Bradford Junior Under 15’s (South Section)

Fixture List & Match Reports 2013

 Manager: Jamie Allen, assisted by Dave Malpass

Match Reports for 2013

Courtesy of Jamie Allen

Final League Position South Section = 2nd, 50 Points

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Lightcliffe v Pudsey Congs

Laurie Boydon Cup Semi Final

Monday July 29th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 4 Runs  

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After Monday nights game been postponed due to bad weather, it was agreed by all parties that the Semi Final would be played at Fulneck with both Lightcliffe and Congs main grounds unavailable. After a game in the morning against Undercliffe, the boys knew that it was going to be a tougher encounter against Lightcliffe. Jacques lost the toss and Lightcliffe chose to bowl first on what looked a decent track.

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Mustafa opened the innings with Arbaab. They both batted sensibly and positively taking any runs on offer and dispatching the bad balls. They saw off the dangerous Danyaal Ahmed and then started to pick up the run rate. With the score on 63, Arbaab looked to hit the ball back over the bowlers head for six but edged the ball to long off who took a good catch. Zahid was in at three and wasn’t there long after he slipped out of the crease and was stumped after quick hands from Reegan Broadbent. The skipper made his way to the crease knowing that he needed to form a partnership with Mustafa. Jacques looked to pull a short ball which the fielder attempted to catch and was given out after the ball scrapped across the ground first. Haris joined Mustafa with five overs to go and both did the job which was needed, putting on 32 before Mustafa had to retire after a great knock. It was his most important knocks and best as it was in such a vital game. Well played Mustafa. Aqib Mahraj came to the crease and made some much needed late order runs. It wasn’t the biggest total to defend but the team knew if they worked hard in the field and bowled tightly they were in with a chance.

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Pudsey Congs 113 for 4 (Mustafa Raffique 54*; Arbaab Hussain 24; Haris Mohammed 13*)

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A poor start from the first three overs put Lightcliffe on 28 before Haris bowled the ball of the season pitching on leg and taking off stump. This gave the team a much needed lift and then It was Mustafa struck from the other end finding the edge of Jordan Pickles bat and safely carried into Arbaab’s gloves. Both bowled extremely well but it was Haris who deserved a lot of credit going for five runs from his four overs. Another great effort. Josh came onto bowl and bowled two very tight overs in the middle of the innings which was much needed. Jacques came into the attack with nine overs to go with big Aqeeb and both bowled tight lines and making sure the batsman was unable to hit boundaries. With the run rate going up by the ball, the Lightcliffe batsman started to feel the pressure and Jacques claimed the first scalp clean bowling Liam Collins. Another great over from Aqeeb meant that the run rate went up to 7 an over and Jacques got his rewards bowling the dangerous Jake Broadbent. Both was doing superb and there was time for Jacques to pick up his third yet again bowling the batsman with his last ball of his spell. Jacques bowled a great spell and tightened it up in the middle overs. Aqeeb finally got in on the act getting the biggest wicket of the day, having Reegan Broadbent caught behind after he had come back from being injured. It went down to the to the final two overs and looked like it was Lightcliffes game needing 12 off 11 after hitting the first ball for four. Zahid showed his mental toughness and got Danyaal Ahmed with his next ball after a good catch. Zahid then bowled the correct line and left it to Aqeeb to bowl the final over with Lightcliffe needing seven to win. He bowled a dot ball to start off with the batsman running a quick single and then went on to bowl dot, one and got his man with a perfect yorker. The batsman on strike knew he had to hit a boundary but failed to do this and ran a single to long on. With the pressure on Aqeeb he listened to everything and took it on board and bowled a yorker to finish off an amazing last over and a great spell.

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Lightcliffe 109 for 8 (Jacques Allen 3 – 21; Aqeeb Khan 2 – 20; Haris Mohammed 1 – 5; Zahid Mahmood 1 – 19; Mustafa Raffique 1 – 22)

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It was the toughest match we have had all season and finally managed to overcome our bogey team. There was some very good individual performances but the boys played as a team right from the off and had chance to make some noise in the changing rooms afterwards. Well played lads it was thoroughly deserved and will go into the final against Keighley on 26th August full of confidence.

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Pudsey St Lawrence v Pudsey Congs

Sunday July 21st, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Congs Won by 9 Wickets

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After the U15’s had the week off last week due to Gildersome conceding, the boys were looking to do the double against the Uproaders and with only Mustafa missing, it only looked like it could be a win for the Congs. Jacques lost the toss and St Lawrence skipper Jack Allman elected to bat.

