Wicketkeeper Luke Holroyd played a superb match-winning innings to keep Undercliffe’s revival going at Farsley’s expense in the JCT600 Bradford League First Division yesterday.

Holroyd struck five sixes and two fours in his 44 not out to lead his side to a one-wicket win with seven balls to spare in an absorbing match at Intake Road.

Undercliffe were cruising to victory at 169-6 in pursuit of the visitors' 190-9, but the match swung Farsley’s way when the home side lost three wickets for two runs with 22 needed and the last pair at the wicket.

Then Farsley skipper Ian Philliskirk switched Lorenzo Ingram and the slow left-arm bowler had overseas player Nawaz Sardar caught for 22 before bowling Thomas Hudson in the same over without addition to the score.

And when Neil Laidlaw had Atif Mohammed caught behind one run later, Farsley were favourites.

However, Holroyd, who had straight-driven Ingram for two sixes in a row, then took charge, hitting a four thanks to a misfield on the cover boundary while Farsley skipper Ian Philliskirk just failed to prevent the ball passing over his head for a six on the mid-wicket boundary.

These two blows left Undercliffe needing 11 to win with two overs left. Last man Abid Jahinger wisely took a single off the penultimate over, bowled by paceman Neil Laidlaw to give Holroyd the strike and the wicketkeeper drove one ball through mid-on for four and then hit the winning runs off the fifth ball of the over - a top edge over fine leg for six.

Earlier, Undercliffe reduced the visitors’ to 65-5 before the prolific Ingram and Barry Frankland came to their rescue with a sixth-wicket stand of 92.

At that stage, with Ingram batting superbly once again, Farsley looked set for a score of about 230, but he was bowled, swinging at leg-spinner Hudson after making 76 to leave the visitors on 157-6 with ten overs left. Frankland followed five runs later for 37 and the innings subsided after that.

Undercliffe, whose absentees included key batsman Callum Geldart, lost two early wickets, but opener Matthew Bottomley held the innings together with 55 in 108 balls and, although spinners Ingram and skipper Philliskirk bowled economically in the middle of the innings, the home side always looked to be in control until the loss of those three late wickets set up the dramatic finale.

Philliskirk said: “We bowled and fielded pretty well and when I switched Lorenzo it nearly paid off.

"Luke Holroyd is a really good hitter of the ball and with him at the wicket Undercliffe were never out of the game. It was a very good innings worthy of winning the game.

“I thought 190 was not enough. Our middle-order got out too easily. Lorenzo Ingram was bowled off a full toss that nine times out of ten he would have hit for four and we collapsed after that.”

Undercliffe captain Ben Heritage said: “When Lorenzo Ingram was in, their total could have been 230 or 240, so we were very happy with 190.

"Luke Holroyd wins us two or three games a season. He is a confident player who backs his ability and he played a great knock. We are on the way up with three wins in a row, and that is great.”