Skipper John Wood praised his bowlers for holding their nerve to keep Cleckheaton on course for a tense two-run victory that ended Baildon’s eight-match winning record in an absorbing JCT600 Bradford League Division One contest at Jenny Lane yesterday.

Baildon’s cause appeared to be lost when their eighth wicket went down with 53 still needed to overhaul the visitors’ total of 180.

However, a spirited ninth-wicket stand of 48 between Ashan Butt and Mushtaq Ahmed took them to the verge of victory before a dramatic last over dashed their hopes.

Baildon went into the final six balls needing seven to win and the tension rose as Ian Wardlaw bowled Mushtaq off a no ball before bowling him with a legitimate delivery next ball, leaving two balls left in the match.

Baildon got a leg bye off the fifth ball which gave Butt the strike, but he could manage only a single as Baildon were left agonisingly three runs short of keeping their winning start to the season going.

Wood, who was prevented from bowling because of a rib injury, said: “Tom Pringle dropped Mushtaq off a skier and I though our chance had gone, but Ian Wardlaw bowled a fantastic last over - just about six yorkers which are difficult to hit.

"Baildon needed four to win off the last ball and Ian bowled a perfect inswinging yorker.

“I was pleased with the result and the lads will gain a lot of confidence from it. We have played poorly this year, but in this match I didn’t see a lot of difference between us, who are near the bottom, and Baildon, who are on top.”

Wood decided to bring Wardlaw back into the attack in place of leg-spinner Tom Pringle, who had taken three for 53, because ‘I thought Mushtaq would hit him’ and the plan worked well.

He also praised slow left-arm bowler Mark Cummins, who was the model of economy, conceding only 25 from 15 overs while taking the wicket of Nahim Ashraf.

He had to bowl the next-to-last over and Wood said: “I thought he bowled a great over."

Wood admitted that he thought Cleckheaton’s total of 180 was 20 runs short on what he described as ‘very slow wicket which wasn’t particularly easy to bat on.’

They made the perfect start, Wardlaw trapping Tabbi Bhatti lbw off the first ball of the innings, but then Jonny Reynolds and skipper Ian Philliskirk put Baildon on track with a second-wicket stand of 64.

However, the game swung Cleckheaton’s way when Philliskirk mistimed his shot and was caught off a skier having hit one six and six fours in his 36 and, 13 runs later, Reynolds, who had played and missed several times outside the off stump, but had also driven handsomely through the covers, was caught behind by Mal Nicholson off Ian Wood for 33, including six fours.

They lost three more wickets for 28 as Cummins and Pringle joined the attack and when they lost Matthew Webb, needlessly run out at 125, and Andy Walker, stumped by Nicholson - his fourth victim of the innings - three runs later their cause looked to be hopeless before Butt, with an invaluable innings of 56, and Mushtaq (30) took a hand.

After losing Mal Nicholson at two, Cleckheaton were indebted to a second-wicket stand of 88 between Cummins (29) and John Wood (48).

New overseas player Asif Khan kept the innings moving with 36, although he was dropped twice, but wickets continued to fall regularly with Mushtaq completing a fine all-round performance with three for 28 in 15 overs.

Craig Hitchenor (3-25) and Andy Walker (3-51) also took three wickets and there were four catches for wicketkeeper Simon Webb.

Philliskirk said: “I was disappointed with myself - I played a poor shot. The game fluctuated. We got back into it and I thought we were going to nick it in the end.

"A tie would probably have been a fair result. It is how you bounce back from a defeat that matters. It is going to be a great season and I can see the title race going right to the wire.”