Adwalton end season on a high with victory over Methley B

Although the rest of the league had shutdown for winter the day before, it was left to Adwalton Second XI to finish off the season with a game against Methley B, which due to a charity game at their usual home Nostell CC, was to be played at East Leeds’ ground.

With end of season festivities occurring the night before following the first teams home game against Wrenthorpe A it was a significant struggle pulling together players to make up an eleven. With only nine men it was a good time for captain Mark Palfreeman to finally win a toss. Electing to bat, to allow time for more players to arrive, Ian Lindley and Craig Wright opened the innings and set off steadily. Wright eventually reached 40, taking full advantage of some poor bowling, before edging onto his own stumps. Perhaps with unnecessary pressure piled upon him, Chris Smith entered the fray at number three, prepared to face Beatrice Firth but with the distinct fear that had plaguing him throughout the week which was that he would be bowled out by a girl. With an inventing full tossed served up first ball Chris pulled the ball behind square and was dismissed for a golden duck by a girl.
Captain Palfreeman stifled the hat trick ball and went on to reach 38, a total that meant he surpassed 600 runs for the season and secured him as the highest run scorer in the division. But it was partner Andrew Ingham who made a key contribution as he worked his way to a season high 44. Chris O’Reilly came to the wicket and was unbeaten on 15, but with a lack of players, he was starved of support at the crease. His support included Joe Smith, feeling somewhat worse for wear after exploits with the first team the night before, who amazed the rest of the team by making it to the middle, but quickly returned with a bemused and dazed smile after a quick dismissal. Craig Wilson, kindly helping out at the last minute went out as last man feeling apprehensive and looking particularly uncomfortable with hair protruding from every orifice of his helmet making him look like a blonde sideshow bob, and clearly obstructing some, or perhaps all of his vision. This offers a reasonable excuse for why on his first ball he calmly stepped back and played a fine cut shot, only to find he was a little close to his stumps and had in fact managed to knock all three out of the ground in some sort of crazy cricketing kamikaze demolition.

Despite being all out with 8overs remaining, the total of 188, while perhaps a little shy of what it could have been, may well have been enough to defend on what was a difficult track to bat on following two days of rain.

George Firth opened the batting for Methley, a young man who had excelled in the return fixture with 90 at Moorside Vale. But despite being dropped in the first over, he was restricted by Chris O’Reilly and Andrew Ingham and top edged a ball to Sam Harrison at square leg for only 4 runs. Danny Wilbur put up a small resistance, scoring 16 and was eventually unlucky to see the ball trickle from his bat to knock the bail from his leg stump off the bowling of Ingham. The youngsters found it difficult without their talisman, and although older head Neil Clegg dispatched the ball nicely on occasion and played his way resolutely to 43, the game as a contest was effectively over. It was another excellent bowling performance from Chris O’Reilly who finished figures of 4-10 off 13.3 overs.