2011 Second XI
Final League Position = 3rd, 317 Points
Manningham Mills v Pudsey Congs
At Scotchman Road
Sunday September 11th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver not available
Manningham Mills 188 (49.5overs) (Javed Iqbal 52, Andre Stolarksi 4-60, Callum Oliver 3-31)]
Pudsey Congs 25 all out (13.4 overs) (Shoaib Iqbal 7-8, Jamal Mahboob 3-4)
Manningham Mills 18pts bt Pudsey Congs 5pts by 163 runs
Keighley v Pudsey Congs
At Hard Ings Road
Saturday September 10th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver to follow
Keighley 193- 5 (50 overs) (Paul Wilkinson 78, Scott Hartley 36)
Pudsey Congs 194 -8 (49.1 overs) (Ashley Slater 58. Imran Ahmed 63no. Alex Towler 3-59)
Pudsey Congs 15pts bt Keighley 7pts by 2wkts
Pudsey Congs v East Bierley
At Britannia Ground
Saturday September 3rd, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Nova Coin Automatic
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver to follow
East Bierley 243-6 (50 overs) (John Davis 110, James Petty 59. Jamie Allen 3-39)
Pudsey Congs 165 all out (31.1 overs) (Callum Oliver 41, Dan Abbott 3-45, John Glover 5-29 inc hat-trick)
East Bierley 20pts bt Pudsey Congs 5pts by 78 runs
Great Horton v Pudsey Congs
At Ewart Street
Saturday August 20th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Congs challengers this week were Great Horton, and as the team arrived at Great Horton’s ground they were high in confidence after defeating Brighouse the previous week. The pitch however did not do anything to overly enthuse the team as they did their warm ups. A damp and very very (very?!) green track was marked and waiting for the teams, and when the skipper managed to lose the toss (again) it came as a bit of a surprise when the Horton captain elected to bat first!
Openers Chris Doey and Josh Purser started well initially, with Chris taking the first wicket in his third over, bowling the opener Ashraf for just 4. The pitch however did nothing untoward, perhaps on the odd occasion staying very low, it didn’t seam for the openers and it became quickly apparent that bowling straight would be the best option. Chris and Josh however struggled to do this regularly enough to trouble the Horton batters. Barney Gibson, notorious for always standing up to the stumps to keep to everyone who’s ever bowled at him ( except some Naveed chap in the first team), actually stood back for a change, in order to try to prevent the 2 or 3 balls an over that were directed down the leg side, from going for 4 byes! Chris and Josh however didn’t suffer badly and looking at the scorebook its notable to say that Chris went at barely over 1 an over off the bat, and Josh had gone at just over 3, so despite their frustration, they had started the innings off well.
Liam and Callum then came into the fray, and doing their usual roles they both picked up 2 wickets apiece and Horton never really got going. Both finishing with 2 for 49, they allowed Wasim Bashir to come in and clear up the tail, with him taking a quick 5 for 20 off his 6 overs to finish the Horton innings on 165 all out.
Callum Murgatroyd and the skipper opened up positively. Both knowing that it was a get forward track, they often were hitting the ball right off their toecaps to deal with the slow low bounce. They were however very successful, the score eased along at a good pace, and both batsmen looked solid and untroubled by the Horton attack. Callum Murgatroyd playing the way we all know he is capable of on his way to an excellent 50. Both he and the skipper got out in quick succession however and a miniature collapse followed. Oliver out for 38, Murgatroyd for 50, they were quickly followed by Gibson who fell for 2 and the Imran who was caught for just 1. Tom Elliot and Danny Cockin steadied the ship, coming in after a quick loss of wickets isn’t easy but both worked hard and brought the game within Congs grasp. Elliot then missed a straight one on 30, and it was left to the ever ready Joe Goodchild to hit the winnings runs. 166 for 5.
Great Horton 165 (Mohammed Abbas 66, Wasim Bashir 5-20)
Pudsey Congs 166-5 (Callum Oliver 38, Callum Murgatroyd 50, Tom Elliot 30, Shabir Ellahi 4-35)
Pudsey Congs (17pts) beat Great Horton (4pts) by 5 wickets
Pudsey Congs v Brighouse
At Britannia Ground
Saturday Aug 13th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Towergate Group
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
After a great win against Cleckheaton, the 2’s faced lowly Brighouse at the Brit this week. With heavy rain throughout the week, a damp but playable pitch greeted the teams on their arrival, as John Malpass had once again worked hard Saturday morning to clear any surface water that could have threatened to disrupt the fixture.
Winning the toss, the skipper had no hesitation in asking to bat first, hoping to collect as many batting points as possible to push further up the table. He made it clear that it was a day for patience, and this would be the key skill required in order to score runs on the damp surface. Congs suffered a poor start initially, the skipper found going difficult, and was unfortunate enough to watch partner Barney lose his middle peg for 1, to a ball that seamed viciously through the gap between bat and pad. Imran then managed to add some brief aggression to the Congs innings, as he and the skipper both reached double figures. But both fell to poorly executed shots, and Brighouse looked like they might find a way into the Congs lower order, a possibility which looked more likely when Tom Elliot went for 4. However, Ashley Slater’s innings rescued Congs, plundering 50 runs off only 27 balls, including 10 fours, his masterful combination of clean hitting and power was a perfect foil for his partner Murgatroyd, and meant that Callum was able to calmly build an innings as Slater attacked at the opposite end. Once Ashley was dismissed for exactly 50, Callum was then able to take over the assault with the help of the ever-dependent Andre Stolarski. Both Callum and Andre managed to reach 33 before being dismissed, and following a late flourish of 12 from Liam Stanhope, Congs were eventually dismissed for 182 in the 49th over. 3 batting Points to Congs, and Brighouse might have fancied their chances at tea, as the track was now dry and looked full of runs.
Brighouse opener Daniel Dunkery certainly felt that 182 was well within Brighouse’s grasp, as he produced a swashbuckling display against Chris Doey and Josh Purser, as the openers managed to put on 48 for the first wicket. Andre felt the full power of Dunkery first hand, as he received a horrible blow to the face whilst positioned at short leg. Doey attempting to double bluff the opener with a long hop, watched as the ball was smashed into the grill of Stolarski’s helmet, cutting him deeply on the cheek and forcing him to leave the field to be replaced by sub fielder Mark Ferguson .
Doey was removed from the attack and it fell to Liam Stanhope to get the initial breakthrough. Dismissing the much quieter Asad Hussain for 8, Skipper Chris Maloney arrived at the crease, and he and Dunkery added 21 more before Stanhope struck again, bowling Dunkery with an absolute beauty that nipped back off the seam to clip middle stump and leave the dismissed man looking highly bemused at his fate.
