Brice confirms his all-round prowess

7:52pm Friday 26th September 2008

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A year after winning the WH Foster Trophy for leading the Division One batting averages in the JCT600 Bradford League, Woodlands’ Chris Brice has topped the Division One bowling.

The canny left-arm spinner took 38 wickets for a mere 377 runs for an average of only 9.82 to become the only player in the top flight in single figures.

Brice, who was tenth last season and the league’s leading all-rounder, as well as the inaugural players’ player, finished ahead of a rejuvenated Richard McCarthy.

Australian-born McCarthy took 57 wickets at 10.16 and, not surprisngly, has confirmed that he is carrying on for Bradford & Bingley next season at the ripe old age of 47.

Baildon’s Mushtaq Ahmed remains in third, while Woodlands’ Pieter Sawnepoel drops from second to fourth, while his new-ball partner Safraz Ahmed goes down from first to seventh.

Hanging Heaton’s Chris Schofield has again proved effective with his medium-pacers to keep a top-ten berth (down from fourth to eighth), while off-spinner Grant Soames, who bowled even less overs than Brice (123.4 compated to 131.1) is fifth.

Paceman Imran Arif is another Hanging Heaton player in the top ten (sixth), while Luke Jarvis and Kez Ahmed also give East Bierley two players in the top ten at ninth and tenth.

Mohammed Zaman (Cleckheaton) leads the batting averages by a country mile at 58.17 but none who figured in the top ten last season makes that list this time, the best being Pudsey St Lawrence skipper James Smith in 11th.

Mark Cummins and Gulsheraz Ahmed are fourth and seventh for Esholt, while Andrew Rennison and Greg Wood are second and tenth for Bierley, Andrew Bairstow, Matthew Doidge and Babar Butt weighing in at third, sixth and eighth for Congs. Ahsan Butt and Ian Philliskirk are fifth and ninth for Baildon. Mal Nicholson (Cleckheaton) is the leading keeper.