Bilton 189-7 in 50 overs

A Walker 16, C Heptinsall 1, D Blenkiron 31, P Cannings 0, S Clemerson 52, M Crowther 29, K Jankowicz 16, C Coates 21*, I Amin 1*, Extras 22

J Best 13-1-40-1, R Suri 9-0-29-1, N Spragg 11-1-45-2, G Boulton 12-6-42-2, A Gledhill 5-0-18-0

Steeton 193-5 in 48.1 overs

M Wilson 25, J Sampson 5, D Robinson 9, N Spragg 15, A Luxton 73*, J Best 16, G Boulton 38*, Extras 12

K Jankowicz 9-0-47-0, I Amin 9-0-37-0, C Heptinstall 12-3-29-1, A Walker 18.1-1-75-4

Batting first Bilton were soon on the back foot with young debutant Ross Suri (1-29) breaking the opening partnership. Skipper Jon Best (1-40) removed the other opener and Bilton were soon reduced to 32 runs for 3 wickets. There was a pair of wickets apiece for the experienced Gary Boulton (2-42) & Neil Spragg (2-45), and catches for Australian Jye Sampson, keeper Neil Wilson & Neil Spragg. At tea Bilton had scored 189 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs, with Clemerson top-scoring with 52 runs.

In reply Steeton made a good start before losing Overseas player Jye Sampson (5) with the score on 31 runs. Jye’s opening partner Mick Wilson went on to score 25 runs from 39 deliveries with 4 fours. Neil Spragg chipped in with 15 runs & skipper Jon Best with 16 runs, but top-scorer for Steeton was Andrew Luxton, who scored a fantastic unbeaten 73* runs, despite being a doubtful selection with an injury. Andrew’s 73* runs came from 104 deliveries & included 10 boundaries & he shared an unbroken match-winning 6th wicket partnership of 86 runs with Gary Boulton (38*). Gary faced 47 balls to score his runs, which included 1 six & 5 fours. Despite fine bowling by Walker (4-75), Steeton scored 193 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 48.1 overs, to win by 5 wickets with 11 balls & 5 wickets to spare. Steeton 1st XI made the best possible start to the season and collect all 6 points on offer.

Harden 245-8 in 50 overs

L Booth 14, R Wear 21, A Bairstow 11, C Luxton 14, D Dawson 47, R Verity 12, J Roper 56, S Wood 39*, L Spragg 13, C Wintersgill 1*, Extras 18

J Best 11-3-52-1, R Suri 6-1-19-1, N Spragg 11-1-58-2, G Boulton 14-3-61-1, A Gledhill 8-2-44-2

Steeton 185 a/o in 48 overs

D Robinson 13, J Sampson 2, J Akrigg 6, N Spragg 2, A Luxton 72, J Best 4, G Boulton 50, A Gledhill 2, M Thomas 0, N Wilson 2, R Suri 0*, Extras 32

R Wear 12-3-23-6, P Leng 15-8-24-3, L Booth 2-0-32-0, C Wintersgill 10-1-41-1, S Wood 9-0-37-0

Our 1st XI were unable to continue their success of last week and lost at Cuckoo’s Nest by 60 runs. Batting first Harden were initially reduced to 55 runs with 3 wickets down, but recovered to score an impressive 245 runs for the loss of 8 wickets from their 50 overs. Top scorer for Harden was J Roper with 56 runs. Opening bowler Ross Suri (1-19) had made the initial breakthrough and there were 2 wickets each for pace-bowler Neil Spragg (2-58) & the left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill (2-44). Gary Boulton (1-61) & skipper Jon Best (1-52) also collected a wicket apiece. The bowlers were well supported in the field with 2 catches each for Matthew Thomas & Australian Jye Sampson, and also a catch for keeper Neil Wilson.

In reply Steeton made a disastrous start, which saw them collapse to 76 runs with 5 wickets down, with only opener David Robinson (13) reaching double figures. Last week’s heroes with the bat were again in fine form as Steeton compiled a fantastic 6th wicket partnership of 87 runs with Andrew Luxton scoring 72 runs & Gary Boulton scoring 50 runs. Andrew Luxton followed last week’s 73* runs with a fine 72 runs crafted from 85 deliveries with 13 boundaries. Gary Boulton followed last week’s 38* runs with a half-century scored from 82 balls, which included 5 sixes & 3 fours. For Harden R Wear took 6 wickets for 23 runs as Steeton were finally all out for 185 runs in 48 overs & leave Harden with no points.

Steeton 141 a/o in 45.1 overs

D Robinson 29, J Sampson 0, J Akrigg 34, N Spragg 0, A Luxton 32, J Best 0, G Bouton 0, J Taylor 9, A Gledhill 5, N Wilson 6, R Suri 4*, Extras 22

C Leveridge 14-4-40-3, S Wilkinson 22.1-7-47-4, J Lonsdale 9-1-44-2

Pool 142-8 in 40.2 overs

J Ward 1, D Wilkinson 26, D Murphy 51, D Singleton 3, J Goldthorpe 6, R Henry 0, S Bent 8, L Holdsworth 5C Leveridge 23*, S Wilkinson 5*, Extras 14

J Best 7-1-31-1, R Suri 5-2-13-1, N Spragg 11.2-1-41-4, J Taylor 5-0-29-0, G Boulton 12-6-23-2

Asked to bat first 2 Steeton batsmen had ‘Golden Ducks’ and only 3 batsmen managed to reach double figures: opener David Robinson (29), veteran John Akrigg (34) & the in-form Andrew Luxton (32). David Robinson scored his 29 runs from 81 deliveries with 3 boundaries and he shared a 2nd wicket stand of 57 runs with John Akrigg, who top-scored with 34 runs, which included 7 fours from 84 balls faced. Andrew Luxton faced 41 balls as he scored his 32 runs, which included 5 boundaries. Wilkinson (4-47) was the pick of the Pool bowlers, as Steeton were all out for 141 runs in 45.1 overs.

In reply Pool had only scored 9 runs when Ross Suri (1-13) broke the opening partnership. Fast bowler Neil Spragg (4-41) was the pick of the Steeton bowlers as he ripped through the top of the Pool batting line-up. Gary Boulton (2-23) collected 2 wickets & skipper Jon Best (1-31) removed Pool’s top scorer Murphy (51). Keeper Neil Wilson took 2 catches, as did Australian Jye Sampson, and there was a single catch on debut for Jonathan Taylor. With Pool at 120 runs for 8 wickets, still needing another 21 runs, Steeton looked favourites, but in this low-scoring match Steeton could not take any more wickets. Pool scored 142 runs for 8 wickets in 40.2 overs to win by 2 wickets with 9 overs to spare. Steeton 1st XI once again collect no points and slump to 7th place in the league.

Steeton 143 a/o in 48.5 overs

D Robinson 19, J Sampson 17, J Akrigg 21, Neil Spragg 21, A Luxton 13, J Best 4, G Boulton 21, J Taylor 8, A Gledhill 3, N Wilson 1*, R Suri 0, Extras 15

L Brooksby 24.5-7-65-8, R Dixon 24-8-63-2

Illingworth 147-6 in 23.4 overs

N Lockley 48, A Lees 9, J Bishop 25*, S Strydom 2, V Brooksby 46, A Ledger 4, C Goulden 0, L Brooksby 0*, Extras 13

J Best 7-0-33-1, G Boulton 2-0-16-0, J Taylor 2-0-16-0, A Gledhill 4-1-25-2, N Spragg 3-0-26-0, A Luxton 3.4-0-9-1, R Suri 2-0-18-1

Steeton 1st XI’s run of bad results continued with a rout at The Ainleys. Steeton batted first and were restricted to 143 runs all out in 48.5 overs. David Robinson (19), Australian Jye Sampson (17), John Akrigg (21) & Neil Spragg (21), Andrew Luxton (13) & Gary Boulton (21) all made good starts, but without being able to construct a major innings. For Illingworth Luke Brooksby took 8 wickets for 65 runs.

Illingworth set about the below par Steeton total with gusto, and passed the target in just 23.4 overs; Veryan Brooksby (46) & Naill Lockley (48) making the major contribution. The match did not entirely go Illingworth’s way as they lost 6 wickets. The pick of the Steeton bowling was Alex Gledhill (2-25), and there was a single wicket apiece for skipper Jon Best (1-33), Andrew Luxton (1-9) & Ross Suri (1-18). Alex Gledhill took a return catch from his own bowling, and there were further catches for Neil Spragg & John Akrigg, and a stumping for keeper Neil Wilson. Andrew Luxton also ran out one of the Illingworth batsmen, but Illingworth scored 147 runs for 6 wickets in 23.4 overs to win by 4 wickets with 27 overs to spare. Having won their first match Steeton 1st XI have now not picked-up a single point in the next 3 matches.

Steeton 252-4 in 48 overs

D Robinson 8, Jye Sampson 100, J Taylor 0, N Spragg 22, J Akrigg 86*, A Luxton 27*, Extras 9

M Baxendall 12-3-35-1, C Mylne 14-2-80-2, S Bridson 8-0-36-1, T Metcalf 8-1-43-0, J Corcaran 2-0-17-0, A Ward 4-0-34-0

Knaresborough 200-6 in 52 overs

A Pryor 73, P Barnes 0, C Mylne 39, R Geary 18, J Corcaran 0, A Ward 21, T Lilley 32*, S Bridson 9*, Extras 8

J Best 10-1-53-1, R Suri 6-3-21-1, G Boulton 13-1-55-1, N Spragg 10-1-31-0, A Gledhill 9-3-23-3, A Luxton 2-0-10-0, J Taylor 2-0-5-0

Steeton 1st XI came to prominence with a fine performance at home to Knaresborough. Australian Jye Sampson finally came to terms with English conditions with a maiden century as Steeton finished with 252 runs for 4 wickets having declared after 48 overs. Jye scored exactly 100 runs before being stumped, having faced 152 deliveries & stroked 17 boundaries. Jye shared a 3rd wicket stand of 53 runs with Neil Spragg (22), followed by an impressive 104-run 4th wicket partnership with the prolific John Akrigg (86*). John went on to add a further 64 runs in just 6 overs during an unbroken 5th wicket stand with Andrew Luxton (27*). John faced just 58 balls and hit 2 sixes & 10 fours for his unbeaten 86* runs, and Andrew Luxton scored his 27* runs not out from only 17 deliveries, which included 1 six & 3 fours. To give themselves the best chance of completing the victory Steeton declared after 48 overs, meaning Knaresborough would have to face 52 overs.

In reply Ross Suri (1-21) once again broke the opening partnership with the score on 5 runs. After this good start, wickets were hard to take with the exception of the left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill, who took 3 wickets for 23 runs from 9 overs & was the pick of the bowlers. Gary Boulton (1-55) & skipper Jon Best (1-53) were the only other bowlers to be rewarded with any wickets. The bowlers were well supported in the field, with 2 catches by keeper Neil Wilson, a single catch apiece by Australian Jye Sampson, Jonathan Taylor, & a return catch from his own bowling for Alex Gledhill. After their 52 overs Knaresborough had scored 200 runs for 6 wickets and Steeton had a 4-2 winning draw after dominating this fixture.

Steeton 12-0 in 5.2 overs

D Robinson 8*, Jye Sampson 0*, Extras 4
N Brook 3-1-8-0, J Wright 2.2-2-0-0

Burley-in-Wharfedale

Rain stopped play

Steeton batted for 5 overs at a very wet Hodson Park, before this match was abandoned to be completed next week. Steeton had scored 12 runs from 5.2 overs without losing a wicket, with David Robinson scoring 8* runs not out.

Upper Wharfedale 131 a/o in 50 overs

C Baines 35, C Nattress 18, A Foulds 13, P Binner 4, J Graham 4, J Freebury 17, J Starkey 2, J Gill 14, C Bean 4, S Pearson 12*, J Shindler 0, Extras 8

J Best 6-2-16-0, J Taylor 9-3-14-0, A Gledhill 19-6-50-6, G Boulton 16-2-44-4

Steeton 92 a/o in 34.2 overs

D Robinson 5, J Sampson 9, A Luxton 0, J Akrigg 0, N Spragg 4, A Greenwood 13, J Best 22*, G Boulton 5, J Taylor 9, A Gledhill 4, N wilson 4, Extras 17

S Pearson 9.2-2-18-4, J Graham 17-9-31-5, P Binner 8-1-26-1

On a difficult track Steeton 1st XI lost at Upper Wharfedale by 39 runs. Batting first Upper Wharfedale had reach 43 runs, before losing their first wicket, to the accurate bowling of Gary Boulton, who finished with 4 wickets for 44 runs from 16 overs. Gary’s good figures were eclipsed by the left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill, who collected an excellent haul of 6 wickets for just 50 runs from 19 overs. The bowlers were well supported in the field, with 2 stumpings for keeper Neil Wilson, 2 catches for Neil Spragg & Alex Gledhill from his own bowling, and a single catch for Australian Jye Sampson. At the tea break Steeton were pleased to have bowled Upper Wharfedale all out for 131 runs in their 50 overs, and must have considered themselves favourites.

In reply Steeton reached 22 runs before losing their first wicket, but were rapidly reduced to 22 runs for 4 wickets. Wickets continued to tumble regularly with only skipper Jon Best (22*) & Adam Greenwood (13) reaching double figures. Jon Best showed great resilience as he faced 51 deliveries & hit 4 boundaries for his unbeaten 22 runs. Adam faced 38 balls & hit 1 four for his 13 runs, and together they shared a 6th wicket stand of 20 runs. Jon was also involved in the best partnership if the Steeton innings, with 22 runs put on for the 8th wicket with Jonathan Taylor (9). With no-one able to stay with skipper Jon Best, Steeton were all out for 92 runs in 34.2 overs, despite being given 16 runs in byes. Their poor start to the 2009 season continues and they must leave Upper Wharfedale without a point.

Steeton 133-7 in 45 overs

J Sampson 29, D Robinson 12, A Luxton 0, J Best 2, N Spragg 4, G Boulton 36*, J Taylor 20, M Chapman 0, A Howarth 11*, Extras 19

J Wright 9-2-9-3, N Brook 9-1-25-0, S Etherington 9-2-45-1, N Davies 9-1-19-2, M Harrison 9-2-24-1

Burley-in-Wharfedale 136-3 in 28.4 overs

M Harrison 45, C Davy 47, N Brook 9, M Trusswell 22*, T Dalton 4*, Extras 9

J Best 9-3-29-2, N Spragg 7-1-30-0, A Luxton 5-1-27-1, A Gledhill 3-0-19-0, G Boulton 4-0-20-0, J Sampson 0.4-0-6-0

Steeton were ousted from the Waddilove Cup – losing at Hodson Park by 7 wickets. Before the match had even started Steeton’s plans were undermined, when 2 of the team selection were found to be ineligible, despite being okayed by the league on Tuesday. Two 2nd XI players had to be swapped for two 3rd XI late replacements. Steeton won the toss and chose to bat – allowing time for the substitute players to arrive. Steeton started with a careful opening partnership of 37 runs before David Robinson (12) was the first batsman out. David’s opening partner was Australian Jye Sampson, who went on to score a respectable 29 runs from 66 deliveries with 2 fours, before a ball kept very low and he was clean bowled. Steeton lost some cheap wickets and at 56 runs for 5 wickets were in real trouble. A 42-run 6th wicket stand kept Steeton’s hopes alive, between Gary Boulton, who top-scored with an unbeaten 36* runs & Jonathan Taylor adding a valuable 20 runs. Gary’s faced 65 balls and hit 3 boundaries for his 36* runs and Jonathan Taylor hit 3 fours as he scored his 20 runs from 46 deliveries before being stumped. Gary also went on to share an unbroken 8th wicket partnership of 34 runs with Alex Howarth (11*) playing his first match for the 1st XI since 2006. At the tea interval Steeton had scored 133 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 45 overs.

To defend such a low score early wickets were essential, but Burley’s openers put on 90 runs in the first 20 overs before losing their first wicket to the bowling of skipper Jon Best (2-29) with a sharp catch taken by Jonathan Taylor at square-leg. Burley continued to score the runs quickly, but Andrew Luxton (1-27) collected a bonus wicket courtesy of a fantastic catch running around the long-on boundary by Mark Chapman, playing his first 1st XI match since 2003. Burley scored 136 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in just 28.4 overs, to win by 7 wickets with 16 overs to spare

Bardsey 130 a/o in 38.3 overs

G Hopton 25, P Pratt 12, T Clayton 17, S Mandrekar 7, E Clayton 24, M Pieri 1, J Wainman 1, J Smith 16, J Deasey 5*, D Hartley 0, M Ford 6, Extras 16

R Suri 7.3-2-18-2, J Taylor 2-0-18-0, N Spragg 5-0-18-1, J Best 5-2-18-0, A Gledhill 12-3-15-4, G Boulton 7-2-34-3

Steeton 134-2 in 23.3 overs

J Akrigg 12, J Sampson 10, A Greenwood 34*, N Spragg 66*, Extras 12

S Mandrekar 8-0-33-1, J Smith 6-1-42-1, J Deasey 4-0-17-0, J Wainman 4-0-24-0, M Ford 1.3-0-11-0

Steeton 1st XI return to top-form with a convincing 8 wickets victory at home against bottom-of-the-league Bardsey. Batting first Bardsey lost both their openers with the score on 41 runs, and wickets continued to tumble. The bowler to benefit most was the slow left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill, who bowled 12 overs, which conceded a mere 15 runs as he collected 4 wickets. Gary Boulton (3-34) had 3 wickets caught by Jonathan Taylor, Neil Spragg & Jye Sampson, but his 7 overs cost 34 runs. Opener Ross Suri (2-18) took a brace of wickets from 7.3 overs, with one being a catch to keeper Neil Wilson. It was Neil Spragg (1-18) who had broken the opening partnership, and Jonathan Taylor was awarded a fielding point. On a good Steeton track Bardsey had been dismissed for a paltry 130 runs in 38.3 overs.

Steeton’s reply did not go as smoothly as they had hoped, losing John Akrigg (12) with the score on 19 runs, and then his opening partner Australian Jye Sampson (10) with the score on 23 runs. Adam Greenwood (34*) & Neil Spragg (66*) shared a match-winning unbroken 3rd wicket stand of 111 runs. Adam hit 6 boundaries & faced 55 balls for his unbeaten 34* runs; and Neil was in devastating form as he blitzed his 66* runs for just 58 deliveries with 2 sixes & 11 fours. Steeton scored 134 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 23.3 overs, to win by 8 wickets with 37 overs to spare! Their reward is 6 points and progress up the league table.

Sutton 112-8 in 20 overs

M Shanwaz 5, D Snowden 15, S Doane 15, SI Doane 16, H Shazhad 3, J Holdsworth 18*, A Kay 19, T Walton 0, B Bolland 1, Extras 20

A Gledhill 2-0-8-1, M Thomas 4-1-11-2, N Spragg 2-0-6-0, G Bouton 4-0-24-3, R Suri 4-0-22-0, J Best 4-0-31-1

Steeton 113-2 in 14.4 overs

J Sampson 50*, J Akrigg 13, A Greenwood 34, A Hardwick 8*, R Suri 2*, Extras 6

T Walton 2-0-18-0, M Shanwaz 1-0-16-0, S Doane 1-0-7-0, D Snowden 1-0-9-1, L Tennant 1-0-4-0, SI Doane 2-0-15-1, H Shazhad 2-0-9-0, J Holdsworth 3-0-20-0, S Todd 1-0-7-0, A Kay 0.4-0-6-0

In Steeton’s inaugural match of the Keighley Cup Twenty20, Sutton were soundly beaten without any worries. Sutton batted first and scored 112 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs, with Gary Boulton collecting 3 wickets for 24 runs. Matthew Thomas also bowled 4 good overs that earned him 2 wickets for 11 runs. Alex Gledhill (1-8) & Jon Best (1-31). Australian Jye Sampson took another catch, keeper Neil Wilson had 2 stumpings & Neil Spragg ran out one of the Sutton players.