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Arbaab Hussain opened the bowling with Haris Mohammed and it was Arbaab who struck in his second over clean bowling the opening batsman. This was the only positive for Arbaab as the batsman used his pace and the short boundary to boost the score to 45 for 1 after four overs. Jacques Allen and Josh Chapman were first change and tied down the batsman giving them no room and tight fielding from Haris meant that Jack Allman was run out. The rest of the St Lawrence batsman failed to add any runs to the final total and slipped from 45 for 1 to 66 all out. This was a massive collapse but credit must go to Jacques and Josh who didn’t pick up all the wickets but tied the opposition down. After they had finished their spells it was time for a spinning masterclass from both Zahid and Ross who picked up five wickets in 11 balls.

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Pudsey St Lawrence 66 All Out

(Zahid Mahmood 3 – 1; Ross Kettlewell 2 – 2; Josh Chapman 2 – 9)

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Arbaab Hussain and Zahid Mahmood opened up the batting and didn’t take much time to get close to the score which was set. Zahid hit 18 off the first over and then Arbaab followed this by launching a huge six out of the ground. Only needing five runs to win, Arbaab tried to finish with a six and top edged the ball to point who took a good catch. Jacques Allen was in at three and watched Zahid hit four runs to win the game.

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Pudsey Congs 68 for 1

(Arbaab Hussain 32; Zahid Mahmood 32*)

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It was a great performance and to do this to our biggest rivals was even better. The team know though they cant start like that against a well drilled Lightcliffe side in two weeks time in the Cup Semi.

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Undercliffe v Pudsey Congs

Laurie Boydon Cup 1/4 Final

Monday July 8th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 16 Runs

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The U15 side made the short journey to Undercliffe where the quarter final was played. Earlier on in the season Undercliffe beat the 15’s by 9 wickets so the players were looking to get there own back on them. Mustafa won the toss and elected to bat first.

Arbaab opened up the batting with Zahid and was positive from the off. They enjoyed the pace on the ball and pushed for singles with the spinner from the other end. Arbaab hit a huge six and then the next ball lost his cool chipping it to cover. His departure meant that Mustafa came in a little earlier than expected. Both looked to be in excellent form, hitting countless boundaries. They made sure that they didn’t get tied down by any bowler and took the pressure off running quick singles. Zahid reached near fifty and knew that he needed to get more runs for his team. He went for a big shot but instead the ball found the outside edge of his bat and was caught. Zahid went for a much deserved and important 49. Haris was promoted this week to number four and attacked from ball one. He was going well until he hit the ball to cover who was back on the boundary and went after a quick fire 17. Mustafa was joined by Aqeeb Khan. Aqeeb stood and admired Mustafa hitting the shot of the day as he lifted the ball for a massive six to retire. Mustafa played a great knock and the Undercliffe keeper will have been kicking himself after he failed to stump Mustafa on 20. Aqib Mahraj was the pick of the late order batsman even though everyone chipped in. It was Mahraj who hit 14 from four balls to boost the final total to a huge score 166.

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Pudsey Congs 166 for 8 (Mustafa Raffique 55*; Zahid Mahmood 49; Haris Mohammed 17; Aqib Mahraj 14)

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After a few words at half time, the team knew that they would have to work very hard to defend the total with Undercliffe having strength in their batting also. Haris opened the bowling with Arbaab and knew straight away that anything short was going to be punished. Into his second over Haris listened to his team to pitch the ball up. He got his rewards as he claimed a massive scalp in bowling Adam Frost. He then followed up with another wicket clean bowling the batsman again. The field was brought in for his hat trick ball but they shouldn’t have bothered as Haris knocked the middle stump out of the ground to claim another very important wicket. Well bowled Haris. Josh Chapman came into the attack and picked up a wicket with his second ball after a good catch from Haris. Undercliffe kept the scoreboard moving all the way through and it wasn’t until the last five overs before the players knew that it was still possible that Undercliffe was still in with a chance. After three overs, it came down to Undercliffe needing 29 runs from two overs. Mustafa bowled with serious pace and was far too quick for the batsman. Knowing they needed the runs they came back for a second with Chapman throwing the ball straight into Arbaab hands and took the bails off getting the key wicket. Still needing 28 from nine deliveries, Undercliffe took it into the final over after Mustafa threw four overthrows. Zahid bowled the final over with Undercliffe needing 21 runs. He bowled a good line and went for four from the last.

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Undercliffe 150 for 6 (Haris Mohammed 3 – 16; Zahid Mahmood 1 – 17)

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It was a great effort with the bat but there are some areas which need improving before the Semi Final. All the lads can say that they contributed to tonight’s game and lets hope we can say the same after the Semi. For about five of the players who have played since U11 and U13 this is the fifth consecutive semi final which has been a great effort.

