Final League Position = 1st, 364 Points

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3rd XI, a season in review (and oh what a season it was…)

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After such a memorable season, a few of the participants have requested that I put together a review of the season.

Back in April, had anyone suggested that the 3rd XI would lift two pieces of silverware this season, I reckon most would have struggled to keep a straight face. Having found out only shortly before the first game that Gary Eckard would not in fact be moving over from Farnley Hill, it became clear soon after that I was going to have the devil’s own job convincing my right hand man, Graham Curtis to play at all. The latter was a real hammer blow as GC had topped the batting averages in the previous two seasons and helped me out on the field by keeping the fielders honest!

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But every cloud has a silver lining and we learnt (again quite late on) that Saqib Mehmood would be coming back to play. Added to Adam Patrick, Jamie Allen and new signing Steve Bedford, I’d already decided that we would have one of the strongest bowling line ups in Division A. But the batting seemed to be a problem and but for new signing Mohammed Zulfikar, with no GC, it seemed difficult imagine where sufficient runs would emanate from. Zulfi did bring a pair of confident young kids along to nets however and the paucity of existing talent meant that both were thrown in immediately.

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To grab a win against Leeds Sikh first up was an unexpected delight! Congs had not beaten Sikh for an awful lot of years and whilst they had clearly weakened with the loss of some superb players, they were still as competitive as ever and we deserved the huge win in the long grass! Qasim got a few in that match but nearly made his first fifty in the second game against Crompark. He was superb that day along with Zulfi in setting up a winning position before we nearly blew it with a middle order collapse. Saqib blew the Crompark batting away to make it two out of two.

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Mohammed Zulfikar outlined the reasons we signed him in match three with an imperious century, watched by both Ralph and the President Alan Glover. He hit the ball a long way that day and gave Adel no chance. The wicket was an absolute dream as well, with pace and bounce aplenty and Saqib Mehmood destroyed a competitive Adel batting line up. Unbeknown to the whole team however, an evil beamer had damaged Zulfi’s hand that day and he played on for the rest of the season with a hairline fracture, suffering great pain in the process. What a hero.

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Unfortunately, in week four it was my turn when I suffered the infamous blow to the nose caused by Zahid Mahmood! In all seriousness, it was an accident but a nasty one and it meant I spent the majority of the game in Jimmy’s. But I returned to find this wonderful set of blokes on the verge of victory after Bedders and Saqib had bowled out the team that had been teeing off against all and sundry. Qasim, Bedders, Umar, Jacques and finally Paddy got us over the line by three wickets against a very good side and apart from Bedders, what a joy to see that all the others were below the age of 20.

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The following week was huge, not that we knew it at the time but a narrow win over Halifax Direct in wet conditions turned out to be vital. Paddy and Jamie scored the final nine runs under intolerable pressure to win us the game. The following week, Paddy blew away Farnley Hill before Zulfi applied the finishing touches with the bat and we went 6-0.

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However, it was back down to earth with a bump when we played Savile Stars the next week and we suffered out first defeat. Poignantly as it turned out, Tahir Raza mysteriously transferred the day before from Halifax Direct to Savile and made an unbeaten 38 in a very low scoring match. He had been bowled early doors but the bails failed to drop and therefore it was us that had to pick ourselves up. How we would react to defeat had been on my mind all week but I needn’t have worried about such a great set.

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Jamie and Saqib destroyed Baildon for 126 before we slipped to 44-3. But in came a personal little hero of mine, known to many as ‘Ques’ who guided Zulfi to a magnificent 57 not out before contriving his own fifty with the scores tied and needing to hit a boundary. I have rarely been prouder. The following day we made the trip to Baildon to play them again in the cup. Our bowlers blew them away once again with Bedders being the pick. On a bright, warm, sunny day he somehow made the ball hoop around alarmingly and gave Baildon no chance. Ahtsham then played a superb knock from opener before Qasim finished off the victory very impressively by seven wickets.

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A highly impressive team performance and particularly from the youngsters Ahtsham, Ferg, Jamie and Jacques saw us past Hepworth (with the help of Zulfi of course) and with many other games going in our favour that day, the lead in the league had increased to 23 points and we were starting to pull away from clubs. This was confirmed the following week with a thrashing of second placed Cookridge, thanks mainly to Qasim’s brilliant 50 on horrifically bouncy wicket although Jacques paid the price with a broken thumb. Saqib then took another six wickets to blow Cookridge away.

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An unpleasant atmosphere greeted the lads at Shipley and from 4-2 and 16-3 we recovered to 75-5 thanks to Majid and Mark Ferguson before Steve Bedford played his best innings of the season to get us to 160. If Shipley spent more time playing cricket and less trying to wind up the opposition, they would be a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, they seem to much prefer the latter which made their predicament at 50-7 all the more sweet.

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Disappointment followed the next day though when we entertained Bradford Moor. The events stopped Qasim from acquiring the deserved limelight for a quite brilliant innings of 78. He looked like a future first teamer that day there is no doubt. But in the end, a team that were languishing in the bottom half of Division B and had lost their previous four matches managed to beat the top Dales team with remarkable ease and end our ambitions of the double.

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So, on a boiling hot day at Bedquilts, our guys had to show some mettle and come back from the disappointment. The incentive of a first double over Leeds Sikh was sufficient for the lads to squeak home by two wickets. Bedders had been brilliant with bat and ball in stifling heat and his partnership with Zulfi was one of exceptional courage. Paddy finished the job off brilliantly when we looked like wobbling at the death.