Steeton went after the Sutton target with gusto & it was only some top-quality & brave fielding that kept the aggressive Steeton batting in check. The opening partnership was broken when John Akrigg (17) was dismissed with the score on 27 runs. Johns opening partner was Australian Jye Sampson (50), who retired after completing his half-century. Jye scored his 50 runs from 44 deliveries with 7 boundaries before retiring. After a 2nd wicket stand of 70 runs Steeton lost Adam Greenwood (34) well caught at long-off, having scored 34 runs from 27 deliveries with 1 six & 3 fours. Steeton passed the Sutton score for the loss of 2 wickets with 6 of their 20 overs to spare. With the exception of the wicket-keeper every Sutton player bowled at least 1 over.

Tong Park Esholt 136 a/o in 49.1 overs

P Hanson 19, L Waters 3, P Wilkinson 0, N Hanif 23, G Wilkinson 0, J Druce 2, S Kirkley 0, C Shepherd 11, J Atkinson 24, A Taylor 25*, M Scott 14, Extras 15

R Suri 7.5-2-18-3, J Best 11-1-54-1, G Boulton 16-9-27-3, N Spragg 6.1-1-15-1, A Gledhill 7-4-3-2, J Emmott 1.1-0-8-0

Steeton 137-4 in 37.3 overs

J Akrigg 36, J Sampson 17, A Greenwood 1, N Spragg 42, A Luxton 28*, J Best 4*, Extras 9

N Hanif 14-4-43-3, M Scott 15-5-39-0, L Waters 4-0-21-0, C Shepherd 3.3-0-18-0, G Wilkinson 1-0-8-1

Batting first the recently merged Tong Park Esholt side were pegged back early to 8 runs for 2 wickets by youngster Ross Suri, who collected 3 wickets for 18 runs from 8 overs. With Gary Boulton moving closer to his 300th 1st XI wicket with 3 wickets for 27 runs from 16 overs bowling in tandem with Alex Gledhill, who was also in good form with 2 wickets for 3 runs from 7 overs, Tong Park were further restricted to 58 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Tong Park’s last 3 wickets adding 68 runs to make the total less embarrassing. as they finished with 136 runs all out from 49.1 overs. Neil Spragg (1-15) & skipper Jon Best (1-54) also took a wicket apiece and there was a sharp catch in the slips for Australian Jye Sampson, and further catches for skipper Jon Best at mid-off, Andrew Luxton at square-leg, Gary Boulton at short third-man as well as another for keeper Neil Wilson.

The Steeton batsmen went after the meagre target with gusto. Openers John Akrigg (36) & Jye Sampson (17) got Steeton off to a solid start with 37 runs before Jye was caught behind. John scored his 36 runs from 67 deliveries with 6 boundaries. The 72-run 4th wicket partnership between Neil Spragg (42) & Andrew Luxton (28*) took the match beyond the reach of Tong Park. Neil Spragg top-scored with 42 runs scored from 59 balls & included 8 fours & Andrew Luxton faced 42 deliveries to score his unbeaten 28* runs, which included 4 fours. Steeton had scored 137 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 37.3 overs to win by 6 wickets with 12 overs to spare. Steeton leave Tong Park Esholt with all the points on offer, and continue their steady rise up the league to a mid-table 7th position.

Thackley 135 a/o in 29.1 overs

L Rehman 5, B Goodaire 9, R Breakwell 48, M Birks 23, D Kettlewell 6, R Skillicorn 0, M Ali 0, L Harbour 44, M Manson 0, A Stothart 0, P Stothart 0*, Extras 10

R Suri 6-0-23-0, J Best 6-1-24-1, A Luxton 5-1-28-1, A Gledhill 6-2-27-3, G Boulton 6-0-29-0, N Spragg 2.1-2-0-4

Steeton 124 a/o in 46.3 overs

J Akrigg 10, J Sampson 8, A Greenwood 9, N Spragg 9, A Luxton 15, J Best 15, G Boulton 26, D Cook 5, A Gledhill 12, N Wilson 8, R Suri 0*, Extras 7

M Ali 23.3-8-48-7, P Stothart 12-2-41-1, A Stothart 11-4-28-1

I cannot begin to express how disappointed I am to report that our 1st XI lost at home to Thackley. Batting first Thackley batted first and got off to a poor start thanks to skipper Jon Best (1-24) & a catch by keeper Neil Wilson. Thackley lost their 2nd wicket courtesy of a run out by Alex Gledhill, and then lost 4 wickets with the score on 83 runs. The leg-spin of Andrew Luxton (1-28) started the collapse & the left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill took 3 wickets for 27 runs from 6 overs including a triple-wicket maiden! The tail was demolished in style by the pace of Neil Spragg, who took 4 wickets without conceding a single run. A catch by Australian Jye Sampson earned himself a fielding point & another fielding point went to Jon Best. For Thackley Breakwell (48) & Harbour (44) scored the majority of their runs as they finished with 135 runs all out in 29.1 overs. Steeton must have been confident of a comfortable win at the tea interval – a target of 135 runs is usually passed with ease.

However Steeton lost both openers with the score on just 18 runs, and this soon became 55 runs for 5 wickets with only Andrew Luxton (15) & John Akrigg (10) of the top 5 batsmen managing double figures. A 38-run 6th wicket stand between skipper Jon Best (15) and top-scorer Gary Boulton (26) took Steeton to within 31 runs of victory Gary scored his 26 runs from 37 deliveries & hit 1 six & 4 fours. Sadly Steeton’s tail-end batters fell 11 runs short of the victory target, with Alex Gledhill (12) becoming Thackley’s Ali (7-48) seventh victim. Steeton had scored 124 runs all out in 46.3 overs, to lose by 11 runs.

Colton Institute 173-9 in 50 overs

N Thackeray 63, D Chauk 0, C McGoldrick 32, P Horsey 21, D Wright 7, J Horner 12, M Nazir 11, J Farrar 2, M OBrien 3*, M Stalgis 6, T Horner 3*, Extras 13

R Suri 5-2-7-0, J Best 9-0-32-4, A Gledhill 8-1-24-0, G Boulton 9-1-31-0, A Luxton 6-0-20-1, M Thomas 7-0-29-1, N Spragg 6-1-21-3

Steeton 177-5 in 50 overs

J Akrigg 24, J Sampson 57, A Greenwood 0, N Spragg 43, A Luxton 22*, J Best 0, G Boulton 17*, Extras 14

D Wright 13-6-30-0, M Stalgis 5-1-30-0, T Horner 5-0-25-0, M Nazir 13.3-3-53-3, J Horner 13-0-31-2

Batting first Colton scored a respectable 173 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs. Pick of the Steeton bowlers was Skipper Jon Best, who took 4 wickets for 32 runs from 9 overs. Jon was well supported by his vice-skipper Neil Spragg, who took 3 wickets for 21 runs from 6 overs. The leg-spin of Andrew Luxton (1-20) claimed one wicket & Matthew Thomas (1-29) took the wicket of Colton’s top-scored Thackeray (63) caught by Adam Greenwood. There were also catches for Andrew Luxton & John Akrigg, which earned him the fielding points.

Steeton’s reply got off to a solid start, putting on 65 runs before losing John Akrigg (24). John scored 20 of his 24 runs in boundaries…with 5 fours, and his opening opening partner was Australian Jye Sampson (57), who went on to record a half-century. Jye scored his 57 runs from 75 deliveries with 8 boundaries. Jye & Neil Spragg (43) compiled a 52-run 3rd wicket stand. Neil Spragg scoring his 43 runs from 82 deliveries with 8 fours. Andrew Luxton (22*) & Gary Boulton (17*) saw Steeton home with 3 balls to spare. Steeton scored 177 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 49.3 overs to win by 5 wickets & collect a valuable 6 points.

Steeton 238-7 in 50 overs

J Sampson 0, R Atkins 5, J Akrigg 106, N Spragg 0, A Luxton 15, G Boulton 1, J Best 86*, J Taylor 0, A Gledhill 1*, Extras 24

O Blackford 19-5-57-3, A Yelding 10-0-58-2, P Sweeney 10-2-54-0, C Morrison 11-2-53-0

Follifoot 191-7 in 50 overs

M Stanford 54, N Robinson 47, M Halmshaw 22, S Bowes 30*, P Sweeney 1, P Miller 9, A Yelding 5, C Dawson 1, P Angove 11*, Extras 11

R Atkins 8-1-29-0, N Spragg 11-3-30-1, G Boulton 6-0-26-0, A Gledhill 5-0-23-0, A Luxton 11-2-43-3, J Best 9-1-31-3

Batting first Steeton got off to the worst possible starts losing Australian Jye Sampson first ball; a situation which only got worse as they were quickly reduced to 34 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, with only Andrew Luxton (15) of the dismissed batsmen managing double figures. From such a disastrous starts it is even more remarkable what happened next, when John Akrigg was joined in the middle by skipper Jon Best. Together they turned this match on it’s head and steadily compiled a new league record 6th wicket partnership of 194 runs. John Akrigg scored a great century before he was caught out for 106 runs scored from 147 deliveries, which included 3 sixes & 11 fours. Jon Best continued to finish with a career-best unbeaten 86* runs scored from 119 balls with 1 six & 10 fours. Steeton posted a formidable 238 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs (which had taken 3 hours & 40 minutes to bowl).

In reply Follifoot had a strong century opening partnership, with Stanford (54) top-scoring. After his outstanding contribution with the bat, it was skipper Jon Best who completed a fine all-round performance as he broke the opening partnership and finished with 3 wickets for 31 runs from 9 overs – with all 3 wickets caught by keeper Neil Wilson. Andrew Luxton also claimed 3 wickets for 43 runs from 11 overs, with catches by Australian Jye Sampson & Matthew Thomas, and a stumping by keeper Neil Wilson. Neil Spragg (1-30) took the only other wicket to fall as Steeton were unable to remove all the Follifoot batsmen and had to settle for a 4-2 winning draw. Follifoot had scored 191 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs to comfortably pass the ¾ target. Steeton leave Rudding Park with 4 points, which leaves them in mid-table at the half-way point of the season.

Bilton 198-9 in 50 overs

D Blenkiron 5, D Simpson 5, P Cannings 0, R Ayub 40, S Clemerson 45, A Walker 37, D Hardcastle 15, K Jankowicz 35, C Heptinstall 4, C Tietjens 0*, Extras 11

R Atkins 12-1-49-4, N Spragg 11-1-40-0, J Best 4-0-22-0, A Luxton 5-0-22-0, A Gledhill 10-0-24-0, G Boulton 8-1-33-2

Steeton 106 a/o in 48.5 overs

J Sampson 0, R Atkins 0, J Akrigg 53, A Luxton 2, J Best 5, N Spragg 3, J Taylor 18, G Boulton 5, A Gledhill 78, M Thomas 0, N Wilson 4, Extras 9

C Tietjens 9.5-4-27-2, C Heptinstall 7-4-20-2, R Ayub 4-1-12-0, D Simpson 17-13-21-4, A Walker 11-3-22-2

Batting first Bilton scored an impressive 198 runs for 9 wickets in their 50 overs. The match had begun well for Steeton with Richard Atkins tearing through the top Bilton batters & reducing them to 16 runs for 3 wickets. Richard Atkins finished with great figures of 4 wickets for 49 runs from 12 overs. Gary Boulton took 2 wickets for 33 runs from 8 overs, and so now joins an elite group of bowlers who have taken over 300 1st XI wickets for Steeton. None of the other bowlers used were successful, although Alex Gledhill bowled 10 tight overs that only conceded 24 runs. The bowlers were certainly well supported in the field, with 3 run outs, by Jonathan Taylor, Andrew Luxton & keeper Neil Wilson; and also 4 catches – with one each for John Akrigg, Neil Wilson, Jonathan Taylor & skipper Jon Best. With the low bounce & Bilton’s large pitch, this is a formidable target, and at the tea interval Steeton knew they would have to be playing at their best to salvage anything from this match.

Unfortunately Steeton started badly losing both openers for ducks & were soon 12 runs for 3 wickets. With chaos at the other end John Akrigg (53) batted well to score the only half-century of the match. John faced 89 deliveries & hit 9 boundaries for his 53 runs – when he was out with the score on 72 runs for 6 wickets John had scored all but 19 of the team’s runs. With 18 runs Jonathan Taylor was the only other batsman to reach double figures. Jonathan faced 49 balls & hit 4 fours for his 18 runs. For Bilton Simpson (4-21) bowled miserly to only concede 21 runs from 17 overs…13 of which were maidens! Despite John Akrigg’s 53 runs, Steeton 1st XI could only muster 106 runs all out in 48.5 overs to lose by 92 runs & leave Bilton with no points.

Harden 192-7 in 50 overs

G Topp 0, R Wear 2, A Bairstow 34, L Booth 8, C Luxton 47, N Verity 52, D Dawson 0, J Roper 27*, S Bateman 6*, Extras 16

R Atkins 11-2-52-3, N Spragg 7-1-20-0, J Best 11-3-49-2, G Boulton 9-4-22-0, A Gledhill 12-2-41-1

Steeton 196-1 in 40.4 overs

J Sampson 60, R Atkins 76*, J Akrigg 45*, Extras 15

R Wear 8-2-29-0, L Booth 7-1-40-1, C Wintersgill 9-2-31-0, P Leng 7-1-28-0, S Bateman 3-0-16-0, C Luxton 3-0-24-0, J Roper 3.4-0-18-0

Steeton 1st XI were in fantastic form as they beat Harden by 9 wickets. Richard Atkins ripped through the Harden top order taking a wicket from the first ball of the match as Harden were reduced to 30 runs for 3 wickets. Richard Atkins finished with a fantastic return of 3 wickets for 52 runs from 11 overs. Skipper Jon Best (2-49) also collected 2 wickets & the other successful bowler was Alex Gledhill (1-41). Neil Spragg & Richard Atkins took catches and John Akrigg ran out 1 batsman & also had a catch. John has now reached the the fielding landmark of 100 1st XI catches! At the tea interval Harden had scored 192 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs, with Verity (52) top-scoring.

In reply Steeton batted superbly with a 115-run opening stand between Australian Jye Sampson (60) & Richard Atkins (76*). Jye scored his 60 runs from 94 deliveries with 11 boundaries. To complete a great all-round performance Richard added 76* runs to his 3 wickets & 1 catch. Richard faced 111 balls & hit 14 fours as he scored his unbeaten 76* runs, and also went on to share an unbroken match-winning 2nd wicket partnership of 81 runs with the in-form John Akrigg (45*). John hit 2 sixes & 6 fours and faced just 41 balls as he scored his unbeaten 45* runs, which means he has now qualified for the league batting averages. Steeton had scored 196 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in 40.4 overs to win by 9 wickets with 9 overs to spare. Steeton collect all 6 points on offer.

Steeton 219-5 in 20 overs

A Luxton 57, N Spragg 47, G Boulton 9, J Best 26, J Sampson 39*, J Taylor 1, R Atkins 13*, M Thomas 12*, Extras 15

C White 4-0-38-0, D Hoyle 4-0-36-1, I Roberts 4-0-28-0, C Herbert 4-0-49-3, N Crook 2-0-29-0, A Parker 2-0-25-1

Ingrow 92 a/o in 19 overs

A Parker 6, C White 15, M Price 6, D Brown 6, C Herbert 28, B Pennington 6, D Hoyle 0, P Scott 7, N Crook 3, M Pennington 1*, I Robert 9, Extras 5

J Taylor 3-0-24-2, M thomas 3-0-10-1, R Atkins 4-1-14-3, A Gledhill 4-0-29-1, J Akrigg 2-1-2-1, N Wilson 2-2-0-1, J Sampson 1-0-9-1

Steeton 1st XI overwhelmed Ingrow on an evening played despite the weather. Batting first Steeton put on 86 runs in 8.2 overs before losing their first wicket: Neil Spragg caught out for 47 runs scored from just 27 deliveries with 2 sixes & 5 fours. Neil’s opening partner was Andrew Luxton, who went to on complete his half-century: Andrew scored 57 runs from 33 deliveries with 3 sixes & 5 fours. Skipper Jon Best chipped in with 26 runs from 21 balls, before Australian Jye Sampson smashed 4 sixes & 1 fours in a 17 ball blitz that saw him retire not out with 39 runs. Richard Atkins (13*) & Matthew Thomas (12*) saw the Steeton total to a staggering 219 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs – almost 11 runs per over! For Ingrow, Herbert (3-49) was the pick of the bowlers.

Chasing the quick runs and with frequent rain breaks in the gathering gloom, Ingrow lost wickets regularly. Richard Atkins bowled 4 overs of off-spin & took 3 wickets for 14 runs. Jonathan Taylor took 2 wicket for 24 runs, and there was 1 wicket each for Matthew Thomas (1-10) & Alex Gledhill (1-29). With the result now beyond the reach of Ingrow, Steeton bowled some “non-regular” bowlers: John Akrigg continually tells anyone willing to listen about a match at Skipton in 2003 when he took 3 wickets. Given his chance again John took 1 wicket for 2 runs from 2 overs. Coming from behind the stumps, enthusiastic net-bowler keeper Neil Wilson bowled 2 maidens and also took 1 wicket. The final wicket fell to Australian Jye Samson, who was hit for 9 runs but claimed the final wicket. Under darkening skies Steeton had taken their catches superbly – 8 in total! Alex Gledhill took 2 catches and there was a single catch apiece for Neil Spragg, John Akrigg, keeper Neil Wilson, skipper John Best, Jonathan Taylor & Richard Atkins. Ingrow were 92 runs all out in 19 overs, and so Steeton are victorious by a margin of 127 runs. Steeton are through to the semi-final stage – both semi-finals and the final are to be played the same day at Lawkholme Lane on 2nd August.

Steeton 203-5 in 50 overs

J Sampson 15, R Atkins 24, J Akrigg 14, N Spragg 22, A Luxton 12, G Boulton 62*, J Best 35*, Extras 19

C Loveridge 5-0-45-0, M Naylor 15-5-31-3, J Lonsdale 12-0-42-1, J Ward 10-0-39-1, R Henry 8-0-39-0

Pool 205-7 in 49.2 overs

J Ward 60, R Carlton 8, D Wilkinson 18, D Murphy 1, S Bent 0, J Goldthorp 41, C Loveridge 46*, L Holdsworth 12, R Henry 8*, Extras 10

R Atkins 8-3-22-1, N Spragg 8.2-0-35-1, G Boulton 16-3-56-1, A Gledhill 12-2-44-4, J Best 5-0-44-0

Batting first Steeton’s top-order batsmen all got to double figures, but until skipper Jon Best (35*) came in to join Gary Boulton (62*) none made a significant contribution. Steeton had an opening stand of 44 runs between Australian Jye Sampson (15) & Richard Atkins (24). Steeton then lost more wickets: John Akrigg (14), Neil Spragg (22) & Andrew Luxton (12), to bring the score to 115 runs for 5 wickets in 33 overs. What followed was an impressive unbroken 6th wicket partnership of 88 runs in 18 overs between Gary Boulton (62*) & his skipper Jon Best (35*). Gary hit 4 sixes & 3 fours as he faced 68 balls for hit unbeaten 62* runs and Jon’s unbeaten 35* runs came from 54 deliveries & included 5 fours. At the tea interval Steeton had scored 203 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Pool also were reduced to 115 runs for 5 wickets, but in a very tight finish they managed to pass the Steeton target with 4 balls & 3 wickets to spare. The pick of the Steeton bowlers was the left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill, whose 12 overs conceded 44 runs as he collected 4 wickets. Richard Atkins (1-22), Neil Spragg (1-35) & Gary Boulton (1-56) each collected a single wicket. There was a single catch apiece for keeper Neil Wilson, John Akrigg, Neil Spragg & Alex Gledhill. In well-fought match, with a nail-biting finish Pool had scored 205 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 49.2 overs, and so Steeton lost by 3 wicket.

