson is my Man-of-the-Match

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Pool 222-6 in 50 overs

Steeton 203 a/o in 47 overs

Pool scored 222 runs for 6 wickets in their 50 overs. Steeton were all out for 203 runs in 47 overs. Steeton (7 points) lost to Pool (19 points) by 19 runs

Paul Quinlan is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 354-7 in 45 overs

Beckwithshaw 275-5 in 45 overs

Batting first Steeton scored an immense 354 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs. Opener Matt Nutter scored 144 runs and his opening partner Jack Ramage scored 102 runs as together they added 238 runs for the first wicket…a new club record. Beckwithshaw scored 275 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 45 overs. Steeton beat Beckwithshaw by 80 runs to progress through to the semi-final stage of the Waddilove Cup. Steeton will play Otley away on 10th July in the semi-finals

Matt Nutter is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 234-4 in 20 overs

Haworth 151-7 in 20 overs

Last night we travelled to Haworth for a quarter final tie in the Keighley Cup of which we won by 83 runs.
We won the toss and elected to bat first and subsequently posted a huge score of 234 from our 20 overs. Special mention to Jack Ramage who scored 104 off just 41 deliveries.
Also great contributions from Stephen Pearson 50* and Will Smith 29*.
In reply young Archie Cox opened the bowling and from his 4 overs he took 2 wickets and went for only 18 runs. Ewan Johnston’s 2 overs went for just 8 runs and he collected 2 wickets. After the opening bowlers put us in a strong position we were able to share some overs out. Max Hibbert (2XI wicket keeper) bowled a good 4 overs. Stevie caught a brilliant catch and we had excellent ground fielding from Max & Will. Most entertaining moment was probably from Simon Cox who bowled one of the slowest overs ever seen 🤣
We now qualify for T20 Finals day which is being held at Keighley CC on 31st of July. Hopefully we can retain the trophy we won there last year!

Jack Ramage is My Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 133 a/o in 37.2 overs

Green Lane 136-6 in 44.1 overs

Steeton played Green Lane at home on a fine day with rain forecast later. Skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Matt Nutter (12) and Jack Ramage (13) added 25 runs for the 1st wicket, but a collapse saw Steeton slump to 29 runs with 5 wickets down. Skipper Steve Pearson played a superb innings of 73* runs not out from 103 deliveries with 1 six & 12 fours and shared a 36-run 6th wicket partnership with Chris Wademan (13). No other batsman managed double figures and skipper Steve was left high & dry as Steeton were bowled all out for 133 runs in 37.2 overs.

In reply Steeton’s opening bowler Paul Quinlan bowled a great opening blast, which removed both openers with only 23 runs on the board. Paul finished with 2 wickets for 23 runs from 10 overs with catches taken by James McDonald & James Robinson. James Robinson was awarded a fielding point. With the score on 48 runs, James McDonald (1-22) took the 3rd wicket with a catch taken by keeper Jack Ramage. And with the score on 56 runs Ewan Johnston (1-16) clean bowled the 4th batsman. A 2nd catch for keeper Jack Ramage from the bowling of Matt Nutter (1-31) accounted for the 5th wicket with the score on 95 runs. A single run later came the only other wicket that Steeton managed was clean-bowled by off-spinner Adam Hardwick (1-27). At 96-6 Steeton still had a glimmer of hope, but it was extinguished with an unbroken 40-run 7th wicket stand. Green Lane had scored 136 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 44.1 overs. Steeton (4 points) lost to Green Lane (18 points) by 4 wickets.

Steve Pearson is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Horsforth 189 a/o in 49.3 overs

Steeton 193-3 in 35.2 overs

Steeton entertained bottom of the league Horsforth on a dry & bright day at Summerhill Lane. Skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and and asked Horsforth to bat first. Steeton had Horsforth reeling at 48 runs with 3 wickets down, but solid hitting by Harry Jeavons (83) saw them almost to 200 runs. The pick of the Steeton bowlers was opener Paul Quinlan, who took 4 wickets for 42 runs from 14 overs with 2 catches taken by keeper Jack Ramage and a good catch at long-on by James McDonald. James was awarded a fielding point. Skipper Steve Pearson also had a good day with the ball as he claimed 3 wickets for 52 runs from 14.3 overs, with a further 2 catches for keeper Jack Ramage. Ewan Johnston again bowled a tight spell that earned him 2 wickets for 19 runs from 6 overs, with a catch taken by Adam Hardwick and a stumping by Jack Ramage. Australian wicket-keeper Jack Ramage had a great day with 5 victims: 4 caught & 1 stumped. The other wicket to fall was a sharp run out by skipper Steve Pearson as he quickly collected a ball hit back to him from his own bowling an threw down the stumps before the batsman could regain his ground. Horsforth had been bowled all out for 189 runs in 49.3 overs.

In reply Steeton had a fine 88-run 2nd wicket partnership between opener James Robinson & Chris Wademan, before James was caught for 39 runs scored from 58 balls with 7 boundaries. Chris went on to share an even better match-winning unbroken 4th wicket partnership with skipper Steve Pearson, whose contribution was 33* runs not out from 39 deliveries with 1 six & 5 fours. The star with the bat however was undoubtedly Chris Wademan, who smashed a maximum 6 to complete both the match and his century. Chris had scored 104* runs not out from 113 deliveries with 2 sixes & 16 fours. Steeton had scored 193 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 35.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Horsforth (4 points) by 7 wickets.

Chris Wademan is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Olicanian 220 a/o in 47.1 overs

Steeton 222-4 in 40.2 overs

Steeton travelled to Olicanian’s Denton Road ground on a glorious summer’s day and when skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss Olicanian had little hesitation to bat first. A great opening blast my Matt Nutter reduced Olicanian to 11 runs with 2 wickets down and Matt finished with 2 wickets for 38 runs from 7 overs with a catch taken by James Robinson. Ewan Johnston (1-45) took the 3rd wicket with Olicanian on 96 runs before a strong partnership boosted Olicanian by 89 runs. This strong partnership was broken by skipper Steve Pearson, who finished with great figures of 4 wickets for 48 runs from 9.1 overs, with 2 catches taken by keeper Jack Ramage as well as a catch each for Luke Watson & Wilf Roberts. Wilf was awarded a fielding point along with one for Ewan Johnston. Tight bowling by Paul Quinlan (1-30) was rewarded with a single wicket with keeper Jack Ramage taking a 2nd catch. As Olicanian chased quick runs they had 2 run-outs: Adam Hardwick & keeper Jack Ramage being credited with the dismissals. Olicanian closed with a sizeable 220 runs all out in 47.1 overs.

In reply Steeton were led by James Robinson, who deserved another century, but he was unfortunately run out having scored 98 runs from 105 deliveries with 18 boundaries. James shared a 52-run 2nd wicket partnership with opener Jack Ramage, who contributed 36 runs from 42 deliveries with 7 boundaries. James went on to add 78 runs for the 4th wicket with skipper Steve Pearson, who contributed and unbeaten 41* runs from 64 deliveries with 4 boundaries. When James was run out Steve was joined by Paul Quinlan (11*) and together they saw Steeton comfortably pass the Olicanian target. Steeton had scored 222 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 40.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Olicanian (6 points) by 6 wickets.

James Robinson & Steve Pearson are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Steeton 256-6 in 45 overs

Otley 222 a/o in 40.4 overs

Steeton travelled to Otley’s Cross Green ground to play the current run-away division A leaders in the semi-final of the Waddilove cup. Champions-elect Otley were the clear favourites, but on a steamy hot summer’s day Steeton were determined to put in a good performance. Steeton skipper won the toss and quite rightly chose to bat first. Matt Nutter is a mercurial talent, who  on his day can blitz any bowling attack. Today was his day as he despatched to bowlers all around the park and finished with a fabulous 109 runs scored from just 78 deliveries with 3 sixes and 17 fours. Matt had set the standard and Otley knew that the side in the division beneath them were here to compete. Matt shared a superb opening partnership of 143 runs with Australian Jack Ramage, who contributed a fine 46 runs from 66 balls with 6 boundaries. The impressive batting was continued by James Robinson, who registered another half-century…his 55 runs coming from 75 deliveries with 1 six & 4 fours. James was ably assisted by skipper Steve Pearson (19) and Paul Quinlan (18*) as Steeton posted a challenging 256 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 45 overs. Otley would have to consistently score at over 5½ runs per over to pass the Steeton target.

In reply Steeton kept control and steadily chipped away at the wickets. Opening bowler Paul Quinlan broke the opening partnership with the score on 27 and finished with 2 wickets for 41 runs from 7 overs, with catches taken by skipper Steve Pearson and keeper Jack Ramage. The rest of the top-order was ripped out by a fantastic blast by James McDonald, who claimed 3 wickets for 34 runs from 9 overs with all 3 batsman caught behind by keeper Jack Ramage, giving him 4 victims in total. Wilf Roberts ran out a batsman, but then skipper Steve Pearson wiped out the lower order. Steve took 4 wickets for 48 runs from 7.4 overs with 2 catches taken by Ewan Johnston as well as 1 by Wilf Roberts. Otley had been skittled all out for 222 runs in 40.4 overs…and David had slain Goliath. Steeton won by 34 runs and now are through to the Waddilove cup final where they will meet Rawdon at Olicanian’s ground on 7th August.

Matt Nutter is my Man-of-the-Match

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Colton Institute 193 a/o in 41.1 overs

Steeton 186 a/o in 47.3 overs

Steeton’s captain fantastic was sadly unable to get Steeton over the line in a thrilling match at Summerhill Lane. Steve Pearson scored 57 runs and took 5 wickets for just 28 runs from 11 overs in a great all-round performance. Batting first Colton Institute scored 193 runs all out in 41.4 overs. Ewan Johnston and Matthew Nutter also collecting a brace of wickets apiece.

In reply Steeton were all out for 186 runs in 47.3 overs. Australian Jack Ramage scored 32 runs and a great debut for Max Harrison, who scored 36 runs. Steeton (8 points) lost to Colton Institute (18 points) by 7 runs

Steve Pearson are my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 337-4 in 50 overs

Tong Park Esholt 215 a/o in 41 overs

Batting first at Tong Park Esholt, Steeton registered another mammoth total. Opener Matthew Nutter was the first man out with the score on 37 runs. Matt had smashed 3 sixes and 1 four as he scored 27 runs from just 14 balls. His opening partner was Australian Jack Ramage, who scored a superb 134 runs from 130 deliveries with 3 sixes & 15 fours. Jack added 116 runs for the 4th wicket with skipper Steve Pearson, who also scored a century. Steve finished with an impressive unbeaten 102* runs scored from just 82 deliveries with 8 sixes & 5 fours. Steve went on to register a further unbroken 99-run 5th wicket partnership with Paul Quinlan, who contributed 40* runs not out from 34 balls with 2 sixes & 3 fours. Steeton closed with a colossal 337 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Steeton collected wickets regularly and needed just 41 overs to skittle out all the Tong Park batsmen. Chief recipient was opener Paul Quinlan, who collected a fine 5-wicket haul. Paul took 5 wickets for 62 runs from 13 overs, with the assistance of 2 catches taken by Matthew Nutter. To add to his unbeaten century Steeton’s captain fantastic also took 3 wickets for 39 runs from 10 overs, with a catch taken by Chris Wademan. There was a single wicket each for Adam Hardwick (1-23) and James McDonald (1-60) with a catch by skipper Steve Pearson. Steve was awarded a fielding point. Tong Park Esholt fell well short of the Steeton target with 215 runs all out in 41 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Tong Park Esholt (6 points) by 122 runs

Jack Ramage, Steve Pearson and Paul Quinlan are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Harden 220-9 in 50 overs

Steeton 60 a/o in 24.3 overs

Entertaining visitors Harden at Summerhill Lane, skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and confidently asked Harden to bat first…hoping to ‘stick-em-in, get-em-out and knock-em-off’. The theory began well with opening bowler Paul Quinlan removing Harden’s skipper Andy Wear with the score on just 3 runs. Paul finished with 3 wickets for 57 runs from 14 overs with catches taken by Louis Horsfield, Adam Hardwick & keeper Jack Ramage. Also collecting 3 wickets was Ewan Johnston, who took 3 wickets for 49 overs from 12 overs with catches taken by James Robinson, Steve Pearson as well as a stumping by Jack Ramage. Skipper Steve Pearson also bowled 13 economic overs for 45 runs as he took 2 wickets with catches safely taken by Cameron Knowles & keeper Jack Ramage. The other wicket to fall was clean bowled by Adam Hardwick (1-24). Harden had recovered from their bad start to set a battling 220 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs.