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When we played Crompark for a second time, I think one or two people felt it was going to be easy based on Crompark’s position in the table. But they had strengthened since we had last met and we collapsed to 85-7 in searing heat. A seriously boring but necessary rearguard from yours truly, combined with vital knocks from Paddy and Jamie got us up to 143 and Paddy’s heroic last gasp five wickets with the ball to go with Jamie’s earlier four meant that we squeaked home by just 12 runs and Paddy set off on a lap of Fulneck! The lead was now a huge 41 points.

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Incidentally, the above match also combined the famous quotes that Paddy tells of so well when umpires Andrew McLaughlin and Paul Whiteley were completing their match sheets at the end of the game thus:

ANDREW: Any comments, a very enjoyable game, would you agree?

PAUL: Yes

ANDREW: Excellent!

You had to be there!!

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A massively competitive game followed against Adel who were also determined to beat the league leaders. And it turned a bit funny as well, particularly when Jamie ran out their star batsman, backing up (under my instructions) having already given him a warning. This led to a fruity chase and plenty of verbals and whilst we were never out of the hunt for 179, we kept losing wickets at vital times. The batting was a real team effort though with four batsmen making over 20 although bizarrely nobody scored more than 26. It was a game that more than any other, cemented our championship credentials because this team would not lie down and just when it looked like we were beaten, someone else would stand up and get us over the line. This meant the lead was still a massive 39 points.

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But the confidence ebbed out of us the following week when Farhan Saeed smashed us for an astonishing 202 at Fulneck. Way too good for Dales Council he blitzed the ball to all parts, although he let himself and the game down at the very end of his innings and again during our reply when he just walked off the field and went home. My response to this in hindsight was an error but was borne out of frustration at the lack of respect for the game being shown, really by just one or two individuals and my declaration prevented Bedders and Paddy making deserved 50s. The defeat reduced the lead to a still massive 28 points.

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We then travelled to Karmand Centre to play an unrecognisable Halifax Direct team that hopelessly outplayed us. I don’t want to go into specifics but the players that beat us that day were excellent cricketers and it did not look like they were playing anywhere near the best of their ability. HD’s win meant that our huge lead had been frittered away to just 11.

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So, shorn of confidence we arrived back at Fulneck and there was a minor issue in the camp. Paddy had not been involved at HD because he’d been exposed to the bright lights of the second team and having won them the game (almost single-handedly) he was irritated that he had come back to the 3rds. But the decision made by the committee turned out to be pure genius. The 2nds that day were finished at 2.30pm and Paddy would have done nothing other than field. Instead, he dug us out of a huge heap of trouble and walloped 79 brilliant runs. In a massive partnership with Qas, he blasted us past 200 against Farnley Hill. Saqib then took the infamous hat trick and four wickets in five balls to kill the game off and return us to winning ways.

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The following weekend was a real contrast. On the Saturday we were robbed of 20 points and worse still, had the lead in the league cut to just two points when HD managed to complete their game. But the following day, we lifted our first piece of silverware as we first beat our very own 4th team before a quite brilliant win was secured over Leeds Sikh. It was very much down to Qasim as well as he made 45 not out in the first game and 32 in the second. On such a woeful surface, this was a tremendous achievement. Every single one of the bowlers then chipped in to deliver a stunning third win over Leeds Sikh and the trophy itself. What a night we all enjoyed!

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So there were four games remaining and a tiny lead in the league. But it seemed God was on our side after all as we attended Baildon (with only 8 men initially as it happened!) and reduced them to 14-4. Adam Patrick bowled them out almost on his own for 96 and despite early hiccups, Nav Bose and Bedders saw us home for the full 20. With HD and New Wortley falling victim to the weather, our lead was increased back to a healthy 17 points.

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In the last game at Fulneck, we managed to celebrate with the highest score of the season, 227-5 thanks to a great opening knock from Liam Stanhope of 41, a magnificent 45 that should have been many more from Nav and a stupendous 72 not out from Graham ‘Aubrey’ Curtis who had not picked up a bat since early July, the bloke defies belief. Qas and Paddy smashed the ball to all parts at the end also. Heppies’ response was a little unusual and we were made to struggle for just 19 of the 20 points. The lead was now 16.

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The game at Cookridge seemed like it would be a difficult one but with us having so much to play for and Cookridge seemingly having so little, it seemed unthinkable that we would struggle. This seemed to be borne out when we bowled them out for 104, Saqib taking six and Linnerz grabbing four behind the sticks. But superb bowling on a difficult track set Congs nerves on edge and we unthinkably slipped to 27-6. What a mess but with my own Brigadier Block style to compliment Qasim’s sumptuous ability we moved the score up to 70. Jacques helped Qas get it to 85 and the team suffered so much during the final partnership before seeing Saqib and Qasim emerge triumphant. What an epic victory this was and words cannot do justice to explain what Qasim did for the team that day, the kid deserves a medal.

So, we came to the Brit needing seven points to lift the trophy, a few more than we’d been hoping for but it concentrated minds on a victory. Shipley behaved in much the same way as they had at Salts and this served to fire us up even more. A great opening partnership between Zulfi and Nav was backed up by Linnerz before GC blasted 50 off 48 balls. We scraped over the 175 mark to mean that we needed two points in the field.

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A poor start to the bowling kept everyone on edge but finally Paddy and Saqib (fittingly) saw us over the line and the relief was unreal. After a loss of concentration, we went on to secure all 20 points with Bedders taking four wickets and Saqib taking one of the best catches you will ever see.

