Back once again for another weekend roundup. Heading into the business end of the season now with all to play for.
No Harriers games this week, so Lou gets the week off.
Four senior men’s games across the weekend, so Saturday’s games will be covered by Jason Kayley, and I guess I’ll do the Sunday ones.
You ready for this? Let’s go!
Saturday 15th August
It was the start of a 48-point weekend as the 3As and 3Bs took the points against their respective opponents.
3A vs Haslingden
The 3As took on league leaders Haslingden, who won the toss and elected to bat. But they were immediately put to the sword as skipper Sam Newton set his bowlers to work.
And they made light work of the league leaders as they were shot out for just 103.
Ciaran Holden and Rayyan Hussain took three wickets each with Harry Corish and Joshua Cousins bagging a brace.
And 42 from Euan Rushton saw the A Team coast to a five-wicket win.
3B at Rishton
For The Bees, they kept up the fight against relegation as they confirmed once again that Lee Lane is indeed ours.
With stalwart legend skipper Paul Houldsworth taking the reins, Rishton were shot out for 113, with the wickets being shared.
And despite losing a few needless wickets, Sam Davies’ 32 and 19 each from Ishaaq and Darab saw the Bees ease home to an easy win.
Sunday 16th August
1st XI at Middleton
Yesterday, today and probably tomorrow
This little one will find it hard to find sorrow
Middleton away today for our resurgent late season 1s, who have spent the past few weeks steamrollering through anybody and everybody they have come up against. We come into today’s game having won 3 in a row and unbeaten in over a month.
Middleton sit in mid table, a win last week at Rawtenstall curbing a run of defeats that curtailed their season.
Into today’s team came Dominic Steele in place of William Armer.
Captain Stu lost the toss and we were asked to bat, which with overcast conditions for the first time in what feels like forever, initially looked a good decision. Wasn’t though was it?
Matt and Jack opened up, but an uncharacteristic mix up between the two of them left Jack, and then the scorecard, stranded. Scorer had recorded that Matt was out then continued with the game as Caleb came out to bat, and whilst attempts to correct it were made, Matt’s name, and score, were missing from play cricket and the livestream scorecard, for the remainder of his innings. And what an innings it was.
Matt and Caleb steadied us after the initial wicket, taking the score to 69 before the latter was bowled by Rahman for 12. But out to bat at 4 came Thikshila de Silva and he and Matt decided they fancied batting all afternoon.
They added a fantastic 177 for the third wicket, Thikshila reaching another magnificent hundred. Here’s the moment he reached the milestone.
He was out soon after, caught in the deep for 113, scored off just 72 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes, but the milestones were not over yet. Kaz joined Matt as the latter closed in on his own 100, his third for GHCC and one that no doubt will feel particularly special, scored whilst still effectively recovering from a badly broken jaw suffered only a month or so ago that had looked to curtail his season.
Here’s the moment Matt reached 100
Matt batted through for 112* as we posted 270-5 from our 50 overs.
Note of appreciation to Imaad Hashmat from Middleton who took 3 late wickets on a day those around him had struggled to make any impact.
The rain that had threatened all day never came, so we would get a full game in. Back out we went after tea looking to make early inroads.
As we know full well by now, Sheraz and Thikshila tear into teams, and that’s exactly what happened here. They picked up two wickets each as our opponents fell to 37-4.
The middle order dug in well, particularly Rutter, who scored an impressive 50 before he was trapped LBW by the spin of Kasim Masood. Indeed Kasim, who hasn’t bowled as much this season as in previous years, took his chance, finishing with 3-24 as we closed in on victory.
Captain Stuart Maher (1-31) picked up the wicket of his opposing captain Gregoriou, before a last wicket partnership of 29, including 20* from Middleton debutant Nolan threatened to frustrate us.
It was left to Dominic Steele to close down the game. He had Hashmat stumped by Nathan Sheridan. Middleton 172 all out meaning GHCC win by 98 runs.
4 in a row. and up to 4th in the table. The near 30 point gap to the top 3 may well be too big to claw back with just 4 games to go, but this team is bang in form right now and will keep going right to the end of the season.
You never know. We may be up there come September, heart shaped balloons and all.
On to the next one.
2nd XI vs Middleton
There’s a man I meet walks up our street
He’s a worker for the council
Has been twenty years
But enough about that for now, our title chasing, top of the table twos were back in action today and looking to make it a 48 point weekend for GHCC.