Watching our 1st XI this season I am reminded of Longfellow’s “Little Girl who had a Little Curl” – when they are good they are very good indeed, but when they are bad they are horrid. Today unfortunately was a horrid day! In reply Steeton only had 2 batsmen who managed double figures: opener Australian Jack Ramage top-scored with 18 runs and Cameron Knowles scored 11 runs. Steeton were all out for a mere 60 runs in 24.3 overs. Steeton (4 points) lost to Harden (19 points) by 160 runs.

Jack Ramage is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 117-7 in 15 overs

Oxenhope 119-6 in 14.5 overs

Rain reduced the semi-finals to 15 overs per side. Steeton batted poorly and scored 117 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 15 overs. Skipper Chris Wademan top-scored with 28 runs from 23 balls with 1 six & 3 fours. Saturday skipper Stephen Pearson scored well with 26 runs from 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries. Australian Jack Ramage (16) & Cameron Knowles (12*) also made good contributions.

In reply Ewan Johnston (1-21) & Stephen Pearson (1-25) took early wickets but in a game of such few overs the advantage is certainly with the side batting second. In the middle of the short innings there were 2 runs outs by Stephen Pearson & keeper Cameron Knowles and a further wicket from Matt Nutter (1-16) caught by keeper Cameron Knowles. In a close finish skipper Chris Wademan (1-22) nipped out another wicket caught by Will Smith, but Oxenhope scraped through on the pen-ultimate ball of their innings. Oxenhope scored 119 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 14.5 overs. Steeton lost by 4 wickets and will not be contesting this years final.

Steeton 236-7 in 50 overs

Follifoot 164 a/o in 45.1 overs

Entertaining visitors Follifoot at Summerhill Lane, skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and chose to bat first. A promising opening partnership was cut short at 28 runs when Craig Walton was caught for 16 runs. Craig’s opening partner was Australian Jack Ramage, who went on to add 59 runs for the 4th wicket partnership with James Robinson, who contributed an excellent 30 runs scored from 52 deliveries with 4 boundaries. Jack Ramage brought up his half-century before going on to add a further superb 95 runs for the 7th wicket partnership with Paul Quinlan. Jack completed a fine century before being bowled for an excellent 105 runs scored from 120 deliveries with 13  boundaries. Paul Quinlan also scored a good half-century as he closed with a fluent unbeaten 53* runs scored from 51 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. Steeton scored a tremendous 236 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Steeton broke Follifoot’s opening partnership courtesy of both batting heroes: a thin edge caught behind by keeper Jack Ramage off the bowling of Paul Quinlan (1-28). Off-spinner Adam Hardwick had four catches taken from his bowling as he conceded 59 runs from his 15 overs, with the regulation catches being taken by James Robinson & Craig Walton and 2 good catches running in from ‘cow corner’ by Ewan Johnston. Ewan earned himself a fielding point. However Steeton’s bowling hero was skipper Steve Pearson, who collected a super 5 wicket haul. Steve took 5 wickets for 30 runs from 12.1 overs, with a steepling catch taken by James McDonald, which earned James a fielding point, and a hard-driven catch nonchalantly taken at the long-off boundary by Chris Wademan. Chris’s catch was greeted by extra applause as it was the final wicket and Steeton had bowled Follifoot all out for 164 runs in 45.1 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Follifoot (5 points) by 72 runs.

Jack Ramage is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 253-6 in 45 overs

Rawdon 237-9 in 45 overs

They say a chain is only as weak as its weakest link and today Steeton had NO weak links…they only had a team full of heroes. Underdogs Steeton are currently 5th in division 2, while Rawdon are top of division 1. Skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and chose to bat on a hot day with an excellent looking track. Matthew Nutter had been instrumental in helping Steeton through the previous 2 rounds with rapid centuries in both, today however was not his day as he was caught behind off the 2nd ball of the day. At No3 Louis Horsfield has not spent much time in the middle since his knee injury, but today he steadied the innings along with our prolific opening batsman, Australian Jack Ramage. Together Jack & Louis added a superb 101 runs for the 2nd wicket partnership before Louis was caught at mid-on for a careful 32 runs scored from 69 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours. Jack Ramage completed an battling half-century, before he was caught at point having scored a fine 69 runs from only 67 deliveries with 10 boundaries. Steeton were 119 runs with 3 wickets down in the 27th over. The next pair of heroes were James Robinson and skipper Steve Pearson, who together add a fantastic 103 runs for the 4th wicket partnership and both completed half-centuries. Steve Pearson was caught behind having scored a rapid 58 runs from 47 deliveries with 2 sixes & 7 fours, while James Robinson was clean-bowled for a well-earned 52 runs off 70 balls with 7 boundaries. Steeton were 226 runs with 5 wickets down in the 43rd over. As the last innings drew to a close there were a couple of important cameos: Chis Wademan smashed 11 runs off 8 balls and Paul Quinlan smashed 15* not out off 6 balls. After their 45 overs Steeton had scored an impressive 253 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, meaning Rawdon would have to score a more than 5½ runs per over.

In reply Steeton knew that regular wicket were essential because Rawdon possessed the batting power to pass the Steeton target. The opening partnership was broken by skipper Steve Pearson (1-40) clean bowling Rawdon’s opener with the score on just 23 runs. The next 2 wickets both fell to Ewan Johnston, who bowled a tremendous spell and finished with great figures of 9 economical overs for just 28 runs with 2 wickets: the first clean bowled and the 2nd a sharp catch made to look easy by Matthew Nutter. Rawdon were 97 runs for 3 wickets in the 21st over. Off spinner Adam Hardwick (1-29) also bowled 9 tight overs as he only conceded 29 runs and clean bowled Rawdon’s next man. Matthew Nutter is a “happening bowler” and when he is introduced to the bowling attack and both runs and wickets follow. Matt bowled 7 overs which went for 7 runs per over, but his 49 runs also came with 3 wickets all caught: the first an attempted hook which was well caught a fine leg by Paul Quinlan; the 2nd a regulation catch by skipper Steve Pearson; and the 3rd a fine catch running in from ‘cow corner’ by Ewan Johnston. In amongst Matt’s wickets there was also a farcical run-out – Steve Pearson swooped…fumbled…recovered…and lobbed in for Jack Ramage to sharply remove the bails to narrowly complete the run-out of a diving Rawdon batter. As the match reached its climax Rawdon had lost a too many wickets but were still battling and their 9th wicket partnership added 57 runs…this match could go either way. The late partnership was broken by the reintroduction of Paul Quinlan (1-49) who took a skied catch from his own bowling. Rawdon were beaten…but they went down fighting with 237 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 45 overs. Steeton won by 16 runs and are winners of the Waddilove Cup for only the 2nd time in their history.

The Waddilove committee chose Steve Pearson as the Man-of-the-Match and Steeton’s sponsors Rinew chose Ewan Johnston as their Man-of-the-Match, but I think the whole team are joint Men-of-the-Match…heroes to a man! Super proud of every one of our giant slaying conquerors.

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Calverley St Wilfrids 223 a/o in 48 overs

Steeton 187 a/o in 37.2 overs

Steeton travelled to Calverley’s Victoria Park ground in a buoyant mood less than a week after winning the Waddilove Cup. Skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss and on a steamy hot day was asked to field first in the unrelenting heat. Calverley had progressed to 131 runs before losing their first wicket, but were pegged-back by James McDonald, who took the first 3 wickets for 42 runs from 10 overs, with catches taken by keeper Jack Ramage, Louis Horsfield & Archie Smith. With the top-order removed the flood gates opened…Paul Quinlan (1-57) nipped out a single wicket, but it was skipper Steve Pearson, who finished with the best figures. Steve ripped through the lower order and finished with great figures of 6 wickets for 44 runs from his 13 overs. With 3 clean bowled, 2 LBWs and a return catch of his own bowling, Steve needed no assistance with his wickets. Steve was also awarded a fielding point. Calverley had lost their final 9 wickets for just 92 runs. Calverley were all out for 223 runs in 48 overs.

In reply Steeton’s opener Jack Ramage definitely deserved a century, but unfortunately was bowled for an excellent 97 runs scored from 86 deliveries with 1 six & 13 fours. Jack shared a fine 87-run 2nd wicket partnership with Louis Horsfield, who contributed 29 runs from 48 deliveries with 1 six & 3 fours. Jack went on to share a good 45-run 4th wicket partnership with skipper Steve Pearson, who contributed 20 runs from 30 deliveries with 4 boundaries. Sadly no other batter was able to make double figures, and so Jack’s efforts were in vain. Steeton slumped to 187 runs all out in 37.2 overs. Steeton (8 points) lost to Calverley St Winfrids (19 points) by 36 runs.

Jack Ramage & Steve Pearson are my joint Steeton Men-of-the-Match

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Steeton 237 a/o in 49.3 overs

Adel 232 a/o in 49.2 overs

Steeton entertained Adel at Summerhill Lane and when skipper Steve Pearson won the toss he chose to bat first. Promoted to opening the batting Cameron Knowles scored an excellent 47 runs from 83 deliveries with 8 boundaries. Cameron shared a solid 2nd wicket partnership of 44 runs with Louis Horsfield, who contributed 16 runs…but when Cameron was bowled out Steeton had slumped to 92 runs with 6 wickets down in the 32nd over. This brought together skipper Steve Pearson and Paul Quinlan…Steeton’s opening bowlers! Together Steve & Paul added a fabulous 135 runs in the next 15 overs for the 7th wicket partnership – just 6 runs short of the Club record! Paul was caught out having scored 61 runs from just 48 deliveries with 1 six & 8 fours; and Steve was caught out shortly afterwards having top-scored with 75 runs from only 53 balls with 5 sixes & 5 fours. Steeton closed with a slightly below par score of 237 runs all out in 49.3 overs.

In reply Adel’s opening batsmen batted well to reach 145 runs before losing their first wicket. Ewan Johnston removed both openers with catches taken by keeper Cameron Knowles and Louis Horsfield. Louis was awarded a fielding point as well as Archie Smith, who had a memorable ‘pouncing’ stop on the boundary. Ewan finished with 3 wickets for 63 runs from 11 overs. With the opening batsmen gone wickets came more frequently and 145-1 soon became 167-5. Skipper Steve Pearson clean bowled 2 batsmen as his 14 overs only conceded 37 runs. Steve Pearson also ran out a batsman trying to take a suicidal run. Adel were not prepared to give in and the later order rallied and were inching towards the Steeton target. With 4 overs to go Adel were 220 runs for 8 wickets and only needed a further 18 runs in 4 overs with 2 wickets intact. Steve took a wicket with the last ball of the 49th over and so Adel went into the last over at 231-9 needing 7 runs to win with the last pair at the crease. With his 2nd delivery off-spinner Adam Hardwick took his 4th wicket and Adel had been stung by the Steeton Stingrays. Adam was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets (3 lbws) for 51 runs from 12.2 overs. Adel were all out for 232 runs in 49.2 overs. In an excitingly tense finish Steeton (20 points) beat Adel (10 points) by 5 runs.

Stephen Pearson is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 167 a/o in 48.5 overs

Bardsey 168-0 in 34.4 overs

Steeton travelled to Bardsey hoping to mount a late push for promotion against a side who are just above the demotion zone. Skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss and Bardsey chose to bowl first. Steeton had progressed to 16 runs, but on that score they lost 3 wickets. Prolific Australian Jack Ramage added 30 runs for the 4th wicket with skipper Steve Pearson. Jack was out LBW having scored 30 runs from 82 deliveries with 5 boundaries and the in-form Steve was also out LBW for 11 runs. Steeton were wobbling at 52 runs with 5 wickets down in the 24th over. A subdued Paul Quinlan (7) added 57 runs for the 6th wicket with Chris Wademan, who top-scored with 44 runs scored from 55 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. Adam Hardwick scored a solid 20 runs off 32 balls with 1 six & 1 four…and the Steeton tail continued to add good runs with James Nowell (8), Ewan Johnston (8) and James McDonald (10*) all making valuable contributions. Steeton had scored a below-par 167 runs all out in 48.5 overs.

In reply Steeton were unable to make any inroads at all into the Bardsey batting, despite trying 8 different bowlers. Bardsey’s openers scored 168 runs without losing a wicket in 34.4 overs. Steeton (2 points) lost  to Bardsey (20 points) by 10 wickets.