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Batley v Pudsey Congs

Sunday July 7th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Batley Won by 6 Wickets

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After the disappointment last week, the side travelled to Batley with a good looking side on paper. Faiz won the toss and choose to bat on a very green wicket. It was the same pairing as the previous week and was the first time Arbaab failed with the bat in over a month as he edged a ball behind, which was well held by the keeper. Haris was back in the side and he came in at number three. Both knew that they had to see off the opening bowlers. They did so and got the rewards putting on 63 for the second wicket partnership. Haris was going well before a ball what should have been punished but instead he chipped the ball to covers hands. Zahid was the next man to depart being bowled for 34. Faiz came to the crease and at first he struggled with the pace of slow spinners, but when the pace bowling came back on,  he tore the bowlers apart hitting four 6’s in a very important innings of 30 not out. It was a good total and knew that this was a defendable score.

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Pudsey Congs 138 for 5 (Zahid Mahmood 34 ; Faiz Ali 30* ; Haris Mohammed 27) 

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The second half of the innings looked to be going well with Arbaab and Haris bowling tight lines and were both too quick for the batsman. The introduction of Aqeeb didn’t work as planned but did get his wicket from his last ball in an expensive over. The opening Batley batsman retired within half an hour and set up the innings. After some dreadful fielding and poor bowling, Batley kept up the scoring rate but it looked like Congs had some hope as Josh picked up a wicket and then Aqeeb picked up two in one over. Any chance of a Congs win were put to bed by the number four batsman Kaleel hitting 32.

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Batley 139 for 4 (Aqeeb Khan 3 – 35)

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We have to forget about this and all of the players must have their minds fully focused on tomorrow nights cup game against Undercliffe. A much better performance is needed if we want to progress to the Semi Final

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Pudsey Congs v Lightcliffe

Sunday June 30th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Lightcliffe Won by 7 Wickets

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The U15 side welcomed top of the table and the only remaining unbeaten side to the Brit. Zahid was made captain for this game due to Jacques picking up an injury the week before playing for the 3rd’s. Zahid won the toss and elected to bat first on what looked like a very good track.

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Arbaab was looking to carry on his recent good form and had a new partner this week in Zahid. They both made a solid start and kept the scoreboard ticking over. They batted patiently and made sure that Daanyaal Ahmed didn’t get the better of them this time. Once the opening bowlers had finished the team looked to be set on 33 for 0 off 8 overs. Arbaab retired for the fourth week in a row with this knock being the best out of them all when the pressure was on. He hits the ball with some power, hitting six 4’s and three 6’s in a very quick 50, well played again. Mustafa joined Zahid at the crease and was looking to push the score on and take any runs what came. Zahid chased a ball what was going wide and edged it onto his stumps. He played very smartly until this and made 21. Mustafa looked to be in great touch before he was run out with a direct hit. The rest of the batting was truly awful and how you can be on 86 after 12 overs and then to only reach 113 after the 20 overs with the second and third change bowling still amazes me.

Pudsey Congs 113 for 8 (Arbaab Hussain 53*; Zahid Mahmood 21; Mustafa Raffique 14)

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The opening pair of Mustafa Raffique and Aqeeb Khan restricted Lightcliffe to 12 runs off the first 5 overs. The introduction of Josh Chapman proved to be a good move as he removed the very dangerous Reegan Broadbent. Arbaab taking a great catch standing up the Chapman. Jack Booth was joined by the twin brother Broadbent and took the game away from Congs putting on 62 for the second wicket. When Aqeeb came back into the attack he bowled the opener with a perfect yorker and gave Congs slight hope. Needing 19 from three overs, Aqeeb went for seven runs from his final over. Mustafa bowled his final over and found the edge of the bat twice as the ball raced for for down the third man. He got his man the next ball and it came down to the last over which Ross put his hand up and bowled. Needing four runs from it they ran the first ball and then hit the next ball for four. It was a good effort in the field and with the ball.

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Lightcliffe 115 for 3 (Mustafa Raffique 1 – 10 ; Josh Chapman 1 – 10 ; Aqeeb Khan 1 – 20)

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The side knew where they went wrong and realised with another 20 runs, the game would have been ours. We have to go again now and have the Quarter final next Monday with only Jacques missing.

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Pudsey Congs v Great Horton Church

Laurie Boydon Cup First Round

Monday June 17th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 54 Runs

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The first round of the cup was played on Monday night and with nearly full strength the boys welcomed GHCC. With the two new recruits and Haris and Mustafa back the side looked very strong on paper and had depth to the batting line up. Jacques won the toss and choose to bat on what looked like a good batting surface.

