Surprise win boosts Mills survival bid (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Surprise win boosts Mills survival bid

5:22pm Sunday 2nd August 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

Manningham Mills moved off the bottom of the JCT600 Bradford League First Division after a surprise three-wicket home win over title contenders Bradford & Bingley in the only match to beat the weather.

They passed Bingley’s modest total of 109 for the loss of seven wickets to give themselves a valuable 15-point haul that enabled them to leapfrog Hanging Heaton. They are now only five points below third-bottom Woodlands.

Bingley, who had to settle for three bowling points, surrended second place to East Bierley as a result of their defeat.

Bierley took two bowling points from their abandoned match at Hanging Heaton – the home side were struggling at 34 for four after 12.1 overs when the rain came – and are now one point in front of Bingley and 11 behind leaders Baildon.

The Jenny Lane side were 24 for none when their match at Yeadon was abandoned after 6.4 overs.

Despite overnight and morning rain, the Mills-Bingley match started on time and Bingley soon found themselves in trouble at 70 for five after 28 overs when heavy rain led to a loss of 30 overs.

Bingley lost Warren Allitt, Scott Etherington, Simon Davies, skipper Phil Slater and Matthew Duce cheaply – four of them to Muenoddin Kadri – to leave themselves 42 for five.

Chris Thompson and David Clow took them up to the rain break but when play resumed, the sixth-wicket stand of 33 was broken as Thompson was out for 26 to give Zeeshan Qasim the first of four victims.

Bingley eventually stumbled to 109 all out in 41.4 overs, Kadri taking four for 39 in 12 overs and Qasim four for 16 in 11.

That left Mills with only 28 overs to win the match while Bingley had to bowl them out to gain the ten points they needed to win.

Mills made a flying start, Shahban Rahim taking 16 runs – including four boundaries – off the first over bowled by Will Briggs. Then he was caught off Richard Slater at 23 before Chris Thompson took a hand, dismissing Amjid Hussain and Adil Islam to leave the game evenly poised at 35 for three.

The match swung Mills’ way again as Zeeshan Qasim and Shoaib Latif put on 36 for the fourth wicket. Bingley hit back, taking four wickets for eight runs, three to Thompson and one to Phil Slater including Qasim for 35, caught by Matthew Cockshott off a skier.

At 79 for seven with 31 still needed, the visitors sensed victory. However, Fawad Maqsood (24) guided Mills home with 11 balls to spare. Thompson ended with five for 28 in 12.1 overs.

There was no play in the matches between Pudsey St Lawrence and Gomersal, Saltaire and Cleckheaton and all six Second Division matches were abandoned.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)