In a thrilling encounter in the Bradford Cricket League Division Two, Hartshead Moor emerged victorious over promotion rivals Hopton Mills, thanks to a magnificent performance by young spinner Lewis Lomax. Lomax’s impressive figures of 6-43 helped bowl out Hopton Mills for 139, securing a commanding 76-run win for the league leaders.
Hopton Mills fought valiantly but fell short of their revised target of 216, as they were restricted to 110-4 in 32 overs due to rain interruptions. Gary Senior offered the lone resistance with an unbeaten 33. Despite their efforts, Hopton Mills couldn’t match the superior performance of Hartshead Moor.
Batting first, Hartshead Moor set a formidable target of 224-9 in their allotted 50 overs. Tim Bresnan (55), Craig Field (48), and Sam Middleton (48) were the main contributors, propelling their team to a strong total.
With this win, Hartshead Moor consolidated their position at the top of the league table with 206 points, maintaining a five-point lead over Bowling Old Lane. In another match, Bowling Old Lane secured a four-wicket victory against Crossflatts. Farhan Hussain (36), Hisan Ahmad (35), and Tahir Khan (33) played pivotal roles in guiding their team to success.
Meanwhile, the rain played spoilsport for third-placed Lightcliffe. They had reached 139-3 in 28.5 overs against Northowram Fields before the play was abandoned. Niall Lockley (43) and Isaac Dikgale (36) were the standout performers for Lightcliffe.
In an exciting clash between Keighley and Wrenthorpe, Keighley emerged victorious by three wickets. Scott Etherington’s unbeaten 52, along with contributions from Johandre Barnard (33) and Mohammed Shahnawaz (34), enabled Keighley to successfully chase down the target of 169. Wrenthorpe’s Hassan Abbas (3-43) and Shakrukh Ali (3-45) performed admirably with the ball, but their efforts were in vain.
Liversedge secured a thrilling two-wicket win over Heckmondwike & Carlinghow, thanks to Parvaise Khan’s superb bowling figures of 6-82. Veteran Iqbal Khan scored a valiant 67 for Heckmondwike & Carlinghow, but it was Imran Dawood (67) and Wasim Nazir (52) who guided Liversedge to victory, despite Surender Singh’s four-wicket haul.
In the match between Buttershaw St Paul’s and Hunslet Nelson, rain forced the match to be abandoned with Buttershaw St Paul’s at 153-6 after 38 overs. Skipper Adam Wainwright’s unbeaten 58 provided stability to their innings.
The Bradford Cricket League Division Two continues to witness intense competition as teams battle for promotion. With Hartshead Moor leading the pack, the race for promotion is heating up, promising more thrilling encounters in the coming weeks.