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It was Jacques and Arbaab who opened up the batting and they both struggled at first to get used to the wicket with the ball rolling on occasions and the next popping up at your head. Jacques chased a wide delivery and chipped the ball up to the captain’s arms at cover. Mustafa was in at three and both he and Arbaab ran singles to put the fielders under great pressure. They both batted very patiently waiting for the bad ball and Arbaab missed out on a full toss which bowled him for 34. It was another great knock and took his tally to 141 runs over the past two days. Zahid was the next man in at number four and told Mustafa that they both needed to push the score on. Mustafa stepped up and started to hit the ball to all areas of the ground and he finished up with a well deserved fifty it was just what the team needed. Aqeeb was the next man in and pushed the singles to get Zahid on strike. Zahid batted very smartly and in the last over he hit 16 runs to boost the score up to an impressive 143 for 2 which the Great Horton players knew that it was going to be very difficult to beat.

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Pudsey Congs 143 for 2 (Mustafa Raffique 50*; Arbaab Hussain 34; Zahid Mahmood 32*)

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Haris and Mustafa were given the opening bowling duties. They bowled very tight lines and on occasions were too quick for opening batsman. They did the job in reducing the score down to 25 after six overs. Zahid came on with new boy Aqeeb. It was Aqeeb again who got the breakthrough bowling the opener with his first delivery. Zahid picked up two wickets and his first was a peach of a delivery spinning away from the batter and quick hands from Arbaab had both the openers gone within 4 overs. Jacques and Aqib were the second change bowlers and both did the job, they made it very difficult for the batsman to score off them with Jacques picking up one wicket and Aqib picking up three.

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Great Horton Church 89 for 8 (Aqib Mahraj 3 for 16; Aqeeb Khan 2 for 11; Zahid Mahmood 2 for 19; Jacques Allen 1 for 8)

A very good performance but need to concentrate for the full 20 overs whilst fielding instead of hugging each other in-between the overs. We progress to the Quarter Final where we will play either Undercliffe or Buttershaw.

Well played boys.

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Cleckheaton v Pudsey Congs

at Fulneck

Sunday June 16th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 68 Runs

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For the second week in a row Pudsey Congs entertained Cleckheaton, this time the game been played at Fulneck. With Haris back on Yorkshire duties there was a chance for two new signings Aqeeb Khan and Faiz Ali both make their debuts. Jacques again won the toss and elected to bat first on what looked a very good track. The game had to be reduced to 16 overs in order for players to get to their senior matches.

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Arbaab and Jacques opened up the batting for the third successive week. They made a slow start scoring just 3 off the first two overs. Arbaab picked up the pace and Jacques followed as they both settled in. With a combination of clever batting and some poor bowling, the boys got the score up to 48 after 7 overs and looked set to go on. In the next over Jacques went back to a ball and trapped himself in front of all three. Zahid came in at number three and hit some good shots and pushed the singles to get Arbaab on strike. Zahid was unlucky with a shot which looked like was going to get over the fielder for four but picked out the tallest player who clung onto the ball. The new boy was in and made a good start hitting the first ball for four. Arbaab was still going at the other end and hit another six to finish his innings. Another great knock by the young man. This was three fifties in a row for Arbaab who went onto get another fifty in the same day for the second team. Aqib and Ross both went without troubling the scorers and it was left to Josh Chapman (Tash Man) to boost the final score. With some good batting he hit 11 off the final over before he was stupidly run out by his batting partner. It was another good total and to reach this score in 16 overs was a great achievement.

Pudsey Congs 133 for 6 (Arbaab Hussain 53*; Jacques Allen 21; Zahid Mahmood 19; Aqeeb Khan 18; Josh Chapman 11*)

Aqeeb and Zahid were given the new ball this week and in the first over Aqeeb picked up his first two wickets for the Congs. At the other end Zahid bowled tight lines and picked up his reward in his final over removing the dangerous Steven Noble after an amazing catch which was hit powerfully at Faiz and took it with ease. Aqeeb picked up his third wicket clean bowling Cleckheaton’s number four batsman and finished up with 3 for 12. It was then Ross and Faiz who came on and both bowled good areas with Faiz picking up three wickets and Ross picking up one in the process. Cleckheaton never looked like getting close to the massive total set but some big hitting by their late order boosted the score up to 65.

