Baildon and Yeadon take big strides towards promotion (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Baildon and Yeadon take big strides towards JCT600 Bradford League promotion

5:30pm Sunday 9th September 2012 in Sport By David Markham

Baildon and Yeadon, the top two teams in Division Two of the JCT600 Bradford League, took giant steps towards promotion with convincing wins yesterday.

Leaders Baildon’s seven-wicket home victory against third-placed Morley was particularly significant, enhancing their own promotion hopes while damaging the visitors’ prospects.

Morley set Baildon a testing target after gaining maximum batting points at 247-4, with overseas player Kashif Naveed scoring 100 not out - but the home side won with 3.8 overs to spare.

Gharib Razak (56) and Kasir Maroof (60) gave them a good start with an opening stand of 90 and Simon Webb (64) and Jonny Reynolds (56 not out) carried on the momentum, taking Baildon to the verge of victory with a third-wicket stand of 95.

Second-placed Yeadon gained a maximum 20 points from their 140-run win at Great Horton.

They began well with opener Callum Goldthorp making 51 before Damon Gormley (68) and James Goldthorp (49) put the game beyond reach with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 118.

Oliver Halliday then took 6-64 as Horton were bowled out for 129, of which Altaf Mohammed made 56.

There were contrasting fortunes for the First Division’s bottom clubs.

Undercliffe kept their survival hopes alive by beating Manningham Mills by 17 runs, but bottom club Farsley’s prospects look bleak after losing against Pudsey Congs, whose revival continued with their fourth win in five matches.

Spinners Glenn Roberts and Ed Walmsley each took three wickets as Farsley made 211-7 before Congs won with 9.3 overs to spare, former skipper Andrew Bairstow leading them to victory with 101.

Openers Callum Geldart (98) and Matthew Bottomley (44) shared a first-wicket stand of 142 as Undercliffe gained maximum batting points with 237-5.

Opener Farakh Hussain held the Mills innings together with 91, but once he was fourth out at 181, Mills collapsed, losing six wickets for 22 to finish on 220.

Hanging Heaton’ First Division future remains in danger after a four-wicket home defeat against Lightcliffe.

The visitors made a bad start in reply to Hanging Heaton’s 211-8 and, at 46-5, they were in trouble.

However, Charlie Roebuck stopped the rot before he and Josh Wheatley led them over the winning line with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 100, Roebuck finishing on 129 not out.

Leaders Woodlands appear to be stumbling towards their second successive title.

They suffered their second defeat in a row a when East Bierley beat them by five wickets, restricting them to 173-8 before cruising home with 15.2 overs to spare, opener Mark Gill making 61.

Second-placed Cleckheaton took advantage of Woodlands’ slip by beating Bradford & Bingley by one wicket in a tense finish.

After bowling out Bingley for 175, Cleckheaton were struggling at 108-8, but Iain Wardlaw (37) and Joe Robinson put them back on track with a ninth-wicket stand of 54.

Wardlaw was out with 14 runs still needed, but Robinson and last man Andrew Deegan saw them home.

Saltaire continued their good form with a 57-run win at Pudsey St Lawrence, bowling out the home side for 158 after opener Irfan Amjad top-scored with 56 in their 215-8.