Illingwoth 199-7 in 50 overs

N Lockley 1, A Lees 100, V Brooksby 25, J Bishop 8, S Strydom 12, R Farrell-Smith 19, A Ledger 19, M Fellows 6*, L Brooksby 1*, Extras 12

J Best 11-3-44-3, N Spragg 4-0-17-0, A Gledhill 21-3-72-2, G Boulton 0.2-0-2-0, A Luxton 4.4-1-13-0, M Thomas 9-0-46-2

Steeton 148 a/o in 50 overs

R Atkins 18, J Sampson 11, J Akrigg 4, N Spragg 13, A Luxton 40, J Best 18, G Boulton 22, A Gledhill 1, J Jordan 0, M Thomas 1, N Wilson 0*, Extras 20

L Brooksby 14-2-42-1, R Dixon 20-10-37-3, C Goulden 16-2-50-4

Illingworth batted first and were soon pinned back by Steeton skipper Jon Best (3-44), who removed the first 3 Illingworth batters with the total on 46 runs. Illingworth opener Lees (100) scored a century before becoming the 2nd wicket for Matthew Thomas (2-46). The other successful bowler was Alex Gledhill (2-72), who bowled 21 overs unchanged from one end. Keeper Neil Wilson was in good form with a stumping & a catch; James Jordan took 2 catches & there was a single catch each for Alex Gledhill & Richard Atkins. At the tea interval Illingworth had scored 199 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs.

Steeton’s reply was always behind the run rate, with the top order batsmen ‘getting in and getting out’: Richard Atkins (18), Australian Jye Sampson (11) & Neil Spragg (13). Andrew Luxton (40) added some much needed stability to the innings, and Andrew added 32 runs for the 5th wicket with skipper Jon Best (18) & then 55 runs for the 6th wicket with Gary Boulton (22). Andrew Luxton scored his 40 runs from 62 deliveries with 4 fours, but when he was out Steeton were tantalisingly close the the ¾ score of 150 runs. Steeton were 142 runs for 6 wickets with 5 overs to play & 148 runs for 8 wickets as we went into the final over of the innings – needing just 2 runs for a 2 point losing draw. Steeton managed to lose wickets from the last 2 deliveries of the game – the final wicket going to a run out. Rather than securing an extra point Steeton had thrown away all their points and given a victory to Illingworth. Steeton were all out for 148 runs in 50 overs & so lost by 51 runs.

Steeton 56-2 in 16 overs

J Sampson 15*, R Atkins 7, G Boulton 19, A Luxton 9*, Extras 6

M Baxendall 8-3-13-1, S Ryan 6-0-21-1, C Mylne 4-0-17-0

Knaresborough

Abandoned

Steeton’s match at Crag Top was curtailed at 56 runs for 2 wickets after 16 overs. Australian Jye Sampson was not out with 15* runs & Gary Boulton hit 4 boundaries in a cameo innings of 19 runs. The rain had the final say as both sides had to settle for a single point.

Steeton 137-4 in 20 overs

R Atkins 38, J Sampson 35, G Boulton 7, A Luxton 3, N Spragg 24*, J Best 26*, Extras 4

P Poole 3-0-23-0, D Robinson 3-0-16-0, G Marshall 2-0-18-0, D Hall 4-0-21-3, M Rendall 4-0-22-0, C Welsh 2-0-20-0, O Khatab 2-0-15-0

Cullingworth 85 a/o in 17.4 overs

C Welsh 5, G Marshall 0, O Khatab 27, S Welsh 8, P Poole 0, N Brett 5, A Powis 7, G Fletcher 10, M Rendal 0, D Hall 7, D Robinson 0*, Extras 8

R Atkins 2-0-20-1, N Spragg 2-0-13-0, A Gledhill 4-1-9-1, A Luxton 4-0-11-2, Z Pearson 3-0-13-3, G Boulton 2-0-9-1, M Thomas 0.4-0-4-1

Steeton’s openers got us off to a flying start with Richard Atkins hitting 4 fours in his knock of 38 runs before he was LBW & Australian Jye Sampson scoring 35 runs with 5 fours, before he was bowled. Steeton lost 2 cheap wickets, before Neil Spragg (24*) scored an unbeaten 24* runs including 1 six & 2 fours and was accompanied by his skipper Jon Best (26*), who hit 2 fours in his quickfire knock of 26* runs not out. For Cullingworth Hall (3-21) was the only bowler to collect any wickets (with 1 run out) as Steeton closed on 137 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs. Cullingworth would have to score at almost 7 runs per over to reach the final.

With the exception of Khatab (27) the Cullingworth batsmen could not come to terms with the Steeton spin bowlers. Off-spinner Zach Pearson (3-13) was the pick of the bowlers with his 3 overs costing 13 runs as he collected 3 wickets; Leg-spinner Andrew Luxton (2-11) bowled 4 tight overs and took 2 wickets; and the orthodox left-arm spin of Alex Gledhill (1-9) only took 1 wicket but his 4 overs only went for 9 runs. Richard Atkins (1-20), Gary Boulton (1-9) & Matthew Thomas (1-4) also took a single wicket each. In just 17.4 overs Cullingworth were all out for 85 runs, meaning Steeton won by 52 runs and are through to the Keighley Cup Twenty20 final later today, where they meet Oxenhope, who beat Silsden in the other semi-final.

Steeton 164-4 in 20 overs

R Atkins 38, J Sampson 54, G Boulton 12, A Luxton 1, N Spragg 41*J Best 9*, Extras 10

J Crowther 4-0-44-0, A Brown 4-0-32-0, H Williamson 4-0-29-0, D Tetley 4-0-25-2, G Nixon 4-0-25-2

Oxenhope 85 a/o in 16.5 overs

B Ellison 0, H Williamson 6, A Brown 0, J Tetley 8, T Tetley 1, D Tetley 31, J Marshall 8, G Nixon 1, J Crowther 8, L Fleetwood 1*, J Fleetwood 5, Extras 16

R Atkins 2-0-8-1, N Spragg 2-1-3-3, M Thomas 3-0-10-0, A Hardwick 2-0-6-1, J Jordan 2-0-14-1, Z Pearson 3-0-24-0, A Luxton 2-0-6-2, A Gledhill 0.5-0-1-1

In a very similar match to the semi-final earlier in the day, Steeton’s openers again batted well – putting on 92 runs before losing Richard Atkins for 38 runs, including 1 six & 5 fours. Richard’s opening partner was Australian Jye Sampson (54), who went on to score a fine half-century: Jye’s 54 runs included 3 sixes & 3 fours. Gary Boulton chipped in with 12 runs, before a solid unbroken 5th wicket partnership between Neil Spragg (41*) & skipper Jon Best (9*). Neil smashed 3 sixes & 2 fours for his unbeaten 41* runs, as Steeton closed on 164 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their 20 overs. For Oxenhope, Tetley (2-25) & Nixon (2-25) were the successful bowlers.

In reply Oxenhope’s top-order was blown away by the pace of Neil Spragg (3-3) who only bowled 2 overs, but took 3 wickets for 3 runs. Leg-spinner Andrew Luxton took 2 wickets for 6 runs from 2 overs, and there was a single wicket each for Richard Atkins (1-8), Adam Hardwick (1-6), James Jordan (1-14) & Alex Gledhill (1-1). For Oxenhope only D. Tetley (31) showed any resistance as they were all out for 85 runs in 16.5 overs. Steeton won by 79 runs to become champions of the Keighley Twenty20 Cup.

Upper Wharfedale 285-4 in 50 overs

J Freebury 62, A Foulds 68, C Baines 13, D Eggleton 67*, J Graham 63, P Binner 0*, Extras 12

R Atkins 4-0-23-0, N Spragg 6-1-39-0, A Gledhill 19-1-75-2, A Luxton 3-1-20-0, J Best 18-1-121-1

Steeton 246-7 in 50 overs

J Sampson 2, R Aktins 114, J Akrigg 47, A Luxton 14, N Spragg 29, G Boulton 7, J Best 20*, A Gledhill 2, N Wilson 0*, Extras 11

S Pearson 15-1-75-1, P Binner 11-0-54-1, J Yeadon 8-0-43-0, J Graham 14-3-52-2, D Eggleton 2-0-15-0

Wickets for bowlers were a rare commodity at Summerhill Lane Steeton 1st XI allowed Upper Wharfedale to score an over-par 285 runs for 4 wickets in their 50 overs. Upper Wharfedale’s total was built around 4 scores into the sixties: Freebury (62), Foulds (68), Eggleton (67*) & Graham (63). The pick of the Steeton bowlers was Alex Gledhill, who bowled 19 overs at a cost of 75 runs while he collected 2 wickets – one being a catch from his own bowling. The other successful bowler was skipper Jon Best (1-121) courtesy of a catch by Matthew Thomas. Matthew Thomas & Neil Spragg combined to run out the other batsman to be dismissed.

Despite a good batting reply, including a century for Richard Atkins (114), Steeton were well short of the Upper Wharfedale target on 246 runs with 7 wickets down. Richard Atkins hit 2 sixes & 17 fours in his fine knock of 114 runs before he was run out. Richard shared a good 2nd wicket partnership of 86 runs with John Akrigg (47), who hit 8 boundaries. Andrew Luxton chipped in with 14 runs before a strong 65-run 4th wicket partnership between Richard Atkins & Neil Spragg (29). When the scoring rate had got beyond Steeton skipper Jon Best (20*) played a responsible innings to ensure that Steeton did not leave this match empty-handed. With 3 run-outs in their innings Steeton closed on 246 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs – still 35 runs short and so had to settle for a 2-4 losing draw.

Steeton 258-4 in 48 overs

R Atkins 73, J Sampson 100, J Akrigg 3, A Luxton 40, N Spragg 11*, J Best 21*, Extras 10

J Smith 13-1-70-0, J Wainman 11-1-57-2, E Clayton 2-0-10-0, S Mandreakar 5-1-34-0, J Deacey 13-1-59-2, M Ford 4-1-22-0

Bardsey 224-9 in 48 overs

T Clayton 10, J Deacey 46, J Wainman 13, E Clayton 2, S Mandreakar 44, G Hopton 20, M Ford 12, J Smith 11, M Pieri 31*, B Qazi 0, J Deacey 14*, Extras 21

M Thomas 9-1-32-2, R Suri 5-0-28-0, R Atkins 9-3-24-1, G Boulton 1-0-20-0, A Gledhill 12-2-48-4, N Spragg 10-1-56-2, A Luxton 2-1-5-0

Steeton 1st XI had a 4-2 winning draw at Bardsey. Batting first Steeton amassed a great opening partnership of 135 runs between in-form Richard Atkins (73) & Australian Jye Sampson (100). Richard was caught having scored 73 runs from 93 deliveries with 15 boundaries. Jye went on to share a 72-run 3rd wicket stand with Andrew Luxton (40). Andrew faced 49 balls & hit 7 boundaries for his 40 runs, before being bowled bizarrely ducking what he had originally thought was a ‘beamer’. Jye Samspon (100) notched-up his 2nd century of the season from 107 balls faced, which included 1 six & 15 fours before being caught & bowled. Fast scoring from Neil Spragg (11*) & skipper Jon Best (21*) meant Steeton finished strongly with an impressive 258 runs for 4 wickets in 48 overs.

In reply Bardsey lost their first 2 wickets to the pace of opener Matthew Thomas (2-32) The pick of the bowlers was Alex Gledhill who took 4 wickets for 48 runs from 12 overs. Neil Spragg (2-56) collected 2 wickets & Richard Atkins (1-24) took 1 wicket as Bardsey were reduced to 174 runs for nine wickets in 39 overs. Steeton had 9 overs to complete the victory, but Bardsey’s last pair played with determination and kept Steeton to a winning draw. Andrew Luxton & keeper Neil Wilson took catches, as well as Alex Gledhill taking a return catch from his own bowling. After their 48 overs Bardsey were 224 runs for 9 wickets and in a match they had dominated Steeton had to settle for a 4-2 winning draw.

Steeton 249-5 in 50 overs

J Sampson 11, R Atkins 63, J Akrigg 118, A Luxton 1, N Spragg 34, J Best 9*, G Boulton 5*, Extras 8

N Hanif 17-3-80-2, C Dawson 13-4-46-1, M Scott 14-1-72-1, L Waters 6-0-43-0

Tong Park – Esholt 200 a/o in 45.5 overs

J Wilkinson 24, L Waters 0, P Hanson 6, D Groom 48, G Wilkinson 74, N Hanif 10, S Kirkley 5, A Taylor 9, C Shepherd 0, C Dawson 0, M Scott 0*, Extras 24

Ross Suri 9-4-33-2, M Thomas 8-3-16-0, A Luxton 6-1-23-1, A Gledhill 8.5-0-31-3, R Atkins 5-1-16-0, N Spragg 6-0-38-2, G Boulton 2-0-21-0, J Best 1-0-4-2

Steeton 1st XI beat Tong Park at home by 49 runs. The main feature of the Steeton innings was an impressive 2nd wicket partnership of 165 runs between opener Richard Atkins (63) & John Akrigg (118). Richard Atkins hit 1 six & 8 fours as he faced 104 balls for his 63 runs, and John Akrigg scored his record-breaking 10th century for Steeton with 118 runs scored from 121 deliveries with 4 sixes & 17 fours. Earlier opener Australian Jye Sampson had scored 11 runs, and when quick runs were needed Neil Spragg hit 2 sixes & 2 fours in a quickfire 34 runs scored from just 22 deliveries. At the tea break our 1st XI had scored an above-par 249 runs for 5 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Tong Park were under pressure straight away with junior Ross Suri (2-33) breaking the opening partnership. As Steeton used 8 different bowlers, the pick was left-arm spin bowler Alex Gledhill, who took 3 wickets for 31 runs from 8.5 overs. Neil Spragg (2-38) collected 2 wickets and so did skipper Jon Best, who only bowled 1 over and took 2 wicket for 4 runs. Andrew Luxton (1-23) collected the other wicket courtesy of a stumping by keeper Neil Wilson. Neil Wilson also took 1 catch along with Alex Gledhill, who took 2 catches, and John Akrigg & Andrew Luxton, who took 1 catch each. Tong Park lost their last 3 wickets in 2 explosive overs with the score remaining on 200 runs, and so after 45.5 overs they were all out for 200 runs, and Steeton won by 49 runs to collect all 6 points from this encounter.

Steeton 154 a/o in 49.5 overs

R Atkins 46, J Sampson 6, J Akrigg 16, A Luxton 43, N Spragg 10, J Best 8, G Boulton 0, A Gledhill 6, N Wilson 4, M Thomas 3*, R Suri 1, Extras 11

M Ali 25-4-70-3, P Stothart 8-2-34-1, A Stothart 16.5-6-39-6

Thackley 155-4 in 42 overs

L Harbour 0, A Raza 3, R Breakwell 43, L Rehman 5, M Birks 60*, D Kettlewell 37*, Extras 7

R Atkins 10-3-29-2, M Thomas 6-1-14-1, N Spragg 6-1-18-0, A Gledhill 9-1-26-1, A Luxton 5-0-25-0, J Best 4-0-19-0, G Boulton 2-0-11-0

Batting first Steeton scored 154 runs all out in 49.5 overs; with Richard Atkins (46), Andrew Luxton (43), John Akrigg (16) & Neil Spragg (10) being the only batsmen to reach double figures. Richard Atkins scored his 46 runs from 93 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. Richard shared a 2nd wicket partnership of 42 runs with John Akrigg, who faced 44 balls for his 16 runs, which included 3 boundaries. Richard then went on to share an excellent 3rd wicket stand of 48 runs with Andrew Luxton, who hit 1 six & 5 fours as he faced 74 deliveries for his 43 runs. Steeton lost late wickets trying to post a competitive score, and at the tea interval they knew their 154 runs all out was a little short of the mark. For Thackley A. Stothart took 6 wickets for 39 runs from 16.5 overs.

In reply Steeton took wickets in their first 2 overs to reduce Thackley to 2 runs for 2 wickets; and when Richard Atkins (2-39) took his second wicket, Richard & Matthew Thomas (1-14) had Thackley reeling at 23 runs for 3 wickets. Thackley reached 66 runs before losing their 4th wicket to the spin bowling of Alex Gledhill (1-26). Alex Gledhill & keeper Neil Wilson took a single catch each. Thanks to Thackley’s Birks (60*) they then compiled a 89-run match-winning unbroken 5th wicket partnership, despite Steeton trying 7 different bowlers. Thackley pass the Steeton target with 6 wickets & 8 overs to spare, having scored 155 runs for 5 wickets in 42 overs. Steeton leave North Hall with no points.

Steeton 299-4 in 50 overs

R Atkins 74, J Sampson 14, J Akrigg 16, A Luxton 100*, N Spragg 70, J Best 12*, Extras 13

D Wright 17-2-83-3, T Horner 6-0-65-0, A Scholes 11-2-40-0, M Stalgis 3-0-28-0, N Thackray 6-0-39-0, J Horner 7-1-36-1

Colton Institute 262-9 in 50 overs

N Thackray 81, D Goutrey 35, D Wright 59, J Johnson 2, D Chalk 52, P Horsey 15, A Scholes 7, A Farrar 0, J Horner 2, M Stalgis 2*, T Horner 0*, Extras 7

R Atkins 5-1-23-0, M Thomas 5-0-29-0, J Best 3-0-28-0, A Gledhill 15-3-66-4, D Cook 6-0-34-0, N Spragg 5-0-23-0, A Luxton 11-1-53-5

This must be remembered as Andrew Luxton’s match…with fantastic all-round performance: an unbeaten 100* runs followed by 5 wickets. Asked to bat first Steeton had scored 31 runs before losing Australian Jye Sampson (14)…and added a further 32 runs to bring the total to 63 runs before losing John Akrigg (16). Opener Richard Atkins (74) then went on to share a 3rd wicket stand of 70 runs with Andrew Luxton (100*). Richard had hit 1 six & 13 fours in his impressive knock of 74 runs before he was stumped. Andrew went on to share a fantastic 120-run 4th wicket stand with Neil Spragg (70). Neil Spragg was caught out having hit 2 sixes & 10 fours for his 70 runs. Andrew was not finished and he went on to share an unbroken 5th wicket partnership of 46 runs with skipper Jon Best (12*). With a scampered run from the last ball of the innings Andrew Luxton (100*) scored his first century for Steeton having hit 5 sixes & 9 fours. At the tea interval Steeton were happy to have scored 299 runs for 5 wickets.

In reply Colton were going well at 174 runs for 2 wickets, but Steeton’s spinners did not let this run-fest continue unchecked. Alex Gledhill finished with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 66 runs from 15 overs. Coming on as the 5th change bowler Andrew Luxton’s leg spin earned him 5 wickets for 53 runs from 11 overs. Keeper Neil Wilson was in sparkling form with 2 stumpings & a catch. Matthew Thomas collected 2 catches & there was a single catch each for Jye Sampson & John Akrigg. After their 50 overs Colton’s last pair of batsmen were at they wicket – they were 262 runs with 9 wickets down, and in this high-scoring match Steeton were unlucky to only finish with a 4-2 winning draw.

