Halifax Cricket League: The surprising result of the day in the Second Division occurred at Upper Hopton, where the home team striving for promotion lost valuable points as it was defeated by Outlane in a low-scoring match that saw a total of only 165 runs. Outlane took to batting first but struggled to put up a mere 88 runs before being dismissed on a challenging track exploited to the fullest by Harry Scott (5-22) and Thomas Wilson (4-38).
Farrukh Sultan’s contribution of 38 runs prevented the total from being even lower. Nevertheless, it turned out to be sufficient as Hopton fell 11 runs short of the target they must have believed they could achieve during the interval. The scorers had a hard time keeping up with the flurry of wickets, going from 3-1 to 20-7 before Usman Ali (37) made an unsuccessful attempt to stabilize the situation. Calum Westwood (5-22) played a pivotal role in Outlane’s victory as Hopton was bowled out for 77.
Augustinians capitalized on Hopton’s stumble to secure a 10-point lead at the top after their visit to Stones. Muhammad Majid achieved a personal best of 7-34, causing Stones to collapse for a meagre 70 all out in the 21st over. The Rastrick team also encountered batting difficulties, losing seven wickets in reaching a winning score of 72 runs. Nasir Awan’s unbeaten 45 proved crucial for their victory.
Sowerby St Peter’s also took advantage of Horton’s unexpected defeat to join them in joint second place, both teams trailing the top position by 10 points. During their visit to Old Town, Sowerby St Peter’s bowled out the hosts for 164, despite commendable performances from Zulfiqar Ahmed (56) and Tariq Mahmood (46). Jack Leonard’s noteworthy performance resulted in a valuable 5-14. Similar to other matches, Sowerby’s batsmen faced challenges, but Harry Clarke’s exceptional knock of 51 runs off 49 balls secured the victory with a total of 167-6.
In the local derby, Oakworth, the home team, celebrated a 26-run triumph over Cullingworth. Bradley Powell (69) and Brannan Lawn (43) were the cornerstones of Oakworth’s innings, setting a target of 171-9 while batting first. Jack Rogers took 4-30. Cullingworth’s openers were dismissed without scoring, and despite efforts from Thomas Harrison (51) and Elliot Robinson (42), they fell short at 145 all out. Charlie Raby (5-42) posed the most significant challenge.
Two other matches yielded low scores, as Queensbury bowled out Bradley & Colnebridge, the visiting team, for 80 runs, with Gareth Walker taking 4-9. The home team comfortably reached 81-2 in less than 20 overs. Similarly, Bridgeholme could only manage a total of 76 all out during their visit to Leymoor. Dominik Moorhouse (5-29) and Colin Johnson (5-46) bowled continuously, causing significant disruption. Leymoor lost four wickets while achieving a winning score of 78 runs.