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Cleckheaton 65 for 8 (Aqeeb Khan 3 for 12; Faiz Ali 3 for 19; Ross Kettlewell 1 for 8; Zahid Mahmood 1 for 12)

Another good performance all round and now will be looking to progress to the quarter finals with the game on Monday night against Great Horton. With nearly full strength there will be no room for excuses. The side also sit in second place in the league joint with rivals Undercliffe. The team know now that every game must be won and other results need to go our way in order to win the league.

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Pudsey Congs v Cleckheaton

Sunday June 9th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 91 Runs

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The Under 15’s welcomed Cleckheaton this week looking to pick up the efforts in the field and with the ball. Pudsey won the toss and elected to bat. The side welcomed back the pace bowling of Haris Mohammed and much needed top order batting. The game was reduced to 18 overs due to players needing to go to there respective senior matches.

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Jacques opened up with Arbaab, both looking to get off to a positive start just like last week. Jacques again was left standing at the other end wondering how Arbaab can so effortlessly hit the ball to all areas of the ground for six. Both batted very positively and used the quick outfield to their advantage. Arbaab retired within 10 overs again for the second week running and is getting the much needed runs at the top of the order. Zahid came in at three and knew that he had to see off the bowling of Sam Gatenby. With Jacques coming close to another 50 he missed out on a full toss which he edged to short fine leg. Haris was the next man in and was looking to push the score on after a great start from Arbaab and Jacques. Zahid missed the ball when he danced down the track and departed for 15. Apart from some much needed late hitting from Haris to boost the score up to 136 the batters from six to eleven only got one run between them. The lads know that this wasn’t acceptable and will be looking to pick up there own performances next week.

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Pudsey Congs 136 All Out (Arbaab Hussain 52* ; Jacques Allen 35 ; Haris Mohammed 18 ; Zahid Mahmood 15)

Haris was delighted to find out that the new ball was going to be used and he opened up the bowling with Zahid. It didn’t take Haris long as he tore through Cleckheatons top six, removing the opener with a direct hit from point  He shows great control of the ball with his pace which arguably makes him the quickest bowler in the Under 15’s. His five wickets were all clean bowled as it was a case of either too quick for the batsman or to much movement. Zahid picked up two wickets which were both cleverly bowled. Number nine and ten batters boosted the score for Clecky as Jacques picked up the last wicket.

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Cleckheaton 45 All Out (Haris Mohammed 5-21 ; Zahid Mahmood ; 2-14 ; Jacques Allen 1-0)

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It was a better performance with the ball but the fielding still needs improving in certain areas. We play Cleckheaton again next week at Fulneck looking to win as convincingly as this week.

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Buttershaw St Pauls v Pudsey Congs

Sunday June 2nd, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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Pudsey Won by 1 Run

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After the disappointment of last weeks loss to the league leaders (Undercliffe), the U15’s were looking to get back to wining ways and also knew they had to pick up their standards in the field after last weeks embarrassment. The team welcomed back Arbaab Hussain and looked far too strong for there opponents on paper. Jacques went out and won the toss, deciding to bat.

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It was Jacques who opened up the batting again with a new partner this week, Arbaab. Both batsmen didn’t waste anytime as Arbaab set about the bowling attack hitting the third ball for six. In the third over Jacques nailed a ball onto his pads and was triggered for 9. Zahid was the next man in and played second fiddle to Arbaab who was in no time to be hanging around. He hits the ball with power and finished his innings with a massive six into the houses to retire. A great knock and will be looking to take this into the seniors this week. Aqib came in and didn’t stay around for too long hitting his first ball for four and then was out in the next over to a ball which stayed low. Zahid was then joined by Ross but it was Zahid who tried one to many attacking shots and departed for a good 27. Josh came in at seven and both him and Ross looked to run for everything. With three overs to go they pushed the score on and Ross took advantage of the small boundary. Both players played vital knocks and put on 38 for the last wicket partnership. They all knew they fell about 20 runs short after the start they got of to.

Pudsey Congs 134 for 4 (Arbaab Hussain 51*; Zahid Mahmood 27; Ross Kettlewell 18*; Josh Chapman 13*)

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Jacques and Zahid opened up the bowling and both bowled reasonable spells and it was Zahid who took the wicket getting the opener to hit it to Chapman who took the catch well on the boundary. Aqib came into the attack and proved too good for the batsman in his second over bowling him through the gate. He took another wicket in his last over as he is proving a great addition to the side. At the other end Arslem was looking very good after his first over and his second was truly remarkable. He took three wickets in four balls to change the game around and held his nerve in the last after some big hitting from McDermott.