Chris Wademan is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 145 a/o in 46 overs

Pool 149-8 in 34.4 overs

Steeton entertained league leaders Pool at Summerhill Lane for the penultimate game of the season. Steeton are mid-table with no possibility of promotion or demotion. Skipper Steve Pearson lost the toss and Pool asked Steeton to bat first. A shuttering of wickets left Steeton with 4 wickets down and only 41 runs on the board and only Australian Jack Ramage (16) managing double figures. The slide was broken by a 41-run 5th wicket partnership between James Robinson (18) and skipper Steve Pearson, who deserved a half-century, but was clean bowled for 47 runs scored from 62 deliveries with 2 sixes & 3 fours. Steve also added 37 runs for the 6th wicket with Paul Quinlan, who contributed 35 runs from 65 balls with 2 sixes & 2 fours. Steeton’s 2 opening bowlers were their 2 top run scorers. When Paul was caught the end came quickly as Steeton were all out for a below-par 145 runs in 46 overs.

In reply Pool’s top-order batsmen were harder to remove. The 57-run opening stand was broken by skipper Steve Pearson (1-47) and Pool were well over half-way to the Steeton target when off-spinner Adam Hardwick (1-32) took the 2nd wicket, with a nice catch safely pouched by James Robinson. Josh Gill had been selected to play only his 2nd game of the season, but when he was brought on Pool only needed a further 40 runs to win. Josh bowled an excellent spell with great control and pace and was rewarded with 4 wickets for 11 runs from 5.4 overs, including a good diving catch by keeper Jack Ramage. With Pool only needing a further 12 runs to win Cameron Knowles was brought on to bowl. Cameron has not bowled at all since 2019, but he may find he is called on more often as he claimed 2 wickets for 6 runs from 3 overs, with nice catches taken by Ewan Johnston and skipper Steve Pearson. Steve Pearson as well as Josh Gill were awarded fielding points. Had Steeton managed to score 20 or 30 more runs this may have turned into a fairytale finish, but Pool passed the insufficient Steeton target with 2 wickets to spare. Pool had scored 149 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 34.4 overs. Steeton (5 points) lost to Pool (17 points) by 2 wickets.

Josh Gill is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 273-7 in 50 overs

Green Lane 87 a/o in 30.3 overs

Steeton travelled to Green Lane’s Nunroyd Park ground for the last match of the season. Skipper Steve Pearson won the toss and chose to bat first…a decision which was justified by an excellent 87-run opening partnership. Opener Cameron Knowles had made the major contribution as he finished the season with a half-century: Cameron’s 53 runs coming from 55 deliveries with 1 six & 9 fours. His opening partner was prolific Australian Jack Ramage who top-scored with 62 runs scored from 70 balls with 1 six & 11 fours – this brings his runs total for all matches in the 2022 season for the club to 1,453 runs, including 5 centuries. Jack also added 83 runs for the 2nd wicket partnership with Louis Horsfield, who also scored a half-century – his 51 runs coming from 56 deliveries with 2 sixes & 6 fours. The good scoring continued with Will Smith chipping in with 19 runs, before another sizeable contribution by captain fantastic Steve Pearson. Steve scored an unbeaten 48* runs from 53 deliveries with 2 sixes & 4 fours – this brings Steve’s runs total for all matches in the 2022 season for the club to 968 runs. Steve also added 69 runs for the 7th wicket partnership with James Robinson, who contributed 19 runs. Steeton closed with a considerable 273 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Steeton took wickets regularly and the Steeton target never looked under threat. Chief wicket-taker was James McDonald, who finished with a great 5-wicket haul. James took 5 wickets for 37 runs from 15 overs, with 2 catches taken by keeper Will Smith as well as outfield catches taken by Louis Horsfield & Adam Hardwick. Max Harrison was not far behind with a fabulous 4 wicket return…his 4 wickets coming from 7 overs that conceded 21 runs, with 2 catches taken by Australian Jack Ramage as well as a 2nd for Louis Horsfield and a 3rd catch for keeper Will Smith. The final wicket was tidied up by off-spinner Cameron Knowles (1-4) with a catch taken by Ewan Johnston. A good catching display saw Steeton collect 9 catches in total. Green Lane had been caught out for a mere 87 runs in 30.3 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Green Lane (3 points) by 186 runs.

James McDonald is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 207-5 in 45 overs

Horsforth 187 a/o in 43.4 overs

Steeton 2nds followed our 1st XI with a great winning start to the season at Summerhill Lane against Horsforth. New skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and were asked to bat first. Experienced opener John Akrigg scored a solid 16 runs from 37 deliveries with 3 boundaries and Adam Hardwick scored an excellent 31 runs from 45 deliveries with 1 six & 5 fours, but with 4 wickets down Steeton had been reduced to 62 runs in 23 overs. The scoring rate was upped by a great 60-run 5th wicket partnership between Luke Watson and Gary Boulton. Luke scored a rapid 27 runs from just 18 deliveries with 2 sixes & 2 fours, while Gary went on to add a further unbroken 85-run partnership for the 6th wicket with David Robinson. David Robinson finished with a good 27* runs not out from 37 deliveries with 2 sixes & 2 fours: while the veteran Gary Boulton finished with a fantastic 75* runs not out scored from 82 deliveries 6 sixes & 4 fours. In their 45 overs Steeton had scored 207 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.

In reply Horsforth’s innings was held together by their skipper and keeper Harry Jeavons (82) and his removal was tantamount to Steeton winning this match. With 3 victims from the top 5 batsmen, including Jeavons, Steeton’s opening bowler David Wynn definitely played a vital role in this fixture. David finished with 3 wickets for 51 runs from 13 overs with catches taken by keeper John Akrigg and skipper Simon Cox. Following his batting glory Gary Boulton (1-44) took a single wicket with a catch taken by Ben Yeadon and there was also a single wicket for Luke Watson (1-22). At 157-4 Horsforth were still well on course for victory, but their last 6 batsmen could only add a further 30 runs. This was largely due to the introduction of off-spinner Adam Hardwick who claimed a fabulous 5-wicket haul. Adam took 5 wickets for 34 runs from 6.4 overs with 2 super stumpings by keeper John Akrigg as well as a return catch off his own bowling. Archie Smith was awarded a fielding point. Horsforth finished with 187 runs all out in 43.4 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Horsforth (6 points) by 30 runs.

Adam Hardwick & Gary Boulton are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Olicanian 168-7 in 45 overs

Steeton 170-9 in 44.5 overs

Steeton 2nds had a topsy turvy game at Olicanian. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked Olicanian to bat first. While Steeton’s fielding was good their catching was not and several chances went begging! Olicanian had reached 54 runs before opening bowler Jake Hill (1-34) made the initial breakthrough courtesy of a catch taken by keeper John Akrigg. Luke Watson (1-55) had a low catch pouched at midwicket by skipper Simon Cox – Simon was awarded a fielding point. The off-spin of Adam Hardwick was once again successful as he claimed an excellent 4 wickets for just 16 runs from 12 overs with a stumping by keeper John Akrigg, a caught & bowled and an great swirling catch at long-off taken by Max Hibbert. Max was rightly awarded a fielding point for a remarkable grab. The ever-green Gary Boulton (1-31) bagged another scalp as Olicanian finished with 168 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs.

Like our 1st XI Steeton also made the worst possible start to their reply losing a wicket from the very first delivery. Experienced opener John Akrigg scored 15 runs before being given out LBW with Steeton on 28-2. Top-scorer was Adam Hardwick who scored a solid 53 runs from 89 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. Adam shared an excellent 68-run 3rd wicket partnership with 12-year-old Archie Cox, who contributed a battling 13 runs. Both Adam & Archie departed as the Steeton score approached 100 runs…both stumped. Luke Watson added a quick 23 runs from 24 balls faced with 2 sixes before he was unluckily run out by a direct hit. Luke had added 32 runs for the 5th wicket with Gary Boulton, who contributed 20 runs from 25 deliveries with 1 six & 1 four. When Gary was caught on the boundary Steeton had collapsed to 149-8 runs – another 19 runs required and only 2½ overs to go. Steeton went into the last over on 154-9 needing 15 runs with the last pair at the wicket. Club president Phil Barrett took control and after a few gifted runs by wides and no-balls Phil smashed a four and then a six to bring Steeton victory with just 1 ball to spare. Phil Barrett finished with 17 runs not out having faced just 8 deliveries. Steeton had scored 170 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 44.5 overs and went off jubilantly having snatched a last-gasp victory from the jaws of defeat. Steeton (17 points) beat Olicanian (7 points) by 1 wicket.

Adam Hardwick is my Man-of-the-Match

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Menston 122 a/o in 37.4 overs

Steeton 123-2 in 30.2 overs

Steeton entertained Menston at Summerhill Lane and dominated this fixture from start to finish. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Menston chose to bat first. As Menston began at a sedate pace Jake Hill (1-14) made the initial breakthrough. The next 2 wickets fell to great fielding as skipper Simon Cox had a direct hit; before David Wynn threw in quickly for Luke Watson to remove the bails. Luke Watson (1-15) took a comfortable return catch from his own bowling and David Wynn (1-23) clean bowled a further batsman; but the chief wicket taker was the dependable Gary Boulton, who collected a fine 5-wicket haul. Gary finished with 5 wickets for 45 runs from his 12.4 overs with all 5 wickets falling to catches; a good reaction catch in the slips earned Phil Barrett a fielding point, Luke Watson took 2 excellent catches at long-off, which also earned him a fielding point, and comfortable catches safely pouched by Wilf Roberts and Simon Cox. The Menston innings never managed to get out of first gear and they were dismissed all out for a mere 122 runs in 37.4 overs.

In reply Steeton lost an early wicket before a solid 44-run second wicket partnership between experienced left-handers David Robinson & John Akrigg. David Robinson scored 24 runs from 54 deliveries with 3 boundaries; and John Akrigg scored a fantastic unbeaten 66* runs not out from 81 deliveries with 2 sixes & 9 fours. John went on to share a match-winning unbroken 76-run 3rd wicket stand with Wilf Roberts, who contributed 26* runs not out from 38 deliveries with 5 boundaries. Steeton scored 123 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 30.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Menston (2 points) by 8 wickets.

Gary Boulton & John Akrigg are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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New Rover 132 a/o in 40 overs

Steeton 135-3 in 27.3 overs

Steeton travelled to New Rover’s Richmond Park ground on a dry overcast day. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and New Rover chose to bat first. Jake Hill bowled an excellent opening blast and was rewarded with 2 wickets for 29 runs from his 13 overs, with a slip catch taken by Phil Barrett. As Steeton restricted the scoring rate there was a run-out with Luke Watson collecting to throw quickly to Gary Boulton to remove the bails. Gary Boulton then had the ‘champagne’ moment of this match as took a hat-trick of LBWs…Gary’s first hat-trick for Steeton. Gary finished with 3 wickets for 36 runs from his 13 overs and New Rover were reduced to 42 runs with 6 wickets down and looking at an embarrassing total. Helped along by some poor catching New Rover offered some late resistance. The dependable David Wynn clean-bowled 3 batsmen to finish with 3 wickets for 43 runs from 9 overs. The other wicket to fall was a sharp low catch in the slips by Phil Barrett off the bowling of Wilf Roberts (1-3). Despite 2 slip catches, Phil Barrett was overlooked as the fielding points were awarded to Archie Smith & Jake Hill. New Rover had managed a below-par 132 runs all out in 40 overs.

In reply Steeton were led by experienced batsman John Akrigg, who dominated the New Rover bowling. John shared an excellent 69-run 2nd wicket partnership with skipper Simon Cox, who contributed 19 runs from 42 deliveries with 2 boundaries. John then went on to share an unbroken 4th wicket stand of 60 runs with Luke Watson. John finished with an unbeaten 75* not out from 82 deliveries with 18 boundaries, while Luke Watson brought the match to an abrupt conclusion by hitting 3 sixes from consecutive deliveries as he finished with 25* runs not out from 36 deliveries with 3 sixes & 1 four. Steeton had scored 135 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 27.3 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat New Rover (3 points) by 7 wickets and retain their position at the top of division 5.

