Whitehurst record but Saints win to knock Woodlands off top spot
GOMERSAL captain Richard Whitehurst blasted the fastest half-century in the history of the Bradford League but they lost by 72 runs to Pudsey St Lawrence, who edged ahead of Woodlands in the battle for the Division One title.
Visitors St Lawrence gave Gomersal a tough test and racked up an impressive 242-6 at Oxford Road.
A stand of 130 by openers Mark Robertshaw (68) and Alex Stead (71) gave them a solid platform while Gareth Clough added 55 in 49 balls.
Rob Burton and Adam Greenwood both claimed 2-61 and took Ben Platt 1-51.
Richard Gould led the top order with just 19 and at 72-5 Gomersal were struggling when Whitehurst came to the crease.
Whitehurst blasted five sixes and five fours to reach 50 off just 11 balls, beating the previous record of 16 set by Bankfoot's Richard Peel in 1997.
The captain finally fell to Clough (4-23) on 54 and despite 30 from last man Nasar Hussain St Lawrence regained control to dismiss the hosts for 170 in 38.4 overs and claim a maximum 20 points.
St Lawrence went top of the table with 267 points, 14 clear of Woodlands whose game at Pudsey Congs was incomplete after rain intervened.
Andy Siddall made 47 but Pieter Swanepoel (3-55) helped reduced the home side to 101-4 before Babar Butt (59) and Andrew Bairstow (84no) added 147 to guide Congs to 252-5. Chris Brice finished with 2-105.
Sam Frankland (40) and Tim Orrell (52 including eight fours and a six) helped Woodlands reply to 108-2 before Congs roared back with five wickets for just 17 runs as Richard Pyrah took 4-30 and Eugene Burzler 3-45.
Crucially three overs were lost to the weather during the reply and Woodlands held on to end 154-7 in 47 overs and take six points from the match.
Congs earned 10 points but dropped to fifth in the league table after East Bierley beat Baildon by four wickets.
It leaves Bierley on 233 points, five behind third-placed Bradford and Bingley and 20 adrift of Woodlands.
Fast bowler Muhammad Azhar Uullah claimed 6-63 as Baildon, led by Ian Philliskirk (66) were 181 all out.
Spinner Luke Jarvis finished with 3-47 and Paul Hutchison 1-33.
Bierley openers Gavin Hamilton (22) and Gharib Razak (35) gave them a solid start before Azhar Ullah (19) and Andrew Rennison shared a 44-run stand.
Rennison hit 60 not out from 54 balls, with nine fours and a six, to steer Bierley to 182-6 in 32.5 overs.
Cleckheaton were left frustrated as Yeadon held on for a rain-affected draw.
Marcus Walmsley (33), Ian Nicholson (24), Michael Nicholson (26) and Neil Nicholson (20) saw Cleckheaton reach 160-9 as Damon Gormley claimed 5-44.
Iain Wardlaw (2-15) and Ian Wood (4-34) then reduced the hosts to 35-6 before Grant Soames (69) and James Todd (20) sparked a revival with a 90-run partnership.
Both fell to John Wood (2-26) but with 13 overs lost during the reply Yeadon held out to be 137-9 after 37 overs.
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Weather for Cleckheaton
Sunday 12 February 2012
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