Convincing win for North Leeds

Posted by Tony Hutton

League cricket close to home on Saturday afternoon provided an interesting game at The Homestead, home of North Leeds cricket club who took on village side Follifoot, near Harrogate, in the first division of the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior cricket league. More often than not my previous visits to this pleasant spot, on the edge of Roundhay Park, have been for the annual Boxing Day fixtures with the Northern Cricket Society. So it was a pleasant change to see cricket on a sunny afternoon, with quite a reasonable gathering of local spectators.

The home side batted first and the visitors were soon on top with four early wickets by the time fifty runs were on the board. Opening bowler Istikhar Hussain did most of the damage dismissing all of the top three in the order. Nuaman Khan at number five improved the situation with a brisk 36, but nobody threatened to play a big innings. The score had plodded along somewhat in mid innings and it required the advent of captain and wicket keeper Dominic Cowley, at number nine, to rescue proceedings. 

The total had slumped to 171-9 by the time last man Archie Ralphs joined his skipper and the early thoughts of two hundred plus now looked a very distant prospect. However Cowley took control of the situation especially when Istikhar had bowled out with exemplary figures of 15-3-29-6. With careful manipulation of the strike Cowley contrived to hit eight fours in an innings of 44 from only 45 balls in an unbroken tenth wicket partnership of 49.

With the two hundred mark passed with ease, even the last man was confident to take strike at the end and managed to hit a four of his own as the total reached the remarkable figure of 220-9 in the fifty overs. Cowley looked to have made top score until it was realised that the extras total was even higher with no less than 45, of which 25 were wides!

The Follifoot reply was rather a sad affair as only three batsmen reached the twenties and two of them were run out. Wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the innings, with the best bowling figures going to Taran Chana with 3-27 and Tom Hudson 3-30. So a convincing victory for the home side, their second win in three games, which leaves them in fifth place in the table some way behind leaders Otley and Rawdon, who have both won all three matches.