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A season that started with much promise but in no way looked like we would make an assault on the title, ended with 11 single-minded blokes determined to complete a massive job and acquire what they had rightfully earned. It is a massive achievement for the individuals and the club to win this league (and T20 double) and whilst there may well have been better players in the league, we were without a shadow of a doubt the best ‘team’, showing the greater resolve and will to win and I am immensely proud and humbled to have led them.

                                                                                                                           

Dom Allen, Sept 30th, 2013

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Pudsey Congs v Shipley Providence

at the Britannia Ground

Saturday September 14th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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Sandwiched between two dreadful weather days, The Britannia looked a picture on Saturday for the final game of the season. Nerves were rife before the game with Congs knowing they required only seven points to lift the title. Dom Allen was delighted to win the toss and elected to make first use of the Yorkshire pitch. Kept dry for two days by the covers, it looked like a ‘drop in’ compared to the damp surrounding strips.

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Mohammed Zulfikar opened the batting once again, this time with Navin Bose. Wary of the dreadful batting collapse suffered in the previous game, the pair got Congs off to a cautious beginning, reaching 22-0 off the first 10 overs. Bose then decided to bat with a little more freedom, playing some delightful cuts behind point and at one stage launching a magnificent maximum over long on. Just after the total passed 50, he was unlucky to chop a ball onto his stumps but he’d already made a telling contribution.

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James Lindley-Dawe was a great luxury to send in at No 3 and he intelligently took stock of the situation to begin with as Shipley were bowling exceptionally well. Tom Hawksworth’s leg spin in particular was proving to be hard to get away until ‘Linnerz’ blasted an incredibly flat six over long off. Looking like he was just getting going, ‘Linnerz’ was unlucky to depart to a brilliant one handed catch behind point to leave Congs 95-2 in the 31st over.

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So on the face of it, Graham Curtis did not appear to be the next cab off the rank, with so many wickets in hand and a pinch hitter seemingly required. But Curtis made a mockery of such thoughts (and the tight bowling) to play a quite brilliant, league-securing innings. Moving the ball around for singles initially whilst he surveyed the scene, Curtis picked up the pace during the last seven overs of the Congs innings, stroking two sixes that were effortlessly timed, one of which hit the sight screen. His knock was a pleasure to witness and considering how rarely Curtis picks up a bat, it was all the more remarkable.

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Zulfikar had been at the crease since the start and for the first time, probably slightly overdid the caution but with both his captain’s instructions and the nightmarish memories of the previous week in his mind, nobody could blame him. He made 45 and ensured that nobody was going to blow away the Congs top order two weeks running, finally perishing as he tried to up the rate near the end.

Thus the unusual 5th wicket pairing of Saqib Mehmood and Adam Patrick sent in to muscle Congs over the final batting point landmark meant that poor Qasim Khan didn’t bat, having been the hero of the previous week. To this impressive kid’s eternal credit, he was totally unflustered by the lack of opportunity to showcase his immense talent and in fairness, there was probably insufficient pressure in the game situation for our ‘Qas’!

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Pudsey Congs 175-4 (G Curtis 50 ; M Zulfikar 45 ; N Bose 36 ; J Lindley-Dawe 24)

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With five points gained from the first half of the game, Congs knew that they required just four Shipley wickets to clinch the title. But Shipley had turned up with their own intentions of securing fourth place in the table and a nervy start from the bowlers led to the scoreboard moving to 33-0. Allen brought on his main strike bowler Saqib Mehmood who instantly engendered fear into the batsmen, with Asam Ali resorting to a host of wild swings at Mehmood, all of which he missed by miles. Then off the fourth ball of his second over, Mehmood secured the breakthrough Congs desperately needed when the timber was disturbed.

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And off the second ball of Adam Patrick’s next over he whistled a brilliant Yorker through Carl Ward’s attempted cut and Congs were able to breathe a little easier with just one point to get. Humare Amjad is a fine batsman but he was caught not knowing what to do in the match situation and Shipley’s total remained in the 30s for what seemed like an eternity. Amjad was finally put out of his misery when he walked across his crease for Patrick’s second wicket.

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Then, three overs later and most fittingly, Saqib Mehmood trapped Adil Mehmood right in front to end Congs’ long wait for the Division A title. Jubilation followed and the relief for all of the team was palpable. With an understandable loss of focus and the pugnacious approach of the Hawksworth brothers, the scoreboard began to rattle round a little too much for the home team’s liking. Consistently dropping the ball into gaps, it appeared that Congs might have to contemplate merely securing the league.

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Finally off the bowling of Steve Bedford, Tom Hawksworth skied a ball to deep extra cover where Mehmood took a comfortable catch having made good ground. Three balls later, his brother departed to the same combination but this was one of the best catches you will ever see, Mehmood running all of 50 yards and diving forwards to take a low beauty. This was still not the end of Shipley however as the 7thwicket added 27 before Bedford and Jamie Allen clean bowled the final three to ensure the season ended in winning style.

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Congs celebrated long into the night after securing their first Division A title in 20 years by a margin of 14 points. The fight and spirit shown by this remarkable side during 2013 has been nothing short of mesmerising. Game after game (against many decent sides) was won by relatively small margins after all had looked lost, and a team cannot continually achieve this by fluke. The stubborn refusal to give up any cause has led to this great bunch deservedly acquiring the title of ‘Champions’.