Steeton 180 a/o in 48.1 overs

J Sampson 16, R Atkins 8, J Akrigg 16, A Luxton 5, J Best 25, A Hardwick 0, G Boulton 44, J Taylor 20, D Cook 6, A Gledhill 13, N Wilson 10*, Extras 17

C Morrison 13-5-34-1. O Blackford 9-3-28-2, R Procter 11-5-39-3, A Yelding 6-0-38-0, P Sweeney 9.1-1-32-4

Follifoot 182-3 in 35.3 overs

N Robinson 85*, P Miller 9, A Yelding 34, S Bowes 44, P Sweeney 4*, Extras 2

R Atkins 5-1-18-1, G Boulton 5-1-30-0, A Gledhill 7-2-32-1, A Luxton 6-0-32-0, J Akrigg 2-0-17-0, D Cook 6-1-22-1, J Sampson 4-1-22-0, A Hardwick 0.3-0-8-0

Steeton batted and had lost their first 4 batsmen with the score on 54 runs with only Australian Jye Sampson (16) & John Akrigg (16) managing double figures. Top-scorer for Steeton was Gary Boulton (44), who hit 2 sixes & 4 fours as he scored 44 runs from 60 deliveries & smashed 20 runs from a single over! Gary has now passed the 10,000-run mark in 1st & 2nd XI cricket at Steeton – becoming only the 3rd batsman ever to achieve this landmark. Gary shared a 6th wicket partnership of 49 runs with skipper Jon Best (25) and followed that with a 44-run 7th wicket stand with Jonathan Taylor (20). Alex Gledhill (13) & Neil Wilson (10*) added 23 runs for the last wicket as Steeton were all out for 180 runs in 48.1 overs. At the tea interval Steeton knew they had posted a below-par score and would have to bowl & field well to defend their total.

Follifoot had reached 23 runs before they lost their first wicket to the bowling of Richard Atkins (1-18). In his final match for Steeton before moving to London, left-arm spinner Alex Gledhill (1-32) took the 2nd wicket with the total on 81 runs. Steeton were unable to remove Follifoot opening batsman Robinson (85*). An 89-run 3rd wicket stand had made the outcome of this match a foregone conclusion, before Follifoot lost their 3rd wicket with just 10 runs required. The wicket taker was Dave Cook (1-22) also playing his last game for Steeton, before emigrating to Australia. Richard Atkins took the only catch, as Follifoot scored 182 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 35.3 overs. Follifoot knocked-off the runs with 7 wickets & 15 overs to spare. Steeton finish the season with a 7-wicket defeat.

Bilton 161-7 in 50 overs

A Wharton 24, M Donnelly 7, L Heslop 49, T Smith 2, M Tyler 5, N Bull 3, B Simpson 22, S Laurence 19*, P Fletcher 18*, Extras 12

C Lowe 9-0-31-0, P Hardwick 18-3-40-4, J Emmott 9-2-37-2, Z Pearson 14-2-48-1

Steeton 108 a/o in 43.1 overs

A Hardwick 15, M Chapman 3, D Cook 19, J Higginson 12, J Jordan 32, P Barrett 4, C Baxter 2, J Emmott 4, Z Pearson 0, P Hardwick 5, C Lowe 0*, Extras 12

S Thompson 8-5-15-3, P Fletcher 8-1-30-0, B Simpson 4-0-20-2, M Tyler 9-4-11-1, C Morley 10-4-18-2, S Laurence 4.1-3-3-1

Without the services of many 2nd XI regulars (through either retirement or being called up to 1st XI duty), our 2nd XI unfortunately were unable not match the success of our 1st XI, and lost at Bilton by 53 runs. Asked to bat first Bilton lost their opening wicket to a sharp left-handed slip catch by Phil Barrett from the bowling of new skipper Paul Hardwick. Paul was the pick of the bowling with 4 wickets for 40 runs from 18 overs, but he would have been more successful had he not overstepped the crease to have Bilton’s top-scorer Heslop (49) caught behind off a no-ball. James Emmott (2-37) & Zach Pearson (1-48) took the other wickets to fall as Bilton recovered from 57 runs for 4 wickets to close on 161 runs for 7 wickets from their 50 overs. Steeton fielded well as a team, but worthy of a mention were Callum Lowe & James Jordan, who each received a fielding point.

Steeton’s reply never achieved any fluidity, with cameo knocks by opener Adam Hardwick (15), Dave Cook (19) & Julian Higginson (12). Batting at No5 James Jordan (32) played a fine innings to top-score for Steeton. James faced 57 deliveries and hit 5 boundaries for a career-best 32 runs. Faced by tight Bilton bowling Steeton found runs hard to accumulate & were eventually all out for just 108 runs in 43.1 overs.

Steeton 217-7 in 50 overs

Mick Wilson 44, A Greenwood 46, D Cook 17, J Higginson 12, A Hardwick 18, J Jordan 0, J Emmott 26, P Barrett 23*, Z Pearson 1*, Extras 30

M Hogg 13-0-48-1, M Topham 5-1-19-0, S Gardener 5-2-27-0, S Bateman 12-1-48-3, R Falkingham 15-4-60-3

Harden 146-8 in 50 overs

A Bailey 6, M Falkingham 6, M Portlock 36, M Riley 8, S Bateman 5, B Simpson 10, S Gardener 20, R Falkingham 28*, M Topham 1, C Hodson 1*, Extras 25

C Lowe 8-2-26-2, P Hardwick 16-7-22-1, J Emmott 12-4-40-3, Z Pearson 8-0-24-1, D Cook 4-3-2-1, A Hardwick 2-0-18-0

Our 2nd XI were back to devastating form, but were unable to complete the coup-de-grâce on a well beaten Harden side & so had to settle for a 5-1 winning draw. Asked to bat first Steeton amassed an impressive opening partnership of 93 runs, before Mick Wilson was bowled for 44 runs scored from 80 deliveries with 1 six & 6 fours. Mick’s opening partner was Adam Greenwood (46), who faced 90 balls and hit 7 boundaries as he fell just short of what would have been a well earned half-century. Steeton’s middle order feature a number of cameo knocks, with Dave Cook (17), Julian Higginson (12) & Adam Hardwick (18) all unable to capitalise on good starts. After 40 overs Steeton were 142 runs for 5 wickets and needed an injection of quick runs. Adam Hardwick (18) hit 2 sixes as he shared a 6th wicket partnership of 36 runs with James Emmott (26). James’s 26 runs came from 33 balls & included 4 fours, and he went on to share a quick-fire 7th wicket stand of 33 runs with Phil Barrett (23*). Phil smashed his undefeated 23 runs from just 14 balls faced with 4 boundaries, as Steeton finished on 217 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs. For Harden S Bateman (3-48) & R Falkingham (3-60) were impressive with the ball.

The opening partnership of Harden’s reply was blown away by an impressive opening blast by Callum Lowe (2-26). James Emmott was also in destructive form and ripped through the Harden middle order taking 3 wickets for 40 runs. Skipper Paul Hardwick was fast & hostile, but was unfortunate to only collect a single wicket as he bowled 16 overs at a cost of just 22 runs. Dave Cook’s figures of 4 overs 1 wicket for 2 runs show he is well on the road to recovery, and the other wicket fell to the off-spin of Zach Pearson (1-24). Paul Hardwick took 2 excellently-judged high catches and there was a catch each for James Emmott & keeper Julian Higginson. James Jordan’s frenetic efforts in the field earned himself his 2nd fielding point of the season. For Harden Portlock (36) showed early resistance, and although little effort was made to pass the 75% score of 163 runs, Harden’s captain R Falkingham (28*) stood firm to defy Steeton and collect a single point. At the close Harden were 8 wickets down with the score on 146 runs. Steeton had a 5-1 winning draw with Harden still 17 runs short of the ¾ score.

Adel 131 a/o in 49.3 overs

I Jones 45, J Stringer 4, T Ward 0, C Dodsworth 4, I bath 33, T Suracan 4, T Edwards 6, R Mumford 0, A Jones 5, S Pawson 5, A Firth 5*, Extras 20

C Lowe 4-1-9-0, P Hardwick 9-4-14-0, J Emmott 16.3-6-36-8, M Thomas 5-2-17-0, Z Pearson 4-0-18-0, D Cook 11-3-20-1

Steeton 133-4 in 39.4 overs

M Wilson 39, A Greenwood 10, M Thomas 1, J Higginson 11, A Hardwick 37*, D Cook 23*, Extras 12

R Mumford 20-11-33-3, A Firth 13-2-50-1, T Edwards 5-0-21-0, T Ward 1.4-0-18-0

The 2nd XI juggernaut has shifted through the gears and has once again reached top gear. Adel’s wicket proved the major difficulty with its uneven bounce, and so runs were definitely at a premium as Adel lost the toss and were asked to bat first. Adel’s opener Ian Jones rode his good luck to top-score with 45 runs, but Adel skipper Iain Bath (33) was the only other batsman to reach double figures. Chief tormentor of Adel was James Emmott, who was in devastating form as he finished with career-best figures of 8 wickets for 36 runs from 16.3 overs. 5 of James’ victims were clean bowled, but a further 2 were comfortably caught by skipper Paul Hardwick & Matthew Thomas. The wicket also suited Dave Cook who bowled 11 overs and only conceded 20 runs as he collected a single wicket. Zach Pearson & Dave Cook also combined to run out another Adel batter. The fielding points went to Callum Lowe & the veteran Phil Barrett, who gave a master-class of ground fielding. At lunch Adel had scored 131 runs all out in 49.3 overs, but the poor wicket and large outfield meant Adel were by no means out of this game.

Steeton’s reply was led by the experienced opener Mick Wilson, who scored 39 careful runs from 85 deliveries with 6 boundaries. His opening partner was Adam Greenwood (10), who departed with the score on just 15 runs. Mick shared a 3rd wicket stand of 19 runs with Julian Higginson (11), but it was when Mick was caught from a leading edge that Adam Hardwick (37*) & Dave Cook (23*) came together. Adam & Dave shared an impressive unbroken 5th wicket match winning partnership of 64 runs, which broke Adel’s resistance. Adam scored his 37* runs from 71 deliveries with 1 six & 2 fours, and Dave faced 27 balls to register his 23 runs, which included 4 boundaries. Steeton had scored 133 runs for the loss of 4 wicket in 39.4 overs, to win by 6 wickets with 10 overs to spare & collect all 6 points from this encounter.

Illingworth 192-9 in 48 overs

A Ingham 23, P Taylor 14, C Fellows 0, J Lawton 45, S Smith 53, S Cook 0, R Hargreaves 12, S Thompson 4, L Kelly 5, R Lockley 4*, S Lees 2*, Extras 22

C Lowe 8-2-35-0, P Hardwick 11-0-34-5, M Thomas 11-3-27-2, J Emmott 6-1-24-1, Z Pearson 5-0-21-0, D Cook 7-1-25-1

Steeton 136-7 in 48 overs

M Wilson 31, A Greenwood 0, J Emmott 4, J Higginson 15, A Hardwick 10, M Thomas 4, D Cook 29, P Barrett 31*, Z Pearson 1*, Extras 11

S Lees 16-4-45-4, S Smith 13-8-19-1, A Ingham 14-5-20-1, R Lockley 8-1-41-1

Steeton 2nd XI fared only slightly better at home to Illingworth, and had to settle for a 1-5 losing draw. Illingworth were asked to bat first and scored an above par 193 runs for 9 wickets in a rain reduced 48 overs match. Skipper Paul Hardwick (5-34) wiped away the tail to collect a 5-wicket haul; Matthew Thomas (2-27) bowled well, and there was a single wicket each for James Emmott (1-24) & Dave Cook (1-25). Callum Lowe should have had a wicket from the very first ball of the match, but unfortunately the easy chance was spilled. It was the day for caught & bowleds, with Dave Cook taking a fantastic return catch, only to be bettered by Paul Hardwick’s incredible dive to clutch the ball with his left-hand. Matthew Thomas also took a return catch from his own bowling, and the other catch was a well judged catch in the deep by Zach Pearson. On a difficult track Illingworth had scored around 50 more runs than Steeton would have hoped.

Steeton’s reply was once again led by Mick Wilson, who scored his 31 runs from 60 deliveries with 1 six & 5 fours. The Steeton middle order put up little resistance with only Julian Higginson (15) & Adam Hardwick (10) making double figures. With 6 wickets down and just 90 runs on the board, Steeton were looking wobbly, but this brought together the experienced Dave Cook (29) & Phil Barrett (31*). Dave & Phil put together a 7th wicket partnership of 43 runs, as they mounted a serious assault on the ¾ score of 145 runs. Dave scored his 29 runs from 46 deliveries & hit 2 sixes before being bowled in the last over. Phil faced 50 balls to score his unbeaten 31 runs, which included 1 six & 4 fours. At the end of this fixture Steeton had scored 136 runs for 7 wickets in their 48 overs – still 9 runs from the 75% total – and so had to settle for a single point against top-of-league Illingworth. This breaks Illingworth’s run of 3 straight wins this season.

Beckwithshaw 120 a/o in 47 overs

D Guy 4, S Critchley 37, C Lister 4, R Wilson 3, P Hotchkiss 8, D Wilson 3, C Irvine 11, M Smart 1, A Gott 8, I Hudson 6*, A Tiffany 25, Extras 10

C Lowe 7-0-8-1, P Hardwick 16-7-37-2, M Thomas 14-4-50-6, J Emmott 2-0-14-0, D Cook 5-2-3-0

Steeton 124-9 in 37.5 overs

M Wilson 6, A Greenwood 6, J Emmott 29, J Jordan 0, J Higginson 22, A Hardwick 4, D Cook 9, P Barrett 0, M Thomas 18*, P Hardwick 21, C Lowe 1*, Extras 8

A Gott 18.5-5-44-5, M Smart 9-1-28-1, S Critchley 3-0-15-1, A Tiffany 7-0-33-2

Steeton 2nd XI won by the narrowest margins with a nerve-wracking 1 wicket victory at Beckwithshaw. Matthew Thomas was definitely the man of the match, with 6 wickets before hitting the winning runs. Asked to bat first Beckwithshaw found runs hard to score & lost wickets regularly as they reached drinks with 52 runs on the board having lost 4 wickets in 25 overs, with only Critchley (37) showing any resistance. Matthew Thomas bowled a hostile 17 overs and ripped through the Beckwithshaw batsmen taking 6 wickets and conceding 50 runs. Skipper Paul Hardwick (2-37) was also impressive as Beckwithshaw were further reduced to 82 runs for 8 wickets. The late batting order showed solid resistance with the 9th wicket putting on 12 runs before a remarkable 40 yard throw by Phil Barrett hit the middle stump to run out one batsman; and the 10th wicket put on 26 runs before Callum Lowe (1-8) collected the final wicket with a skied catch well judged by Adam Greenwood. Dave Cook took 2 comfortable catches at mid-wicket, James Emmott made a difficult slip catch look easy & keeper Julian Higginson also took a rapid catch. Paul Hardwick & James Jordan were awarded the fielding points, but special mention must go to Mick Wilson, whose mighty throwing arm was feared by the Beckwithshaw batsmen & so saved many runs at third man. At the tea interval Beckwithshaw were 120 runs all out in 47 overs, and there was a prolonged heavy downpour that looked like it had ended play for the day. Great credit must go to Beckwithshaw for their efforts to make the pitch playable…and play was able to resume with the Steeton’s innings reduced to 40 overs.

Steeton’s reply started disastrously losing 3 wickets with only 16 runs on the board. A 4th wicket stand of 40 runs between James Emmott (29) & Julian Higginson (22) steadied the Steeton innings. James top-scored with his 29 runs coming from 49 deliveries and including 5 boundaries; Julian faced 45 balls and hit 4 fours in his innings of 22 runs. When James & Julian were out Steeton too were reduced to 82 runs for 8 wickets, and looking at improbable defeat. For Beckwithshaw Andrew Gott took 5 wickets for 44 runs. Skipper Paul Hardwick (21) strode to the wicket to join Matthew Thomas (18*), and together they amassed an important 9th wicket stand of 35 runs, which saw Steeton to the brink of victory. Paul score his 21 runs from 29 deliveries with 3 fours, before being bowled 3 runs from the target score. In a nail-biting climax, last man Callum Lowe (1*) stood firm allowing Matthew Thomas to hit the winning runs. Matthew had scored his unbeaten 18* runs from 23 deliveries with 2 fours. Steeton had scored 124 runs for 9 wickets in 37.5 overs, to win by 1 wicket with 2 overs to spare. Steeton leave Beckwithshaw very relieved to have all 6 points on offer, which moves us to 2nd place in the league.

Steeton 113-6 in 22 overs

M Wilson 3, A Greenwood 18, J Emmott 42*, J Jordan 0, J Higginson 13, A Hardwick 1, D Cook 5, P Barrett 6*, Extras 25

A Peel 6-2-17-2, J Colclough 5-0-22-1, P Sumner 3-0-28-0, M Cooper 5-0-26-2, I Frost 3-1-9-1

Burley-in-Wharfedale

No play for rain

Steeton 2nd XI progress to the 2nd round of the Birtwhistle Cup beating Burley-in-Wharfedale on a bowl-out. After a long rain delay the match eventually got under way 1½ hours late at 3:30pm, with Steeton batting having lost the toss. The game had been reduced to a 29-over match, and with chasing after quick runs Steeton lost early wickets. After 7 overs Steeton were 28 runs for 3 wickets, with Adam Greenwood scoring 18 runs. James Emmott (42*) played a superb innings for Steeton as he steadied the innings. James hit 3 sixes & 3 fours as he scored his unbeaten 42* runs from 54 deliveries. James shared a good 4th wicket partnership of 66 runs with Julian Higginson, who contributed 13 runs before falling to a fantastic diving catch at backward square leg. With Steeton at 113 runs for 6 wickets in 22 overs the rain returned and did not relent. The only way to complete this would be in a bowl out!

The bowl out was made even more difficult, being conducted in the continuous rain. In the first round of 2 deliveries each, Zach Pearson got Steeton off to a great start with a 1-0 lead. It looked like this would be enough to see Steeton through to the next round, until Beckwithshaw’s final bowler (keeper D Bryan) levelled the scores at 1-1. As the bowl out went into the second round of sudden death 1 delivery each, Beckwithshaw missed, but James Emmott uprooted the middle stump! Steeton win & progress to the 2nd round of the Birtwhistle Cup, where they entertain Otley at home on 31st May.

Steeton 237-7 in 50 overs

Mick Wilson 33, Adam Hardwick 22, J Emmott 56, J Higginson 74, J Jordan 2, D Cook 5, P Barrett 18, M Thomas 2*, Z Pearson 0*, Extras 25

J Colclough 11-1-56-0, A Peel 6-2-9-0, P Sumner 5-1-36-1, I Frost 9-0-35-0, G Ross 15-3-51-3, M Cooper 2-0-18-0, L McGowan 2-0-19-0

Burley-in-Wharfedale 164-7 in 50 overs

R Trusswell 26, G Ross 4, I Frost 64*, P Sumner 6, M Cooper 12, D Healey 13, L McGowan 9, M Robinson 1, D Grimes 13*, Extras 16

C Lowe 5-1-17-0, P Hardwick 11-1-23-1, M Thomas 10-2-29-1, Z Pearson 11-1-42-2, J Emmott 6-2-22-2, D Cook 7-1-17-1

Steeton 2nd XI showed that their bowl-out victory in the Birtwhistle Cup last weekend was by no means a fluke, as they dominated this fixture, but had to settle for a 5-1 winning draw at home to Burley. Asked to bat first Steeton compiled a series of good partnerships. The opening stand was 43 runs, before Mick Wilson was the first man out with 33 runs scored from 46 deliveries with 7 boundaries. The score had progressed to 107 runs, with a 2nd wicket partnership of 64 runs, before Adam Hardwick (22) was the next man out. At No3 James Emmott is in a rich vein of form with the bat, and he was rewarded with a half century. James scored 56 runs from just 57 deliveries & hit 5 sixes and 3 fours. James shared a 40-run 3rd wicket stand with top-scorer Julian Higginson (74). Julian faced 82 balls and smashed 3 sixes & 6 fours, as he scored an excellent 74 runs, before he was unfortunately run out in the last over of the innings. The only other partnership of note was 37 runs for the 6th wicket between Julian (74) & Phil Barrett (18). At the tea interval Steeton were reasonably confident with their 237 runs for 7 wickets in 50 overs.