Gary Boulton is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 246-7 in 45 overs

Guiseley 193-5 in 45 overs

Steeton travelled to Guiseley’s Nethermoor Park ground in the first round of the Birtwhistle cup. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and decided to bat first on a nice sunny day. Opener Max Hibbert (15) was the first to depart, but then skipper Simon Cox (46) and John Akrigg (68) added 110 runs for the 2nd wicket partnership. Simon scored his 46 runs from 71 deliveries with 6 boundaries before being caught just short of what would have been a deserved half-century: while John scored his 68 runs from 79 deliveries with 8 boundaries. Steeton’s middle-order all made double-figures without managing to convert to a sizeable contributions: Bradley Akrigg (18), Luke Watson (16) and Archie Smith (15). Late hitting by Gary Boulton, who scored an unbeaten 27* runs from just 24 balls with 1 six & 2 fours, meant Steeton had scored a considerable total of 246 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Guiseley were pegged back at 67-2 with both openers dismissed by David Wynn, who took 2 wickets for 45 runs from his 9 overs, with a catch taken by Luke Watson. On a good track wickets were hard to acquire. Luke Watson (1-47) had a catch taken by keeper Max Hibbert…and Max took a second catch off the bowling of Bradley Akrigg (1-34). Although wicketless Gary Boulton bowled 9 overs very frugally for just 19 runs. The only other wicket to fall went to Ben Yeadon (1-19), as Guiseley  were restricted to 193 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 45 overs. Steeton beat Guiseley by 53 runs to progress into the 2nd round of the Birtwhistle cup where they will meet North Leeds at home on Sunday 29th May.

John Akrigg is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 127 a/o in 42.1 overs

Addingham 128-5 in 36.5 overs

Steeton entertained Addingham at Summerhill Lane and unfortunately their great start to the season shuddered to a halt. Steeton began well with a solid 38-run 2nd wicket partnership between debutant Richard Nichols (31) & John Akrigg (22). Richard scored his 31 runs from 34 deliveries with 5 boundaries; while John scored his 22 runs from 54 deliveries with 3 boundaries. In the middle-order David Robinson scored 24 runs from 39 deliveries with 3 boundaries. After the top 5 batsman only Max Hibbert (11) & Mikey Hofman-Tennant (10) were able reach double figures. The tail crashed and Steeton were only able to post a below-par 127 runs all out in 42.1 overs.

In reply the dependable Gary Boulton took 3 wickets for 40 runs, with catches taken by Jake Hill and David Wynn. Addingham’s top-scorer was clean-bowled by Ben Yeadon (1-28) and the only other wicket was taken by the leg-spinner Mikey Hofman-Tennant (1-3). Addingham scored 128 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 36.5 overs. Steeton (4 points) lost to Addingham (20 points) by 5 wickets.

Richard Nichols is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Calverley 195-7 in 45 overs

Steeton 199-3 in 34 overs

Steeton entertained Calverley at Summerhill Lane on a dry bright day. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked Calverley to bat first. A rapid opening blast by Josh Gill reduced Calverley to 58-3 and Josh finished with 3 wickets all clean-bowled for 44 runs from 12 overs. Gary Boulton (1-40) nipped out another wicket before the introduction of Jake Hill, who bowled 7 excellent overs for 15 runs as he collected 2 wickets with a smart low catch down the leg-side by keeper Max Hibbert. The only other wicket to fall went to David Wynn (1-48) with a nice catch by Matthew Nutter. Steeton’s fielding had once again been a little lacklustre and few catchable chances had been grassed. Calverley finished with 195 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs…a target which could have been much less if Steeton’s fielding had been sharper.

In reply Steeton’s opening batsman Matt Nutter set about the Calverley bowling with gusto. Matt deserved a century, but had to settle for an imperious 92 runs scored for just 54 deliveries with 7 sixes, 9 fours and 3 lost balls! Matt shared an excellent 105-run 2nd wicket partnership with David Robinson, who contributed 32 runs from 56 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours. Steeton’s masterful batting continued with a match-winning unbroken 72-run 4th wicket stand: the protagonists being skipper Simon Cox and Gary Boulton. Simon scored his unbeaten 31* runs from 46 deliveries with 6 boundaries; while Gary smashed 4 sixes and 1 fours as he scored 41* runs not out from just 42 balls. Steeton cruised to a comfortable 7 wicket victory as they scored 199 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 34 overs. Steeton (18 points) beat Calverley St Winifred (5 points) by 7 wickets.

Matt Nutter is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 174-4 in 45 overs

Follifoot 175-3 in 34.2 overs

Steeton travelled to Follifoot’s Rudding Park ground on a bright day and when skipper Simon Cox won the toss he confidently chose to bat first. Opening batsman Max Hibbert (10) was the first man out with the score on 20 runs; and his opening partner was skipper Simon Cox who was adjudged LBW for 27 runs in 43 deliveries with 5 boundaries with the score on 47 runs. The experienced John Akrigg batted cautiously for a battling 71* runs not out from 116 deliveries with 8 boundaries. John shared an unbroken 88-run 5th wicket partnership with Gary Boulton, who contributed an unbeaten 41* from 53 deliveries with 2 sixes & 1 four. After their 45 overs Steeton had scored 174 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.

In reply Follifoot batted with much more freedom and Steeton were unable to make any significant inroads into the Follifoot batting. Will Smith was involved in all three of the Steeton wickets. Bowling spin Will Smith (1-27) took the only wicket to fall to a bowler courtesy of an excellent catch peering into the sun at long-on by David Wynn. There were also 2 run outs: the first was picked-up by Simon Cox who threw to Will Smith to remove the bails, and the 2nd was a direct hit by Will Smith. Follifoot passed the Steeton target with 10 overs to spare, having scored 175 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 34.2 overs. Steeton (4 points) lost to Follifoot (17 points) by 7 wickets.

John Akrigg is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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North Leeds 231-7 in 45 overs

Steeton 232-2 in 40.2 overs

Steeton welcomed North Leeds to Summerhill Lane to play the 2nd round of the Birtwhistle Cup. North Leeds 2nd XI play their cricket 2 divisions above Steeton…another tough match to win! Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked North Leeds to bat first. Youngster Will Smith had a big influence in the field and was involved in all-bar-one of the North Leeds dismissals. The first 2 wickets fell to the dependable Gary Boulton (2-36) with both wickets being caught by Will Smith. The next wicket Will Smith took a caught & bowled as North Leeds were 86 runs with 3 wickets down. Will Smith also took the next 2 wickets and finished with 3 wickets for 43 runs from his 9 overs, with a catch taken by skipper Simon Cox. Will Smith took his 4th catch (and his name once again into the annals of the club fielding records) off the bowling of Bradley Akrigg (1-53). The final wicket to fall was from the bowling of Ben Yeadon (1-58) with a skied catch safely pouched by Caleb Gledhill…Will Smith not involved! After their 45 overs North Leeds had scored 231 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

In reply Steeton lost skipper Simon Cox (12) with the score on 15 runs, but after that slight blemish the batting was impeccable. Opening the innings Finlay Brown scored a wonderful half-century…his 53 runs coming from 81 deliveries with 5 boundaries. Finlay shared an exciting 130-run 2nd wicket partnership with top-scorer John Akrigg, who went on to score 89* runs not out from 101 deliveries with 2 sixes & 10 fours…whilst changing his bat at least 4 times! When Finlay was caught out John was joined by his son Bradley Akrigg, and together they added a match-winning unbroken 87-run 3rd wicket stand. Bradley contributed an unbeaten 61* runs from just 44 deliveries with 4 sixes & 7 fours and completed the victory with a massive maximum. Steeton scored 232 runs for the loss of just 2 wickets in 40.2 overs. Steeton had beaten North Leeds by 8 wickets and now meet Olicanian at home on 19th June in the quarter finals.

John Akrigg & Will Smith are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Bardsey 113 a/o in 31 overs

Steeton 114-6 in 28.5 overs

Steeton entertained Bardsey at Summerhill Lane on a sunny but chilly day. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked Bardsey to bat first…a decision soon vindicated as Bardsey had lost both openers with only 4 runs on the board. Opening bowler Matt Nutter clean bowled 3 batsmen as his 13 overs conceded 60 runs. Matt’s opening partner was Ben Yeadon, who bowled 8 economical overs which only conceded 12 runs as he clean bowled 2 batsmen. Gary Boulton collected a further 2 wickets as he bowled 7 overs which conceded 32 runs with catches taken by skipper Simon Cox and keeper Max Hibbert. Simon was awarded a fielding point. Simon’s son Archie Cox had the best bowling figures as he bowled 3 excellent overs which conceded 8 runs as he collected 3 wickets, including clean-bowling Bardsey’s top-scorer Walkden (52), and had a catch taken by Richard Nichols. Steeton bowled Bardsey all out for a meagre 113 runs in 31 overs.

In reply Steeton made hard work of knocking off the simple target. Opener Richard Nichols scored 24 runs from 18 deliveries with 5 boundaries and David Robinson scored 15 runs, but when David was out Steeton were teetering at 42 runs with 4 wickets down. Coming in at No5 skipper Simon Cox added much needed stability to the Steeton innings. Simon shared a 36-run 5th wicket partnership with Matt Nutter, who contributed 15 runs.  but scored 114 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 28.5 overs. Simon Cox finished with an unbeaten 36* runs scored from 67 deliveries with 5 boundaries. Max Hibbert (11*) hit the winning runs as Steeton finished with 114 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 28.5 overs. Steeton (18 points) beat Bardsey (4 points) by 4 wickets.

Simon & his son Archie Cox is my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Steeton 212 a/o in 44.1 overs

Bilton 218-3 in 44.1 overs

Steeton travelled to Bilton in this top-of-the-table clash, with Steeton 2nd in the division trying to depose top placed Bilton. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and elected to bat first. Steeton’s innings was progressing well with an excellent 74-run 2nd wicket partnership between opener Richard Nichols and David Robinson, when David unfortunately strained his hamstring and had to be carried from the field. David had scored 33* runs not out from 63 deliveries with 6 boundaries, while Richard went on to complete an excellent half-century. Richard scored 52 runs from 65 deliveries with 10 boundaries. The solid batting was continued by skipper Simon Cox, who top-scored with 58 runs scored from 63 balls with 7 boundaries. Simon shared a 46-run 4th wicket partnership with Gary Boulton, who contributed 27 runs from 30 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours. Wilf Roberts chipped in with 15 runs, but as the Steeton tail-end was exposed the scoring rate slowed as wickets tumbled. Steeton finished 20 or 30 runs short of the target they had hoped to set with 212 runs all out in 44.1 overs.

In reply Bilton’s strong batting line-up meant wicket-taking was a rare occurrence. The veteran Gary Boulton removed both openers as he finished with 2 wickets for 48 runs from 13 overs, with catches taken by Richard Nichols and keeper Max Hibbert. Unfortunately the only wicket that Steeton could take was caught by Will Smith off the bowling of Luke Watson (1-57). Will Smith was awarded a fielding point along with Finn Brown. Bilton had only 5 balls to spare as they passed the Steeton target, having scored 218 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 44.1 overs. Steeton (6 points) lost to Bilton (20 points) by 7 wickets.

Simon Cox is my Steeton Man-of-the-Match

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Guiseley 91 a/o in 30.4 overs

Steeton 95-5 in 20.5 overs

Guiseley were all out for 91 runs in 30.4 overs. Steeton scored 95 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20.5 overs. Steeton (18 points) beat Guiseley (2 points) by 5 wickets

Gary Boulton is my Man-of-the-Match

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Olicanian 197-8 in 45 overs

Steeton 199-6 in 43.1 overs

Olicanian scored 197 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 45 overs. Steeton scored 199 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 43.1 overs. Bradley Akrigg 91 runs. Steeton beat Olicanian by 4 wickets to progress to the semi-finals of the Birtwhistle cup. Steeton will play Adel at home on 10th July in the semi-finals.

Bradley Akrigg is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 169-9 in 45 overs

Bolton Villas 48-6 in 21.2 overs

Steeton travelled to Bolton Villas’ All Alone Road ground and when skipper Simon Cox lost the toss Steeton were asked to bat first. Steeton’s innings began with a solid 41-run opening partnership before Finlay Brown (16) departed. His opening partner was Richard Nicholls, who scored a fluent 30 runs from 40 deliveries with 7 boundaries before he was given out caught behind. A series of cameo innings from the top order saw skipper Simon Cox (13), Max Harrison (14) & Max Hibbert (13) all make good starts but unable to continue to produce a significant contribution. Steeton’s low point came as they were reduced to 100 runs with 8 wickets down. This brought together Paul Hardwick and David Wynn and together they ran quick singles, turned singles into 2 runs and even hit some boundaries as they ran the fielders ragged. When Paul Hardwick was out for 37 runs scored from 51 balls with 4 boundaries, they had added a remarkable 50 runs for the 9th wicket. David Wynn finished with 18* runs not out from 36 deliveries with 1 boundary. David went on to add a further 19 runs for the unbroken last wicket with Jake Hill, who contributed 11* runs not out from just 9 balls with one big six. Steeton’s tail-end had definitely wagged and meant they went into tea with 169 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton took wickets regularly as the forecasted rain threatened to spoil the party. David Wynn had the best bowling figures with 3 wickets for 26 runs from 11 overs with 2 catches (one was a spectacular diving grab!) taken by keeper Max Hibbert and a sharp low catch in the slips safely pouched by Phil Barrett. Jake Hill bowled a fine opening blast as he finished with great economical figures of 2 wickets for 12 runs from 8 overs. Steeton also had a farcical run out as both Bolton Villas batsmen were at the same end and Finlay Brown threw in to Max Hibbert to nonchalantly remove a bail. Steeton’s fielding was excellent with many deserving fielding points, but the honour went to Luke Watson. Steeton rushed to get through enough overs for Duckworth-Lewis-Sterne to come into effect so when the looming rain arrived Steeton were well ahead of the match. Proceedings were halted after the 2nd downpour with Bolton Villas on 48 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 21.2 overs. Steeton (18 points) beat Bolton Villas (4 points) by 121 runs.