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Shipley Providence 149 all out (S Bedford 4-33 ; A Patrick 2-39 ; S Mehmood 2-40)

Pudsey Congs (20pts) beat Shipley Providence (5pts) by 26 runs

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A job well done lads

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Cookridge “A” v Pudsey Congs

at Smithy Lane Ground

Saturday September 7th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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As stated in last week’s report, Congs went into this tough penultimate fixture requiring a further 24 points to secure the title. Heavy rain on Friday had meant that all grounds will have been saturated and the wicket at Smithy Lane left Dom Allen with little choice other than to insert Cookridge when he won the toss. He had picked, arguably, the strongest Congs side of the season for this vital game, massively strengthened by James Lindley-Dawe who was surplus to title chasing 2nd team requirements.

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Jamie Allen acquired a big early breakthrough, having the limpet like Bonnington well caught by ‘Linners’ for just three. A mix up between the batsmen left Rashid stranded for the second time this season versus Congs and another sharp catch from ‘Linners’ saw off the dangerous Oates.

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It was time to introduce Saqib Mehmood into the attack. To say that he went through the Cookridge line up like a dose of salts would be an understatement and on an unpleasant sluggish pitch, Mehmood beat several batsmen for pace. The wickets of Ejaz (brilliantly yorked middle stump) and Mashood (falling onto his stumps after a vicious bouncer) were the undoubted highlights. Mehmood had been well backed up by Bedford at the other end who bowled tightly with no luck.

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Adam Patrick and Mehmood once again cleaned up the Cookridge tail with not a single batsman below No 7 contributing a run. Having bowled out the home team for a smidgeon over 100, Congs went into the tea rooms in confident mood.

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Cookridge 104 all out ( S Mehmood 6-32)

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In hindsight, the captain’s decision to send in two dashers to open the innings was an error and the approach of both ‘Linners’ and Mohammed Zulfikar was doomed from the very outset on such a difficult surface, with hostile, accurate bowling. Having already survived a scare on zero, ‘Linners’ was the first back in the hutch, having an expansive drive at a straight ball and first slip did the rest. Zulfikar hit three boundaries but an attempt to make it four dollied straight up to mid on.

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Navin Bose looked to take the attack to Cookridge and bravely took a ball that ricocheted into his jaw. Calmly calling for his helmet and determined to fight fire with fire, Nav was sadly unable to take up the challenge because a stop start run meant he failed to make his ground. The unease in the Congs dressing room was not helped when Bedford’s early weakness to in-duckers was callously exposed (along with his middle stump). And then within two balls, the game looked about done and dusted when a ball to Graham Curtis rolled back onto the stumps, followed by a first baller for the in form Patrick.

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At 27-6 and a home side that have probably never made more noise, Congs were clearly under the pump. But there is an inner strength in this team and a refusal to roll over that speaks volumes for all of the characters involved. The skipper felt the best way to get through the crisis for the time being would be to bat overs and see off the two main Cookridge protagonists. Both had incidentally been allowed to bowl 14 overs rather than 12 due to the frankly ludicrous Rule 24 (d) which achieves nothing other than to reward a team for being bowled out cheaply.

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Now, Qasim Khan had slightly different ideas to those of his captain but there again he does possess infinitely more talent than him also. Still erring on the side of caution but at the rate of at least one boundary an over, Qasim managed to eek the score up and past 50. During this time, he played a straight drive for four that was so aesthetically pleasing, umpire Geoff Tarbatt commented that it was an effort to not stand and applaud! Qasim also connected beautifully with an extra cover drive that went all the way, holding the pose for an age to boot!

Congs were slowly but surely dragging their way back into the game as the dogged determination of their skipper was matched by the sublime talent of the young pretender. Passing 70 it was beginning to appear as if Congs might become favourites but disastrously, Allen became embroiled in a heated and ugly row with the Cookridge fielders after his patience ran out with what he felt was, significant over-appealing. Two balls later he stupidly attempted a big drive and after cannoning off both boot and pad, the ball clipped the off bail.

Jacques Allen joined Qasim and the pair added 15 healthy runs, looking in little trouble before a ball popped from nowhere onto the same glove that broke his thumb in the home fixture and it dollied straight to gully. Leaving the field in agony, Jacques was replaced by his brother but it was sadly not for long.

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So, last man Saqib Mehmood joined Qasim with 20 runs still needed for victory. It would be fair to say that confidence levels were not high and they were not increased when a big swing at a ball landed over the head of long on for four. This was followed by a further swing that went for four through point. The pair then took three singles before Qasim crafted a wonderful stroke off his legs and behind square for four and the total to 100.

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Inexplicably, Cookridge took away the fielders from behind square and ringed Qasim. A flick at a ball missed his bat but clipped the pad and flew off down to fine leg for four. This meant the scores were level and Congs were guaranteed 12 points. Uninterested in ties, Qasim fashioned another ball superbly off his legs into a gap behind square and the ball ran off for four.

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What a remarkable game of cricket and it was won for Congs almost single-handedly by Qasim Khan. No praise can be too high for this lad and the pressure he was under throughout his entire innings cannot be overstated. His teammates showed their appreciation by chairing him from the pitch, as can be seen above. It was his second fifty of the season against Cookridge who must now be sick of the sight of him, though, it will probably have to be written off as one of life’s great mysteries quite why Cookridge were so up for this game and how the result had acquired such mind boggling importance to them.