Maloney however continued to counter attack the Congs bowlers, and looked to be ominously poised to chase down the Congs total, and were it not for the introduction of Wasim Bashir, Brighouse could of threaten Congs. However without pace on the ball Brighouse looked uncomfortable, and Maloney gifted his wicket away on 46, top edging a sweep off Bashir to provide Barney with an easy catch. The loss of Maloney had a knock on effect to the Brighouse middle order, as Bashir worked his way through the Brighouse batters. Even the skipper got in on the act collecting 3 for 15, as Brighouse capitulated to 129 all out leaving Bashir with 5 for 24, a match winning performance that saw Congs climb further above promotion rivals East Bierley with a well deserved 18 points.
Pudsey Congs 182 (Ashley Slater 50, Callum Murgatroyd 33, Kamran Khan 4-53)
Brighouse 129 (Chris Maloney 46, Daniel Dunkerley 34, Wasim Bashir 5-24, Callum Oliver 3-15)
Pudsey Congs (18pts) beat Brighouse (6pts) by 53 runs
Pudsey Congs v Cleckheaton
At Britannia Ground
Saturday Aug 6th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Towergate Group
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
After a disappointing result against Undercliffe, Congs were back at the Brit to take on Cleckheaton. This being the third time these two teams have played this year, and on the last two occasions they have provided some excellent entertainment and some even better cricket.
Batting first on an excellent batting track, the pairing of Callum Murgatroyd and Callum Oliver provided a solid foundation for the Congs innings. Murgatroyd batted patiently and played the supporting role to the skipper, as he crafted 24, and was unlucky as he hit the ball well but found the fielders more often than not. At the other end however, the skipper was finally re-discovering some form. He found the Cleckheaton attack to his liking as he stroked his way to 50. Murgatroyd then fell to give Cleck a much needed breakthrough, and Imran Ahmed was quick to follow him as he managed to flick a ball with such power it went to the Long on boundary where the young Cleckheaton sub fielder took an excellent catch to dismiss him. The look of surprise on Immy’s face showed just how surprised we all were with how far the ball had travelled. Following this, Ashley Slater continued his excellent form, with some powerful swipes, he gave the skipper some good support on his way to a powerful 39. The skipper managed to reach 99, and then decided to give the keeper an easy catch instead of getting a single to reach three figures. Kicking himself, but never the less happy to be back in form, he trudged off to be replaced by the dependable Andre Stolarski. Congs however lost some cheap wickets later on in their innings as Slater, Humpleby, Doey and Bashir were all dismissed trying to force the pace to collect more batting points. Congs eventually finished on 198 for 7, a good score and with a strong bowling attack it would be difficult for Cleckheaton to chase it down.
Opening up for Congs, Doey and Purser both picked up early wickets, and Cleck were soon under a lot of pressure. Doey swinging the ball well and getting movement off the warn pitch, he proved to be a handful to deal with and well supported by the ever-swinging Purser, Cleck struggled to get a solid foundation for a chase which they really needed in order to threaten the Congs total. First change bowlers Callum Oliver and Liam Stanhope then worked their way methodically through the Cleckheaton line up. Stanhope bowling tightly and gave very little away, He was however only rewarded with one wicket although he deserved far more for his efforts. At the other end the skipper began to take wickets frequently. As so often happens when Liam and Callum bowl in tandem, they manage to bowl tightly and take wickets at the same time, always a winning combination from the team’s point of view! Some late resistance from Cleckheaton’s Overseas nearly threatened Congs, but the skipper finally wrapped up the Cleck innings. Finishing with 4 for 50, Stanhope’s 10 overs were just as important to the successful defence of the Congs total.
Cleck all out for 161. A job well done for the 2’s.
Pudsey Congs 195-7 (38 overs) (Callum Oliver 99, Ashley Slater 39. Shahid Rehman 3-47)
Cleckheaton 161 (34 overs) (Rob Brown 42, Callum Oliver 4-50)
Pudsey Congs (18pts) beat Cleckheaton (5pts) by 34 runs
Undercliffe v Pudsey Congs
At Intake Road
Saturday July 30th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The high flying seconds were this week away against Undercliffe. On a flat track, The skipper made the highly unusual decision to bowl first, hoping that if the pitch would provide any assistants for the bowlers it would happen early on.
However, the pitch offered nothing and Undercliffe piled on the runs. Both openers passed 30 without too many issues. Jamie Allen again bowled tightly and was rewarded with a wicket. He was well supported by Wasim who took three wickets, however they all came at a high price as Phil Dixon reached 71, and Sofian Khan supported him with a well struck 51. Undercliffe finishing on 228 for 5.
The Congs chase started in the worst possible way, with the skipper being dismissed for a duck, and Danny Cockin going for 9. Ashley Slater and Imran Ahmed however steadied the ship, scoring 74 and 58 respectively they fought hard, and played positively. The pitch however had now disintergrated into a dust bowl, and the Undercliffe spinners took control, bowling tightly and giving very few opportunities to score, Congs were squeezed out of the game and were eventually dismissed for a battling 201.
Undercliffe 228-5 (50 overs) (Phil Dixon 76, Sofian Khan 51, Liam Brearley 37, Wasim Bashir 3-57)
Pudsey Congs 201 all out (48.5 overs) (Ashley Slater 74, Imran Ahmed 58, Sofian Khan 4-63)
Undercliffe 20pts bt Pudsey Congs 6pts by 27 runs
Pudsey Congs v Gomersal
At Britannia Ground
Saturday July 23rd, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – N/A
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Congs faced fellow table toppers Gomersal this week at home. On a hard batting deck, Gomersal won the toss and opted to bat first, a decision that surprised nobody, especially with the strength of their batting. Their openers alone have scored over 1000 runs between them this season. Richard Gould regularly scores a thousand runs a year in their first team. Gould’s partner, ex New Zealand test international Tony Blain, needs very little introduction to those who saw New Zealand play in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
The Congs opening bowlers, Imran Ahmed and Josh Purser, therefore had to do a good job and try take early wickets to get into the fragile Gomersal middle order. Immy, bowling seam up got good late away movement, and bowling with great pace he managed to produce an absolute snorter to dismiss Blain. Angled into leg stump, and swinging very late onto off stump, the ball narrowly missed Blain’s toe caps, as it thudded into off-stump knocking it clean out of the ground!
After this emphatic start, Congs struggled to reach a breakthrough for a while, Skipper Phil Carter and Gould knuckled down and pushed the score to 93. Josh Purser worked hard for very little reward, and after his spell finished it was down to Jamie Allen and the Skipper to continue his and Immy’s hard work. Jamie Allen a regular 4XI and 3XI player, bowled superbly just back of a length and outside off stump. He nagged away at Carter, who looked out of sorts compared to Gould, and was rewarded for his discipline with Carter’s wicket, with a slightly shorter delivery, which he spooned to Danny Cockin at point. Carter gone for 40, Congs were in with a massive shout of dismissing Gomersal and claiming full bowling points.