In reply Burley lost their first wicket early to the hostile bowling of Paul Hardwick (1-23). A 2nd wicket stand of 48 runs steadied their innings, before James Emmott (2-22) collected 2 quick wickets. The off-spin of Zach Pearson (2-42) kept the wickets tumbling, as did Matthew Thomas (1-29) & Dave Cook (1-17). In the field keeper Julian Higginson took 2 catches, and there was a single catch apiece for Mick Wilson, Dave Cook & Phil Barrett. The fielding points went to Callum Lowe & James Jordan. For Burley Ian Frost (64*) stood firm and rescued a single point for Burley. The ¾ score was 178 runs, and after their 50 overs Burley were still 14 runs from that target. Burley had scored 164 runs, but only lost 7 wickets in their 50 overs. Steeton collect 5 points from a good performance & a winning draw, which keeps them in contention at the top of the division.

Steeton 149 a/o in 47.1 overs

D Robinson 0, A Hardwick 9, J Emmott 31, A Howarth 48, J Jordan 15, D Cook 4, P Barrett 10, M Thomas 3, Z Pearson 10, P Hardwick 4, C Lowe 0*, Extras 15

J Perry 12-4-44-1, M Gray 23.1-5-61-3, M Wilkinson 12-3-33-5

Otley 150-4 in 38 overs

G Huntley 12, G Wolfenden 60, C Davy 26, J Coleman 4, P Nicholson 25*, M Wilkinson 5*, Extras 18

C Lowe 6-2-15-0, P Hardwick 11-4-24-2, D Cook 6-1-22-0, Z Pearson 3-0-19-0, J Emmott 3-1-13-0, M Thomas 8-0-45-1, A Howarth 1-0-5-1

In a precursor to tomorrow’s Birtwhistle Cup tie, Steeton 2nd XI were outplayed at Cross Green & lost by 6 wickets. Steeton were a little surprised to be asked to bat first on a blazing hot day. Steeton’s batting got under way with a 2nd wicket partnership of 43 runs between Adam Hardwick (9) & James Emmott (31). James faced 43 balls & hit 6 boundaries for his 31 runs. The next partnership worthy of a mention was the 37-run 4th wicket stand between Alex Howarth (48) & James Jordan (15). Alex Howarth top-scored with his 48 runs coming from 90 deliveries with 7 fours, before he was run out. Alex also shared a 6th wicket stand of 36 runs with Phil Barrett (10). When Alex was out wickets tumbled with only Zach Pearson (10) managing double figures. Four of the Steeton side had been adjudged LBW. At the tea interval Steeton knew they had posted a below-par score, with 149 runs all out in 47.1 overs. For Otley Wilkinson (5-33) collected a 5 wickets haul.

Otley’s reply was led by Wolfenden (60), but it may have been a different match had a caught & bowled chance not been spurned when he was only 20 runs. Skipper Paul Hardwick (2-24) bowled 11 tight overs, and gave Steeton an early breakthrough. The only other bowlers to collect wickets were Alex Howarth (1-5) & Matthew Thomas (1-45) Three of the Otley side were adjudged LBW. The fielding points went to Matthew Thomas & David Robinson. Otley scored 150 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 38 overs, and so Steeton 2nd XI must leave Cross Green empty-handed.

Otley 169-9 in 45 overs

J Atkinson 9, G Wolfenden 30, G Huntley 13, C Davy 13, A Lazarus 6, P Nicholson 0, M Wilkinson 48, J Coleman 9, P Mortimer 0, M Jordan 15*, M Gray 8*, Extras 18

C Lowe 9-1-27-1, P Hardwick 9-2-22-1, Z Pearson 5-0-23-1, D Cook 9-2-26-2, M Thomas 8-3-33-2, J Emmott 5-0-26-2

Steeton 172-5 in 37.3 overs

D Cook 52, A Hardwick 1, J Emmott 7, J Higginson 78, J Jordan 17, P Barrett 0*, M Thomas 4*, Extras 13

M Wilkinson 8.3-0-50-1, M Gray 9-5-16-2, C Davy 4-0-23-0, J Atkinson 4-0-28-0, G Huntley 9-1-30-0, A Lazarus 2-0-17-0, J Coleman 1-0-1-1

Revenge is sweet! Steeton progress in the Birtwhistle Cup thanks to a much improved performance at home against Otley. Steeton managed to put right all their faults of yesterday: the bowlers all bowled well – each collecting at least one wicket, the fielding was first class & the batting saw us through to a convincing victory. Otley won the toss and elected to bat first on a hard fast Steeton track on a scorching hot day. Steeton bowled tight and after 15 overs Otley were 52 runs for the loss of 1 wicket – thanks to a well-directed bouncer by Paul Hardwick (1-22) followed by a fast yorker. The off-spin of Zach Pearson (1-23) accounted for the 2nd wicket just after the 15-overs drinks break with a thin edge taken by keeper Julian Higginson. Dave Cook (2-26) bowled 9 tight overs & took the vital wicket of yesterday’s top-scorer Wolfenden (30). Matthew Thomas (2-33) also collected a brace of wickets as did James Emmott (2-26) with both bowlers having a low catch each pouched by the reliable Phil Barrett at point. Otley’s skipper Wilkinson (48) batted with a mixture of power, aggression & belligerence, but he was eventually dismissed by Callum Lowe (1-27) with a high catch well caught by Paul Hardwick. At the tea break Otley had posted a below-par score of 169 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 45 overs.

In reply Steeton were a little uncomfortable at 27 runs for 2 wickets, until a 3rd wicket stand of 97 runs between Dave Cook (52) & Julian Higginson (78) all but won the match for Steeton. Promoted to opener the unorthodox Dave Cook notched a half-century, with his 52 runs coming from 86 deliveries with 1 six & 8 fours. Julian Higginson was in devastating form and his combination of powerful drives & dismissive hooks brought him 78 runs from just 79 balls faced, with 1 six & 13 fours. When Dave was out Julian went on to share a 40-run 4th wicket stand with James Jordan (17), but both were out with the victory target in sight. It was left to Matthew Thomas to drive his first ball to the boundary to seal Steeton’s convincing victory. Steeton had scored 172 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 37.3 overs, to win by 5 wickets with 7 overs to spare. On the 28th June Steeton travel to Illingworth for the quarter-finals.

Steeton 1pt

No play possible

Kirkstall 1pt

No play possible

Constant heavy rain on Friday & overnight meant that Steeton’s pitch was totally unfit, with ducks happily swimming on the outfield. This fixture was called-off in the morning without Kirkstall having to travel.

North Leeds 165-9 in 50 overs

T Hales 0, G Wales 45, G Mander 5, W Jackson 26, F Lak 3, D Cowley 25, M Johnson 9, A Cheeseman 10, B Stevens 11*, F Iqbal 0, A Karim 7*, Extras 24

C Lowe 10-3-19-1, P Hardwick 8-0-35-3, M Thomas 4-0-19-0, J Emmott 12-2-39-1, Z Pearson 16-3-44-4

Steeton 166-4 in 40.2 overs

D Robinson 40, M Wilson 3, J Emmott 5, J Higginson 73*, M Chapman 23, A Hardwick 6*, Extras 16

A Cheeseman 6-2-29-1, M Johnson 8-1-33-1, A Karim 14.2-1-51-1, B Stevens 6-1-20-0, F Iqbal 6-0-23-1

Steeton 2nd XI continued their good season with a 6 wicket victory at North
Leeds. Asked to bat first on a good track North Leeds’ top batters were ripped out by the fiery pace of skipper Paul Hardwick, who took 3 wickets for 35 runs from 8 overs. The burgeoning talent that is off-spinner Zach Pearson made good use of a track that was offering turn & bounce to tear through the middle-order; returning career-best figures of 4 wickets for 44 runs from 16 overs, with 2 catches by Matthew Thomas & 1 catch each for Callum Lowe & Phil Barrett. James Emmott (1-39) collected a wicket thanks to a catch taken by Paul Hardwick, which earned him a fielding point – the other fielding point going to Mark Chapman. Opening bowler Callum Lowe (1-19) bowled 10 overs that only conceded 19 runs, and he was rewarded with a late wicket courtesy of keeper Julian Higginson, who ended with 2 catches in total. At the tea interval North Leeds had scored a healthy 165 runs for 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Steeton were aware that although 165 runs was a good score, North Leeds is a high scoring ground.

Steeton had a stuttery start losing 2 wickets with only 21 runs on the board. A 3rd wicket partnership of 100 runs between opener David Robinson (40) & in-form Julian Higginson (73*) put Steeton’s reply back on track. David Robinson scored his 40 runs from 95 deliveries with 1 six & 5 fours. Julian Higginson faced 96 deliveries and hit 3 sixes & 8 fours for his unbeaten 73* runs – his 3rd successive score in the 70s! Julian then went on to share a 35-run 4th wicket stand with Mark Chapman (23). Steeton finished with 166 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 40.2 overs to win by 6 wickets with 9 overs to spare. Steeton leave the Homestead with all 6 points on offer to maintain their challenge at the top of the table.

Steeton 237-8 in 50 overs

D Robinson 28, M Wilson 9, J Emmott 0, A Hardwick 68, J Jordan 48, D Cook 4, P Barrett 32, D Hanson 4, Z Pearson 27*, P Hardwick 0*, Extras 17

A Perring 12-4-32-0, B Jones 9-1-40-4, M Best 11-1-50-1, S Dickinson 5-2-20-0, R Butterfield 10-1-55-3, J Kelly 3-0-23-0

Guiseley 190-9 in 50 overs

C Fraser 8, H Durkin 2, G Taylor 17, C Cooper 12, M Best 13, R Butterfield 8, N Fraser 5, S Dickinson 75, B Jones 24*, A Perring 0, J Kelly 3*, Extras 23

C Lowe 7-0-31-1, P Hardwick 21-6-49-6, J Emmott 3-0-11-1, Z Pearson 12-2-51-1, D Cook 3-0-16-0, D Robinson 4-0-18-0

Career best performances abounded for Steeton’s up-and-coming batsmen. Asked to bat first Steeton were 2 wickets down with just 28 runs on the board before a 3rd wicket partnership of 56 runs between opener David Robinson (28) & top-scorer Adam Hardwick (68) steadied the innings. David scored his 28 runs from 78 deliveries with 3 fours. Adam Hardwick’s masterful knock included 1 six & 8 fours as he faced 79 balls to score his career-best 68 runs. Adam went on to share a 72-run 4th wicket stand with James Jordan (48), who fell just short of his half-century. James scored career-best 48 runs from just 39 deliveries with 10 boundaries. With quick runs need Phil Barrett (32) & Zach Pearson (27*) went into 20:20 style batting. Phil hit 1 six & 3 fours as he scored his 32 runs from 22 deliveries before being caught on the boundary, and Zach Pearson hit 1 six & 3 fours and faced just 12 balls as he scored his career-best unbeaten 27* runs – finishing the innings with a ‘maximum’. At the tea interval Steeton had scored 237 runs for 8 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Guiseley faced a blitz by skipper Paul Hardwick, whose sheer pace collected him 6 wickets at a cost of 49 runs from 21 overs. Guiseley were reduced to 75 runs for 7 wickets, but a late knock by Dickinson (75) saw them comfortably past the ¾ total. There was a wicket apiece for Callum Lowe (1-31), James Emmott (1-11) & Zach Pearson (1-51). Stand in keeper James Jordan took 2 catches, Dave Cook took a nice catch at point, and Phil Barrett earned himself a fielding point with 2 catches, including a diving one-handed catch in the slips. Adam Hardwick was awarded the other fielding point. With 9 wickets down Guiseley’s last pair at the wicket held on firmly – they finished with 190 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs – just holding on for 2 points. A good performance by Steeton meant they deserved their 4 points, and were a little unlucky not to have all 6 points.

Rawdon 219-5 in 50 overs

M Kashif 49, M Windle 19, C Goldthorpe 7, N Waite 28, C Munday 5, P Smith 58*, M Longley 23*, Extras 30

C Lowe 9-1-35-0, P Hardwick 15-1-53-2, D Cook 9-1-28-0, Z Pearson 6-0-28-0, D Robinson 11-1-55-2

Steeton 119 a/o in 50 overs

D Robinson 5, M Wilson 17, A Hardwick 1, J Higginson 39, J Jordan 9, D Cook 5, P Barrett 12, P Hardwick 4, Z Pearson 0, C Lowe 4*, J Hill 12, Extras 11

M Longley 20-10-28-3, C Munday 7-2-21-1, J Doidge 4-0-25-0, N Waite 10-2-20-3, G Myers 5-3-5-1, D Thompson 4-1-13-2

Steeton’s batting let them down as we lost at home to Rawdon. Rawdon batted first and scored a competitive 219 runs for 5 wickets in their 50 overs. Steeton were overly defensive, which allowed Rawdon to take the initiative, and from 124 runs for 5 wickets they had an unbroken 6th wicket partnership of 95 runs with Smith (58*). Skipper Paul Hardwick (2-53) & David Robinson (2-55) took 2 wickets each, and the other wicket was a run out by James Jordan throwing quickly to Dave Cook. Steeton’s ground fielding was of the highest quality, but taking some half-chance catches would have made the task easier. The fielding points went to James Jordan & Adam Hardwick. Keeper Julian Higginson took a sharp catch & David Robinson took a skied catch from his own bowling.

In reply Steeton lost early cheap wickets & were reduced to 24 runs for 3 wickets. The middle-order put up solid defence, but the target switched from a win to the ¾ score & then to survival. The tail was unable to hold on for a draw & Steeton lost their last wicket from the very last ball of the game. Top-scorer for Steeton was Julian Higginson, who scored 39 runs from 55 deliveries with 8 boundaries. Opener Mick Wilson scored 17 runs & the only other batsmen to reach double-figures were Phil Barrett (12) & last man out Jake Hill (12). Steeton had scored just 119 runs all out from 50 overs and so lost by 100 runs.

Steeton 220-6 in 45 overs

M Wilson 12, A Howarth 98, M Thomas 42, J Higginson 8, D Cook 4, P Barrett 9, A Hardwick 14*, M Chapman 2*, Extras 31

S Lees 9-2-21-0, S Smith 9-2-31-2, A Ingham 9-0-57-2, T Conway 3-0-19-0, R Lockley 8-0-29-1, P Taylor 7-1-40-1

Illingworth 215 a/o in 44.5 overs

P Taylor 18, V Brooksby 58, C Fellows 18, J Lawton 55, A Ingham 1, C Cook 8, S Smith 1, S Cook 11, T Conway 20, S Lees 10, R Lockley 0*, Extras 15

M Thomas 7-0-34-1, P Hardwick 7.5-1-50-0, Z Pearson 9-0-43-1, D Cook 9-3-18-2, A Howarth 9-0-36-4, M Wilson 3-0-20-0

Anyone privileged enough to be at Illingworth today were treated to a truly fantastic game of cricket. Steeton won the toss and chose to bat first on a good (but worn) track on a hot & sunny day. Mick Wilson got Steeton off to a good start stroking 3 boundaries before he was out for 12 runs with the score on 19 runs. The main feature of the Steeton innings was an impressive 2nd wicket partnership of 127 runs between top-scorer Alex Howarth (98) & Matthew Thomas (42). Alex Howarth definitely deserved a century as he hit 2 sixes & 10 fours from 137 deliveries to fall just short being clean bowled for 98 runs. Matthew Thomas played a responsible innings of 42 runs scored from 95 deliveries with 5 boundaries before he too was clean bowled. With Steeton chasing quick late runs their middle order was a series of cameos: Julian Higginson scored 8 runs from 9 balls, Phil Barrett scored 9 runs from 11 balls & Adam Hardwick scored 14* runs from 9 balls. Steeton closed on 220 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 45 overs, with a number of runs being donated by overthrows & 31 extras. At the tea interval Steeton knew they had a slight advantage, but the bowling & fielding would have to be of the highest quality.

Illingworth got off to a rapid start scoring 77 runs in 16 overs before losing their first wicket. Slowing the pace of the bowling stemmed the runs with Zach Pearson (1-43) & Dave Cook (2-18) removing the Illingworth top-order, but not before Brooksby had scored 58 runs before being well caught by Paul Hardwick from a skier. On a high-scoring game Dave Cook was extremely miserly – only conceding at 2 runs per over as he collected his 2 wickets with 1 being a nicely judged low catch by Adam Hardwick running in from the boundary. To cap a great all-round performance the slow off-spin of Alex Howarth ripped through the middle order and Alex finished with terrific figures of 4 wickets for 36 runs from his 9 overs, including a smart stumping by keeper Julian Higginson. Mick Wilson & Alex Howarth also combined to run out Lawton (55). With the game reaching an exciting conclusion Illingworth looked favourites, until Phil Barrett took a remarkable catch running in & diving forward from the long-off boundary, from the bowling of Matthew Thomas (1-34). With the last pair now at the wicket skipper Paul Hardwick bowled an excellent final over, which led to him running-out the last batsmen from the penultimate delivery. This was a match worthy of the final, which Steeton won by the narrow margin of 5 runs. Illingworth had scored 215 runs all out in 44.5 overs. Steeton now play Upper Wharfedale at Grassington on 19th July in the semi-finals.

Bilton 124 a/o in 46.1 overs

N Thompson 4, M Donnely 12, L Heslop 18, J Orton 39, B Simpson 0, M Tyler 13, S Laurence 9, S Thompson 9, C Morley 9, M Landsall 0, A Wox 0*, Extras 11

C Lowe 6-2-14-0, P Hardwick 11-4-24-1, D Cook 17.1-8-32-6, D Robinson 10-3-25-3, M Wilson 2-0-22-0

Steeton 126-3 in 22.1 overs

M Wilson 4, D Cook 33, D Robinson 34, J Higginson 39*, A Hardwick 0*, Extras 16

S Thompson 4-0-21-1, B Simpson 5-0-21-0, J Orton 5-0-32-0, M Tyler 6-3-17-2, A Wox 2.1-0-22-0

Steeton 2nd XI returned to winning ways with the convincing demolition of Bilton. Batting first Bilton struggled early against the pace of opening bowler, skipper Paul Hardwick (1-24). David Robinson also bowled well, taking 3 wickets for 25 runs from 10 overs; but the accolades must go to the redoubtable Dave Cook, who bowled 17.1 tight overs that only conceded 32 runs as he ripped through the Bilton batsmen & collected 6 wickets. The bowlers were well supported in the field with excellent ground fielding backed up by some great catching: Callum Lowe & Phil Barrett both took excellent catches, earning themselves a fielding point each; Mark Chapman took 2 comfortable catches & there were further catches for James Jordan & a return catch from his own bowling for Dave Cook. Bilton’s top-scorer was Orton (39), who was last man out stumped by Julian Higginson. At the tea interval Bilton were aware that their total of 124 runs all out in 46.1 overs was well below what was required.

With the clouds gathering & rain showers forecast, Steeton set about the Bilton bowling with enthusiasm. After losing Mick Wilson (4) from the 2nd ball, the maverick Dave Cook faced just 37 deliveries & hit 7 fours as he added 33 runs to his 6-wicket haul to complete an impressive all-round performance. Dave Cook shared a 2nd wicket partnership of 63 runs with David Robinson, who scored 34 runs from 61 balls with 1 six & 5 fours. David Robinson went on to share a 55-run 3rd wicket stand with Julian Higginson, who despatched the Bilton bowling with imperious ease as he hit 8 boundaries & finished with an unbeaten 39 runs scored from just 26 deliveries. Steeton scored at over 5½ runs per over and passed the Bilton target with 7 wickets & 30 overs to spare. Steeton had scored 126 runs for 3 wickets in 22.1 overs to claim all 6 points from this one-sided encounter.