Buttershaw St Pauls 133 for 6 (Arslem Zahid 3 – 28; Aqib Mahraj 2 – 21)

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It was another good win. Both the batting and bowling needs to improve if we are going to go anywhere in the league this year. We welcome Cleckheaton to the Brit next week and then play them the week after. Haris Mohammed is back this week after two weeks in the Yorkshire side.

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Pudsey Congs v Pudsey St Lawrence

Sunday May 19th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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The Under 15’s welcomed the uproaders on Sunday morning. The game was switched to play at Fulneck as there was a better chance of play after the previous day’s rain. With just Mustafa missing Congs looked very strong on paper. Jacques lost the toss and was asked to bat first.

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Jacques and Haris opened the batting and both looked to push the singles from ball one. It was the same scenario as last week, the scoreboard reading 30 without loss after 10 overs. After Haris was given out, Arbaab came in at three. Jacques and Arbaab set about the St Lawrence bowling with both hitting numerous boundaries. Jacques hit Archie Scott straight back over his head for six but Arbaab went one better, hitting two sixties with no effort at all. For such a young kid, his timing is sublime. In the 15th over, Arbaab danced down the track and with the quick hands of an ex Cong behind the stumps, he departed for 27. Zahid came in at four and showed he wasn’t waiting around, hitting his first ball for four with a great cover drive. For the second week in a row Jacques retired and looked as solid as ever, playing a real captain’s knock. Zahid tried to smash a ball which he edged to square leg with one over to go and this meant it would be Aqib and Vinnie to finish off the innings.

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Pudsey Congs 133-3 (Jacques Allen 50*; Arbaab Hussain 27; Zahid Mahmood 23)

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Haris was given the job of trying to get an early breakthrough and did so when a bouncer was too quick for Scott, Ross taking a great low catch. At the other end, Aqib was bowling his darts but with no luck this week. Haris was again in the wickets in his second over with the batsman spooning the ball up to Jacques who took a routine catch. Josh Chapman came on and again bowled a great line and length. He got his reward by getting an important wicket as St Lawrence had gone from 9-2 to 61-2. After this St Lawrence were always chasing the game. Jacques picked up a wicket in his second over but it was Arslem who impressed, getting the wicket of Allman who rode his luck until this delivery. Some late big hitting from Connor Tiffany boosted the St Lawrence score.

Pudsey St Lawrence 107-6 (Arslem Zahid 2 – 5 ; Haris Mohammed 2 – 11 ; Josh Chapman 1 – 13 ; Jacques Allen 1 – 13)

Pudsey Congs won by 26 runs

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This was another great team performance but the boys need to take just one game at a time and not think any further ahead than that. With East Bierley forfeiting there is no game on Monday night but next week should be a good encounter as the 15’s welcome

Undercliffe.

Gildersome v Pudsey Congs

Sunday May 12th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

Pudsey made the short journey to Gildersome looking to get their third win from four games. The team knew they had to work hard as Arbaab, Mustafa and Harris were all unavailable.

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Jacques opened with Ross Kettlewell who was put up the order this week. Both players looked to see off the opening bowling whilst trying to set the innings up for the other batsman. After 15 overs Pudsey were on 69 for 0 and looked like it was set for some big hitting from Zahid and Aqib. The next over Ross was unlucky to get a ball which bounced twice before it finally reached him and was bowled for 15. Zahid came in at three and both were looking to deal in boundaries. Jacques retired in the 17th over; he had batted very sensibly and listened to what he was told to do. He ended up hitting eight boundaries in his 52* off 49 deliveries. A very good knock for the man who is in the runs at the moment. Aqib was in at number four and knew that he had to get Zahid on strike. Zahid ended up hitting 39 off 20 balls, getting out on the last ball. He hit four sixes and three fours with one six going straight through a van window. Scoring 98 runs off the last 10 overs was a good team effort and shows that it isn’t that bad getting off to a slow start.

Pudsey Congs 131 for 2 (Jacques Allen 52* ; Zahid Mahmood 39)

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Congs went out confident that 131 would be enough to defend. Arslam Zahid and Aqib Mahrat opened the bowling, with Aqib taking two wickets in his first over. Arslam also picked up two wickets. Both bowled four very good overs each. Josh Chapman and Jacques Allen were the new bowlers to come into the attack and both picked up a wicket each, clean bowling the batsman. There was time for another change in the bowling with Zahid Mahmood and Kulvinder Singh. Zahid took a wicket reaching low to take a catch off his own bowling and then it was time for Kulvinder to get in on the act as he took two wickets in one over, both were bowled.

