Wheatley Cup provides weepy Sunday

Just five games into the season, the Cup was upon us. The sun baked down on a Sunday as both Adwalton teams faced opposition from the division above in the form of Mirfield Parish Cavaliers.
The second team were visitors to perhaps the only ground in the central Yorkshire league that rivalled Adwalton for size, but a ground that offered a secluded and idyllic setting for cricket on such a beautiful day.
Both teams longing not to field on such a hot day made the toss an important one, and it was Adwalton who took this mini victory, opting to bat first.

And was a decision that seemed justified, as Graham Johnson and Nick Gowland took advantage of some poor bowling from the Division 3 side. Making full use of the small boundary and a series of half volleys, both batsmen sprayed the ball around the pitch in a century partnership. It was just after achieving his half century that Nick Gowland was caught out by a ball that slowed up, popping off the bat to a nearby fielder.
After a brief cameo from Chris Smith, captain Mark Palfreeman joined Johnson and the runs began to flow once again. Controversy quickly followed as a disputed edge not given by the umpire caused a furore from the opposing team but left Palfreeman unmoved. It did however create a tension which, accompanied by the difficulties of the hot sun, brought mishaps in the field, as overthrows and simple mistakes continued to increase the Adwalton score. Palfreeman was eventually however caught behind, and with his departure little resistance was put up by the lower order as Adwalton continued to lose wickets in the final 12 overs of the match. A collapse of 6 wickets in the final few overs left Adwalton on a total of 222 and with still 4 overs of the allotted 40 remaining. It was more competitive than the total posted the day before, but looked a little short on a good batting track and a small pitch.

The Cavaliers started well, proving adept against opener Jimmy Emmotts bowling and taking their turn to take advantage of the short boundary. But at the opposite end, Tom Leeming performed well with the new ball, shaping the ball away from the batsman on a good length and earning a wicket in his first over as he dislodged the leg stump of the left handed opener. Unfortunately he was replaced by a man in form, as the captain and number three batsman put Adwalton to the sword in a century partnership. Various bowlers tried their hand, but it was only Nick Gowland who managed to keep the batsman in check as his tight line gave few opportunities for scoring.
It was eventually Gowland who made the break through, trapping the Mirfield Parish captain Neil Parkinson caught behind as he tried to cut a ball. This was a brief respite however as Qadeer Ghafoor continued to exploit drooping heads in the field as he pushed towards his century. Some good bowling from Chris Smith created chances, as numerous catches were downed in the field, concentration drained by the hot weather and difficult situation. And with 12 overs to spare Parish completed the victory as Ghafoor hit a six onto Green Side Road to send them through to a second round clash with Oulton.