Steeton 154 a/o in 48.1 overs

M Wilson 4, D Cook 53, D Robinson 0, J Higginson 10, J Jordan 21, J Emmott 37, P Barrett 15, Z Pearson 9*, J Hill 0, P Hardwick 0, C Lowe 2, Extras 3

M Hogg 15.1-4-50-7, P Topham 13-3-36-1, A Bailey 10-0-26-0, R Falkingham 10-3-40-2

Harden 155-3 in 37 overs

M Falkingham 47*, J Leng 5, T Cummings 0, M Portlock 31, A Bailey 53*, Extras 19

C Lowe 8-2-33-1, P Hardwick 11-1-44-1, D Cook 7-1-15-0, Z Pearson 3-0-15-0, J Emmott 3-0-13-1, D Robinson 5-1-24-0

Steeton 2nd XI were asked to bat first at the Cuckoo’s Nest ground. Opening the batting against his old club, Dave Cook (53) top-scored for Steeton with a great half-century. Dave faced 85 deliveries and hit 1 six & 9 fours as he scored 53 runs, before he became another victim of a spate of LBWs that blighted Steeton’s top-order. Dave added 24 runs for the 3 wicket with Julian Higginson (10) & then had a 45-run 4th wicket stand with James Jordan (21). Julian’s 10 runs mean he has now qualified for the league batting averages. Steeton’s middle order added solid runs with a 6th wicket stand of 45 runs between James Emmott (37) & Phil Barrett (15). James scored his 37 runs from 59 deliveries, which included 7 boundaries, but when James & Phil were caught out in quick succession the innings came to a quick conclusion with only Zach Pearson (9*) showing any resistance. For Harden, Hogg finished with 7 wickets for 50 runs. At the tea interval Steeton had scored a below-par 154 runs all out in 48.1 runs.

In reply Steeton soon had Harden reeling at 8 runs for 2 wickets, but the Harden batsmen showed good resilience. Callum Lowe (1-33), skipper Paul Hardwick (1-44) & James Emmott (1-13) all took a single wicket each. Keeper Julian Higginson took catch & James Jordan fielded well & took a well-judged catch, which earned him 2 fielding points. An unbroken 80-run 4th wicket partnership for Harden between Falkingham (47*) & Bailey (53*) saw bottom-of-the-league Harden to a deserved victory…but it is depressing for Steeton that both of these batsmen had hit catches that had not been accepted. Harden had scored 155 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 37 overs. Steeton’s inconsistent season continues as they lose by 7 wickets and leave Harden with no points.

Steeton 196-8 in 50 overs

D Cook 17, D Robinson 4, J Emmott 10, J Higginson 48, M Wilson 18, A Hardwick 2, D Hanson 18, J Jordan 22, Z Pearson 30*, P Hardwick 15*, Extras 12

J Wadkin 6-0-30-1, R Mumford 18-6-44-4, A Firth 15-2-64-3, K Roberts 7-0-31-0, R Ewen 4-0-20-0

Adel 115 a/o in 43.4 overs

B Hall 10, T Sarucan 6, S Wardley 25, S Pawson 1, J Wadkin 0, C Dodsworth 34, A Jones 21, R Ewen 3, K Roberts 1, R Mumford 8*, A Firth 0, Extras 6

C Lowe 11-3-32-4, P Hardwick 12.4-6-24-4, J Emmott 7-1-29-0, D Cook 9-2-19-2, Z Pearson 4-1-10-0

Asked to bat first on a lively, green Summerhill Lane track, Steeton found the opening period of the match difficult, losing regular wickets. The pick of the Steeton batsmen was again Julian Higginson, who fell two runs short of his half-century. Julian’s 48 runs contained 10 fours as he looked to take the game to the Adel bowlers. However, when Julian was out Steeton appeared to be struggling at 102-6. A valuable 7th wicket partnership of 47 runs between Danny Hanson (18) and James Jordan (22) took Steeton towards a respectable total before Zachary Pearson (30*) and Paul Hardwick (15*) shared a 9th wicket partnership of 44 runs to leave Steeton on 196-8 from their 50 overs. Mumford was the pick of the Adel bowlers, finishing with 4-44.

In reply Steeton had the dream start thanks to the swing bowling of Callum Lowe, who removed both Adel opening batsmen in his opening spell, the first thanks to a good diving catch by Danny Hanson at square leg. The swing of Calum Lowe (4-32) and pace & bounce of Paul Hardwick (4-24) reduced Adel to 26-4, and then 115 all out. Dave Cook also collected two wickets from his 9 overs. Fielding points were awarded to Danny Hanson & Paul Hardwick.

Upper Wharfedale 108 a/o in 43.4 overs

S Richardson 0, D Russell 18, A Gould 31, J Slater 14, K Gill 22, C Bean 8, J Gill 4, J Yeadon 0, D Stockdale 0, R Aldesley 1, J Daggett 2*, Extras 8

C Lowe 6-2-5-1, P Hardwick 8-4-8-4, J Emmott 9-1-29-0, D Cook 9-1-31-1, Z Pearson 6-1-12-1, A Howarth 4.5-0-19-3

Steeton 109-2 in 30 overs

M Wilson 51, A Howarth 14, D Robinson 18*, J Higginson 8*, Extras 18

J Gill 5-0-14-0, J Yeadon 5-0-15-0, C Bean 7-2-13-0, J Slater 7-1-32-1, R Aldersley 3-1-12-1, D Stockdale 3-1-7-0

Steeton progressed to the final of the Birtwistle Cup after an emphatic victory over Upper Wharfedale in this one-sided affair. Asked to bat first, Upper Wharfedale struggled against the variety of the Steeton attack. Callum Lowe again produced a fine opening spell, conceding 5 runs from his 6 overs while collecting the first wicket for Steeton. With the Steeton swing bowlers building pressure by bowling tight line & length; the spin of Zachary Pearson (1-12) & Alex Howarth (3-19) removed the middle order before the pace of Paul Hardwick (4-8) finished off the Upper Wharfedale lower order. Fielding points were awarded to Paul Hardwick, who took two catches, and Alex Howarth for a sharp catch at point. James Jordan & James Emmott took two further catches as Upper Wharfedale were all out for 108 runs scored from 43.4 overs.

Steeton’s opening batsmen saw off the early pace of the Upper Wharfedale attack, putting together a 1st wicket partnership of 49 runs before Alex Howarth was out for 14 runs. Mick Wilson returned to form with a hard-earned 51 runs, supported by David Robinson (18*) in a second wicket partnership of 46 runs which saw Steeton within touching distance of the winning total. With Mick Wilson falling LBW, it was left to Julian Higginson to hit two fours in two balls to see Steeton home. Steeton passed the Upper Wharfedale score with 15 overs and 8 wickets to spare, and now meet Guiseley in the cup final.

Steeton 133-9 in 50 overs

D Robinson 7, M Wilson 19, J Emmott 27, J Higginson 2, A Hardwick 14, D Hanson 0, M Chapman 29, Z Pearson 4, P Hardwick 11*, D Austick 2, C Lowe 2*, Extras 16

S Moorehouse 25-14-38-4, S Smith 15-3-46-3, S Thompson 10-2-37-1

Illingworth 134-4 in 34 overs

G Hall 0, A Dixon 62, C Fellows 21, J Lawton 31*, B Hargreaves 4, S Cook 6*, Extras 10

C Lowe 5-1-22-1, P Hardwick 6-2-20-0, Z Pearson 11-2-36-0, J Emmott 3-0-20-0, D Robinson 9-3-27-3

For the second Saturday running, Steeton were asked to bat first on a green wicket. Mick Wilson (19) and James Emmott (27) looked the build a steady innings but Steeton soon found themselves 64-4. The Steeton batsmen again struggled, losing regular wickets. Mark Chapman worked hard for Steeton, before being bowled for 29. The only other Steeton batsmen to reach double figures were Adam Hardwick (14) and Paul Hardwick (11*). After 50 overs, Steeton had reached a below par score of 133-9. For Illingworth, J Moorehouse picked up 4 wickets while only conceding 38 runs from 25 overs.

Steeton made an initial breakthrough in the second innings thanks to Callum Lowe, who trapped G Hall LBW before Illingworth had scored a run. Illingworth’s A Dixon then aggressively scored 62 runs until David Robinson took two quick wickets to put some pressure on Illingworth. David Robinson stood out from an otherwise under-par performance by the Steeton bowlers, and finished with 3-27 off 9 overs. Overall, a poor performance by Steeton as they missed out the chance to climb up in the league.

Beckwithshaw 206-9 in 45 overs

S Critchley 80, C Lister 37, S Walmsley 5, D Guy 11, R Wilkinson 1, P Hotchkiss 0, C Irvine 11, A Tiffany 9, J Downing 9, M Smart 7*, A Gott 3*, Extras 33

C Lowe 13-3-58-4, P Hardwick 15-1-52-4, D Cook 5-1-20-0, R Suri 6-2-16-1, D Robinson 2-1-14-0, J Emmott 4-0-14-0

Steeton 160-5 in 45 overs

D Robinson 35, D Hanson 1, A Hardwick 43, O Gledhill 0, D Cook 35*, J Hill 4, R Suri 18*, Extras 24

A Gott 12-5-32-0, M Smar 11-5-25-1, J Downing 4-0-22-0, A Tiffany 11-3-50-2, S Critchley 7-2-22-1

With much of the league called off for rain, Steeton XI played Beckwithshaw with a weakened side due to holidays. Steeton got in a 45 over match, but could only manage a 2-4 losing draw. Batting first Beckwithshaw had an opening stand of 67 runs, but then lost wickets regularly to Steeton’s opening bowlers Callum Lowe (4-58) & skipper Paul Hardwick (4-52), who both claimed 4 wickets. Ross Suri (1-16) collected the other wicket to fall. Beckwithshaw were kept to 206 runs for 9 wickets in their 45 overs, with their opening batter Critchley (80) the last batsman to be dismissed. There were catches for skipper Paul Hardwick, stand-in keeper Danny Hanson, ‘blast from the past’ Oliver Gledhill & 2 catches for Adam Hardwick, which earned him a fielding point. The other fielding point went to Danny Austick.

In reply Steeton were going strong with David Robinson (35) & Adam Hardwick (43) putting on a 2nd wicket partnership of 86 runs. David Robinson hit 5 fours in his innings of 35 runs & Adam Hardwick hit 2 sixes & 6 fours for his 43 runs. Dave Cook (35*) & Ross Suri (18*) saw Steeton through to the ¾ score with an unbroken 6th wicket partnership of 49 runs as Steeton closed on 160 runs for 5 wickets in 45 overs. Dave Cook built a responsible innings as he watched partners fall at the other end, before an explosive finish which saw him hit 2 sixes & 3 fours for his unbeaten 35* runs. Ross Suri also played responsibly as he hit 3 boundaries in his unbeaten 18* runs.

Steeton 258-4 in 50 overs

D Robinson 62, M Wilson 132*, J Emmott 3, A Hardwick 5, D Cook 30, M Chapman 3*, Extras 23

J Colclough 8-45-0, A Peel 15-2-78-1, M McLeod 19-2-74-3, P Sumner 8-1-47-0

Burley-in-Wharfedale 129 a/o in 28.2 overs

R Truswell 4, D Bryan 0, M Cooper 13, P Sumner 41, T Ross 17, D Healey 11, T Day 5, L McGowan 2, M McLeod 0, J Colclough 11, A Peel 8*, Extras 17

C Lowe 6-0-29-2, P Hardwick 4-1-17-0, Z Pearson 6-1-28-2, D Cook 7-3-22-3, J Emmott 4-0-17-1, D Robinson 1.2-0-1-1

In a preamble to tomorrow’s Birtwhistle Cup final Steeton completely overpowered Burley. The main feature of the Steeton innings was a great opening partnership of 164 runs in 37 overs between Mick Wilson (132*) & David Robinson (62). Mick Wilson scored a fantastic unbeaten 132* runs not out from 154 deliveries with 7 sixes & 11 fours & David Robinson hit 1 six & 8 fours as he scored hit 62 runs from 109 balls faced. Dave Cook hit 2 sixes & 2 fours in a cameo 23-ball innings of 30 runs as Steeton closed on 258 runs for 4 wickets in their 50 overs.

In reply Burley lost both openers with just 5 runs on the board both to the in-form Callum Lowe (2-29). Wickets tumbled regularly with only 41 runs by Sumner showing any resistance. The off-spin of Zach Pearson (2-28) earned himself 2 wickets, both caught in the deep by skipper Paul Hardwick, earning Paul a fielding point. Callum Lowe was awarded the other fielding point. A quick pick-up & throw by Zach Pearson to Dave Cook ran out another of the Burley batsmen. Dave Cook was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets at a cost of 22 runs from 7 overs, including a good catch by keeper James Jordan. James Emmott (1-17) took a wicket from the first ball of his spell, and the innings was finished by David Robinson (1-1) thanks to Dave Cook taking his second sharp catch at 2nd slip. After just 28.2 overs Burley were all out for 129 runs meaning they had only managed half of Steeton’s total. Steeton won by 129 runs and claim all 6 points on offer.

Steeton 179-8 in 45 overs

D Robinson 22, M Wilson 11, M Chapman 21, J Emmott 16, A Hardwick 33, D Cook 38, P Barrett 11, J Jordan 5*, Z Pearson 0, P Hardwick 6*, Extras 16

J Findlay 4-0-22-0, J Kelly 6-0-15-1, S Ross 8-1-23-2, S Dickinson 9-2-27-1, R Butterfield 9-1-40-0, M Best 9-2-42-3

Guiseley 182-3 in 42 overs

C Fraser 33, C Best 1, S Ross 79*, C Cooper 15, H Durkin 34*, Extras 20

C Lowe 8-1-28-0, P Hardwick 9-2-27-1, J Emmott 9-0-36-1, D Cook 9-3-29-0, Z Pearson 4-0-28-1, D Robinson 3-0-20-0

Steeton lost to Guiseley in the Birtwhistle Cup final at Illingworth by 7 wickets. Steeton won the toss and chose to bat first. We were progressing smoothly before both in-form openers were out with the score on 37 runs – both caught behind to thin edges as they tried to reach balls down the leg side – David Robinson had scored 22 runs & Mick Wilson had scored 11 runs. Mark Chapman (21) was a late replacement for the injured Alex Howarth, and Mark was looking in good form & had scored 21 runs before being caught attempting to hit a straight six. James Emmott had scored a watchful 16 runs before he was disappointed to be adjudged LBW. Adam Hardwick was looking comfortable as he hit 5 fours in an innings of 33 runs scored from 43 deliveries, before missing a straight ball. Dave Cook was bristling as he top-scored with 38 runs scored from 36 deliveries with 1 six & 3 fours, before he was caught trying to hit another six. Phil Barrett hit a six, but was bowled for 11 runs, and the innings closed on 179 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 45 overs. For Guiseley Best (3-42) was their most effective bowler.

In reply Steeton were unable to make any significant inroads into the Guiseley batting line-up. Despite being dropped when barely into double figures Guiseley’s Ross top scored with 79* runs to see Guiseley home. For Steeton skipper Paul Hardwick (1-27), James Emmott (1-36) & Zach Pearson (1-28) were the only bowlers to have any reward. Guiseley scored 182 runs for 3 wickets in 42 overs, to win by 7 wickets with 3 overs to spare. The game was played in a fine spirit for the most part between the teams, but with regard to the behaviour of a section of Guiseley supporters I had better not make any comment here (I do not want the Club to be fined – but I can provide a link to my own site if anyone wishes to know what I really think!).

Otley 175-3 in 34 overs

A Lazarus 6, G Wolfenden 50, C Davy 21, P Wilkinson 47*, M Wilkinson 29*, Extras 22

C Lowe 7-3-11-0, P Hardwick 10-3-35-1, J Emmott 2-0-17-0, D Cook 7-0-45-1, Z Pearson 8-1-47-1

Steeton 141-6 in 34 overs

D Robinson 25, M Wilson 33, J Emmott 8, J Higginson 7, A Hardwick 0, D Cook 5, M Chapman 26*, P Barrett 19*, Extras 18

G Sutherland 4-0-21-0, J Perry 3-1-12-0, M Gray 14-0-60-2, P Wilkinson 13-4-31-4

In a match badly effected by the rain Steeton could only manage a 2-4 losing draw against Otley. Rain delayed the start of this match, and when it eventually got underway it was a 41 overs a side contest. Batting first Otley had a very slow start, and had only scored 13 runs in 12 overs when they lost their first wicket. Skipper Paul Hardwick (1-35) finished with 1 wicket courtesy of a well-taken return catch from his own bowling. Paul was awarded the only fielding point. Dave Cook (1-45) dismissed Otley’s top-scorer, Wolfenden (50). Zach Pearson (1-47) took one wicket caught in the slips by Phil Barrett, earning Phil a fielding point. Following further rain Otley declared at 175 runs for the loss of 3 wicket with the fixture further reduced to a 34 over match.

After the rain delay & early tea break, Steeton’s reply got off to a great start with a 55-run opening partnership in 10 overs between David Robinson (25) & Mick Wilson (33). David Robinson faced 33 deliveries & hit 4 boundaries for his 25 runs & Mick Wilson top-scored with 33 runs scored from just 35 balls faced with 7 fours. Steeton then lost 6 wickets while adding just 37 runs, but this brought to together the experienced pairing of Mark Chapman (26*) & Phil Barrett (19*). Mark & Phil amassed an unbroken 7th wicket partnership of 49 runs, which halted the flurry of wickets & saw Steeton safely pass the ¾ total. Mark Chapman hit 2 fours in his unbeaten total of 26* runs scored from 57 deliveries & Phil Barrett faced 35 balls & hit 3 fours for his unbeaten 19* runs. Steeton had scored 141 runs for 6 wickets in their 34 overs for a 2-4 losing draw.

Kirkstall Educational 225-7 in 50 overs

M Missett 60, R Colyer 18, S Ellis 5, P Bennett 11, D Gardener-Chan 29, C Abraham 27, P Johnston 24*, J Leedham 14, L Mulligan 21*, Extras 16

C Lowe 5-0-15-0, J Taylor 5-1-20-0, P Hardwick 10-0-52-3, D Cook 17-4-54-0, Z Pearson 5-0-26-0, J Emmott 8-1-43-3

Steeton 217-9 in 50 overs

D Robinson 44, M Wilson 16, J Taylor 18, J Higginson 14, J Emmott 3, D Hanson 5, D Cook 77, P Barrett 21, Z Pearson 1, P Hardwick 1*, C Lowe 0*, Extras 17

L Mulligan 11-1-44-1, W Low 11-2-49-2, M Missett 17-2-65-3, P Johnston 8-1-37-2, J Needham 3-0-18-0

In a great match Steeton could only manage a 2-4 losing draw at Kirkstall. Batting first Kirkstall struggled to score quick runs and were only 81 runs for 2 wickets at the 25-over drinks break, and with 10 overs to go they were only 142 runs for 4 wicket. Some controlled hitting in the last 10 overs meant they put on 83 runs to take their total at the tea interval to 225 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs. While all our bowlers performed well, only 2 were successful with 3 wickets each: skipper Paul Hardwick took 3 wickets for 52 runs from 10 overs & James Emmott took 3 wickets for 43 runs from 8 overs. Keeper Julian Higginson took 2 sharp catches from the bowling of Paul Hardwick, and also a stumping from the bowling of James Emmott. David Robinson took an excellent catch hit hard to gully & Zach Pearson made a hard hit catch to long off look easy. The tidy ground fielding of Jonathan Taylor earned him 2 fielding points. Danny Hanson throwing to Zach Pearson ran out another Kirkstall batsman.

Steeton’s reply got off to a solid start before Mick Wilson (16) was caught with the score on 37 runs. David Robinson (44) & Jonathan Taylor (18) shared a 55-runs 2nd wicket partnership, before they were both out with the score on 92 runs. David Robinson deserved a half-century, but had to settle for 44 runs scored from 64 deliveries with 7 boundaries. Steeton’s middle order lost wickets until Steeton were 133 runs for 6 wickets, with only Julian Higginson (14) managing double figures. Dave Cook (77) was in fantastic form with the bat, and together with Phil Barrett (21) they amassed a 68-run 7th wicket partnership, which swung the game in Steeton’s favour. Phil hit 3 fours and faced 32 deliveries for his 21 runs, but while Dave Cook was still at the crease an unlikely Steeton win was always a possibility. Dave was unfortunately ran out attempting to get back the strike in the final over, having scored 77 runs from just 64 deliveries with 5 sixes & 8 fours. With Dave out Steeton finally settled for a draw, having scored 217 runs for 9 wickets in their 50 overs – finishing a tantalising 8 runs short of the Kirkstall target. Steeton collect 2 points from a losing draw, and Kirkstall are relieved to come away with 4 points from this exciting match.