Gould had other ideas and continued to grind his was to a superb 100, as he played with patience and looked in control throughout his innings. He however found little support from the rest of the Gomersal batsmen as Wasim Bashir and the skipper worked their way through the Gomersal middle order and down through the tail. Gould eventually departed for 113, and Wasim cleaned up the tail, taking a well deserved 5 for, and the skipper finishing with 3, the last wicket falling off the last ball, with Jamie Allen taking a great diving catch on the boundary to grant Congs full bowling points
Gomersal all out for 225.
**An interesting fact: Gould 113 + Carter 40 + Extras 17 = 175, The other 9 players between them mustered 50 runs.
With a weakened batting line up, Congs were always struggling to compete with the Gomersal total. They did however fight hard throughout, Openers Tom Huffinley and Danny Cockin battled against the new ball, however once Danny and Tom departed, Imran fell cheaply, and it was left to Ashley Slater, Andre and the skipper to push Congs toward the Gomersal total. Ashley and Callum both got in, and then got out, and Congs from then onwards looked to pursue batting points. With Andre proving to be a tough nut to crack at one end, Gomersal struggled to remove the Congs tail, Joe Goodchild hit some good strokes to support Andre, and Congs eventually reached 160 for 9. Stolarski undefeated on 47 provided the back bone for a good Congs batting effort. Gomersal denied full bowling points, and Congs claiming 7 bonus points, and from a weakened team, this was an excellent result.
A special mention to Joe Goodchild, who’s fielding was exceptional throughout, taking 3 great catches, he stopped 30 runs in the field and was exemplary through-out.
Gomersal 225 all out (50 overs) (Richard Gould 113, Wasim Bashir 5-48, Callum Oliver 3-57)
Pudsey Congs 160-9 (50 overs) (Andre Stolarski 47no,. Chris Rhodes 4-52)
Gomersal 19pts bt Pudsey Congs 7pts by 65 runs
Pudsey Congs v Spen Victoria
At Britannia Ground
Sunday July 17th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Heaton Lamb and Lisle
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
After turning up on Saturday at a nearly under-water Saltaire, Congs’ abandoned game seemed to have cost them top spot in the table after the other top of the table teams all managed to get a result from their fixtures, as they all played shortened games due to the weather.
However, Sunday morning proved to be slightly less damp than had been expected, in Pudsey at least……
Cleckheaton, Gomersal and East Bierley all lost out as their games were abandoned and Congs once again had an opportunity to raise themselves up to the top of the table against Spen Victoria. Playing on a wet track which had mysteriously been left uncovered on Saturday night, Congs worked hard to get the pitch prepared and eventually it was decided that the game would be shortened to a 38 over a side fixture.
Bowling first, and in helpful conditions, Congs whittled away at the Spen battling line up, Liam Stanhope bowled excellently with the new ball, claiming 4 for 31 off his 12 overs. At the other end Chris Doey bowled beautifully, swinging the ball with great control and accuracy he was unfortunate not to claim a wicket as his first spell gave little or nothing to the Spen batters and simply mounted pressure on their middle order as Stanhope worked away. The skipper took up the other end and combined with Stanhope they kept the pressure up and made sure Spen never got going. Only Chris Allen really put any power into the lacklustre Spen innings with a brisk 38, before being cleaned up by Oliver. Wasim Bashir claimed another scalp as Spen finally completed their 38 overs with a total of 116. Oliver finishing with 3 for 35, and Bashir going at just over 3 an over for his wicket. A good overall performance.
Spens opening bowlers however made the going difficult for Congs early on, Barney Gibson and Callum Oliver both fell very cheaply, and if the pressure had mounted Congs might have crumbled. However, the Congs chase was indebted to Imran Ahmed and Ashley Slater. Imran decided to take the attack to Spen, smashing 83 off 60 balls. Immy played excellent cricket strokes, and looked masterful against the Spen line up. At the other end Slater put away the bad ball and helped give Ahmed the strike, as he blasted his way toward the total. Slater finishing with 30 not out and Immy on 83 not out, Congs collect a welcome 14 points and head back to the top of the table.
Spen Victoria 116-8 (38 overs) (Chris Allen 36, Liam Stanhope 4-32, Callum Oliver 3-35)
Pudsey Congs 118-2 (20.3 overs) (Imran Ahmed 83no, Ashley Slater 30no)
Pudsey Congs 14pts bt Spen Victoria 1pt by 8wkts
Saltaire v Pudsey Congs
At Roberts Park
Saturday July 16th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match abandoned, rain, no play
Saltaire 5pts, Pudsey Congs 5pts
Gomersal v Pudsey Congs
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup Semi Final
At Oxford Road
Sunday July 10th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – N/A
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Congs suffered a disappointing end to their shield run at the hands of Gomersal.
Being put in to bat on a used track, Congs were skittled for 109, Ryan Kitson with an excellent spell of 4 for 25, and Chris Rhodes again bowled with great consistency to pick up 4 for 22. Only Tom Elliot showed any prolonged resistance with a battling 31.
Gomersal then knocked off the Congs total without losing a wicket. Ex-New Zealand test international Tony Blain finishing with 58 not out, well supported by the fantastically talented Richard Gould with 45.
A very disappointing end to what has been an excellent run. After going out in the first round last season, reaching the semi final this year was a huge improvement and one that will be worked on for next season.
Pudsey Congs 109 all out (32.5 overs) (Tom Elliot 31, Ryan Kitson 4-25, Chris Rhodes 4-22)
Gomersal 110-0 (25.5 overs) (Tony Blain 58no. Richard Gould 45 no)
Gomersal bt Pudsey Congs by 10wkts
Pudsey Congs v Bankfoot
At Britannia Ground
Saturday July 9th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Mr B and Mrs HM Oliver
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Congs started an important double weekend at home against bottom of the table Bankfoot. Losing the toss (again!!) Congs were forced to bowl on a beautiful batting strip. Bankfoot never took advantage of the track at all, as they were dismissed for 53, Josh Purser claimed the first wicket, before Chris Doey took 4 for 7 off his seven overs, well supported by Wasim Bashir who bettered Doey with 4 for 5 off his 4 overs!
Barney Gibson and Skipper Oliver chased down the Bankfoot total without losing a wicket, despite Gibson attempting to give catching practice to gully on several occasions…..
Gibson 20 not out, Oliver 32 not out, Congs take 15 points and enjoy an early finish!
Bankfoot 53 all out (27.1 overs) (Chris Doey 4-7, Wasim Bashir 5-4)
Pudsey Congs 55-0 (11.2 overs) (Callum Oliver 32no)
Pudsey Congs 15pts bt Bankfoot 0pts by 10 wkts
Idle v Pudsey Congs
At Cavendish Road
Saturday July 2nd, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The second team racked up their biggest total of the year so far this weekend, as they claimed a full 20 points away at Idle.