But more importantly, we were looking to move one step closer. Facing us this week were another of our main title rivals, Middleton and so victory here would put us on the brink of promotion.
Just like their 1st XI, Middleton won the toss and asked us to bat. Just like their 1st XI counterparts, they would feel the pain of this.
Opening today was Hamza Qayoom alongside the irrepressible Euan Rushton.
15 year old Rushton is having a remarkable season, and comes into today’s game having scored four 50s in the last 8 days. His 42 yesterday for our 3As left him narrowly short of a 5th, but that innings effectively won us that game too against runaway league leaders.
He is clearly in unbelievable form and would show this again in some style today.
He and Hamza added 53 for the first wicket before Hamza was trapped LBW by Mashhood for a well constructed 18.
But that was as good as it got for Middleton. Euan was joined by Alex Kennedy who very early got about his business.
Both batsmen passed 50, and, despite a brief rain delay at drinks causing us to lose 2 overs, went on from there. Middleton used 6 bowlers but none could stop the scoring.
We passed 200, with Euan reaching another magnificent hundred, his third of the season. He was out for 122, adjudged LBW sweeping the bowling of Goddard. This innings came from 126 deliveries including 20 fours.
Here’s the moment Euan reached 100
No sixes for Euan today, but at the other end Alex hit a couple. He brought the slog sweep out on his way to a 93-ball 83* and even the reverse, much to the annoyance of the Middleton keeper and inducing a RoyHodgsoneqsue deflated head drop from the bowler.
We closed on 254-3 from our 43 overs.
DLS came into the equation over tea and set Middleton a target of 259 from their 43. That felt like plenty.
But Middleton are up there in the table at this stage of the season for a reason. And it was clear by the way Shahid and Shahid started that they had no intention of capitulating.
They got off to a flier racking up 33 before Hussain Shahid was bowled by Harry Corish in the 5th over.
Mohammad Shahid continued to punish any wayward delivery, adding a further 17 with Goddard before the first change cracked the game wide open.
Sam Newton came on to bowl and took two wickets in his first over, then followed up with another two in his second over. Our opponents had gone from 50-1 to 54-5 and it suddenly looked like the game was ours.
BUT WE KNOW BETTER THAN THAT BY NOW DON’T WE? DON’T WE!!
Kaleem Malik turned up today with the sole purpose of ruining our boat trip.
Ably supported initially by Shahid, who reached an impressive 50, they got the run chase back on track before Sam was back in the action, catching him off the bowling of Joel Houldsworth for 52.
Captain Hashmat Ali then came in and smashed 43 off just 31 balls, taking the score to 175 and, though he was bowled by the returning Harry Corish, Middleton were back up with the rate.
Harry picked up another quick wicket, bowling Sanders for 3, but Malik by this point was set, and carefully manipulating the strike, picking singles off the last ball of every over whilst able to pick up a boundary or two here and there. He passed 50 and as the overs ticked down, was picking up the 10 an over required.
Miles turned to all of his strike bowlers to no avail And with 4 overs to go, Middleton were 223-8, needing a further 36 for victory.
In such a situation, you turn to experience, and in Paul Houldsworth, our 2s have a man that’s been in this predicament many times before. His first over went for 6, but a run out from the last ball meant our opponents were 9 down, but with Malik still in and on strike.
30 needed from 3 overs. Sam Newton came back into the attack, but his over went for 13. The score 242-9 meaning just 17 runs were needed from 12 balls.
Then this happened
Houldsworth in, bowls…
Malik advances…
hits it back down the ground…
Connects well…
but not well enough…
and its straight at Miles Corish… who takes the catch!!
GHCC win!! 12 points, but my word Middleton made us work for it. Malik was exceptional and can count himself unfortunate to have been on the losing side. His 93 came in 84 balls with 13 fours and 2 sixes.
As we left the field, it became apparent that third placed East Lancs had lost. This means we now need just 2 points from our remaining 4 games to confirm promotion.
Massive game next week as we travel to second placed Enfield. We sit 25 points clear of them, meaning that a win could not just secure promotion, but the league title too.
They’ll ask me how we got here
I’ll say “we just kept winning”
They’ll say isn’t she pretty
That ship called Pisstheleague.