Woodlands still have work to do - Walwyn

3:06pm Sunday 17th August 2008

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Woodlands may have extended their lead to 24 points at the top of the JCT600 Bradford League First Division but Murphy Walwyn feels the title race is not over.

“I reckon we will have to win three of our last five matches,” said their veteran campaigner.

Woodlands’ remaining games are at Bradford & Bingley (next Saturday), home to Yeadon (August 30), home to Pudsey St Lawrence (August 31), at Esholt (September 6) and at home to Bowling Old Lane (September 13).

Having just beaten the rain to overcome third-placed East Bierley by four wickets, Yorkshire Over-50 player Walwyn said: “Winning the toss was very, very important because, knowing how the weather had been all week, if we could get an early breakthrough we could put them on the back foot.”

Woodlands undoubtedly surpassed Walwyn’s expectations by reducing Bierley to five runs for three wickets.

Gharib Razak shouldered arms to the first ball of the day from Safraz Ahmed to fall lbw, adding to the golden duck he made in the reverse fixture at Woodlands.

Lee Goddard was then bowled by Pieter Swanepoel one delivery after advancing down the track to him, and Andrew Rennison presented Woodlands skipper Tim Orrell with his first catch of the season (off bat and pad).

Greg Wood, before gently guiding one to Walwyn in the gully, skipper Gavin Hamilton (safely pouched by Scott Richardson in the slips), Toby Drummond and Kez Ahmed mounted a recovery but 135 was never likely to be enough.

Ahmed, more effective from the houses end, Swanepoel and Richard Spittlehouse each picked up three wickets, although left-arm spinner Chris Brice was left scratching his head as to how he didn’t get more than one wicket after consistently beating the bat outside off stump.

“I’ll bowl worse than that and pick up eight wickets,” said the bemused all-rounder.

Walwyn added: “Pieter bowled a good line, as he has all season, Saffy was consistent as usual and we picked up wickets when we needed them.”

Richardson and Sam Frankland put on 45 for Woodlands’ first wicket before Richardson drove one to cover and, although Nicky Rushworth didn’t last long during a solid opening spell from Mitch Claydon, Frankland and Brice then took Woodlands almost to the line.

Seemingly vying to see who would be the first to reach 50, they added 70 before Brice was smartly caught down the leg-side by Wood.

Frankland was also out for 48 as Goddard showed his rarely-seen bowling prowess, and Safraz Ahmed and Orrell also perished with victory in sight.

Walwyn added: “It was an easy-paced wicket and we just had to see Mitch Claydon off.

“They bowled well though but Sam and Chris did well with the weather closing in.”

Sadly, there was more paperwork than normal for umpires Gerald Taylor and Alan Carter to fill in afterwards.

Kez Ahmed, who hit some fine blows in his 23, was bowled by Safraz Ahmed but did not take kindly to something that the left-arm Pakistani paceman said after his dismissal.

Comments went between the two players – Safraz Ahmed’s apparently in English, which bodes well for next year’s English test, and Kez Ahmed’s in “a foreign tongue” – and the incident will be reported by the two umpires, who quickly helped to diffuse the situation, along with the Woodlands players, as the Ahmeds threatened to have a coming together.

Walywn ended the match on a hap-pier note, however, by congratulating Mark Gilliver and Richard Robinson on passing his all-time record for runs in the Bradford League.