Batting first Congs scored 314 for 6, Callum Murgatroyd departed cheaply for 7, but after that the Congs batters found the going good. Barney Gibson grafted an excellent 85 and Ashley Slater continued his fine form with 62, as Congs built a massive total. Imran Ahmed, Tom Elliot and the skipper all chipped in with scores of 31, 30 and 48 respectively, and Idle knew they had a mammoth task in front of them at tea.
The idle chase gained no real momentum as they were bowled out for 160. Only brothers Tom and Sam Johnson really threatened Congs with some clean hitting in the late middle order. Wasim Bashir made a welcome return to form with 3 for 13, and Oliver, Stanhope and Doey picked up 2 wickets apiece, leaving Josh Purser to claim the last Idle scalp.
20 points, joint top of the table, a big weekend approaches……
Pudsey Congs 314-6 (50 overs) (Barney Gibson 85, Ashley Slater 62, Callum Oliver 48, Imran Ahmed 31, Tom Elliot 30, Dave Pearce 3-94)
Idle 160 all out (33.1 overs) (Tom Johnson 37, Sam Johnson 32, Wasim Bashir 3-13)
Pudsey Congs 20pts bt Idle 5pts by 154 runs
Pudsey Congs v Manningham Mills
At Britannia Ground
Saturday June 26th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Exeeco Ltd
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The second home game of the weekend saw Congs lose the toss (AGAIN!!) on a rock hard batting strip and being honest, it looked like Congs were in for a long and very warm day in the field.
Manningham Mills however ended up 57 all out…….
A rather bizarre score if you took into consideration the quality of the pitch and the near perfect batting conditions.
The reason for this score came down to the hard work of Liam Stanhope, who finished with 7 for 17. Bowling full and straight, Liam systematically demolished the Mills line up, he bowled 3, had two caught behind, and had two caught at mid on. Ably supported by Adam Patrick, who again was miserly going at only 13 off his 7 overs, and taking his first Bradford League wicket in the process, the skipper then took 2 more wickets to help clean up mills for 57.
Congs lost only one wicket in their pursuit of the 58 runs required to win. Ahmed and Murgatroyd found the boundary regularly and never looked under pressure as Congs sealed the win with 63 overs remaining in the Congs innings.
34 points from the weekend, 3rd in the league, 1 point behind 2nd and 2 points behind 1st, the season will go down to the wire!
Manningham Mills 57 all out (Liam Stanhope 7-17)
Pudsey Congs 58-1
PudseyCongs 15pts bt Manningham Mills 0pts by 9wkts
Pudsey Congs v Keighley
At Britannia Ground
Saturday June 25th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Sam Miller
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Another double weekend for the seconds started at home against mid-table Keighley. Losing the toss on a damp pitch, Congs were put into bat and slumped to 0 for 3. Oliver, Murgatroyd and Gibson all falling for ducks against the new ball which nipped about under the cloud cover and was helped by a seaming pitch. The Congs middle order once again came to the rescue, Tom Elliot and Ashley Slater both passing 50 as they pushed Congs to 143 for 3. Elliot again batted patiently and hit well down the ground, and with Slater attacking strongly at the other end, he was a perfect foil and reached his first Congs 50 in good time. He was however dismissed for 56, and Imran Ahmed could only add 4 to the score before he was dismissed trying to put some momentum into the Congs innings. However, Andre Stolarski again played an excellent cameo-innings of 25 not out, nudging the ball about within the infield, and punishing width well to help support Slater. Slater throughout his innings looked dangerous, hitting the ball cleanly and with excellent placement he ran hard and paced his innings perfectly to help congs rebuild their innings. Overall Keighley struggled to tie him down, and he brought up three figures with another excellent boundary, a fantastic innings by a very talented young player.
Congs however weren’t quite finished, Slater departed for 108, and Wasim Bashir walked to the crease, sent in by the skipper to hit big and put Keighley well under the cosh at tea. He did however block the first ball respectfully, but his next 7 balls were smashed around the ground as he raced to 20 not out off only 8 balls, another great cameo innings that left Congs on 216 for 6 with Stolarski finishing on 25 not out.
Keighley’s first 14 overs went for 25, as Josh Purser and Adam Patrick bowled with good control and patience to prevent Keighley’s young openers getting away. After this excellent opening burst from Congs all they had to do was contain Keighley, and be patient. Liam Stanhope and the skipper again provided this with good accurate bowling, and with the ball swinging they picked up regular wickets. Amjid Hussain for Keighley struck an excellent 62, and could have taken the game away from Congs, however he ran out of partners, as Stanhope finished with 4 for 38 off his 9.1 overs, and the skipper with 5 for 49 off his 14, with one run out for the ever athletic and agile Imran Ahmed.
Pudsey Congs 216-6 (50 overs) (Ashley Slater 108, Tom Elliot 56)
Keighley 157 all out (Amjid Hussain 62, Callum Oliver 5-49, Liam Stanhope 4-38)
Pudsey Congs 19pts bt Keighley 5pts by 59 runs
Pudsey Congs v Cleckheaton
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup Quarter Final
At Britannia Ground
Sunday June 19th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – N/A
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Saturday night was a fairly eventful occasion for the Pudsey Congs Second XI’s.
Firstly, Keegan Moodley had a serious accident at home following our league victory, and ended up in hospital, with his hand bandaged and an operation scheduled for early the following week. After such an excellent and impressive start to the season, this accident has cut short what would certainly have been an excellent year for Keegan, playing for Congs and for the Bradford League Joe Lumb Under 17’s side. I’m sure that all of the second team feel for him, and we all wish him a quick and speedy recovery to full mood-scooping ability.
Saturday night’s rain was the next issue for the 2’s, with a heavy deluge during the night, the umpires were reluctant to start on time, and Congs had to wait until half two until they were able to take on Cleckheaton in a 35 over game.
Put into bat on a pitch with a few damp spots, Congs started poorly. Newly promoted opener Cal Murgatroyd got an excellent delivery to be trapped infront, and the skipper played through a ball that stuck in the pitch to give an easy catch. Ashley Slater started brightly but fell to an excellent catch taken at slip, and Tom Elliot and Danny Cockin followed him back shortly after as the Cleckheaton opening bowlers used the patchy track well. Imran Ahmed and Andre Stolarski then put on what would be the match winning partnership. Andre’s ability to take quick singles, and put away wayward deliveries makes him very hard to contain if he gets going, and the pure power and aggressive nature of Ahmed meant that the partnership was well balanced. Stolarski fell eventually for an excellent and valuable 44, but Ahmed kept smiting to reach 95 not out, which left Congs on 194 for 6 after their 35 overs, an impressive comeback from a poor start.