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So Congs move to within seven points of the title as they face Shipley Providence next week at The Brit. Everyone in the side knows that they are within touching distance of the first title in 20 years but similarly will take nothing for granted with the last game always being the hardest to win.

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Pudsey Congs 108-9 (Q Khan 53 not out)

Pudsey Congs (17pts) beat Cookridge (6pts) by 1 wicket

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It is becoming a great habit to write these footnotes but sincere and heartfelt congratulations go to the 2nd XI for securing the title they worked so hard for all season and very much deserved. Well done to all of you from the 3rd XI.

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Pudsey Congs v Hepworth Idle

at Fulneck

Saturday August 31st, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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On the first cool day since the early season, Congs entertained Hepworth Idle in what would be the last game of the season on Fulneck. New groundsman David Malpass had served up another road and Dom Allen was therefore astounded when Andy Clinton opted to bowl first on winning the toss. Liam Stanhope was this week’s surprise inclusion to the team and as the personification of serenity, his presence was invaluable.

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Stanhope opened the batting with Mohammed Zulfikar and immediately achieved a rare feat by turning a one with the elder statesman into a two! Unfortunately, soon afterwards Zulfikar had to leave the wicket when he was adjudged LBW and Navin Bose joined Stanhope. Both are like lightning between the wickets and neither wasted any opportunity to bolster the score. Bose sent two balls into the nearby gardens and signalled his intent to pick up the scoring rate further with a flurry of fours.

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Stanhope was quietly building his innings and showing what can be achieved through crease occupation. The baby-faced assassin is a master at utilising the smallest of deflections, particularly off his hip for ones and twos, all the while demonstrating there is no requirement to bludgeon the ball into submission. Both batsmen put on 78 for the second wicket before Bose was well caught in the gully just short of a deserved half century in the 20th over.

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The partnership had breathed real confidence into the Congs team but this was rather stunted when Steve Bedford received a peach of a delivery that came back a foot, though he didn’t realise it at the time. When Stanhope soon followed for an excellent 41, Congs were at a crossroads on 106-4.

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How the skipper longed for the real Graham Curtis to show up in such a situation. The omens were not great when he had an audacious and frankly ugly hack at a ball that brought him two but this moment appeared to be a great turning point. Curtis seemed to decide there and then that this was not the way to go and for the next 10 overs, merely presided over the bowling. He was on only seven from his first 35 balls and with Qasim Khan at the other end, only 25 runs were added in the next 10 overs.

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But all of this time, Curtis had been slowly but surely getting his eye in and acquiring time at the crease. It was now time to up the ante. With wickets in hand, both batsmen went for their strokes, Curtis blistering through extra cover and Qasim favouring long on. Once inside the final 10 overs, the pair went for it hell for leather, trying to score at a minimum of one a ball. Curtis brought up a superb fifty but was nowhere near finished.

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Qasim perished in the cause of the team to his great credit and was replaced by Adam Patrick. In magnificent form with the bat he took on Mark Saunders and launched the third ball of the penultimate over for a six that would have been a six on every single ground in the world. The biggest hit that most could remember on Fulneck, the ball was still on its way up when it sailed past the second set of trees. The run-fest continued right till the end to bring up Congs’ highest total of the season.

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Pudsey Congs 227-5 (G Curtis 72 not out ; N Bose 45 ; L Stanhope 41 ; Q Khan 29 ; A Patrick 21 not out)

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It must be said that Heppies’ approach to the target was unusual. It was difficult to discern whether they initially attempted to chase down 228 but tight bowling from Jamie Allen and Adam Patrick had them struggling at less than two an over after the first 15. When Saqib Mehmood joined the party to reduce them further to 43-5, it appeared an early finish was in store.

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Andy Clinton and Glen Pinkney had other ideas however and were determined to make Congs wait. It was nearly a full 10 overs before Clinton was run out by Qasim Khan after a mid wicket mix up. Then, a combination of wayward bowling and poor fielding meant that Congs still needed four wickets with seven overs remaining. For unknown reasons, Idle chose this point to launch an attack and whilst they unquestionably rode their luck, it did beg the question as to why they left it till the game had already gone.

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Stanhope removed Pinkney for 58 and soon after Saqib bowled Garland for a further point. He also dismantled Heaton’s stumps off the last ball of the game but by this time, the game had gone with neither side able to claim another point. In all honesty, whilst it was frustrating, Congs did not really field well enough to pick up five bowling points.

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However, the result from the game was both positive and extremely encouraging with many players coming into form at the perfect time. With a lead at the top of the table of 16 points and only two matches remaining, Congs know everything is in their own hands. A trip to Smithy Lane is next on the agenda and it will not be an easy one. All players are reminded to attend with their ‘A Game’ and perform at their utmost.

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Hepworth Idle 163-9 ( S Mehmood 3-44 ; A Patrick 2-24 ; Jm Allen 2-40)

Pudsey Congs (19pts) beat Hepworth Idle (6pts) by 64 runs

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Baildon “A” v Pudsey Congs

at Sandal School

Saturday August 24th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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Heavy overnight rain and yet more gloomy forecasts suggested this game was in serious doubt of starting, let alone being completed. But as the eight men of Congs arrived at a hive of activity, it was clear (despite the damp) this game would be starting on time. Eight men because due to a malfunctioning sat-nav, three members of the team had inexplicably set off in the direction of Doncaster.

