EAST Bierley are hoping to land a big fish at home when the quarter-final draw for the Solly Sports Heavy Woollen Cup takes place tonight(Tuesday).

Having had a sensational one-wicket victory over Wakefield Thornes in a run-fest at South View Road in the first round, Bierley’s second-round triumph at Birstall was much less tense, with Dan Abbott(6-39) taking his best figures for Bierley’s first XI.

Man-of-the-match Abbott then confessed: “It would be nice to take on one of the big boys at home.

“We beat Wakefield Thornes in the first round and we will take on anyone.”

If the victory over Thornes was dominated by two batsmen - Byron Boshoff with 142 and Ben Walter with 227 not out - Bierley’s last-16 tie at fellow Bradford Premier League Division One promotion contenders Birstall was swayed in favour of the bowlers.

However, when stylish Birstall left-hander Josh Haynes was at the crease, Abbott could have been forgiven for memories of Boshoff hitting him for straight sixes in the first round.

Haynes’ straight driving was a feature, as well as his clips off the leg, and he hit Abbott for three straight sixes in four balls in the eighth over before Abbott got his revenge, trapping him lbw - a decision that the opener was not happy with as he thought that the ball had pitched outside leg-stump.

Abbott said: “It wasn’t very nice when I got planted three times over my head, but we knew that if we got a couple of wickets that we would do all right.

“The pitch was offering plenty, with a bit of uneven bounce, and we knew that they were missing a couple as it is not easy on Sunday (getting your best side out), and we were clinical.

“But credit to the groundstaff (Mark Gilman and his crew) as we were expecting something a bit greener than that.”

The bustling Abbott had dismissed the prolific Eric Austin in his previous over, and Haynes’ dismissal sparked a collapse from 64-1 to 134 as Bierley cashed in on Birstall being under strength.

Abbott revealed: “It is my first five-fer for East Bierley‘s first team - I have had a couple for Spen Vic’s first team and a couple of seven-fers for East Bierley second team - so I am delighted with that.

“It was not an easy wicket to bat on and if you got a start you had to go big, and they will be kicking themselves that they got starts and were not able to kick on.

“At 80-5 we would have been happy to get them out for around 100 but a lad came in at the end and got 20 (Lee Peters) and the No 11 (Connor Teale) hit a couple of big sixes to get them up to 134, but we knocked them off with plenty of overs in the tank.”

The attitude that Bierley took on an afternoon where the clouds were glowering but high was summed up by the first two balls of their innings as Matthew West drove Haynes for two straight fours.

After six overs they were 46-0, and the dismissal of Sam Gatenby (33 off 23 balls), who holed out at long-on, did not slow the assault.

West was out for 41 off 30 balls by which time the score was 90, and Walter did not need any sighters, hitting his first two deliveries from Haynes for a four and a six.

Three more Walter’s sixes followed in the next over before he was out for 29 off just eight balls, and Dan Cross (24 not out) saw Bierley to a six-wicket victory in the 15th over company of skipper Adam Brown, who sealed the win with a two and a four from the first balls that he faced.

Abbott explained: “Playing positive cricket is our brand with the bat, and the openers set the tone.

“Ben hits it quite clean and does not need many sighters and is in great form and long may it continue.”

Townville v Woodlands Heavy Woollen tie has been switched to next Sunday due to poor weather over the weekend.

Bankfoot beat Baildon by 90 runs in Division One of the Bradford League, in the only league game to be played due to the weather.