On an ever drying pitch, and against a good solid batting line up, Congs knew they would have to perform. And perform they did, setting a very high standard in the field, and with full and straight bowling, Congs bowled Cleckheaton out for 177. Turning the 2’s into 1’s, Dale Spink and Tom Elliot on the boundary edge were excellent, and 2 fantastic run outs from Imran Ahmed, and Chris Doey (who actually hit the stumps from the boundary edge!) meant that Cleck had to fight hard for their runs. Liam Stanhope had a deserved return to form with the ball, and Doey continued his fine work from Saturday, but the honours however go to Andre Stolarski. Finishing with figures of 4 for 29, Stol was excellent throughout his spell. Bowling a tight line, and giving nothing away, his experience showed as he out-thought the big hitting tail of Cleck. Shahid Rehman, and Adil Amjid had at one point looked like taking it away from Congs, but both struggled to play Stolarski, as he worked hard to clean up the Cleck tail to win the game by 17 runs.
The semi-final tie is to be announced on Monday night, and after this impressive performance, the Congs will fancy their chances of reaching the final.
Pudsey Congs 194-7 (50 overs) (Imran Ahmed 95no. Andre Stolarski 44. Ahsan Zia 3-36)
Cleckheaton 177 all out (Adil Amjid 35, Shaihid Rehman 31, Craig Blackburn 30, Andre Stolarski 4-29)
Pudsey Congs bt Cleckheaton by 17 runs
East Bierley v Pudsey Congs
At South View Road
Saturday June 18th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The biggest weekend of the season so far for the 2’s started at top of the table East Bierley. Opting to bowl first after some Friday night rain, Congs ripped into Bierley’s impressive top order.
4 for 24, turned into 5 for 53, as openers Callum Oliver and Chris Doey swung and seamed the ball, taking full advantage of the helpful conditions. Bierley fought back well, skipper Matthew Anderson and Dan Abbott scoring 53 and 67 respectively, were aggressive and positive throughout their innings as they managed to haul themselves back into a respectable position. The tight spin of Keegan Moodley however brought about the downfall of Anderson, and Abbott was quick to follow him as Andre Stolarski showed his experience and ability with the ball, before Doey returned to wipe up the Bierley tail. Chris ending with 4 for 26, ably supported by Keegan who ended with 3 for 32. Bierley all out for 167.
Bierley’s opening bowlers this year, Oliver Ashford and Dan Abbott; have had a great deal of success, both tall and fast bowlers, they have the ability to win games with the ball between them. They managed to remove the Congs opening pair in their opening spells, but failed to bowl enough full deliveries to really attack the Congs batters, and after the opening pair had gone for Bierley, Congs looked far more comfortable. Barney Gibson grafted well before being bowled off the inside edge, and Imran Ahmed took leave of his senses to play over, around and generally nowhere near a delivery on middle stump to bring Tom Elliot and Ashley Slater to the crease. Ashley’s enormous ability with the bat came quickly apparent to Bierley, as he put them to the sword on his way to 79 not out. Ash’s concentration, placement and timing were spot on, as he plundered some poor bowling from the Bierley attack, and with Tom Elliot playing solidly at the other end, Congs were home and dry after 33 overs, a top effort in the field against an impressive batting line up, and Ash’s innings again indicates the vast amount of depth and ability in the Congs side.
East Bierley 167 all out (Dan Abbott 67, Matt Anderson 53, Chris Doey 4-26)
Pudsey Congs 170-4 (33.2 overs) (Ashley Slater 73no)
Pudsey Congs 17pts bt East Bierley 4pts by 6wkts
Pudsey Congs v Great Horton
At Britannia Ground
Saturday June 4th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Exeeco Ltd
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
This week’s home fixture against Great Horton produced two excellent batting performances on a dry hard Congs track.
Infuriatingly, Callum lost the toss, and Great Horton batted first wanting to secure full batting points and get first use of what looked a great surface. However, the second installment of the “Richie Lamb show” left them reeling. Once again showing rapid pace and accuracy, Horton were reduced to 58 for 7, with Lamb being ably supported by Chris Doey at the other end. At this point however, enter into the fray number 9 Jamil Aktar. Aktar chanced his arm, and thrashed the ball to all corners of the park, Skipper Oliver was dispatched at nearly 6 an over as Aktar cashed in on full deliveries, and supported by Mohammed Riaz at the other end, they put on 96 for the 8th wicket. Aktar kept on hitting, and Congs met some stubborn resistance from the rest of the tail. However they didn’t help themselves with some poor fielding, and one or two dropped catches, which cost more valuable runs. Moodley eventually got the breakthrough, and Congs were finally able to bowl out Horton for 205, Aktar the last man to go, chipping the ball to Callum at cover on 99, and the skipper finally did something useful, a nice change……
The Congs run chase again began with Callum and Keegan, and once again they put together a solid opening partnership. Moodley again looking in good touch, racing to 22 before being trapped on the crease LBW with the score on 61. Tom Elliot, in at number 3 once again gave good support to the skipper, as batted well with each other to take the score onto 138, before tom was also trapped LBW for 18. Young keeper Callum Murgatroyd then came to the skippers side, and hit some solid and textbook shots as he continued to allow the skipper to take on the Horton attack. Punishing some poor and lacklustre bowling from Horton, the skipper continues to take advantage of his good form, reaching his second ton of the year in good time. However, with 19 to win he was caught and bowled by his opposite number, and with the words “on your bike” ringing in his ears, he wandered back to the pavilion. The Congs middle order then tempted Great Horton, missing straight deliveries and generally playing poorly, Congs collapsed from 187 for 3 to 204 for 7. Wasim Bashir finally smashed the winning runs, however some poor batting from the middle order means that what should have been a totally imperious victory, became a closer finish than it had to be. However, the learning curve continues, and 19 points more go onto the Congs total, and the team continues to win games.
Great Horton 205 all out (Jamil Akthar 99, Richie Lamb 5-76)
Pudsey Congs 208-7 (Callum Oliver 108, Mohammed Razman 3-45)
Pudsey Congs 19pts bt Great Horton 7pts by 3wkts
Pudsey Congs v Undercliffe
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup Second Round
At Britannia Ground
Monday May 30th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – N/A
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
On a wet miserable Monday afternoon, the Second team produced a sparkling perfor
mance to beat 5th placed Undercliffe. After a long delay to the start, and with a great deal of hard work from groundsman John Malpass and Mick Hirst, the Umpires came together with the captains, and agreed that the fixture would be shortened to 22 overs per side, and losing the toss, Congs were put into bat by a much weakened Undercliffe side.