Gildersome 73 All Out (Kulvinder Singh 2–8; Arslam Zahid 2– 7; Aqib Mahrat 2– 1; Zahid Mahmood 1–1)

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To play with 10 men and win so easily was a great team effort and a big thanks goes to Joe Stolarski who kept the whole team going for the 15 overs. Next week we welcome the Uproaders looking to get our own back from last season.

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Pudsey Won by 58 Runs

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Pudsey Congs v Batley

Sunday May 5th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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With the boys looking to get their second win of the season they welcomed Batley to the Brit. With the first team on after meant that it was an early start and the game had to be reduced to 18 overs per side. Jacques went to toss up and decided that Congs would set a score for Batley to chase. With two more key players coming back this week after Yorkshire trials the team looked very strong on paper.

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After the first two weeks Jacques was given the opportunity to open the batting with Mustafa Raffique. Both looked to see off the opening bowlers and punish the bad balls with Jacques hitting two fours before he received a ball which cut back on him and was bowled. Arbaab Hussain came in at three and was looking to get his first 50 for this season under his belt. Mustafa and Arbaab did the job which was needed seeing off the opening bowlers but scoring runs off them too. For the first time this season after the opening bowlers had finished and we had 9 wickets left. With this in mind both Mustafa and Arbaab looked to hit the bowling to all parts of the ground. Mustafa was unfortunate with a slower ball which he tried to hit over mid wicket but didn’t get enough on it and departed, scoring 21. Zahid Mahmood was in at four and with the score 54 for two it looked perfect for him. With seven overs to go both players knew they had to push the score on and did so with Arbaab taking apart one bowler hitting him for 24 in two overs and one shot was a massive six which was hit into the houses. Running for everything and punishing the bowling. With two overs to go Arbaab Retired on 53, this included seven boundaries and the massive six. The innings the team needed. Haris joined Zahid at the crease for two overs and pushed the singles to get Zahid on strike. The team finished up on 132 for 2 which was a great effort and in the last seven overs Arbaab, Zahid and Harris all helped to hit 78 off the last seven.

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Pudsey Congs 132 for 2 (Arbaab Hussain 53* ; Zahid Mahmood 27* ; Mustafa Raffique 21) 

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With the two opening bowlers back this week (Haris and Mustafa) the boys knew they had to be alert in the field and take anything what came to them. It took Haris just five balls to dismiss the opening batsman beating the bat every single ball until he put one on the stumps and got his rewards. After the two openers had finished the score was 11 for 1 after five overs, then it was time for the two leg spinners (Jacques and Zahid) to come on. They both had one over each and it was Jacques who got the wicket after a good catch from Ross Kettlewell who isn’t dropping anything so far this season. Ross came into the attack and with his second ball he removed the 6ft giant batsman by yorking him. Josh Chapman picked up two wickets to take his tally to four for the season and is the leading wicket taker so far. He bowled two overs and didn’t go for any runs – a great effort. One wicket he clean bowled their top scorer and the other was great work behind the stumps from Arbaab. Aqib and Vinnie both picked up wickets in their first competitive match they had bowled in.

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Batley 109 for 9

 (Josh Chapman 2-0 ; Haris Mohammed 1-3 ; Jacques Allen 1-4 ; Aqib Mahrat 1-2)

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A comfortable win in the end and a good performance from the boys. Next week the boys know that they will have to do the same again against Gildersome away and will be looking to get some runs/wickets before the Pudsey derby in two weeks.

Pudsey Won by 23 Runs

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Lightcliffe v Pudsey Congs

Sunday April 28th, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen 

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Congs travelled to Lightliffe for the second game of the season with a stronger team out as they welcomed back Arbaab Hussain. The wicket looked very good and with this in mind Jacques didn’t hesitate to decide to bat when he called correctly. The boys knew what happened the season before at Lightcliffe, getting bowled out for 16 and wanted to make amends.

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Zahid Mahmood was given the chance to put right his batting after last week’s poor performance and Arbaab opened up with him. With another player who moved elsewhere, both players knew what to expect from the left arm spinner Daany Ahmed. Two overs in Zahid played over the top of a ball which took his middle stump with the score on four. Jacques came to the middle and with a good knock last week he looked solid from ball one again. It was in the third over when Arbaab tried to pull a ball to the short boundary, getting caught well after a massive edge. Ross came in at four and knew he needed to stay there and build an innings. He was unfortunate to receive a good ball from Daanyal Ahmed which beat the bat and with quick hands behind the stumps he departed. Josh Chapman was the next batsman and he stayed there with Jacques seeing off the opening bowlers but a change in the bowling led to Josh reaching for one which was wide of off stick, chipping it up to point. It looked like it was going to be another embarrassing score on this ground with the score on 16-4.