David Wynn is my Man-of-the-Match

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Horsforth 109 a/o in 33 overs

Steeton 113-2 in 25.4 overs

Steeton travelled to King George’s Field to play Horsforth, who like their 1st XI are bottom of the division. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked Horsforth to bat first. Horsforth had reach 43 runs before losing their 1st wicket to the bowling of Jake Hill (1-22) with a catch taken by Will Smith. With the initial breakthrough made wicket began to tumble and the main recipient was veteran Gary Boulton, who claimed another 5-for. Gary took 5 wickets for 20 runs from 12 overs, with a further 2 catches taken by Will Smith as well as a catch by Jake Hill, a C&B and a stumping by keeper Max Hibbert. Will Smith was awarded a fielding point. Gary Boulton returned the catching favour for Will Smith (1-8) as he took a catch from Will’s spin-bowling. Swing bowler Luke Watson took 2 wickets for 22 runs from 5 overs, courtesy of a 2nd catch by Jake Hill as well as one by David Wynn. David had a good day in the field as he also ran out a batsman with a direct hit and was awarded a fielding point. Horsforth were all out for 109 runs in 33 overs.

In reply Steeton began with a solid 53-run opening partnership between skipper Simon Cox and promising youngster Max Harrison. Simon Cox was the first to depart having scored 22 runs from 46 deliveries with 4 boundaries. Max completed his half-century as he added 56 runs for the 2nd wicket with the experienced John Akrigg. Max Harrison was caught & bowled for exactly 50 runs scored from 74 deliveries  with 6 boundaries. John Akrigg calmly saw Steeton home with 22* runs not out 37 balls with 4 boundaries. Steeton had scored 113 runs for the loss of 2 wickets from 25.4 overs to earn themselves an early finish. Steeton (20 points) beat Horsforth (2 points) by 8 wickets.

Gary Boulton & Max Harrison are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Olicanian 206-6 in 45 overs

Steeton 207-5 in 42.4 overs

Steeton entertained Olicanian on a hot summer’s day at Summerhill Lane and when skipper Simon Cox he gave Olicanian first batting use of a good track. Opening bowler Ben Yeadon broke the opening partnership with the score on just 2 runs with a smart slip catch taken by Richard Nichols. Richard was awarded a fielding point. Ben Yeadon finished with 2 wickets for 42 runs from 8 overs with a fine catch taken Max Harrison running in from the point boundary. Gary Boulton (1-22) bowled 9 tight overs, but the best bowling figures go to Jake Hill, who took 3 wickets for 64 runs from 13 overs, with a catch taken by keeper Max Hibbert and 2 excellent catches on the long off boundary by Gary Boulton. Gary was awarded a fielding point. Olicanian closed with 206 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 45 overs…around 30 to 40 runs short of good score.

In reply Steeton’s opener Finlay Brown got Steeton off to a flying start as he scored 38 runs from 56 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. Finlay shared a 54-run 2nd wicket partnership with John Akrigg, who went on to top-score with a solid 71 runs from 100 deliveries with 13 boundaries. John also added a great 95 runs for the 4th wicket with Max Harrison, who scored a fabulous unbeaten 58* runs from 62 balls with 1 six & 8 fours. Steeton cruised to a comfortable victory having come on top against Olicanian in 3 matches this season. Steeton scored 207 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 42.4 overs. Steeton (18 points) beat Olicanian (7 points) by 5 wickets.

John Akrigg & Max Harrison are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Adel 162-8 in 45 overs

Steeton 166-2 in 41.4 overs

Steeton entertained Adel at Summerhill Lane on a lovely humidly hot summer’s day in the semi-final of the Birtwhistle cup. Adel are in the division above Steeton and so came as clear favourites, but giant-killing in cup fixtures is not uncommon. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Adel had little hesitation in choosing to bat first. With the Adel score on 6 runs Jake Hill (1-14) broke the opening partnership. Following a 70-run partnership the introduction of Max Harrison proved effective as he removed both of the set batsman and finished with 2 wicket for 29 runs from 7 overs, with catches taken by keeper Max Hibbert and John Akrigg. Adel went into a malaise and seemed unwilling or unable to increase the scoring rate. Veteran Gary Boulton picked up a further 2 wickets for 24 runs from 9 overs, including a good catch driven hard and low to Luke Watson at mid-off. A fine spell by Ryan Ridehalgh (1-28) was rewarded by a wicket well caught by Will Smith. Richard Nichols also bowled a good spell which earned him 2 wickets for 41 runs from 9 overs with a 2nd catch taken by keeper Max Hibbert. All of Steeton’s bowlers bowled well and were supported by an  excellent fielding performance. Adel closed with a below-par 162 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton were majestic and the result never looked in doubt. The experienced pairing of John Akrigg and Richard Nichols added 155 runs for the 2nd wicket as Steeton coasted home. Richard Nichols scored an unbeaten 68* runs from 109 deliveries with 11 boundaries and John Akrigg was needlessly run out with the scores level having scored 71 runs from 131 deliveries with 12 boundaries. With John departing it took Max Harrison 2 deliveries to smack the boundary that took Steeton through to the Birtwhistle cup final. Steeton had scored 166 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 41.4 overs to beat Adel by 8 wickets. Steeton now meet Collingham and Linton in the final at Addingham CC on 14th August.

John Akrigg & Richard Nichols are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Steeton 260-8 in 45 overs

Menston 202 a/o in 41 overs

Steeton consolidated their position as 2nd in the division with a convincing victory against the 3rd placed team. Instrumental in the victory was a superb century by Ryan Ridehalgh. Ryan scored a fantastic 113 runs from only 57 balls with 6 sixes and 15 fours…sending a clear message that he is ready for 1st XI duties! The experienced pairing of Richard Nichols (54) and John Akrigg (46) had earlier added 95 runs for the 2nd wicket. Steeton closed with an impressive 260 runs for 8 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Menston were bowled all out for 202 runs in 41 overs. The chief wicket-takers were David Wynn (4-57) and Ryan Ridehalgh topped a fine all-round performance with 3 wickets for 49 runs. Fielding points went to Gary Boulton & Will Smith. Steeton (20 points) beat Menston (9 points) by 58 runs

Ryan Ridehalgh is my Man-of-the-Match

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New Rover 173-5 in 45 overs

Steeton 174-1 in 28.1 overs

Batting first at Summerhill Lane, New Rover lost quick early wickets and were reduced to 41 runs with 4 wickets down. They then stopped losing wickets, but also seemed to forget to score runs! Steeton finished with only 5 wickets, but New Rover had only managed 173 runs in their 45 overs. David Wynn bowled an excellent spell and was rewarded with 3 wickets for 35 runs from his 13 overs, with 2 catches taken by Gary Boulton as well as another by John Akrigg. The other 2 successful bowlers were Jake Hill (1-18) with a catch by keeper Max Hibbert and Ryan Ridehalgh (1-21) with a 2nd catch by John Akrigg. Fielding points went to Finlay Brown & Craig Walton.

In reply Steeton had opener Richard Nichols retire hurt having scored 57 runs from 36 deliveries with 12 boundaries. His opening partner was skipper Simon Cox, who top-scored with an impressive 76 runs from 97 balls with 13 boundaries. Simon was caught out with just 8 runs needed for victory and the experienced John Akrigg on 19* runs not out. It took Ryan Ridehalgh (8*) just 4 balls to knock off the remaining runs as Steeton completed a comfortable victory with 16 overs to spare. Steeton had scored 174 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in 28.1 overs. Steeton (17 points) beat New Rover (3 points) by 9 wickets

Simon Cox is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 280-3 in 45 overs

Addingham 140 a/o in 40.4 overs

A confident Steeton travelled to Addingham with a batting line-up that would grace many first teams. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Steeton were asked to bat first. Steeton’s innings was built around a series of solid partnerships…beginning with a 38-run opening stand before skipper Simon Cox departed for 18 runs. Simon’s opening partner was Richard Nichols, who went on to add a further 91 runs for the second wicket with John Akrigg. Richard was caught out having scored an exciting 65 runs from 75 deliveries with 1 six & 8 fours. John Akrigg went on to mainly watch as Ryan Ridehalgh scored 17 runs from just 7 balls with 1 six & 2 fours in a 3rd wicket stand of 25 runs. John went on to share a fantastic unbroken 126-run 4th wicket partnership with Craig Walton. Both John & Craig finished with exactly 81* runs not out each. John Akrigg scored his unbeaten 81* runs from 97 deliveries with 11 boundaries, while Craig Walton scored his rapid unbeaten 81* runs from just 49 deliveries with 3 sixes & 10 fours. Steeton closed with a considerable 280 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton had Addingham reeling at 8 runs with 2 wickets down with opening bowler David Wynn taking both wickets. David finished the best bowling figures of 3 wickets for 34 runs from 6 overs, with 2 catches by keeper Max Hibbert. The wily Gary Boulton bowled 9 economic overs that only conceded 16 runs as he claimed a further 2 scalps, with a catch taken by Jake Hill. Steeton used 7 different bowlers and every bowler took at least one wicket. Opener Jake Hill (1-35); medium-pacer Ryan Ridehalgh (1-16) had a catch taken by Finlay Brown; left-arm orthodox spinner Will Smith (1-26); medium pacer Craig Walton (1-7) had a return catch off his own bowling; and last but by no means least the final wicket fell to John Akrigg (1-2) with a stumping by keeper Max Hibbert. Fielding points were awarded to Simon Cox & Craig Walton. Steeton had bowled Addingham all out for exactly half the posted target – Addingham were all out for 140 runs in 40.4 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Addingham (3 points) by 140 runs.

Craig Walton is my Man-of-the-Match

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Calverley 124 a/o in 42.1 overs

Steeton 125-3 in 25 overs

On the back of 9 straight wins Steeton travelled to Calverley’s Victoria Park ground in a confident mood. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Calverley chose to bat first. Steeton’s opening bowlers were David Wynn & Jake Hill  and both were bowling really well, but it was David Wynn who reaped all the reward. David took all 5 wickets of the top 5 Calverley batsmen and finished with the great figures of 5 wickets for 32 runs from his 13 overs, with 4 catches taken by keeper John Akrigg. Ryan Ridehalgh also bowled a fine spell as he collected 3 wickets for just 13 runs from 9 overs, with a catch by max Harrison and a 5th catch for keeper John Akrigg. The other 2 wickets fell to Max Harrison, who took 2 wickets for 6 runs from 3.1 overs with a catch taken by Will Smith. Luke Watson was awarded a fielding point as Calverley closed with a meagre 124 runs all out in 42.1 overs.

In reply Steeton’s impressive top-order batsmen were again on show. A promising opening partnership was cut short with the Steeton score on 44 runs as Max Harrison was bowled for 10 runs. Max’s opening partner was the experienced Richard Nichols, who completed another half-century before being caught for exactly 50 runs scored from 62 deliveries with 9 boundaries. John Akrigg & Ryan Ridehalgh saw Steeton home to a comfortable victory with an unbroken 38-run 4th wicket partnership. John Akrigg finished with an unbeaten 30* runs scored from 45 deliveries with 7 boundaries, while Ryan Ridehalgh scored a rapid 23* runs not out off just 12 balls with 4 boundaries. Steeton had scored 125 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 25 overs, to  complete their victory with 20 overs to spare. Steeton have now won their last 10 matches and are comfortably in the 2nd promotion position in division 5. Steeton (20 points) beat Calverley (2 points) by 7 wickets.