On a damp sticky, but drying pitch, Skipper Oliver and Keegan Moodley once again shared an imperious opening partnership of 95. Both players punished some poor bowling from an inexperienced attack, and put the fielders under pressure as they turned 1’s into 2’s. Undercliffe were short of inspiration, and it took a good catch to remove Keegan on 45. Imran Ahmed, Tom Elliot and Ashley Slater chipped in a few runs to support Oliver, as he kept the run rate high and fed on some poor bowling before he was stumped on 62. Congs ended on 159 for 5 off their 22 overs, and at tea Congs knew that they were within touching distance of the Shield quarter-finals.
On an ever improving track, Undercliffe’s pursuit of the Congs total never got any momentum as they collapsed to 65 all out. Doey again bowled well and was unfortunate to get no reward for his hard work. Josh Purser bowled with good control at the other end, and Congs excellent fielding once again became apparent, as Tom Elliot took three impressive catches, well supported by Ash and Josh off his own bowling, Josh taking 4 for 19 off his 5 overs. Wasim Bashir again showed that bowling a good straight line will always bring you reward as a bowler as he claimed 3 wickets to run through Undercliffe’s middle order. Keegan Moodley even got in on the act, taking 2 wickets including an impressive stumping from Callum Murgatroyd, and Congs cleaned up the Undercliffe tail to grant them a 94 run victory.
An excellent win for the boys, and it takes us into the quarter finals of the shield. A massive thank you to John and Mick for all their hard work to get the ground fit for play!
Pudsey Congs 159-5 (22 overs) (Callum Oliver 62, Keegan Moodley 45)
Undercliffe 65 all out (Josh Purser 4-19. Wasim Bashir 3-12)
Pudsey Congs bt Undercliffe by 94 runs
Brighouse v Pudsey Congs
At Russell Way
Saturday May 28th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The 2’s kicked off the double weekend away at Brighouse. Losing the toss, the skipper was disappointed when Brighouse elected to bat first, as Congs were out to chase maximum points. Brighouse got off to a rapid start, finding the boundary regularly as the opening partnership raced to 41 before Chris Doey finally removed Nigel Elkin for 25. Doey bowled well and moved the ball with great shape to both openers and had been unlucky not to get more reward for his efforts. At 41 for 1 Congs were beginning to settle into what looked like a long afternoon in the field. However, at this point the Richie Lamb show began. After being moved into the second team for one game before he returns to the first team for the Priestly Cup fixture on Monday, Richie showed just how much of a class act he is. Moving the ball late in the air, and using the increasingly helpful Brighouse pitch, Lamb bowled full and straight with exceptional pace and with seemingly endless stamina. More than a match for the 7 Brighouse batsman who fell to him, Lamb looked imperious, and with some good solid accurate bowling from Josh Purser and Wasim Bashir, Congs cleaned up Brighouse, all out for 92. Lamb finishing with figures of 12.5 overs 3 maidens 51 for 7. Wasim Bashir again chipping in as the strike spin bowler with 3 overs, 2 maidens four runs for 2 wickets.
Brighouse 92 all out
Richie Lamb 7 for 51
The Congs run chase began with Skipper Oliver and Keegan Moodley looking to take their time to chase down the Brighouse total. They took their time to adjust to the pitch, as the invariable bounce became apparent to both players, However both found the boundary regularly, Oliver hitting 51 off 36 delivers, and Keegan finishing the game on 33, smashing the winning runs over long on for six (the new long distance mood-scoop).
A quality performance by the 2’s, and a very positive start to the weekend, especially with cup rivals Undercliffe being beaten in their last game before the Intake Lane clash on Monday!
Congs 93 for 0 , 12.0 overs.
Oliver 51*, Moodley 33*
Brighouse 92 all out (24 overs) (Richie Lamb 7-51)
Pudsey Congs 93-0 (12 overs) (Callum Oliver 51no)
Pudsey Congs 15pts bt Brighouse 0pts by 10wkts
Cleckheaton v Pudsey Congs
At Chain Bar, Moorend
Saturday May 21st, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The two’s came very close to victory in a thrilling encounter at Moorend. Openers Barney Gibson and Callum Oliver put on 92 for the first wicket, Oliver departing for 67, and was quickly followed by Tom Elliot who was dismissed for 3. Imran Ahmed however hit some massive boundaries on his way to 95 not out off 52 balls. Ably assisted by Gibson who was eventually dismissed for a well grafted 50, as well as some powerful strokes from Ash Slater and Danny Cockin, Congs were satisfied at the break with a total of 266 for 4.
Cleckheaton however fought back powerfully, and never fell behind the pace. Openers Chris Dobson and Craig Blackburn expressed themselves, as they reached 86 from the first 13 overs. Blackburn departed for 38, bowled by the first ball of Wasim Bashir’s spell and Stanhope managed to claim wicket number 2 at the other end dismissing Jai Mistry cheaply for 8. However, James Marshall and Dobson took the game well out of Congs hands, with a third wicket partnership which took the score to 182 before Dobson’s innings was finally ended by Skipper Oliver. Marshall fell shortly after, and although wickets fell at regular intervals, and with Congs putting up an excellent fight, Cleckheaton never fell behind the pace and reached their target with 2 wickets and one over to spare.
A combination of excellent batting by Cleckheaton and some inconsistent bowling (only Wasim Bashir went at under 5 runs an over) and fielding by Congs meant we came out second in a hard fought game.
Pudsey Congs 266-4 (50 overs) (Callum Oliver 67, Barney Gibson 50, Imran Ahmed 95no)
Cleckheaton 268-8 (49 overs) (Chris Dobson 96, James Marshall 52, Wasim Bashir 3-62)
Cleckheaton 17pts bt Pudsey Congs 9pts by 2wkts
Pudsey Congs v Morley
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup First Round
At Britannia Ground
Sunday May 15th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – N/A
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Cong’s second home fixture of the weekend saw them face up to Morley in the first round of the Priestley shield. For the first time this year, Congs skipper Oliver lost the toss at home, and Morley elected to bat, a decision which satisfied both teams, as once again the pitch looked like it would offer assistance with the new ball. Josh Purser and Chris Doey bowled well in their opening spells, Chris struck first trapping Ryan Dowse LBW for a duck. Josh then got a well deserved wicket, having in-form opener Naveed Siddique caught at full stretch by the ever-athletic Callum Murgatroyd at cover. Once again the first change pair of Oliver and Stanhope bowled well. Stanhope worked his way through the Morley middle order, taking 3 for 30 from his ten overs. The resident spin king Wasim Bashir bowled excellently in combination with Liam and Callum, his figures of 10 overs, 5 maidens, 13 for 3, do him justice as he once again displayed great control and patience. Chris Doey claimed the final Morley wicket in his returning spell, and having bowled Morley out for 119 in 41 overs, Congs were satisfied at the break.