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Dom Allen won the toss and on a horrible, green and damp looking track, decided to let Baildon make the running. Adam Patrick opened with Jamie Allen, the tried and tested opening partnership this season and they delivered big style once again. A hard cherry on a damp track was always going to prove difficult to face and Allen bowled out Metcalfe before Patrick ripped through the heart of the Baildon top order, including a great catch from Navin Bose to leave Baildon 10-4.

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A mini recovery got Baildon up to 41 before the fifth wicket fell, again to Patrick and this was followed by another magnificent catch from Bose before Patrick produced the classic pea roller to dismiss poor Danny Hunt. This left Patrick on a hat trick for the second time in the game and whilst he didn’t quite get there, his final figures of 6-37 were just reward for his sterling efforts.

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Earlier Jacques Allen had bowled a tidy short spell and Saqib Mehmood despite being a little erratic brought up his 50th wicket of the season to close out Baildon’s innings for less than 100. Taking 50 wickets in a full season is a fine achievement in such a competitive division but to do it with three games remaining is the mark of an exceptional bowler that has been the backbone of this side all summer.

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Baildon 96 all out (A Patrick 6-37 ; S Mehmood 3-19)

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An air of excitement hit the Congs dressing room at tea as news filtered through that all other matches in the division had been abandoned; unthinkable as not a drop of rain had been spotted in Baildon all afternoon. But it clearly left Congs with a chance to increase their lead in the table.

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Such aspirations were not helped however when Mohammed Zulfikar was bowled by Metcalfe in the first over, having blasted the first ball for four. And when his opening partner Danny Cockin suffered the same fate with the total on just 11, it was ‘squeaky bum’ time for Congs.

But Steve Bedford strode out to partner Nav Bose and the pair never looked back. It would be extremely unfair on Baildon to claim their innings were faultless but that was never going to be the case on a very difficult surface against decent bowling. What they both did prove however was the adage of fortune favouring the brave. Bose in particular was bold in all of his strokeplay. Some beautiful drives over extra cover were matched with vicious pulls and cuts through square leg and point. Despite Nav’s affinity with the characters in our 4ths, he is way too good a cricketer to not be playing in the top division.

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And at the other end, Bedford was unleashing his favourite cut through and behind point with unerring precision. He also drove the ball straight, opting for safety first each time in trying to keep the ball on the floor as much as possible. Irrespective, runs started to flow very freely as both batsmen seemed to start seeing it like a football. Congs still had to be careful as the target neared as they clearly wanted the maximum points they could take out of the game. So those nerves were not in any way eased when Bose was bowled with still 19 required. Bedford continued unabated but lost Qasim Khan with still five needed.

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As Adam Patrick strode out, it was with his captain’s instructions ringing in his ears. In order to acquire full batting points, Congs now had to score 100. Patrick achieved the first part almost immediately with a lovely drive that kept the fielder interested but the ball was always going to win the race. This left Bedford on strike with the scores level and after a dropped catch that was more like a fantastic stop, he pulled the next short ball through midwicket to bring up the maximum for Congs.

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This was a great day for a team who have had no luck of late. The matches rained off elsewhere went some way toward repaying the appalling misfortune they had received just a week earlier when they were clearly heading for all 20. The third victory of the season over Baildon ensures that Congs now sit 17 points clear at the top. All concentration will now switch to Hepworth Idle next weekend.

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Pudsey Congs 100-4 (N Bose 39 ; S Bedford 36 not out)

Pudsey Congs (20pts) beat Baildon (3pts) by 6 wickets

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As a footnote, we in the 3rd team would just like to congratulate our 4ths on winning their division. A great achievement by all concerned and no more than all of the lads deserved after a long hard season.

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DALES COUNCIL CRICKET LEAGUE T20 FINAL

Pudsey Congs 3rd XI v Leeds Sikh

at Salts CC, Saltaire

Sunday August 18th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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So Congs moved into the final to play their old friends Leeds Sikh who had already booked their spot by virtue of beating Tong Park Esholt during the morning session. Already 2-0 up against Sikh this season, Congs knew they would need to be at their absolute best to beat Sikh for a totally unprecedented third time. Great friends, Dom Allen and Hari Seehra proudly strode out to toss up. Seehra called incorrectly and Allen had no hesitation in opting to bat on a pitch that he knew would prove difficult to chase upon.

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The same opening pair attended the wicket as in the semi final but it was immediately apparent that this was not going to be the same type of game when Adam Patrick was bowled for just a single. Mark Ferguson suffered the same fate trying to go across the line of a straight ball and it left Congs 3-2. Mohammed Zulfikar toiled and toiled in the middle trying to eek an opening for Congs to take charge but the early Sikh bowling was just too good. Both he and Qasim Khan managed to put on 33 for the third wicket but it took them nearly nine overs to do so and it appeared Congs would be defending a paltry target at this stage.

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When Zulfikar’s brave knock came to an end, Danny Cockin joined Qasim and both battled through the pain barrier to begin with. But after 13 overs had gone, a sea-change took place. With Parimoo and Malsamy having bowled through and Seehra having just an over left, the batsmen sensed an opening. And Congs had not panicked, holding wickets in hand for the end.

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Boundaries were still hard to come by but as the bowling lessened in quality just a touch, a series of twos and threes were taken. Cockin departed for an impressive (in the context of the game) 16 with Steve Bedford, Liam Stanhope and Jamie Allen all chipping with useful contributions. But man of the competition Qasim Khan produced a stunning knock yet again, hitting 32, which was worth, not far short of a hundred.

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Congs took the total from 53-3 with only five overs remaining to 99-9 off their allotted 20. This was a big adjustment from, below par to a more than competitive total and Allen was firmly aware he had a greater quota of frontline bowlers.

