Five Star Lyles Sets Up Win

After a weeks relief provided by rain, Adwalton seconds eleven were again on their travels as the fixtures served up an away trip to Westwood Park. It was a humid and hot day, that would befit Bangalore more than Bradford, but overnight rain had made the top of the pitch moist and awkward to bat on. It was good fortune therefore that for only the third time this season captain Mark Palfreeman managed to win a toss and duly put the opposition in to bat.

Abdul Qadis and John Field got the home side off to a steady start in the face of some good bowling from opening bowlers Matthew Lyles and James Emmott. But a sharp catch in the slips from Reece Farnhill bid farewell to Field. Only five overs later, Matthew Lyles capitalised on the pressure he had built up with consecutive maidens by providing keeper Palfreeman with a catch in a wicket maiden. A feat he repeated the following over in what was to be three wicket maidens in the match.

After a tight spell from Andrew Ingham and a sharp and well delivered few overs from Tom Leeming, it was eventually Chris Smith who took a vital breakthrough uprooting captain Javed Khan’s wicket from around his legs. Sohail Patel made a brief cameo, with 17 runs at a pivotal stage in the match, where the game could have swung either way. But a mix up between the wickets led to a run out that ended his innings. Opener Qadis eventually fell to Leeming after a hard earned 70, but he was to be the only resistance from the Westwood tail. Lyles made quick work of the final three batsmen, who all fell for a duck from a fine spell of bowling that saw Matthew finish with 5-23.

The reply saw a gratifying opening stand of 69, and a base from which a win could be achieved. Graham Johnson continued his run of form to score 32 before being given out LBW to a ball that turned back in at him. At the other end Tom Leeming had batted beautifully after a shaky start, allowing himself to play a range of shots in a genuinely engrossing 44. With little work to do, Chris Smith and captain Palfreeman took the team pass the opposition’s total of 129 with relative ease chalking up the second victory of the season for Adwalton seconds.