The Congs innings started solidly, opening pair Moodley and Gibson again showing great patience against the new ball, and played positively against any way-ward deliveries. However the dismissal of Gibson for 12 brought about a mini-collapse, as both Tom Elliot and Imran Ahmed fell for nought, as Morley began to look dangerous, medium pacer Ben Jenkinson moving the ball around in the air and bowling good lines looked like he might wrestle the game away from Congs. However, Ashley Slater and Keegan Moodley both batted well, with great maturity and patience they rebuilt the Congs innings. Moodley, fell for 39, and once again Morley looked like they might find a way back in to the game. Skipper Callum Oliver however batted solidly, and supported the aggressive hitting of Slater, and took the game well away from Morley. Slater was bowled for 44 with the score on 112, but by this point the game was well and truly gone, with Callum Murgatroyd playing some solid shots to help support the skipper who finished the game off with a punch through point for 4. A good start almost went to waste, however some solid and calm batting by the late middle order and Once again by Keegan Moodley ensured a well deserved victory for the 2nd’s.
Morley 119 all out (Liam Stanhope 3-30, Wasim Bashir 3-13)
Pudsey Congs 121-5 (Keegan Moodley 39, Ashley Slater 44)
Pudsey Congs bt Morley by 5wkts
Pudsey Congs v Undercliffe
At Britannia Ground
Saturday May 14th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Eric Thompson
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The two’s started their double weekend at home against Undercliffe on Saturday. Winning the toss Skipper Oliver chose to bowl in order to take advantage of any early movement offered by the drying track. The opening pair of Chris Doey and Josh Purser bowled well, and were assisted well by the pitch as the Undercliffe openers struggled, and failed to put away bad balls. Josh took the first wicket, with a welcome return to form with the ball, he trapped dangerous opener Liam Brearley for 5. Congs however came up against some stiff resistance from Undercliffe’s number 3 and 4, Jack Carter batted patiently for 67, and former Pudsey St Lawrence player Zarak Khan looked initially dangerous as the pair put on 67 for the second wicket. First change medium pacers Liam Stanhope and Callum Oliver, however continued the good work of Purser and Doey. With pace off the ball, great control and backed up by hard work in the field, Stan and Oliver bowled 30 restrictive overs, with combined figures of 30 overs 11 maidens 83 for 8. They efficiently dismantled the Undercliffe middle order and put the game well into the hands of Congs. Wasim Bashir bowled only seven deliveries at the end of the innings, six of which were dot balls and the seventh trapped Undercliffes last man LBW, Undercliffe 135 all out at tea.
Barney Gibson and Keegan Moodley once again opened, and played well against a fiery opening spell from Zarak Khan, and Barney was unfortunate to be caught on 10 after what had seemed a solid start. Moodley however dominated the Undercliffe attack, unleashing powerful drives and pulls he looked well set, but was given out LBW for 45 after another classy start. Tom Elliot at the other end was looked solid, playing some excellent strokes of his own, and supporting the hard-hitting of Moodley. Imran Ahmed joined Elliot at the crease, and finished the game off with style, ending on 46 not out, Immy unleashed some trade-mark big hitting, as he cleared the rope easily, and punished some poor bowling from Undercliffe. A job well done by Congs, a positive start to a big weekend.
Undercliffe 135 all out (Jack Carter 67. Liam Stanhope. 3-41, Callum Oliver 5-42)
Pudsey Congs 137-2 (Keegan Moodley 45, Imran Ahmed 46no)
Pudsey Congs 16pts bt Undercliffe 2pts by 8wkts
Gomersal v Pudsey Congs
At Oxford Road
Saturday May 7th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Andre Stolarski
On a wet day, the 2nd XI visited Gomersal in an attempt to build on their good start to the season. After over an hours rain delay, the match began with the Congs’ being asked to bat on a pitch which looked particularly green. Barney Gibson and Keegan Moodley began at a frantic pace, putting the Gomersal openers to task, racing to a 50 opening partnership without too much trouble, but as soon as the pace was taken off the ball by the Gomersal bowlers, it became a whole different game. Moodley nicked off to slip, and began a bit of a collapse. He was quickly followed by Callum Oliver, Tom Elliott, and the now frustrated Gibson, who had made an excellent 42. A couple of lusty blows by Immy Ahmed pushed the score along before he was trapped LBW. The scoreboard had gone from 53-0 to 89-5. A repair job was attempted by Callum Murgatroyd and newly nicknamed ‘OAP’ Andre Stolarski who ticked the board along before Stolarski was ‘freakishly’ ran out by a man wearing a trilby hat!! It was left to Chris Doey to belt the returning opening bowlers to all parts of Gomersal with a quickfire 29 to post a competitive score of 156-8.
GIBSON 42 – DOEY 29 – AHMED 23 – MURGATROYD 22
The Gomersal reply started in similar fashion to the Congs’ with the openers making full value for their shots. Doey and Liam Stanhope managed to remove both openers, but a lot of damage had already been done with the board showing 66-2. Enter the very talented Richard Gould and the determined captain, Phil Carter, and patiently and it has to be said, superbly, they moved along with little effort to pass the Congs’ total with 9 overs remaining. A good effort by the Congs’, but they fairly and squarely met their match with an impressive looking Gomersal outfit, whose league position on this showing definately does them no justice.
Pudsey Congs 156-9 (42 overs) (Barney Gibson 42, Chris Rhodes 4-34)
Gomersal 159-2 (33 overs) (Richard Gould 72no. Phil Carter 41no. Tony Blain 31)
Gomersal 16pts bt Pudsey Congs 3pts by 8wkts
Sven Victoria v Pudsey Congs
At Spen Lane
Sunday May 1st, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
After a disappointing Saturday, Congs wanted to bounce back to their winning ways away against Spen Victoria on Sunday. On another good batting track, Skipper Oliver lost the toss again and Spen Vic opted to bat first. Josh Purser took the new ball alongside Callum Oliver, and Spen Vic started solidly putting on 51 for the first wicket before the ever-fresh Chris Doey struck, removing Derek Warriner for 23. Chris Allen however showed application and reached his fifty, just before he and Oliver Davison fell to the accurate medium pace of Liam Stanhope. On a good batting pitch, Spen Vic never got any real fluency, as they found the fielders more often than the boundary. Tight bowling from Congs hampered their progress, before Wasim Bashir came on to bowl late in the innings. His nagging accuracy combined with a lack of pace on the ball, frustrated the Spen Vic batters, as Bashir cleaned up the tail. Spen Victoria were dismissed for 213, Bashir finishing with 5 for 29.