David Wynn is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 327-7 in 45 overs

Follifoot 70 a/o in 23.2 overs

On the back of 10 straights Steeton played an interdivisional match against Follifoot, who are in the division below. Steeton skipper Simon Cox won the toss and confidently chose to bat first on a scorching hot sunny day. Steeton had reached 134 runs in the 25th over before losing their first wicket…skipper Simon Cox, who had scored 51 runs from 81 deliveries with 6 boundaries. Simon’s opening partner was Richard Nichols, who top-scored with a tremendous 85 runs scored from just 79 deliveries with 15 boundaries. At No3 John Akrigg also registered a half-century as he scored 65 runs from only 50 deliveries with 12 boundaries. John shared a quick-fire 72-run 4th wicket stand with Ryan Ridehalgh, who despatched 2 sixes & 6 fours as he faced just 21 balls for his 46 runs. John then went on to share a 49-run 5th wicket partnership with Max Harrison, who contributed 22 runs from 14 balls with 4 boundaries. Gary Boulton chipped in with 12* runs not out as Steeton closed with a massive 327 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 45 overs. Follifoot would have to score at almost 7½ runs per over to challenge this huge Steeton target.

Fielding for 45 overs had certainly taken its toll on the Follifoot top-order batsmen, who had soon crumbled to 7 runs with 3 wickets already back in the pavilion. The first wicket was a suicidal run out with Will Smith quickly picking up and throwing for keeper John Akrigg to remove the bails. the next 2 wickets fell to Jake Hill, who  finished with 2 wickets for 6 runs from 5 overs with catches nicely taken by Will Smith & skipper Simon Cox. Follifoot lurched to 22 runs with 5 wickets down, as David Wynn’s fine bowling was rewarded with the next 2 wickets. David took 2 wickets for 21 runs from his 5 overs with good catches taken by Luke Watson as well as a second for Will Smith. Luke Watson was awarded a fielding point. It was Max Harrison’s turn to take the next 2 wickets as he finished with 2 wickets for 10 runs from 3 overs with a catch plucked out of the air at mid-on by Craig Walton as well as a low catch for keeper John Akrigg. Max Harrison also threw in to keeper John Akrigg to run out a further batsman. Follifoot had an injured played while fielding so only had 10 fit batsmen. The coup-de-grace was delivered by Will Smith (1-5) who had a neat edge through to Richard Nichols in the slips. Follifoot had been totally outplayed and were all out for a mere 70 runs in 23.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Follifoot (3 points) by 257 runs.

Richard Nichols is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 217-9 in 45 overs

Collingham & Linton 215 a/o in 44.3 overs

Steeton were once again underdogs as they faced Collingham & Linton, who are riding high at the top of the division above Steeton…and having so far this season won ever match (18 matches in the league as well as the earlier 4 rounds of the cup)…Collingham were on a 22 match winning streak! Steeton skipper Simon Cox won the toss and on a blistering hot day they rightly chose to bat first. Steeton began there innings with an excellent 56-run opening partnership, before skipper Simon Cox was caught out for 29 runs scored from 53 deliveries with 5 boundaries. His opening partner was Richard Nichols, who scored 28 runs from 46 balls with 5 fours before being bowled by a ‘worm-burner’. Steeton’s strong top-order continued the good scoring as John Akrigg shared an excellent 51-run 3rd wicket partnership with Craig Walton. Craig Walton scored 27 runs from 25 balls with 1 six & 4 fours, while John Akrigg top-scored with 38 runs scored from 55 deliveries with 4 fours. When John was caught out Steeton were 136 runs with 4 wickets down in the 31st over. Steeton upped the tempo with Ryan Ridehalgh scoring 21 runs from 20 deliveries with 3 boundaries; Max Harrison scoring 20 runs from 27 balls with 1 boundary; and Luke Watson scoring 20 runs from 24 balls with 2 boundaries. Steeton closed with 217 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 45 overs. The mood around the Steeton camp was that they would have been happier with around 30 more runs.

In reply Collingam’s strong opening batsmen were both removed by Richard Nichols, who ended with 2 wickets for 35 runs from his 9 overs, with 2 low tumbling catches…one by Will Smith at point and one by keeper John Akrigg. When skipper Simon Cox fielded quickly and threw in to hit the wickets directly and run out Collingham’s No3 batsman, Collingham had scored 54 runs with 3 wickets down. Advantage Steeton…before strong middle order batting wrested the advantage back to Colingham. During the middle of the innings Max Harrison bowled a fine spell and collected 2 wickets from LBWs for 33 runs from 7 overs. Accurate swing bowler Gary Boulton also had 2 LBWs but Collingham had reached 204 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 41 overs. Needing just another 14 runs with 3 wickets still in the tent and 4 overs as well as a batsman set on 66 runs Collingham looked like they would surely be victorious. Collingham’s top-scorer, Stephen James (66) skied a simple catch to Max Harrison off the bowling of Gary Boulton and one ball later Gary had an LBW. With 2 overs to go Collingham were 212 runs with 8 wickets down…only 6 runs needed. Opening bowler David Wynn was brought back into the attack and bowled a great over which conceded just 2 runs and he clean-bowled the 9th batsman. David finished with 1 wicket for 26 runs from 8 overs. The last over was bowled by Gary Boulton with the last pair of Collingham batsmen at the crease, but only 4 runs needed. Gary’s first delivery was a dot ball and his 2nd conceded a single…but his third delivery rattled into the wickets and Steeton had won. Collingham were all out for 215 runs in 44.3 overs and Steeton had won by a mere 2 runs. A fantastic game of cricket ended with a nail-biting tight result and Steeton collected the Birtwhistle Cup for only the 2nd time in their history. The Club are holders of both the Waddilove and Birtwhistle Cups for 2022.

The Birtwhistle cup committee chose Gary Boulton as the Man-of-the-Match,  and Steeton’s sponsors Rinew chose Max Harrison as their Man-of-the-Match, but I think the whole team are joint Men-of-the-Match…heroes to a man! Super proud of every one of our giant slaying conquerors.

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Bardsey 169 a/o in 44.2 overs

Steeton 172-4 in 38.2 overs

On the back of 12 straight wins Steeton travelled to Bardsey in an upbeat mood. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Bardsey chose to bat first. Jake Hill (1-25) broke the opening stand with the score on 23 runs. Ryan Ridehalgh clean bowled the next 2 wickets and finished with 2 wickets for 43 runs from 10 overs. Will Smith ran out a batter as Bardsey were reduced to 84 runs with 4 wickets down. Luke Watson’s in-swing earned him 2 wickets with catches taken by Jake Hill and Simon Cox. Luke took 2 wickets for 35 runs from 9 overs. Pick of the bowlers with an impressive 2nd spell was opening bowler David Wynn, who took 4 wickets for 29 runs from 8.2 overs. David took all his 4 wickets in a 2nd spell of 4.2 overs which only conceded 3 runs! David had a catch taken by Simon Cox and clean bowled 3 batsmen including the last pair from consecutive deliveries…he is on a hat-trick first ball next week! With 2 catches Simon Cox was awarded a fielding point. Bardsey were all out for 169 runs in 44.2 overs.

In reply Steeton’s batting was again impressive – beginning with an 88-run opening partnership between skipper Simon Cox & Finlay Brown. Simon scored a fifty before being clean bowled for 50 runs from 59 deliveries with 9 boundaries; while Finlay deserved a fifty, but had to settle for 42 runs from 55 deliveries with 9 boundaries. The solid scoring continued with the reliable John Akrigg, who added 44 runs for the 3rd wicket with Craig Walton, before Craig was caught for 23 runs scored from 27 balls with 1 six & 3 fours. John went on to add a match-winning unbroken 27-run 5th wicket partnership with Luke Watson, who contributed 10* runs not out. When John Akrigg stroked the winning boundary he had scored an unbeaten 41* runs from 60 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours to improve an already impressive batting average. Steeton had scored 172 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 38.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Bardsey (5 points) by 6 wickets.

Simon Cox is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 273-7 in 45 overs

Bilton 73 a/o in 27.2 overs

Steeton’s run of victories has now reached 13 straight wins but today they faced a big challenge as they took on the division leaders. If Steeton could beat Bilton then they would also leap-frog them in the league and become the new league leaders with just 2 games of the season left to play. Both teams look certain to be promoted…but who will be promoted as division champions? Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and decided to bat first. A promising 65-run opening partnership was broken with an unnecessary run out of Richard Nichols, who had scored 37 runs from 43 deliveries with 7 boundaries. With the score still on 65 runs Steeton lost their 2nd wicket as skipper Simon Cox departed LBW having scored 24 runs from 53 balls with 3 boundaries. With Steeton’s strong batting line-up this brought together John Akrigg and Craig Walton and together they added a further 124 runs for the 3rd wicket. The bulk of the runs were scored by Craig Walton, who finished with a wonderful unbeaten 114* runs scored from just 82  deliveries with 1 six & 15 fours. John Akrigg contributed 28 runs from 59 balls with a single boundary. The next batsmen upped the scoring rate as Ryan Ridehalgh smashed 14 runs from 8 balls and Matthew Nutter crashed 2 sixes & 3 fours as he faced just 10 balls and scored 27 runs. If either of these batters had been able to bat through to the close Steeton would have scored well in excess of 300 runs, but after their 45 overs Steeton had nevertheless set an impressive target of 273 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

In reply Steeton quickly sliced into the Bilton top-order. In just the 2nd over Gary Boulton took sharp catch in the gully off the bowling of Matt Nutter and a few balls later the next batsman fended-off a short delivery which spooned up for the keeper Max Hibbert to collect a simple catch. Matt Nutter finished with 2 wickets for 28 runs from 8 overs. David Wynn (1-22) joined in the action with a catch taken at mid-off by Luke Watson. Bilton were teetering at 13 runs with 3 wickets down…Steeton well on top! Ryan Ridehalgh continued the formidable bowling as he bowled 4 tight overs which only conceded 5 runs as he took 2 wickets, including a 2nd catch for keeper Max Hibbert off a fine edge. The introduction of the indomitable Gary Boulton hastened the Bilton demise. Gary’s first delivery was dispatched for 6, but he took immediate revenge with his 2nd ball that was well caught by a tumbling Luke Watson…and 3 balls later Gary took an excellent reaction catch off a ball driven back at him. Gary had further catch comfortably pouched in the covers by Matt Nutter and Bilton were almost out for the count at 39 runs with 8 wickets down. Gary took another caught & bowled from a skied hit – giving him 3 catches and a he was rightly awarded a fielding point. A clattering of stumps finally finished Bilton off and Gary Boulton had taken 5 wickets for 17 runs from 6.2 overs. Bilton were all out for a meagre 73 runs in 27.2 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Bilton (3 points) by a remarkable 200 runs. Steeton are now 10 points clear of Bilton at the top of division 5.

Craig Walton is my Man-of-the-Match

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Guiseley 137-5 in 45 overs

Steeton 138-8 in 22 overs

Steeton confidently travelled to Guiseley’s Nethermoor Park ground on the back of 14 straight wins. Skipper Simon Cox won the toss and asked Guiseley to bat first. A great opening spell by David Wynn saw him take a wicket in the very first over and Guiseley were soon teetering with 3 wickets down and only 12 runs scored. David Wynn took a 2nd wicket with a nice slip catch by John Akrigg. John then took a 2nd good slip catch off the bowling of Ryan Ridehalgh (1-18) and earned himself a fielding point. Guiseley batsmen seemed to concentrate on surviving and run-scoring became very slow. Luke Watson (1-43) took and return catch off his own bowling, which put Guiseley 4 wickets down for 74 runs in the 34th over. Guiseley skipper Steve Dickinson tried to up the scoring rate, but the reintroduction of opening bowler David Wynn saw Steve caught behind by keeper Max Hibbert. David Wynn finished with 3 wickets for 21 runs from 10 overs. One of Guiseley’s opening batsman had batted through the entire 45 overs and only scored 37* runs. Guiseley had scored 137 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton’s top 3 batsmen and main run makers were all back in the pavilion with the total on 39 runs: Skipper Simon Cox (13); Richard Nichols (17); & John Akrigg (5). The 4th wicket partnership added 48 runs in just 23 balls as Craig Walton & Ryan Ridehalgh put Steeton back on track. Ryan scored 36 runs from just 13 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. Craig then watched as wicket after wicket fell at the other end as Steeton inched closer to the meagre Guiseley target. Craig Walton however stood strong and deserved a half-century but had to settle for a match-winning 49* runs not out from 46 deliveries with 9 boundaries. With Steeton’s No10 batsman at the other end Craig smashed four – two – four to clinch the victory. Steeton had scored 138 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 22 overs. Steeton (15 points) beat Guiseley (6 points) by 2 wickets.