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Vinnie was in at six and pushed the singles to get Jacques on strike. When Jacques was on strike he was hitting the ball to all areas and took advantage of the short boundary hitting all of his fours to that side. Vinnie batted well but tried one too many shots and was caught for four. With Aqib coming in next it was the first chance to see him batting in a competitive game and nobody knew what to expect. He showed the top order how to bat on this pitch, hitting the bad balls and playing defensively to the good ones. Jacques knew with five overs to go that he needed to push the score on and did well until he played a poor shot and was bowled. He made another top contribution making an impressive 37 when the others had failed but Arslam contributed some big hits at the end.

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Pudsey Congs 78-8 (Jacques Allen 37 ; Aqib Mahrat 17)

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The boys knew they had to get off to a good start in the field and decided to go with pace from the off using, Josh and Arbaab. Both bowled a very good line and length with Arbaab getting the breakthrough taking the openers off-stump. With both finishing their spells it was time for the two spinners to come into the attack with Jacques picking up an L.B.W in his third over. After the second wicket fell the boys couldn’t find another wicket with their opener retiring after a very good knock. The team after the match knew that another 30 runs would have made the game very interesting and could have pushed for the points. Next week we entertain Batley with the boys knowing they all need to perform with the bat instead of just two people each week.

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Lightcliffe 80 for 2 (Jacques Allen 1 – 13  ;  Arbaab Hussain 1 -18)

Pudsey Lost by 8 Wickets

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Pudsey Congs v Farsley

Sunday April 21st, 2013

Match report by Jamie Allen

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The U15’s entertained Farsley in the first game of the season. Missing two key players, the older and more experienced players had to step up.

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Zahid Mahmood went out to toss up and lost the toss, with Farsley putting Congs in.  Zahid Mahmood and Haris Mohammad opened the batting and were given instructions to stay there for at least 10 overs. They both made a solid start, not giving anything away. Zahid was tempted by a ball and danced down the track, chipping to mid on with the score on 11. Jacques Allen came in at three and steadied the innings. They were both solid and looking to hit the bad balls. With 10 overs to go Haris looked to push the score on and did so until he top edged a ball which was caught at square leg but Haris did what he was asked and played well. Ross Kettlewell came in at four and pushed the singles to get Allen on strike. Jacques punished the Farsley bowling and made some much needed runs by hitting numerous boundaries. With both still looking to run for everything, Jacques went for a run and with a direct hit from the keeper he departed for 32. He had played very well and stepped up to the mark. On his debut, big-hitting Vinnie came in with a couple of overs to go and tried to get Ross on strike and when he did, Ross attacked the bowlers, hitting 12 of his 15 runs off seven balls. Ross played a vital part in the innings before he was well caught by an ex Congs player. Josh Chapman came in and both he and Vinnie got a couple of runs at the end. This meant we ended up finishing on 91 for 4 which didn’t look too bad to say how slow the outfield was.

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Pudsey Congs 91-4 (Jacques Allen 32; Haris Mohammad 17; Ross Kettlewell 15)

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The boys went out quietly confident, thinking 91 was defendable. Zahid took the first over and bowled well, turning the ball from the off. At the other end Arslam was bowling his steady paced balls and got the breakthrough in his third over, bowling the opening batsman. Jacques came into the attack and in his second over, former Pudsey boy Slater hit him for two fours. Jacques made a great comeback however, tossing the ball up which meant the extra bit of spin was too good for Slater and the catch was well taken by Zahid with the gloves on. Haris came into the attack with Josh Chapman. After Haris got his run up sorted he was unplayable, beating the edge nearly every ball. Haris proved too quick for the Farsley number four with him backing off very ball. Haris dropped one a little shorter and got the reward when he hit it up to cover with Ross taking a brilliant diving catch. He then went on to take the wicket of Farsley’s best batsman, beating the bat three balls in a row before he cleaned him up and then the game was back on with Farsley still only needing 18 off the last five overs.

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Zahid came back into the attack after Harris finished his spell and gave them nothing, going for five runs in his last two overs. It was at the other end where Josh picked up two wickets in three balls, bowling one and finding the edge of the bat with a good catch at point from Samraj Bahi. Farsley struggled to get any runs off the last few balls and Congs came out on top!!!

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Farsley 82-6 (Josh Chapman 2-7; Harris Mohammed 2-9)

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It was a good start to the season and let’s hope that this is one of many wins to come this season. Next week we go to Lightcliffe and taking the positives we will try to cut out the fielding errors.

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