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Pudsey Congs 99-9 (Q Khan 32)

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Any victory push would need to be undertaken without the bowling of Steve Bedford whose shoulder was showing signs of strain after a weekend of graft. The skipper therefore juggled his bowling attack and on the basis of the trouble Jamie Allen’s bowling had caused the fourths on this wicket, asked him to open with his brother. Pitting both against the might of Leeds Sikh was a big ask but they did not disappoint. After conceding a four off his second ball, Jamie trapped Manish Parimoo next ball for the first wicket. Parimoo has a habit of feeling he is not out LBW but he also has a habit of walking right across his stumps.

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At the other end, Allen most junior kept things tight before picking up the prized scalp of Koduru with a ball which turned back and beat the attempted cut. Both bowlers saw their spells through with great economy and left Sikh significantly behind the rate. Gurdeep Ryatt had given a couple of chances during this period but it appeared it might be his day. Mark Ferguson ensured that it wasn’t with a great catch at mid on off Adam Patrick.

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And the benefit of batting first started to show as Sikh struggled to force the pace. With balls popping and others keeping low, it was a minefield of a track on which to chase down a score. The 15th over of Sikh’s innings proved ultimately decisive as Hari Seehra was suicidally run out before Dontula was bowled first ball. Mehmood set off on a lap of honour.

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The scoring rate was now heading up toward telephone number figures for Sikh and on such a huge expanse of an outfield, it was difficult to see where they were going to score them. And that was reckoning with ordinary bowlers being introduced to the attack, not of the calibre of Liam Stanhope. The personification of calm, he jogged to the wicket, grunted and put nearly every ball of yorker length. The position was now hopeless for Sikh and it became worse when Raghu Chandrasekaran holed out off Patrick to Mohammed Zulfikar at square leg who fired the ball into the floor in celebration.

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The rate required ballooned up to 17.5 for the final two overs and then a ridiculous 30 for the last (ridiculous, on the assumption the skipper would not bowl it). Stanhope in fact bowled it and picked up a final scalp. Congs kept their emotions in check for the whole over but when the last ball was blocked and the umpire called ‘over’, pandemonium broke out.

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The players that had fought through a long hard season deserved a trophy more than anything and it was tremendous to witness the unbridled joy. The fielding during the whole innings had been exceptional, Mark Ferguson being the pick with a quite superb effort on the boundary, preventing a six in the process. The intensity also in the field was breathtaking and certainly smothered Sikh who gave their absolute all but could not break out of the iron grip.

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What a pleasure it was for the captain to see the faces of his charges, after they had acquired some reward for their efforts. And it must be said that Leeds Sikh were gracious in defeat, to a man, but then one would expect nothing less from one of the most competitive but also most chivalrous teams to ever play in this league.

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Dom Allen was presented with a trophy almost the size of the European Cup (Champions League in new money) and he had the privilege of shouting out the names of all of his players that have served him so well throughout the season. It is time for one last push now with four league games remaining. If the same level of intensity is achieved, this will not be the only trophy in the Congs cabinet come September.

 

Leeds Sikh 77-7 (A Patrick 2-15 ; Jm Allen 1-10 ; Jq Allen 1-13 ; S Mehmood 1-16 ; L Stanhope 1-19)

Pudsey Congs beat Leeds Sikh by 22 runs

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 DALES COUNCIL CRICKET LEAGUE T20 SEMI FINAL

Pudsey Congs 3rd XI v Pudsey Congs 4th XI

at Salts CC, Saltaire

Sunday August 18th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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The club got the perfect draw for the semi final with our teams paired and a chance for various egos and Twitter comments from both teams to be tested. It was a game that was billed as a fun match with a bit of needle but in reality, panned out to be a needle match with a bit of fun. Dom Allen won the toss on a pitch that was not really acceptable for a major competition. He batted first on the basis that the pitch would not get any better and sent Mohammed Zulfikar in with Adam Patrick.

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They got off to a crisp start, picking off Zahid Mahmood and blocking the dangerous Haris Mohammed. But James Galvin blew open the barn door in the sixth over when he forced Zulfikar to play on and then had Mark Ferguson well caught at point by Joe Goodchild. Ferguson received a tumultuous send off that would have looked harsh in the middle of Beirut. When Galvin had Patrick caught behind by evergreen David Malpass, the thirds were 36-3 and Galvin had demonstrated what a dangerous bowler he is when he puts it in the right spot.

But in truth that was as good as it got for the fourths. The partnership between Danny Cockin and Qasim Khan put on 37 and at a decent lick. Rarely in trouble (which was a feat in itself on this deck) both batsmen took advantage of the slower bowling. When Cockin was replaced by Steve Bedford, the run rate increased still further. With boundaries hard to come by, the running between the wickets was exemplary. This was continued when Jamie Allen completed the innings but the best knock had undoubtedly been played by Qasim; not bad for a lad that thought he was terminally out of form the previous day. The final total was huge bearing in mind the gigantic playing area and difficult wicket.

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Pudsey Congs 3rd XI 130-5 (Q Khan 45 not out ; S Bedford 20 ; A Patrick 20 ; J Galvin 3-21)

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Joe Goodchild and Zahid Mahmood strode out to face Adam Patrick and Jacques Allen. It was all smiles to begin with, though these were possibly through gritted teeth. Both struck a four each but Zahid’s keenness to avoid giving his wicket away rather stifled his scoring. Goodchild was the first to go however when Patrick got one under his defences and when Malpass showed he was not hanging around only to be well caught by Ferguson, the fourths had lost two main batters.