Congs innings started poorly, Skipper Oliver was caught at slip for 9, Matthew Humpleby was given out lbw for 11 and Callum Murgatroyd was bowled for 17 after what had seemed a good start from the young keeper. Tom Elliot and Keegan Moodley were faced with the task of rebuilding the Congs innings, and they set about their task with the calm application that is trademark for a successful Congs chase. Moodley looked classy, solid in defence and powerful against poor deliveries. Elliot as well looked impressive, both players hitting good shots down the ground and cashing in against short deliveries from the spinners. Elliot however fell three short of a maiden Congs / Bradford League fifty, Danny Cockin (21) and Joe Goodchild (2) also fell late on as Spen Vic tried to get back into the game. Moodley and Chris Doey however finished off the chase with Doey hitting a trademark leg side swipe for six to hand 19 points to Congs in a well deserved win. Moodley finishing on 85 not out, a true match winning innings.
Spen Victoria 213 all out (49.4 overs) (Chris Allen 54, Wasim Bashir 5-29, Liam Stanhope 3-74)
Pudsey Congs 216-6 (47 overs) (Keegan Moodley 85no, Tom Elliott 47)
Pudsey Congs 19pts bt Spen Victoria 7pts by 4wkts
Pudsey Congs v Saltaire
At Britannia Ground
Saturday April 30th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Kathleen Bales
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
Congs second home game of the year saw them face fellow table toppers Saltaire. On a rock hard batting track Saltaire won the toss and had no hesitation on batting first. However, against the new ball bowlers Josh Purser and Chris Doey, Saltaire crumbled to 35 for 4. Both Josh and Chris bowling tightly. However, Usman Munir formed what would be a match winning partnership with Mohammed Khalil-Ullan. They put on 122 for the fifth wicket, Usman Munir playing solidly giving little away to Congs, who’s fielding in the last 20 overs was poor and lacked intensity as Munir cruised to his century. Wasim Bashir finally got the breakthrough, trapping Khalil-Ullan LBW for 50. However, Munir was well set and was assisted ably by Saltiare’s late middle order. Saltaire finished on 287 for 6, Munir finishing on 149 not out, with Josh Purser finishing with 3 for 63 off his ten overs.
Matthew Humpleby opened the batting with Skipper Callum Oliver, as Congs looked to play positively to chase down the Saltaire total. Oliver cashed in early against some poor initial bowling from Saltaire. Wickets however fell regularly at the other end, as Hissam Ahmed bowled full and straight from one end, and Govinda Bagota bowling tightly from the other. Congs tumbled to 91 for 4 before Oliver was finally out for 72. After that only Callum Murgatroyd (36) and Chris Doey (25) showed any real application, as Congs were eventually bowled out for 189.
Against strong opposition, and with a weakened side, Congs struggled to deal with Munir’s classy batting, and fell victim to some straight accurate bowling from Saltaires bowlers. All in all, 6 points helped soften the blow of Congs first defeat.
Saltaire 287-6 (50 overs) (Usman Munir 149no, Mohammed Khalil-ullah 50, Josh Purser 3-63)
Pudsey Congs 189 all out (41 overs) (Callum Oliver 72, Callum Murgatroyd 36)
Saltaire 20pts bt Pudsey Congs 6pts by 98 runs
Bankfoot v Pudsey Congs
At Cleckheaton Road
Saturday April 23rd, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Not available
Match report by Keegan Moodley
Congs were away to Bankfoot on a hot Easter Saturday. Callum won the toss and decided to put Bankfoot in to bat on a green wicket. After a few overs it was evident that it was the right decision as the wicket was doing all sorts. Chris and Josh were on the button against the less than stellar Bankfoot openers. As the sun blasted down, the Congs kept the pressure on. Chris Doey struck with the first wicket sending one of the openers back to the pavilion. Josh kept the pressure on with some tight bowling from the other end. Once again some good captainancy, Callum brought himself on and soon got another wicket. With their tails up, the Congs lads were on fire. Callum striking again with another wicket. Then Liam got in on the action, bagging 4 of the Bankfoot batters. Wasim also got in on the act with a wicket. Bankfoot was bowled out for a disappointing 85 runs.
To the crease walked Congs openers Callum and Barney. The openers got stuck in with a 43 run partnership before Callum fell to a ball that kept low. To the crease came Tom to join Barney who was getting stuck in to the Bankfoot attack. The opposition tried everything, even some local Bradford banter, which fell on deaf ears as a classy Barney hit them all over the ground. Tom fell LBW for 3 runs, and Keegan joined Barney at the crease. Barney kept his head down and soon reached a well deserved 50 before Keegan finished Bankfoot’s day with a cover drive for 4 to win the game. Another great win by Congs.
Bankfoot 85 (26.3 overs) (Liam Stanhope 4-31, Callum Oliver 3-10)
Pudsey Congs 86-3 (18 overs) (Barney Gibson 50no)
Pudsey Congs 15pts bt Bankfoot 1pt by 7wkts
Pudsey Congs v Idle
At Britannia Ground
Saturday April 16th, 2011
Match Ball Sponsor – Nova Coin Automatic
Match report by Captain Callum Oliver
The Congs second team made an impressive start to the new season at home against Idle. Winning the toss Oliver decided to bowl first on a track that looked to promise movement early on in the game. Chris Doey’s opening spell confirmed the skippers thoughts as he reduced Idle to 23-3, bowling fast and straight and receiving movement in the air and off the pitch. Idle however fought back well, Mushy Shah batted beautifully for 65 playing some impressive shots, and he was ably assisted by Scott Dawson. Shah eventually fell to the ever impressive Wasim Bashir, however Dawson then took over where Shah had left off, hitting 75 before being finally caught by new signing Tom Elliot off the returning Chris Doey. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Doey, Purser and Stanhope all struck to finish the Idle innings on 219. Doey finished with 6 for 31, and showed the benefits of bowling fast and straight with both the new and old ball.
Congs chase commenced with Keegan Moodley and Skipper Oliver. Both faced some good early bowling, and Moodley was dismissed for 2, after what had seemed to be a solid start. New signing Tom Elliot then joined the skipper at the crease. They then set about scoring 101 for the second wicket, as Elliot drove powerfully and cashed in on some poor bowling from Idle. He was however dismissed for 41 just after the Skipper had reached his half century. Imran Ahmed came in at four, and he and Oliver saw the chase through the end. Ahmed complaining of a sore ankle, dealt in some impressive boundaries, smashing the ball into the surrounding houses and into the bowling green on his way to 43 not out, Oliver finally battled through to his century, and remained with Ahmed to hit the winning runs to finish and excellent day for the Second team.
Overall, Great performances from the Bowlers, followed by some mature and positive batting helped start the season on a high.
A brief note for Joe Goodchild who played at very late notice for us, thank you Joe.
Idle 219 all out (49 overs) – Mushtaq Shah 65, Sam Dawson 75, Chris Doey 6-31)
Pudsey Congs 221-2 – Callum Oliver 104no, Tom Elliott 41, Imran Ahmed 43no
Pudsey Congs 19pts bt Idle 5pts by 8wkts