Hat, sun cream and water – the three most essential things to pack in your kitbag tomorrow morning. As Jamie Abbott’s catchphrase goes…’Enjoy the Sunshine’
When is 280 not enough? When you’re batting first at Gomersal on a hot day! One of the few pitches in the league where, when the conditions are right, 300 becomes a par score. In all honesty, 280 was almost enough but Gomersal used their home knowledge to reach the winning runs with 5 balls to go. Which meant that Mounam Ejaz’s magnificent 133 off 100 balls was a little overshadowed, which is a shame as he deserves a lot of credit for becoming the fifth(!) first team batter to pass 100 this year.
Our local rivalry with Keighley is resumed this weekend as we travel to Lawkholme Lane for what will no doubt be another closely fought encounter. I've been informed by Tim Burnley that the match has being dedicated to the memory of Keith and Lesley Robinson - two absolute legends of cricket in our district who dedicated their lives to cricket at both Keighley and Baildon. From playing to umpiring and administration, their efforts touched many lives and they will both be fondly remembered by everyone who knew them. Let's hope the game is a fitting tribute to their legacy. Please call in to the Keighley bar and raise a glass in their memory.
1st XI away to Keighley; Kev Mcdermott, James Ford (WK), Jonny Reynolds, Dwayne Heke (C), Mounam Ejaz, Will Kelly, Joel Newlove, Chris Reynolds, Josh Capper, Abdullah Khan, Umar Zahoor
Mounam Ejaz - 133 vs Gomersal
The seconds maintained their winning run (again without Darren Wilson…) last Saturday against Yeadon, winning by five wickets on a tough, ‘old school’ Baildon wicket (slow and low for those who can remember the days where 150 was a good score!). If they can keep on winning they are now in the promotion mix – however, that is a big ‘if’. George Barker channelled all his inner reserves to drag us over the line with a gritty 65* from 133 balls to ensure we came out victorious against his old club.
This week the twos welcome Hartshead Moor to Jenny Lane, where Jamie Abbott will be continuing his return from injury. After bowling 10 overs for the threes in their most recent game (and taking 4 wickets), he is gradually getting the old snap back to his action – watch out Pete Byrne – he’s coming for you!
2nd XI home to Hartshead Moor; Simon Mcdermott (C), George Barker, Adam Dean (WK), Stefan Mather, Danny Hunt, Jamie Denison, Jake Terry, Louis Turner, Harry Brook-Dobson, Sam Kelly, Jamie Abbott
George Barker 65* vs Yeadon
Yet again, the third team found themselves taking on one of the best sides in the league with an under strength team. At 73 for none in 7 overs, we started to fear the worse, until an excellent fielding display helped us to claw ourselves tooth and nail back into the game, dismissing the opposition for 229. However, another batting collapse saw us sink to 89 for 6 until Harry Brook-Dobson and Danny Bell combined with a partnership of 46. Danny then kicked on to hit a defiant 71 off 65 balls, as we ended up only 27 runs short.
This Saturday we have the daunting task of taking on the man who scored 300 runs (including an amazing 39 sixes!) in his last game. A clear lesson that you should never look at a team’s league position and assume what sort of game you are in for. Before Drighlington’s game against TPE last week, they were rock bottom of the league with only 2 victories, that was until they defeated the team directly above them by the astonishing margin of 382 runs!
3rd XI Home to Drighlington; James Butterfield (C), Tawseef Ahmed, Paul Hannan, Parth Sunil, Tom Dixon (WK), Tauqeer Ahmed, Sufyan Mahmood, Danny Bell, Josh Hannan, Leo Smalley, Sam Butterfield
Jamie Abbott 4 for 36 vs Thornbury
The fourth team return to action tomorrow after a two week hiatus, travelling to face New Farnley’s academy side. In a tough week for the selection panel, they have managed to turn out 4 teams (touch wood for no Friday night drop outs!). Hopefully Andy Norton’s legs will have recovered after his many laps of the Thornbury outfield last week. Also, in other team news, look out for the return of Ross Todd as well – making his first start for one of the old Baildon Meths’ sides in a number of years.
4th XI Away to New Farnley; Andy Norton (C), Ash Free, Ben Fawkes, Ross Todd, Akeel Ahmed, Zeeshan Ahmed, Ismail Shabir, Billy Cawley, Leela Modhwadia, Darren Barber, Tim Joy