Craig Walton is my Man-of-the-Match

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Bolton Villas 76 a/o in 31.1 overs

Steeton 79-1 in 14.4 overs

Steeton go into the final match of the 2022 season as division leaders…but only a precarious 5 points clear of their nearest rivals Bilton. To be promoted as division champions they not only needed to win, but to win well! Steeton were entertaining lowly Bolton Villas on a fine day at Summerhill Lane. Skipper Simon Cox lost the toss and Bolton Villas chose to bat first. Matthew Nutter ripped through the top-order with none of the top 6 batsmen able to manage double figures. Matt finished with great figures of 6 wickets for 27 runs from 13 overs, with catches taken by keeper Max Hibbert, a caught & bowled, Craig Walton and a fine catch at point by Gary Boulton. Gary was awarded a fielding point. Opening bowler David Wynn bowled 13 tight overs which only conceded 15 runs as he collected a single wicket, with a catch taken by Richard Nichols. Ryan Ridehalgh (1-17) had a catch taken by skipper Simon Cox, but the last 2 wickets fell to Jake Hill, who bowled 2.1 overs for 3 runs with 2 wickets. Bolton Villas had been skittled for a mere 76 runs in 31.1 overs.

In reply Steeton’s batting was again masterful. The only blemish was skipper Simon Cox, who was stumped for 15 runs from 23 ball with 3 boundaries with the Steeton total on 43 runs. Opening partner Richard Nichols scored an unbeaten 34* runs from 51 deliveries with 7 boundaries and the prolific John Akrigg scored 14* runs not out from 15 balls with 2 boundaries. Steeton passed  the lowly Bolton Villas target in just the 15 over. Steeton had scored 79 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in 14.4 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Bolton Villas (0 points) by 9 wickets. Steeton are promoted to the 4th division as champions. What a great season!

Matthew Nutter is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 252-6 in 40 overs

Harden 165-8 in 40 overs

On Sunday our 3rd XI entertained Harden at Summerhill Lane attempting to complete a hat-trick of wins on this opening weekend of the 2022 season. New skipper James Nowell won the toss and decided to bat first. At 12-2 he may have briefly regretted the decision, but a fantastic 150-run 3rd wicket partnership saw a new club record stand set. Steeton’s record breakers were Simon Cox, who scored a battling 39 runs from 57 deliveries with 5 boundaries; and a great unbeaten century by Bradley Akrigg, who finished with 139* runs not out from just 107 deliveries with 4 sixes & 15 fours. Bradley went on to add 45 runs for the 4th wicket with Simon’s son, Archie Cox, who was making his senior debut and contributed an excellent 22 runs from 41 deliveries with 2 boundaries. Finally Bradley added 30 runs for the unbroken 7th wicket with skipper James Nowell, who smashed 19* runs not out from just 7 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours. Steeton closed with a formidable 252 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 40 overs, meaning Harden would have to score at almost 6 runs per over throughout their innings.

In reply Harden were pegged back early by opening bowler Jake Hill, who clean bowled 2 wickets for 19 runs from 5 overs as Harden were reduced to 26-2. The next 2 wickets fell to the guiles of leg-spinner Mikey Tennant, who took 2 wickets for 40 runs from 8 overs, with a catch taken by skipper James Nowell. Harden’s top-scorer was one of the 4 Falkinghams in the side, Martin who had scored 77 runs before being removed by youngster Archie Cox, who bowled 5 tight overs which only conceded 7 runs as he collected 1 wicket, with a catch taken by Bradley Akrigg. Skipper James Nowell chipped-in with 2 wickets for 17 runs from 4 overs, courtesy of catches taken by Jake Hill & Mikey Tennant. The last wicket to fall went to Ben Yeadon (1-20) with a second catch for Bradley Akrigg. The two Archies were awarded fielding points: Archie Cox and Archie Smith. Steeton were unable to get Harden all out, but were able to provided Steeton with their third excellent win of this opening weekend. Harden finished with 165 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 40 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Harden (7 points) by 87 runs.

Bradley Akrigg is my Man-of-the-Match, with a special mention for 12-year-old Archie Cox who scored 22 runs and took 1-7 and a fielding point.

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Horsforth Hall Park 168 a/o in 36.5 overs

Steeton  125 a/o in 29 overs

Steeton entertained Horsforth Hall Park at Summerhill Lane on Sunday in the first round of the Chappell Cup. Steeton skipper James Nowell lost the toss and Hall Park chose to bat first. Ben Yeadon (1-38) had an early breakthrough with a thin edge taken by keeper Max Hibbert, but Hall Park were scoring at over 5 runs per over and looked likely to post a massive total. Bradley Akrigg brought a semblance of order as he clean bowled 2 wickets for 24 runs from his 8 overs. However the most impressive bowling figures belong a 13 year old girl called Louisa Hutchinson. Louisa was brought on to bowl and took a wicket with her very first delivery in senior cricket…and 2 balls later she added her 2nd wicket! Louisa finished with super figures of 3 wickets for just 13 runs from her 5 overs, with stumping by keeper Max Hibbert. Also taking 3 wickets was skipper James Nowell, whose 5 overs of off-spin cost him 36 runs as he had a lofted catch safely pouched by Phil Barrett and a sharp catch down the leg-side taken by keeper Max Hibbert. The final wicket fell to Jake Hill (1-29) with a comfortable catch by Ben Yeadon as Horsforth Hall Park were dismissed for 168 runs all out in 36.5 overs.

In reply Steeton stuttered to 27-2 with the departure of Finlay Brown (9), before a good 33-run 3rd wicket partnership between Max Hibbert (31) & Bradley Akrigg (16). Max scored his 31 runs from 36 deliveries with 5 boundaries and Bradley’s 16 runs came from 15 balls with 3 boundaries. Max & Bradley both departed with the Steeton total at 60 runs with now 4 wickets down. Skipper James Nowell deserved a half century, but had to settle for 49* runs not out. James’s 49* runs coming from 55 deliveries with 1 six & 7 fours. James shared a 24-run 5th wicket partnership with Phil Barrett (7) followed by a 32-run 9th wicket partnership with James Yeadon (5). Steeton lost all their scoring momentum when they lost 3 wickets in the space of 4 balls without adding to the score. Unfortunately James Nowell was unable to complete a memorable half-century as Steeton were bowled all out for 125 runs in 29 overs. Steeton lost to Horsforth Hall Park by 60 runs and will have no further interest in this season’s Chappell cup.

James Nowell is my Man-of-the-Match (with a special mention for a great debut by Louisa Hutchinson)

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Saltaire 117 a/o in 33.1 overs

Steeton 121-6 in 23.2 overs

Steeton travelled to Roberts Park with rain forecast, but fortunately none arrived. With a team whose average age was just 18½ years old, Skipper James Nowell won the toss and chose to let Saltaire bat first. His decision was proved a good one as Steeton soon reduced Saltaire to 16 runs with 3 wickets down. Caleb Gledhill claimed 2 wickets for 18 runs from 5 overs with a stumping by keeper Max Hibbert and a catch taken by Archie Smith…Archie earned himself a fielding point. The other wicket fell to Jake Hill (who was the ‘old man’ of the team at 29 years old!) who finished with 1 wicket for 26 runs from his 8 overs with a catch taken by Bradley Akrigg. Two Steeton bowlers then took 3 wickets apiece: leg-spinner Mikey Hofman-Tennant took 3 wickets for 23 runs from 8 overs; and Bradley Akrigg took 3 wickets for 15 runs from 6.1 overs, with a great catch in ‘cow-corner’ by Will Smith. Nathan Joseph was also awarded a fielding point as Saltaire’s 10 men were all out for 117 runs in 33.1 overs.

In reply Steeton were led by opener Archie Smith, who scored an exciting half-century. Archie scored 52 runs from just 53 deliveries with 1 six & 9 fours. He shared a 40-run opening partnership with Finlay Brown, who contributed 15 runs from 28 deliveries with 2 boundaries; …and then a 30-run 3rd wicket partnership with Bradley Akrigg, who contributed 19 runs from 21 deliveries with 2 sixes & 1 four. When Archie was out in-form skipper James Nowell made short work of knocking off the winning runs: James scored an unbeaten 12* runs not out from just 10 deliveries with his 2nd boundary completing a successful victory. Steeton had scored 121 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 23.2 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Saltaire (5 points) by 4 wickets.

Archie Smith is my Man-of-the-Match

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Burley-in-Wharfedale 125 a/o in 34.3 overs

Steeton 126-3 in 22.4 overs

Steeton travelled to Burley-in-Wharfedale’s Hodson Park ground to play this league match. Skipper James Nowell lost the toss and Burley chose to bat first on a warm day with a chance of showers later. Both Burley openers were removed by a great opening blast by Ben Yeadon, who bowled 8 tight overs that only conceded 8 runs as he clean-bowled his first victim and had a memorable low left-handed catch taken in the slips by Phil Barrett. Leg-spinner Mikey Hofman-Tennant continued the good start with 3 wickets for 62 runs from 8 overs with a nice catch taken by Ben Yeadon and a great low catch running in from the boundary by Max Hibbert. Skipper James Nowell bowls off-spinners and he also collected 3 wickets for 30 runs from his 8 overs with 2 catches taken on the boundary – one by Phil Barrett running in from the long-on boundary and another drilled at Bradley Akrigg in ‘cow corner’. The innings was polished-off quickly by Archie Smith (1-0), who bowled one over which was a wicket maiden…and Bradley Akrigg (1-6) with a regulation catch by Ben Yeadon. Steeton’s fielding points went to Phil Barrett, Ben Yeadon & Max Hibbert. Burley-in-Wharfedale had been bowled all out for 125 runs in 34.3 overs.

In reply Steeton’s opening batsman Archie Smith scored an excellent 41 runs from 64 deliveries with 7 boundaries. Archie shared a 20-run 2nd wicket partnership with Max Hibbert, who contributed 11 runs. Archie then went on to share a super 69-run 3rd wicket partnership with Bradley Akrigg, who top-scored with an unbeaten 63* runs scored from just 45 deliveries with 3 sixes & 8 fours. Steeton passed the meagre Burley target with 17 overs to spare, having scored 126 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 22.4 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Burley-in-Wharfedale (4 points) by 7 wickets.

Bradley Akrigg is my Man-of-the-Match

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Otley 105 a/o in 30.5 overs

Steeton 100-6 in 23.3 overs (DLS)

On a wet Sunday Steeton entertained Otley at a gloomy Summerhill Lane. Stand-in skipper Oliver Gledhill won the toss and asked Otley to bat first…a good decision when they had removed both openers without a run being scored! Opening bowler Ben Yeadon finished with excellent figures of 8 overs for 22 runs with 3 wickets, with catches taken by Max Hibbert & keeper Oliver Gledhill. His opening partner was Caleb Gledhill, who took 1 wicket for 17 runs, with a catch taken by Nathan Joseph. Archie Smith bowled 6 overs and took 2 wickets for 24 runs, with catches taken by 2 different Maxes: Hudson & Hibbert. The best bowling figures belong to Max Hibbert, who bowled 5 overs for 15 runs as he collected 3 wickets, including a C&B as well as a catch by Archie Cox. For some time James Yeadon has been stuck with 99 wickets for the 2nd XI and 99 wickets for the 3rd XI. Today James was able to turn the 3rd XI tally into a century of wickets, as he bowled 2.5 overs for 11 runs and took the final wicket thanks to an excellent catch on the long-off boundary by his son Ben Yeadon. Ben as well as Max Hudson were awarded fielding points. Otley’s top score was only 27 runs as they were bowled all out for just 105 runs in 30.5 overs.

In reply Steeton were led by the in-form opener Finlay Brown, who deserved a half-century, but was caught for 41 runs scored from 50 balls with 8 boundaries. Max Hibbert scored 18 runs from 22 deliveries with 2 boundaries and was the only other batsman to reach double figures. A number of rain breaks meant Steeton had lost 4 overs and the Duckworth-Lewis reduced target meant they needed just 100 runs to win. It was another father and son combination which saw Steeton home: skipper Oliver Gledhill (8*) and son Caleb Gledhill (5*). Steeton had scored 100 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 23.3 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Otley (5 points) by 4 wickets.