North Leeds 145 a/o in 49.5 overs

M Singleton 1, W Jackson 26, R Maver 18, A Smith 1, F Lak 1, B Stevens 1, A Cheeseman 25, J Edgcumbe 4, P Maver 24, T Jackson 19, R Chaggar 1*, Extras 24

C Lowe 8-0-31-2, P Hardwick 12-4-22-0, J Emmott 8-0-27-1, D Cook 13-7-23-4, Z Pearson 5-0-20-1, D Robinson 3.5-0-12-1

Steeton 147-5 in 32.2 overs

D Robinson 0, M Wilson 40, J Taylor 19, J Higginson 32*, J Emmott 8, M Chapman 4, D Cook 13*, Extras 31

F Lak 16.2-2-65-1, A Cheeseman 16-1-65-4

Steeton 2nd XI won the toss and gave North Leeds first use of a difficult damp track at Summerhill Lane. North Leeds lost their first wicket early to the bowling of Callum Lowe (2-31). From 37 runs for 2 wickets the North Leeds middle order collapsed and they were reduced to 41 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs. A combination of solid batting from the North Leeds tail & Steeton slightly easing-off the pressure saw North Leeds to a total of 145 all out in the final over of their 50 overs. In his last home match for the 2nd XI Dave Cook was the pick of the bowlers, with his 13 overs only conceding 23 runs with 7 maidens, as he was unlucky to only collect 4 wickets. James Emmott (1-27), Zach Pearson (1-20) & David Robinson (1-1) collected a single wicket each. 7 catches, a stumping & a run out flatters the Steeton fielding more than it deserves. Keeper Julian Higginson took 1 catch, had a smart stumping & a direct hit run-out at the bowler’s end; Phil Barrett took 3 catches, Jonathan Taylor 2 catches & 1 catch for Mick Wilson. Callum Lowe was awarded 2 fielding points. At the tea interval North Leeds had scored 145 runs all out in 49.5 overs – around 50 more than they looked likely to score when they were 75-6 at the 25-over drinks break.

After losing David Robinson in the 1st over Mick Wilson (40) & Jonathan Taylor (19) compiled an excellent 2nd wicket partnership of 62 runs. Mick Wilson scored his 40 runs from 71 deliveries with 7 fours & Jonathan Taylor faced 40 balls & hit 4 fours for his 19 runs. A shuttering of wickets brought together the experience of Julian Higginson (32*) & Dave Cook (13*). Together they shared a match-winning unbroken 6th wicket stand of 40 runs to see Steeton safely pass the North Leeds target. Julian Higginson hit 1 six & 5 fours as he scored his unbeaten 32* runs from 64 deliveries & Dave Cook scored 13* runs not out from just 16 balls, including 2 fours. Steeton knocked off the North Leeds target for the loss of 5 wickets with 17 overs to spare – scoring 147 runs for 5 wickets from 32.2 overs, to win by 5 wickets & collect all 6 points from this encounter.

Steeton 167-4 in 50 overs

D Robinson 95*, D Hanson 5, M Chapman 1, J Higginson 0, J Emmott 0, P Barrett 52*, Extras 14

D Reeve 10-2-25-0, A Perring 13.1-5-22-4, J Thompson 4-0-18-0, J Findlay 9-3-27-0, J Kelly 8-1-41-0, C Cooper 3.5-0-18-0, S Yeates 2-0-5-0

Guiseley 138-7 in 50 overs

S Yeates 26, J Thompson 21, G Taylor 43*, C Cooper 0, H Durkin 10, N Fraser 1, B Jones 18, J Findlay 0, J Kelly 0*, Extras 18

C Lowe 6-0-25-0, P Hardwick 15-6-22-2, J Emmott 20-2-51-5, Z Pearson 5-0-21-0, D Austick 2-0-7-0, D Robinson 2-0-6-0

Steeton arrived at Guiseley in light rain & it was surprising that we were able to start on time and no overs lost. Steeton lost the toss & were inserted on an old fashioned ‘sticky dog’ wicket. Steeton’s top-order were unable to cope with the indifferent bounce and were reduced to 40 runs for 4 wickets after 18 overs. Opener David Robinson (95*) was still at the crease and he was joined by a determined Phil Barrett (52*). Together they amassed a remarkable unbroken 5th wicket stand of 127 runs, which put Steeton firmly in the driving seat at the tea interval with a score of 167 runs for 4 wickets in their 50 overs. David Robinson deserved a century, but had to settle for an unbeaten 95* runs scored from 161 deliveries, which included 3 sixes & 9 fours. Phil Barrett grafted hard for his first half-century of the season, scoring his unbeaten 52* runs from 88 deliveries which included 1 six & 3 fours. For Guiseley, Perring (4-22) took all their wickets, but while bowling took a nasty blow to the head, which resulted in him being taken to hospital by ambulance. Steeton wish him well.

In reply Guiseley reached 42 before losing their 1st wicket, but then wickets tumbled with regularity. James Emmott (5-51) was in great form with the ball and collected a fine 5-wicket haul from 20 overs while conceding 51 runs…it is a shame that Steeton’s catching was so poor otherwise James would have had much better figures. Skipper Paul Hardwick (2-22) bowled 15 tight overs and his 2 wickets created an interesting finish. Callum Lowe, David Robinson & Phil Barrett took a single catch each, and two fielding points were awarded to Danny Austick. After their 50 overs Guiseley were 7 wickets down and had scored 138 runs, mainly thanks to the stalwart Taylor (43*). Steeton exact a small amount of revenge for their Birtwhistle Cup defeat with a 4-2 winning draw.

Steeton 112 a/o in 36.3 overs

D Robinson 9, M Wilson 65, M Chapman 5, P Barrett 0, D Hanson 1, J Higginson 5, J Emmott 16, J Jordan 0, Z Pearson 0, C Lowe 3, D Austick 0*, Extras 8

M Longley 12-6-21-0, D Thompson 4-0-24-0, G Myers 5-0-25-1, N Waite 9-2-15-4, J Walker 6.3-2-23-5

Rawdon 116-6 in 30.1 overs

M Kashif 15, M Windle 5, C Goldthorp 0, C Boden 1, N Waite 27, P Smith 7, M Longley 20*, D Thompson 17*, Extras 24

C Lowe 7-0-22-2, D Austick 5-0-19-2, D Robinson 2-1-7-0, J Emmott 8-2-28-1, Z Pearson 7-4-14-1, M Chapman 1-0-4-0, M Wilson 0.1-0-4-0

Steeton 2nd XI lost at Rawdon by 4 wickets. Batting first Steeton had reached 63 runs before losing their first wicket. Despite Mick Wilson scoring a fine 65 runs, Steeton collapsed to 112 runs all out in 36.3 overs. Mick Wilson scored his 65 runs from 95 deliveries with 11 boundaries. All the other batsmen struggled against the spin bowling of Walker (5-25) & Waite (4-15). Apart for Mick Wilson only James Emmott with 16 runs managed double-figures; but James did supply probably the highlight of the day with a ‘reverse sweep’ for 4 runs.

In reply Rawdon lost early wickets, but were able to pass the Steeton total with 4 wickets and 32 overs to spare. Steeton’s young opening bowlers picked-up 2 wickets each: Callum Lowe took 2 wickets for 22 runs from 7 overs & Danny Austick took 2 wickets for 19 runs from 5 overs. Zach Pearson (1-14) & James Emmott (1-28) chipped in with a wicket each. Keeper & stand-in skipper Julian Higginson finished the season well with a catch & smart leg-side stumping. Mick Wilson took an excellent one-handed catch at 2nd slip & Mark Chapman took a nice catch at backward point. Although Steeton bowled and fielded well they were unable to defend their meagre total. Rawdon scored 116 runs for 6 wickets in 30.1 overs – Steeton lost by 4 wickets & leave Rawdon with no points.

Steeton 91 a/o in 35.1 overs

C Boulton 8, D Hanson 5, A Greenwood 11, J Hill 5, O Myers 9, A Howarth 21, J Chaggar 1, G Hill 3, K Wynn 0, D Austick 8, L Watson *, Extras 15

R Hopwood 6-1-22-0, M Topham 5-1-5-1, J Carnegie 6-2-8-2, J Bashford 4-0-17-1, H Driver 8-1-26-0, P Topham 6.1-1-11-4

Harden 92-5 in 20.2 overs

T Cummins 31, A Rushworth 17, M Jordan 0, J Bashford 0, M Topham 6*, G Dixon 7, N Cummins 12*, Extras 19

D Austick 5-1-17-0, J Hill 5-1-27-0, C Boulton 5-1-14-2, O Myers 5-0-27-3, L Watson 0.2-0-2-0

Batting first our 3rd XI found runs a rare commodity at Harden. While trying to cope with tight bowling, 2 runs out did not help the top of the batting order, with only Adam Greenwood (11) reaching double figures. 3 LBW decisions decimated the middle order, with skipper Alex Howarth top-scoring for Steeton with 21 runs scored carefully from 58 deliveries & included 1 six & 1 four. For Harden P Topham took 4 wickets for 11 runs, as Steeton were all out for 91 runs in 35.1 overs.

Runs too were difficult to acquire in Harden’s reply, but they did not lose wickets and so accumulated an opening stand of 58 runs, before Charlotte Boulton (2-14) broke the opening partnership. On his debut Oliver Myers had fantastic bowling figures of 3 wickets costing 27 runs from his 5 overs. Bowling in tandem Oliver & Charlotte managed to give Steeton some hope. They were supported with catches for skipper Alex Howarth & Luke Watson and a return catch from her own bowling for Charlotte Boulton. Steeton did not have enough runs to make it difficult for Harden, who scored 92 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20.2 overs aided by 9 wides & 5 no-balls. Steeton 3rd XI start the 2009 campaign with a 5-wicket defeat & no points from their opening fixture.

Olicanian 65 a/o in 34.2 overs

N Driver 3, W Driver 11, G Gamble 1, J Ogilvie 14, M Webb 2, G Martill 3, D Martill 0, R Broadley 14, D Bennett 2, C Higgins 2*, E Broadley 0, Extras 12

C Karakiozakis 5-3-7-1, J Hill 6-2-10-1, D Austick 5-0-15-1, C Boulton 6-2-8-2, K Wynn 5-3-12-1, O Myers 5-2-3-3, G Hill 2.2-0-4-1

Steeton 66-2 in 22.3 overs

C Boulton 2, D Hanson 21*, J Jordan 0, M Chapman 39*, Extras 4

E Broadley 5-1-10-2, W Driver 6-5-3-0, D Martill 2-0-19-0, C Higgins 5-2-13-0, D Bennett 4.3-0-18-0

Steeton progress to the next stage of the Chappell Cup with a comfortable victory at Olicanian. Olicanian could only muster a meagre 65 runs all out in 34.2 overs against Steeton’s young bowling attack – a total which was easily passed by Steeton for the loss of just 2 wickets. Each of the 7 Steeton bowlers used picked up at least 1 wicket, but Oliver Myers had the best return with 3 wickets for 3 runs from 5 overs. Charlotte Boulton collected 2 wickets for 8 runs, and the other bowlers were Chris Karakiozakis (1-7), Jake Hill (1-10), Danny Austick (1-15), Katie Wynn (1-12) & Graham Hill (1-4). Oliver Myers took 2 catches including a return catch from his own bowling, and Danny Austick also took a catch. Celebrating his birthday Danny Hanson looked very comfortable keeping wicket and he caught out both of Olicanian’s opening batsmen…and then he opened the batting and was undefeated with 21* runs – Happy birthday Danny!

In reply Steeton lost 2 wickets with the score on just 4 runs, but the 3rd wicket partnership of 62 runs between Danny Hanson (21*) & the experienced Mark Chapman (39*) was enough to see them to a comfortable victory. Danny’s 21* runs came from 70 deliveries and he hit one four to win the match, and Mark faced 51 balls and hit 1 six & 4 fours for his 39* runs. Steeton scored 66 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 22.3 overs to win by 8 wickets with can 17 overs to spare. They can now look forward to entertaining Knaresborough at home on 14th June.

Kirkstall Educational 228-2 in 40 overs

R Caddy 100*, C Wademan 18, S Latif 89, A Close 5*, Extras 16

J Hill 9-1-59-0, D Austick 5-2-13-0, C Boulton 6-1-18-1, C Lowe 5-0-32-0, G Hill 10-0-59-1, O Myers 5-0-39-0

Steeton 1pt

No Play – Rain

This was a curious match with the first innings played fully in persistent rain, but the umpires then being unwilling to play any of the second innings. Steeton fielded in the very cold driving rain, and bowled with a ball that resembled a bar of soap, on a wicket that was so wet the ball just skidded onto the bat. Although the conditions did not favour Steeton, the Kirkstall Educational side certainly had a very strong batting line-up, which proceeding to plunder 228 runs for the loss of just 2 wickets in their 40 overs. Kirkstall’s opener R Caddy was rewarded with an unbeaten century, and he shared a 2nd wicket stand of 171 runs with S Latif (89). The first wicket fell with the score on 37 runs with a catch by James Jordan from the bowling of Charlotte (1-18). The good 2nd wicket stand was broken by Graham Hill (1-59) with a edge which was well caught by keeper Danny Hanson. In his 2nd match as keeper Danny Hanson again looked very comfortable and only conceded 2 byes – he has now taken 3 catches in his 2 matches with the gloves.

At the tea break the rain did not let up so the match was abandoned, and on a miserable day both sides had to settle for a single point each.

Steeton 237-3 in 40 overs

J Jordan 99, D Hanson 1, M Chapman 112*, J Hill 9, G Hill 5*, Extras 11

D Appleton 10-3-53-3, G Myers 10-0-46-0, J Walker 10-0-48-0, T Birkin 4-0-39-0, C Halliday 4-0-17-0, C Goldthorpe 2-0-27-0

Rawdon 240-6 in 39.5 overs

S Butler 56, C Goldthorpe 67, R Chapman 23, M Yeadon 3, J Coulson 29, D Appleton 27, C Halliday 10*, Extras 16

J Hill 5-0-39-0, D Austick 6-0-49-0, G Hill 10-0-49-3, O Myers 5-0-34-1, J Jordan 7.5-0-38-1, A Howarth 6-1-20-0

The 3rd XI were involved in a fantastic match at Rawdon, but were unfortunate to lose on the 2nd to last ball. Batting first Steeton scored an excellent total of 237 runs for the loss of just 3 wickets in their 40 overs; featuring a new Club-record 2nd wicket partnership of 197 runs, between James Jordan (99) & Mark Chapman (112*). This stand equals the league record set in 2005 by Rawdon. James Jordan was unlucky to miss out on a century – falling on 99 runs scored from 121 deliveries and including 1 six & 15 fours. Mark Chapman faced just 96 balls and hit 4 sixes & 12 fours to finish with an unbeaten 112* runs.

In reply Rawdon also scored runs freely, and had put on 79 runs in 7.1 overs before losing their first wicket, Butler (56), to the bowling of Graham Hill. Graham finished with good figures of 3 wickets for 49 runs in 10 overs. Oliver Myers (1-34) & James Jordan (1-38) were the only other bowlers to be rewarded with any wickets. Mark Chapman & Alex Howarth combined to run-out Rawdon’s top-scorer, Goldthorpe (67). There were catches for keeper Danny Hanson & Mark Chapman, and as the match approached its exciting conclusion late-replacement Phillip Austick took a good catch from a top-edge at third man. Rawdon continued to score at the required rate and only lost 6 wickets, so managed to just scrape home, in a memorably tight finish. Rawdon had scored 240 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 39.5 overs, to collect all 6 points and register a win by 4 wickets.

Calverley 230-5 in 40 overs

S Driscoll 118, S Cunningham 13, W Hardacre 19, A Kendrick 0, A Smith 25, T Westerman 5, A Benson 29*, Extras 21

C Lowe 9-1-34-0, C Karakiozakis 7-0-39-0, C Boulton 2-0-34-0, J Hill 6-1-35-0, G Hill 6-0-35-1, K Wynn 5-0-21-3, O Myers 2-0-6-1, D Austick 3-0-11-0

Steeton 72 a/o in 21.2 overs

D Hanson 2, C Lowe 0, C Boulton 21, O Myers 16, C Karakiozakis 0, D Austick 0, J Hill 1, L Watson 12, K Wynn 0, G Hill 13*, B Wilson 1, Extras 6

T Westerman 6-3-13-2, A Benson 8-2-20-3, S Ward 5-0-29-3, S Cunningham 2.2-0-7-2

Calverley batted first and scored 230 runs, which proved too many for a depleted 3rd XI. Steeton were all out for 72 runs. Calverley’s opening batter Driscoll recorded 118 runs from 94 deliveries, before being well caught by Graham Hill from the bowling of Katie Wynn (3-21). Katie was the pick of the bowlers with an edge caught behind by keeper Danny Hanson & a clean bowled giving her a deserved 3 wickets from 5 overs at the cost of 21 runs. The other bowlers to collect wickets were Oliver Myers (1-6) & Graham Hill (1-35). Steeton used 8 bowlers & most were punished without any reward as Calverley finished with 230 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 40 overs.

Without the batting power of Alex Howarth & Mark Chapman (both called up to 1st XI Waddilove Cup duty) this was always going to be a difficult target, made even more difficult when they lost both opening batsmen with only 5 runs on the board. At No3 Charlotte Boulton top-scored with 21 runs scored from 50 deliveries including 3 fours. Charlotte & Oliver Myers (16) put on 21 runs before Oliver was clean bowled. Wickets tumbled as Steeton were reduced to 38 runs for 6 wickets, before late resistance from Luke Watson (12) & some aggressive hitting by Graham Hill, who only faced 5 deliveries, but managed to hit 3 fours as he finished with an unbeaten 13* runs. Steeton’s innings had 4 ducks as they were all out for 72 runs in 21.2 overs. Steeton had been outplayed by a strong Calverley side & lost by 158 runs.

Steeton 230-7 in 40 overs

D Hanson 13, C Boulton 0, M Chapman 96*, O Myers 0, G Hill 7, B Wood 5, C Lowe 0, J Hill 17, A Howarth 79*, Extras 13

A Naylor 10-3-27-3, M Zina 10-1-71-1, P Naylor 7-1-28-2, J Sugden 3-0-27-0, S Sagia 5-0-24-1, C Davis 2-0-28-0, B Tate 3-0-21-0

Thackley 187-7 in 38 overs

P Naylor 16, M Zina 94, A Cuff 21, B Tate 11, C Davis 2, J Sugden 8, J Tate 2, S Tate 0*, S Sagia 0*, Extras 33

D Austick 5-0-14-0, B Wood 5-0-39-0, J Hill 6-2-14-1, C Lowe 6-1-40-0, G Hill 1-0-12-0, O Myers 5-0-28-1, A Howarth 5-1-20-2, L Watson 2-0-5-2, C Boulton 2-1-1-1

In this rain effected match both sides were a little disappointed to only collect a single point each. Batting first Steeton lost wicket after wicket to leave them reeling at 61 runs for 6 wickets, with opener Danny Hanson (13) the only one reaching double figures. The reliable Mark Chapman (96*) was still there and when Jake Hill (17) managed to stay with Mark together they had a 41-run 7th wicket partnership. Better was to follow when Mark was joined by skipper Alex Howarth (79*) and they compiled a fantastic unbroken 8th wicket stand of 128 runs which took Steeton’s total to 230 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 40 overs. Mark Chapman deserved another century, but had to settle for an unbeaten 96* runs from 98 deliveries with 1 six & 12 fours. Alex Howarth hit 5 sixes & 7 fours and only faced 62 balls as he scored his undefeated 79* runs.