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Scoring became a very difficult proposition and was not helped when Mahmood holed out having used up so many balls. With Stuart Jolly, Joe Royce and Alistair Goodchild all providing stiff resistance, there was a glimmer of hope for the fourths. But this was remorselessly snuffed out when the six foot eight giant, Jamie Allen came into the attack. It was clear there was some nervousness at the prospect of facing a bowler that gets extra bounce from normal pitches. Sure enough, this rolled block of mud meant that the ball was rearing up quite unpleasantly at the batsmen.

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In Allen’s first over he took the wicket of Stuart Jolly, caught by Adam Patrick at cover. Alistair Goodchild was then run out before Joe Royce was bowled off the last ball of the over. At the start of Allen’s next, he caught and bowled Macca Gaunt off a further rising delivery and as the field moved in got to bowl at his young protégé and undoubted madman Haris Mohammed for the hat trick ball. Unbelievably, this ball also popped and Haris could only defend the ball straight to the skipper at silly point. It raised the question of when the last time a hat trick had been achieved by a catch from the bowler’s father.

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Some friendly banter was enjoyed with James Galvin who just had to be reminded of his over confident Twitter predictions and in truth he was probably the fourths best batsman. Certainly the four through mid on was an absolute belter. But when Ahtsham Ahmed skewed to backward point, the game was almost up. Pete Huffinley arrived for the last rites in a somewhat boisterous mood and it appeared he’d spent the entire innings drinking strong black coffee. After an hilarious triple hit, Huffinley nicked one through to Cockin and the match was over.

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This game had been a tremendous exercise and possibly should be revisited on an annual basis. It served as a great warm up for the thirds and the inter club rivalry was just what was needed to concentrate a few minds. The fourths will probably feel that they underachieved and it would be fair to say so, though this was in part due to getting their batting order off beam. But the thirds were delighted to win and quieten their noisy neighbours and the victory was probably achieved by a conscious effort to not take them lightly.

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Pudsey Congs 4th XI 62 all out (J Allen 5-8 ; A Patrick 3-11)

Pudsey Congs 3rd XI beat Pudsey Congs 4th XI by 68 runs  

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Savile Stars “A” v Pudsey Congs

at Sands Lane

Saturday August 17th, 2013

Match report by Dom Allen

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A trip to Savile was just what any self-respecting doctor would not order but as the game appears on the official fixture list, our thirds had to gulp hard and make the unenviable journey. And once that voyage across Kirklees is complete, that perennial question is always asked, why oh why does our league not have minimum standards for cricket pitches. The question is never answered.

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Dom Allen won the toss and opted to put Savile in to bat with rain promised and a pitch that looked similar to the Britannia outfield. Adam Patrick bowled a tight first over which produced a run out off the last ball. Jacques Allen initially mis-fielded but recovered and fired the ball to Nav Bose who whipped off the bails. This quickly became 4-2 when Joe Goodchild took a peach of a catch above his head at deep extra cover.

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In the context of the game, a partnership of 43 for the 4th wicket was big but Steve Bedford swung the match firmly in Congs’ favour by removing both partners in the same over, one of which was the victim of an excellent slip catch from Patrick. Despite a couple of further partnerships, Savile were bundled out in good time by a returning Adam Patrick who bowled an immaculately tight line and Steve Bedford who completed a much deserved five wicket haul when Haris Mohammed caught the last batter at third man.

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Savile Stars 127 all out ( S Bedford 5-36 ; A Patrick 3-39)

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Congs’ chase of 128 got off to a calamitous start when Nav Bose, Joe Goodchild and Adam Patrick were all back in the hutch before double figures had been reached. The captain took the responsibility for this, setting a wholly inappropriate batting order for the pitch conditions.

Steve Bedford came in and instantly steadied the ship. Together with Mohammed Zulfikar, the pair grew in confidence and slowly but surely gained a foothold in the match. The partnership was not without incident. Zulfikar was hit twice on the helmet and took numerous blows to his chest as the pitch played its dirty tricks, aided by the hardness of a new ball.

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But taking a backward step is not a phrase Zulfikar knows the meaning of and he belligerently latched onto each loose offering that came along. Bedford was playing equally well at the other end and Congs looked firm favourites at 58-3. Sadly at this stage, the rain started to fall and caused a delay of just over an hour. Just when it looked like the match would be washed out, the rain ceased and allowed a continuation but Congs only had 12 overs remaining.

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Watchful to begin with and very much waiting to see how things would pan out, the pair took Congs past 75 for an extra point. Congs might just have had a dart at the total with wickets in hand but having put on 80 with Zulfikar, Bedford was bowled. When Qasim Khan was out quickly, Congs had to shut up shop. Jacques Allen was trapped in front also and this left the skipper to negotiate the final three overs. Zulfikar did bring up a richly deserved half century but due to some diabolical communication from the sidelines, the opportunity for a further point was squandered as the batsmen felt they only needed a single.

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A disappointing day for Congs when it appeared they were coasting to victory, requiring only 70 runs from 33 overs before the rain came. But they remain in charge of their own destiny and for a day at least, get to take their minds off the league and concentrate on the T20 they did so well to qualify for.

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Pudsey Congs 99-6 (M Zulfikar 57 not out ; S Bedford 23)

Pudsey Congs (10pts) drew with Savile Stars (10pts)

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