Finlay Brown & Max Hibbert are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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St Chad’s Broomfield 126 a/o in 36.3 overs

Steeton 127-2 in 17 overs

Steeton travelled to St Chad’s on a sunny Sunday with the cheers from the Headingley Test Match crowd clearly audible. Skipper James Nowell lost the toss and St Chad’s chose to bat first. Steeton’s strong opening bowlers tore into the top batters and St Chad’s succumbed to 23 runs with 3 wickets down. To try to prevent an embarrassing rout Steeton swapped the bowlers to less regular bowlers in ended up using 9 different bowlers. The pick off the bowlers was opener Ben Yeadon, who finished with 4 wickets for 23 runs from 8 overs. Ben’s opening partner was Caleb Gledhill, who bowled 5 tight overs that only conceded 6 runs as he collected 2 wickets. Mikey Hofman-Tennant (1-31) took a single wicket from a sharp catch from a ball drilled at Bradley Akrigg at close mid-off. Skipper James Nowell (1-20) clean bowled a batsman and Bradley Akrigg (1-9) had a rapid stumping by keeper Max Hibbert. The final wicket to fall was St Chad’s top-scorer and skipper and opener Angus Boyle (47) who fell to a fantastic diving left-handed catch by Ben Yeadon in the gully off the bowling of Max Harrison (1-1). Ben Yeadon was quite rightly awarded a fielding for his superb grab. St Chad’s Broomfield were bowled all out for 126 runs in 36.3 overs.

Steeton’s reply was emphatic. An excellent 80-run opening partnership was only broken when a slip by Finlay Brown meant he could make his ground and was run out. Finlay had scored a masterful 38 runs from just 34 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. Without a runs being added a 2nd run out from a direct hit was the only other wicket that St Chad’s took. Steeton cruised to victory with an unbroken 47-run 3rd wicket partnership between opener Max Harrison, who top-scored with an excellent unbeaten 61* runs scored from only 43 deliveries with 1 six & 11 fours; and skipper James Nowell, who scored an unbeaten 23* runs from 22 balls with 1 six & 3 fours. Steeton had passed the meagre St Chad’s target in just 17 overs having scored 127 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. Steeton (20 points) beat St Chad’s Broomfield (4 points) by 8 wickets

Max Harrison & Ben Yeadon are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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New Rover 217-8 in 40 overs

Steeton 221-7 in 39.3 overs

Those who came to watch our 3rd XI on Sunday were treated to fabulously enjoyable game of cricket with an exciting finish. Steeton skipper James Nowell won the toss and asked New Rover to bat first. New Rover had brought a young but talented team to face an equally young and talented Steeton side. Pick of the Steeton bowlers was 14-year-old Caleb Gledhill who collected 3 wickets for 24 runs from 8 overs with catches taken by keeper Max Hibbert and Tom Meakin. Tom was awarded a fielding point. 17-year-old Max Harrison also bowled well to remove New Rover’s top-scorer Ratnalingam (94) and had impressive figures of 2 wickets for 33 runs from 7 overs, with both his wickets caught behind by keeper Max Hibbert. Skipper James Nowell (1-50) gave keeper Max Hibbert his 4th catch of the match and Mikey Hofman-Tennant (1-49) clean bowled another batsman. The only other wicket to fall was a run-out with a smart pick-up and throw by 15-year-old Nathan Joseph for keeper Max Hibbert to swiftly remove the bails. Nathan Joseph was also awarded a fielding point. Steeton’s fielding had been mostly impressive, but occasional lapses had meant a number of catching chances had been squandered. New Rover closed with an impressive 217 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 40 overs.

In reply Steeton had progressed to 42 runs before losing their first wicket as Finlay Brown was caught out for 21 runs scored from 28 deliveries with 5 boundaries. Finlay’s opening partner was Max Harrison, who departed with the score on 62 runs having contributed 25 runs from 28 balls with 4 boundaries. The series of scores in the twenties continued with Archie Smith who was caught out for 29 runs from 35 deliveries with 6 boundaries. Max Hibbert continued the trend as he scored 20 runs from 27 balls with 3 boundaries, but Steeton really needed a batsman to change these cameo 20s into more substantial contributions. The batsman who filled these requirements was the unlikely figure of Tom Meakin. In the past 6 years Tom has only played a single match in 2020 and a single match in 2021, but today was his day. Tom top-scored with a thrilling 57 runs scored from 72 deliveries with 7 boundaries. Tom shared a 48-run 5th wicket partnership with skipper James Nowell, who contributed 22 runs from 25 deliveries with 2 boundaries. Tom was caught with the Steeton total on 203 runs – 15 runs required for victory but only 3 overs to score them. Will Smith (15*) kept a calm head, but the winning hit was administered by Ben Yeadon (8*), with a boundary. Steeton had passed the New Rover target with just 3 balls to spare. Steeton scored 221 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 39.3 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat New Rover (8 points) by 3 wickets.

Tom Meakin is my Man-of-the-Match

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Steeton 41-3 in 11 overs

Kirkstall Educational DNB

Steeton travelled to Kirkstall with rain forecasted…and the rain did indeed arrive! Batting first Steeton had not made the best of starts, but after 11 overs they were 41 runs with 3 wickets down. Opener Finlay Brown had scored 12 runs and Archie Smith was not out with 21* runs to his name from 27 deliveries with 4 boundaries. The weather was the only winner as this was a wash-out. Steeton (3 points) had a weather affected no result draw with Kirkstall Educational (4 points).

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Thackley 111 a/o in 24.5 overs

Steeton 113-5 in 20.1 overs

Steeton got Thackley all out for 111 runs in 24.5 overs, thanks largely to Bradley Akrigg who took 6 wickets for 24 runs from 7 overs. Archie Cox took 2 wickets for 19 runs from 5 overs and Caleb Gledhill (1-28), Tom Meakin (1-20) took a single wicket each.

In reply Steeton knocked-off the runs for the loss of 5 wickets: Bradley Akrigg (33), Finlay Brown (23), Max Hibbert (18) & Archie Smith on his 17th birthday scored 19* runs not out. Steeton scored 113 runs for 5 wickets in 20.1 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Thackley (4 points) by 5 wickets

Bradley Akrigg is my Man-of-the-Match

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Skipton 49 a/o in 18.4 overs

Steeton 53-2 in 14 overs

A confident Steeton travelled to Sandylands hoping to maintain their unbeaten record in the league. Steeton’s “Invincibles” skipper James Nowell lost the toss and Skipton chose to bat first. Opening bowler Ben Yeadon ripped out both openers as Skipton slumped to 17 runs with 2 wickets down. Ben finished with 2 wickets for 14 runs from 6 overs, with a catch taken by Archie Smith. Wickets continued to tumble with Tom Meakin (1-9) having a catch taken by keeper Max Hibbert and Archie Cox running out another batsman. Skipton were 26 runs with 4 batsman down. Mikey Hofman-Tennant & Caleb Gledhill each took 3 wickets to finish off the Skipton long tail. Mikey bowled 3 overs and took his 3 wickets for just 8 runs, with a catch taken by Bradley Akrigg as well as a return catch off his own bowling; while Caleb bowled 3.4 overs and took 3 wickets for 13 runs, with a catch taken by Ben Yeadon. Fielding points were awarded to Archie Cox, Bradley Akrigg & Ben Yeadon. Skipton lost their last 4 wickets without adding any runs to the total and were all out for a meagre 49 runs in 18.4 overs.

In reply Steeton began their pursuit of this small target with a 22-run opening partnership, with Finlay Brown making the major contribution by scoring 17 runs from 29 deliveries with 2 boundaries. Steeton then had a match-winning unbroken 26-run 3rd wicket partnership, with Max Hibbert making the major contribution as he finished with an unbeaten 25* runs scored for just 16 deliveries with 5 boundaries. Steeton’s demolition of Skipton had taken just 33 overs as Steeton scored 53 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 14 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Skipton (1 point) by 8 wickets.

Caleb Gledhill & Mikey Hofman-Tennant are my joint Men-of-the-Match

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Steeton 288-4 in 40 overs

Beckwithshaw 160 a/o in 36.5 overs

If other results had gone in our favour, Steeton could have clinched the 3rd XI 2nd division title at Summerhill Lane against Beckwithshaw. Steeton skipper James Nowell won the toss and confidently chose to bat first on a day that was far better than had been forecast. James Nowell promoted himself up the order to opener and shared a wonderful 2nd wicket partnership of 146 runs with Max Harrison. James scored his maiden half-century before being bowled for 69 runs scored from 73 deliveries with 1 six & 11 fours, but Max Harrison went on to top-score with a masterful 92 runs scored from exactly 92 balls with 1 six & 12 fours before being given out LBW. Max also shared a great 91-run 3rd wicket partnership with Bradley Akrigg, who contributed a fantastic 84 runs from just 47 deliveries with 5 sixes & 9 fours. Steeton’s excellent scoring continued with Max Hibbert scoring 19* runs not out from 19 deliveries with 2 boundaries. Steeton finished with a mammoth 288 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their 40 overs. To win Beckwithshaw would have to consistently score at over 7 runs per over.

In reply set off at a rapid pace and were well up with the required run rate and after 13 overs they were 69 runs for no wickets. The opening partnership was broken by Tom Meakin, who bowled a rapid opening spell, which on another day might have earned him 5 or 6 wickets, but today he had to settle for 1 wicket conceding 25 runs from 8 overs, with a comfortable catch taken by Bradley Akrigg. Bradley took a 2nd catch and earned a fielding point from the bowling of Max Harrison (1-21). Nathan Joseph was also awarded a fielding point. Youngster Archie Cox bowled an accurate spell and was rewarded with 3 wickets for 19 runs from 5 overs, with 2 catches taken by Tom Meakin. Bradley Akrigg (1-7) had a smart stumping by keeper Max Hibbert, but the result was fittingly decided by skipper James Nowell, who took 3 wickets for 31 runs from 4.5 overs with catches taken by Caleb Gledhill and Tom Meakin (his third) and the final wicket which was another smart stumping by keeper Max Hibbert. Beckwithshaw were all out for 160 runs in 36.5 overs. Steeton (20 points) beat Beckwithshaw (6 points) by 128 runs. Despite taking the full 20 points from this fixture other results did not go in Steeton’s favour and so the claiming of the 3rd XI 2nd division title will have to wait until next week.

James Nowell (whose birthday is tomorrow) is my Man-of-the-Match

Full Scorecard

Steeton 211-6 in 40 overs

Calverley St Wilfrids 152-9 in 40 overs

Steeton travelled to Calverley’s Victoria Park ground as division leaders but knowing that mathematically they could be caught. A good performance was necessary, but they also wanted to maintain their ‘invincible’ title as they were unbeaten in the league this season. Skipper James Nowell lost the toss and Calverley asked them to bat first. All did not go to plan as both openers were back in he pavilion with just 3 runs on the board. Max Harrison scored 31 runs from 28 deliveries with 6 boundaries, but when he was given out LBW Steeton were looking nervous at 49 runs for 4 wickets. The team’s nerves were settled by an excellent 66-run 5th wicket partnership between Max Hibbert and Tom Meakin. Tom was clean bowled for 27 runs from 40 balls with 4 fours and a massive six! In the 27th over Steeton lost their 6th wicket and had 142 runs. Max Hibbert had completed a good half-century and was joined by 12-year-old Archie Cox. Together Max & Archie added a superb 69 runs for an unbroken 7th wicket partnership. At the close Archie had scored a 28* runs not out from 49 balls with 3 boundaries; whereas Max Hibbert had scored a tremendous unbeaten 101* runs from 99 deliveries with 14 boundaries. In the context of the importance of this game and the situation when he arrived at the crease, this was a truly sensational innings. After their 40 overs, thanks largely to Max Hibbert, Steeton had registered 211 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Full 5 batting points for Steeton and Calverley would have to score at over 5¼ runs per over to challenge this target.

In reply Steeton’s opening bowlers took good early wickets to put Calverley on the back foot at 59 runs with 5 wickets down. Ben Yeadon took 2 wickets for 36 runs from 8 overs; while Caleb Gledhill took 3 wickets for 32 runs from 6 overs, with a fantastic diving, one-handed catch at midwicket by Archie Smith. Archie was quite rightly awarded a fielding point. Tom Meakin (1-13) and Bradley Akrigg (1-17) nipped out a single wicket each as Calverley were further reduced to 99 runs with 7 wickets down in their 24th over, and the required run rate had risen to 7 runs per over.  . Steeton had now collected sufficient points to ensure they were going to be promoted as division champions and so skipper James Nowell eased off and gave less regular bowlers a turn. In all 9 different bowlers were used. The successful bowlers were skipper James Nowell (1-6) and Archie Smith (1-0) with both wickets being caught by Max Harrison…his 2nd being a nicely judged low slip catch. Max Harrison was also rightly awarded a fielding point. Steeton were only able to extract 9 batsmen as Calverley finished with 152 runs for 9 wickets in their 40 overs. Steeton (19 points) beat Calverley St Wilfrids (7 points) by 59 runs and finished top of the 2nd division.

Max Hibbert is my Man-of-the-Match

Full Scorecard