Early into Thackley’s reply there was a rain interruption, which took 2 overs out of their innings, leaving them 38 overs to reach the Steeton target, but ruled out winning/losing draws. Thackley’s opener Zina (94) enjoyed the batting conditions as he guided Thackley to an opening stand of 95 runs. Zina was eventually caught by Mark Chapman off the bowling of Luke Watson, who had the best bowling return of 2 wickets for 5 runs from 2 overs. Skipper Alex Howarth (2-20) also collected a brace of wickets, and there was a single wicket each for Charlotte Boulton (1-1), Jake Hill (1-14) & Oliver Myers (1-28). Steeton used 9 different bowlers. Keeper Danny Hanson continues to perform well with the gloves and he earned himself another 2 catches. Danny Austick was awarded a fielding point. After their 38 overs Thackley had scored 187 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, but because the overs were not equal, both sides collect just 1 point each.

Steeton 31-9 a/o in 16.4 overs

D Hanson 3, P Barrett 0, O Myers 2, M Chapman 2, J Stephenson 1, J Hill 2, D Austick 3, L Watson 3, G Hill 6, P Austick 0*, Extras 9

J Wadkin 5-0-6-2, A Henderson 4-0-8-3, P Patel 4-2-3-1, Z Sarij 3.4-2-8-3

Adel 33-1 in 11.2 overs

J Audsley 11, A Jones 9*, Z Sarij 2*, Extras 10

D Austick 3-0-10-0, O Myers 4-1-7-0, J Hill 3-2-5-0, G Hill 1.2-0-8-1

The least said about this match the better! A hastily assembled 3rd XI with Mark Chapman as stand-in skipper & only 10 men were totally outclassed at Adel. Batting first Steeton lost wicket after wicket, with 8 batsmen clean bowled. Little resistance was shown as our 3rd XI collapsed to a miserable 31 runs all out in 16.4 overs. Steeton’s top-scorer was Graham Hill (6), who hit the one & only boundary of the Steeton innings.

Defending such a meagre total the Steeton fielders stuck well to their tasks, and with the scores level Adel lost their only wicket – Graham Hill (1-8) being the successful bowler. Adel had scored 33 runs for 1 wicket in 11.2 overs & the whole event was over by 4:35pm. Enough said!.

Knaresborough 293-4 in 40 overs

M Revell 124, T Taylor 9, J Tatterson 70, B Parks 26, S Ryan 15*, H Perham 2*, Extras 47

J Hill 7-0-37-1, D Austick 6-0-51-0, G Hill 1-0-9-0, O Myers 5-0-32-0, S Woolley 5-0-42-0, C Boulton 5-0-34-0, C Lowe 6-0-21-0, L Watson 5-0-39-3

Steeton 242-8 in 40 overs

C Boulton 7, D Hanson 18, A Howarth 108, O Myers 14, C Lowe 12, J Hill 1, J Stephenson 16, L Watson 12*, S Woolley 6, D Austick 8*, Extras 40

S Ryan 9-1-34-1, R Crosby 6-0-42-1, A Gates 5-1-28-0, J Tatterson 8-0-47-3, T Taylor 7-1-28-1, K Edgerton 4-1-30-1, H Perham 1-0-13-0

Knaresborough batted first and got an impressive 293 runs for 4 wickets in their 40 overs. Knaresborough’s opener Revell (124) hit a quick-fire century & at No3 Tatterson (70) also scored heavily. Both men were removed by U15 player Luke Watson, who finished with career-best figures of 3 wickets for 39 runs from 5 overs. Jake Hill (1-37) took the other wicket to fall, and he also collected a catch. Oliver Myers also had a catch. At the tea interval Steeton knew that to progress in the Chappell Cup they would have to score at over 7 runs per over.

In reply Steeton had lost both openers with just 41 runs on the board with Danny Hanson scoring 18 runs, but skipper Alex Howarth was not going to go down without a fight. Leading from the front skipper Alex Howarth scored a fantastic 108 runs from 108 deliveries with 4 sixes & 13 fours. Alex shared a 4th wicket stand of 44 runs with Oliver Myers (14) & a 5th wicket partnership of 18 runs with Callum Lowe (12). Better was to follow as Alex & Jack Stephenson (16) shared a new Club record 87-run 6th wicket stand. What a good prospect is Luke Watson, who added to his 3-wicket haul with an unbeaten 12* runs. Steeton valiantly scored 242 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 40 overs. However a magnificent effort was just not enough and Steeton are out of the Chappell Cup – losing by 51 runs.

Steeton 123-9 a/o in 37.3 overs

D Hanson 6, J Stephenson 5, O Myers 0, C Lowe 27, A Howarth 52, L Watson 2, J Hill 0, D Austick 3, C Manthorp 5*, C Jowett 0, Exrtas 23

A Peel 8-1-28-1, D Grimes 8.3-2-16-5, R Wood 5-0-23-0, J Colclough 6-0-22-2, S Pollock 5-1-14-1, N Wain 5-0-11-0

Burley-in-Wharfedale 124-5 in 29.1 overs

G Atherton 4, R Davy 4, J Colclough 30, B Crossley 17, R Wood 16, A Peel 28*, D Grimes 16*, Extras 14

C Lowe 8-0-46-1, J Hill 6.1-1-23-2, L Watson 5-1-20-2, D Austick 5-1-13-0, O Myers 5-1-15-0

Steeton 3rd XI once again could only muster 10 players. Batting first our 3rd XI scored 123 run all out, despite a half-century by skipper Alex Howarth (52). Alex scored his 52 runs from 108 deliveries with 1 six & 4 fours. Alex shared in an excellent 56-run 4th wicket partnership with Callum Lowe (27), who faced just 33 balls & hit 5 boundaries for his 27 runs. Minor contributions from Danny Hanson (6), Jack Stephenson (5) & Charlie Manthorp (5*) saw Steeton to 123 runs for all 9 wickets in 37.3 overs. For Burley Grimes (5-23) finished with a 5-wicket haul.

In reply the bowling of Jake Hill (2-23) got Steeton off to a fantastic start, removing both Burley openers with just 15 runs on the board. A wicket for Callum Lowe (1-46) & 2 wickets for Luke Watson (2-20) continued the excellent start and Burley were further reduced to 85 runs for 5 wickets. Callum Lowe took 2 catches including a return catch from his own bowling. Unfortunately Steeton had not posted enough runs & Burley managed to pass the Steeton target comfortably – scoring 124 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 29.1 overs. Steeton lost by 5 wickets & once again collect not points.

Steeton 197-7 in 40 overs

D Hanson 0, R Suri 4, M Chapman 65, O Myers 44, M Foulger 36, J Hill 0, A Howarth 20*, B Wood 0, J Stephenson 3*, Extras 25

J Carnegie 10-0-46-2, R Hopwood 8-1-31-0, T Cummins 5-0-21-0, P Dixon 8-1-32-2, A Rushworth 9-2-49-1

Harden 138 a/o in 38.4 overs

A Rushworth 3, D Bower 5, T cummins 4, T Stordy 24, P Dixon 1, N Cummins 5, M Jordan 6, J Carnegie 31, R Hopwood 11, T Williams 12*, G Dixon 12, Extras 24

B Wood 10-1-25-4, J Hill 9-3-23-2, O Myers 5-1-24-1, D Austick 7-2-24-0, D Hanson 5-1-17-0, R Suri 2-0-6-1, A Howarth 0.4-0-0-1

A most enjoyable match saw Steeton 3rd XI triumph by 59 runs to give Steeton a 2-1 victory on this weekend of matches against Harden. Batting first Steeton got off to a poor start and lost their first 2 wickets with just 11 runs on the board. An excellent 3rd wicket partnership of 77 runs between Mark Chapman (65) & Oliver Myers (44) was only broken when Oliver was run out. Oliver had scored his career-best 44 runs from 72 deliveries that included 7 boundaries. Mark Chapman faced 87 deliveries and hit 1 six & 8 fours as he top-scored with 65 runs. Making his debut for Steeton, the Silsden football club goal-keeper Martin Foulger hit 5 boundaries in an excellent innings of 36 runs scored from just 43 balls faced. Martin Foulger & Mark Chapman shared a great 66-run 4th wicket stand. Skipper Alex Howarth scored an unbeaten 20* runs as Steeton closed on 197 runs for 7 wickets in their 40 overs.

In reply Harden lost wickets regularly chasing the required 5 runs per over. The pick of the Steeton bowlers was Ben Wood, who took 4 wickets for 25 runs from 10 overs. Jake Hill also bowled well and took 2 wickets for 23 runs, and there was 1 wicket each for Oliver Myers (1-24), spin-bowling Ross Suri (1-6) & skipper Alex Howarth (1-0). Danny Hanson took 2 excellent catches fielding at point – Danny Hanson & Ben Wood were awarded the fielding points. Mark Chapman pouched 2 comfortable catches & keeper Jack Stephenson took 1 catch and ran out 1 of the Harden batsmen with a direct hit. As the match looked like it may have been drifting to a draw, skipper Alex Howarth came on to bowl his off-spin & promptly had a high catch hit towards Charlie Manthorp at backward square-leg. With all the pressure on Charlie he remained calm to take a good catch that won the game for Steeton. Harden were all out for 138 runs in 38.4 overs, and so Steeton collect a valuable 6 points.

Thackley 180 a/o in 38.2 overs

M Zina 8, M Dunn 20, P Naylor 25, M Gadd 44, C McKenzie 46, A Cuff 0, M Ramsay 1, A Medley 0, J Sugden 2, J Flesher 9, A Naylor 0*, Extras 25

C Lowe 9-1-33-4, J Hill 5-0-18-0, D Austick 5-0-21-1, B Wood 5-1-17-0, L Watson 4-0-39-1, R Suri 5.2-0-26-1, D Hanson 5-0-15-2

Steeton 34 a/o in 17 overs

D Hanson 6, C Lowe 2, J Stephenson 0, L Watson 3, R Suri 0, C Manthorp 0, J Hill 11, B Wood 2, C Jowett 7, B Davis 0, D Austick 1*, Extras 2

M Dunn 6-1-10-4, A Naylor 3-1-2-2, A Medley 4-0-10-0, J Flesher 2-1-4-3, M Ramsay 1-0-6-0, C McKenzie 1-0-1-1

The juniors of Steeton took on the men of Thackley with a predictable result – convincing defeat. Batting first Thackley were all out for 180 runs in 38.2 overs, with McKenzie (46) top-scoring for them. The Steeton bowlers were led by opener Callum Lowe, who took 4 wickets from 9 overs & conceded 33 runs. Danny Hanson also bowled a good spell that earned him 2 wickets at a cost of just 15 runs from 5 overs. The other bowlers to take wickets were Danny Austick (1-21), Luke Watson (1-39) & skipper Ross Suri (1-26). The bowlers were well supported in the field with 2 catches for Chris Jowett, and a single catch each for Luke Watson, keeper Jack Stephenson, Danny Hanson & skipper Ross Suri.

In reply 3 of the top 5 Steeton batsmen were given out LBW, and only Jake Hill (11) could manage to score into double figures. In just 17 overs Steeton were all out for 34 runs, to lose by 146 runs.

Steeton 80 a/o in 34.1 overs

C Boulton 4, D Hanson 5, B Wood 1, J Hill 3, O Myers 6, D Austick 2, L Watson 9, A Howarth 34, N Thomas 0, C Manthorp 3*, H Chaggar 2, Extras 11

J Morley 6-2-7-1, D Appleton 6-3-6-2, M Brown 5-0-14-2, G Myers 5-2-14-0, A Milner 6.1-1-24-2, J Walker 6-3-9-2

Rawdon 83-1 in 12.3 overs

S Butler 53, R Chapman 24*, B Morley 0*, Extras 6

J Hill 4-0-17-0, D Austick 4-0-35-0, L Watson 2.3-0-24-1, C Boulton 2-1-4-0

Steeton’s young guns were outplayed by an experienced top-of-the-table Rawdon side – losing by 9 wickets. Asked to bat first Steeton 3rd XI lost wickets regularly as Steeton’s juniors tried to survive against Rawdon’s fast bowlers. Steeton’s only partnership of note was when injured skipper Alex Howarth (34) came in to join Luke Watson (9). Together Alex & Luke compiled an 7th wicket partnership of 32 runs. Alex Howarth hit 1 six & 5 fours as he faced just 37 deliveries for his 34 runs. Luke Watson (9) was the next top-scorer, followed by Oliver Myers (6) & Danny Hanson (5). Steeton had reached 80 runs when they were all out in 34.1 overs.

In reply Rawdon batted aggressively, in particular their opener Butler (53), who smashed a half-century from just 31 deliveries before he was well caught by Oliver Myers from the bowling of Luke Watson (1-24). This late wicket was Steeton’s only reward as Rawdon made short work of the Steeton target. Rawdon had scored 83 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in just 12.3 overs. Steeton lost by 9 wickets.

Calverley 248-6 in 37.2 overs

S Driscoll 122, M Ward 26, B Weaving 41, P Coates 2, W Hardaker 5, S Cunningham 7, T Westerman 4*, Extras 37

J Hill 8-1-36-1, O Myers 6-0-57-0, A Hardwick 7-1-30-0, C Boulton 8-0-57-1, N Thomas 3-0-30-0, A Howarth 5.2-0-20-4

Steeton 166 a/o in 30 overs

D Hanson 3, C Boulton 11, A Hardwick 18, J Hill 31, A Howarth 83*, O Myers 12, H Chaggar 0, C Manthorp 1, C Jowett 2, N Thomas 0, J Chaggar 0, Extras 5

T Westerman 6-0-35-0, B Weaving 8-1-27-4, A Benson 4-0-29-0, J Roundhill 5-1-44-3, S Cunningham 3-2-18-1, W Hardaker 4-1-11-2

Batting first Calverley scored 248 runs for 6 wickets and declared after 37.2 overs, thanks largely to Driscoll (122). The Steeton bowlers struggled to contain the aggressive Calverley batsmen, and it was only when skipper Alex Howarth (4-20) came on to bowl that Steeton managed to make any inroads. Alex bowled 5.2 overs and took 4 wickets, including Calverley’s centurian, and conceded 20 runs. Jake Hill (1-36) & Charlotte Boulton (1-57) were the only other bowlers to have any success. Steeton’s fielders took 4 catches; thanks to 2 catches by Adam Hardwick & 1 catch each by Chris Jowett & Nikhil Thomas. At the tea interval Steeton knew they would have to score at over 6 runs per over to threaten the Calverley target.

In reply we had lost both openers with just 26 runs on the board – Charlotte Boulton had hit 2 fours as she scored 11 runs. The reply was steadied by Adam Hardwick (18) & Jake Hill (31), who shared a 3rd wicket partnership of 30 runs. Adam had hit 2 fours in his 18 runs & Jake hit 6 fours as he scored a fine 31 runs. Skipper Alex Howarth has been in fantastic form this season, and he hit 2 sixes & 15 fours in an unbeaten innings of 83* runs as he chaperoned the Steeton tail. When Oliver Myers was out for 12 runs, including 2 fours, Steeton’s young tail-end batsmen were unable to stay with their skipper, and were all out for 166 runs in 30 overs. In a good performance Steeton had scored at 5½ runs per over, but had lost too many wickets. Steeton lost by 82 runs & leave Victoria Park with no points.

Steeton 134-8 in 40 overs

C Boulton 21, D Hanson 0, J Jordan 66, O Myers 3, J Hill 4, B Wood 6, J Stephenson 15*, L Watson 0, D Austick 3, H Chaggar 1*, Extras 15

J Wadkin 10-3-28-2, A Henderson 10-4-19-2, Z Siraj 5-0-26-0, F Sarij 10-2-25-2, Z Siraj 5-0-33-2

Adel 53-2 in 17 overs

J Audsley 10, Z Siraj 8, T Ward 16*, J Wadkin 14*, Extras 5

J Hill 5-1-12-0, D Austick 5-2-17-1, D Hanson 4-1-13-0, C Boulton 3-0-7-1

Batting first the main feature of the Steeton innings was an excellent 2nd wicket partnership of 82 runs between opener Charlotte Boulton (21) & stand-in skipper James Jordan (66). Charlotte scored her 21 runs from 88 deliveries with 3 fours, and James Jordan hit 2 sixes & 10 fours as he scored his 66 runs from 77 deliveries. With an unbeaten 15* runs scored from 30 balls with 1 four, Jack Stephenson scored important late runs as Steeton posted a total of 134 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 40 overs.

At the tea break the weather turned wetter, and the 2nd innings was littered with frequent rain delays. Only 17 overs were possible in Adel’s reply before the rain had the final say & the match was abandoned. Danny Austick (1-17) bowled a good opening spell and collected a single wicket courtesy of a sharp catch taken by Danny Hanson in the covers. Charlotte Boulton (1-7) took a wicket from her very first delivery courtesy of a well-judged catch taken by Jake Hill on the square-leg boundary. After 17 overs Adel had scored 53 runs for 2 wickets and the game was poised for an interesting finale. Instead of an exciting finish both sides have to settle for a single point apiece.

Steeton 6pt

Awarded the match

Kirkstall Educational 0pt

Conceded the match

Steeton were meant to be playing at Kirkstall Educational on Bank Holiday Monday, but Kirkstall have conceded because they cannot raise a side. Steeton win by default.

Guiseley 261-9 in 40 overs

H Reeve 6, D Reeve 0, N Hudson 102, S Bell 13, S Dickinson 35, S Goodlad 0, M Ibbotson 10, J Kelly 34*, D Helme 16, L Wray 5, T Pratt 6*, Extras 34

J Hill 9-2-43-3, D Austick 7-0-40-1, L Watson 5-1-40-1, C Boulton 4-0-53-0, O Myers 5-0-17-2, A Haworth 6-0-32-0, D Hanson 4-1-41-1

Steeton 119 a/o in 35.4 overs

C Boulton 6, D Hanson 19, O Myers 9, J Hill 6, A Haworth 1, J Stephenson 5, L Watson 1, D Austick 12, G Hill 7, C Manthorp 4, C Jowett 8*, Extras 41

J Kelly 10-1-31-1, L Wray 5-0-12-0, D Reeve 5-1-9-1, S Dickinson 2-1-3-2, M Ibbotson 1-0-7-0, S Bell 2-0-10-0, N Hudson 1.4-1-1-2

Batting first Guiseley were soon in trouble with Jake Hill (3-43) removing both openers with the score on 11 runs. Jake Hill was certainly the pick of the bowlers with his 9 overs conceding 43 runs as he collected 3 wickets. The Guiseley innings was put back on track by an explosive century from Hudson (102) smashed from just 52 deliveries, before he was removed by Oliver Myers (2-17). The other bowlers to be rewarded with wickets were Danny Hanson (1-14), Danny Austick (1-40) & Luke Watson (1-40). Keeper Jack Stephenson took 2 catches, and there was a single catch apiece for Luke Watson, Charlotte Boulton, skipper Alex Howarth & a return catch from his own bowling for Jake Hill. Skipper Alex Howarth also ran out one of the Guiseley batsmen. A controlled display of hitting meant Guiseley had scored an impressive 261 runs for 9 wickets in their 40 overs.

Steeton’s reply got off to a steady start, which had progressed to 40 runs in 13 overs before losing the first wicket. Opener Danny Hanson (19) top-scored for Steeton with 19 runs scored from 59 deliveries with 3 fours. Danny Austick (12) made a valiant attempt to bat out for the draw, but he was the last man out for 12 runs scored from 36 balls faced & included 1 four, before being adjudged LBW. No other batsman reached double figures, but worthy of mention were Oliver Myers (9), Chris Jowett (8*) & Graham Hill (7). Steeton were assisted by an incredible 41 extras, but were all out for 119 runs in 35.4 overs, and so lost by 142 runs.