Young side shows courage

Without some of the older heads in the dressing room Adwalton were fielding a second team side with only two players over 20, meaning that those who had been on the fringes so far this season really needed to stand up and be counted.

After winning the toss, Adwalton elected to bat first on a worn but firm pitch. Tom Leeming, opening the batting, got lucky on a number of occasions as he tentatively made his way to a fifty, with little support being offered from the rest of the top order as they were gradually seen off at the other end. Leeming continued his combination of luck and good shots to make 79 in what turned out to be an important anchor to the innings. Once dismissed, it seemed as if their score would be well below what was typically required on Adwaltons small pitch. But with the support of Reece Farnhill, James Emmott played one of his all or bust innings as he raced to 44 off only 31 balls to help the team finish with a more respectable total of 196.

With an equally young opening pair, Methley started strongly in the face of some good bowling from openers Matthew Lyles and Tom Leeming. The 75 run partnership they amassed virtually took the game away from Adwalton, but did not diminish their spirit. James Emmotts breakthrough, capturing Ben Quirk leg before wicket provided a glimmer of hope. There was a sharpness and ambition in the field that was encouraging, and a renewed show of courage in defence of a below par total.
Lee Wood’s powerful striking, scoring 28 runs in as many balls with three fours and two sixes, was halted by a wonderful stump shattering ball from Leeming, who then repeated the feat to dismiss Reece Willshaw. Although five wickets down, the steady innings of young opener George Firth, finishing on 94 not out had meant Methley were always in control of the game.