Sahaj Chadha and Matthew Crookes both hit centuries in the Huddersfield Cricket League Premiership

By Jamie Harrison

Indian overseas player Sahaj Chadha’s unbeaten 125 was the cornerstone of Shepley’s win over Skelmanthorpe in the Huddersfield Cricket League Premiership.

Matthew Crookes also hit a ton for Kirkburton as the Moorlands champions cruised to an eight-wicket win over Almondbury Wesleyan. Paul Nasser’s three wickets helped Scholes beat Broad Oak as Hoylandswaine won a high-scoring encounter with Barkisland.

Shepley v Skelmanthorpe

Shepley claimed local bragging rights with a convincing 26-point win over Skelmanthorpe in a thrilling derby between two sides from the neighboring village.

Their new Indian overseas player Sahaj Chadha was the star of the show, creating a classy century (125 not out) with 13 boundaries and three sixes. Prayesh Kumar Singh provided support with 3-41.

Skelmanthorpe fought back admirably with Jack Newby, the league’s top scorer for the past two seasons, contributing a valuable 39 points.

Faisal Usman also provided a late boost with a quick knock of 39 at number 10. However, it was not enough as Skelmanthorpe fell short, dismissed for 208 runs.

Tom Sanders led the Shepley bowling attack with five wickets, while experienced bowler Danny Glover and spinner Musa Ahmed chipped in with two wickets each.

Moorlands v Almondbury Wesleyan

Reigning champions Moorlands stamped their title credentials with a dominant 8-wicket win over Almondbury Wesleyan. Chasing a total of 182, Moorlands made light work of the target, reaching it with 17 overs to spare.

Pragam Sharma followed up his century from last week with a solid 52 for Wes, while Jon Rudge led the bowling attack with 4-77.

The Moorlands spin duo of Zin Ul Abdin and former Wesleyan player Dan Moorhouse shared six wickets between them. Marcus Walmsley anchored the chase with an unbeaten 87, guiding his side to a comfortable victory.

Scholes v. Broad Oak

Scholes secured a routine 6-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter at home at Broad Oak. Paul Nasser was the hero for Scholes, taking 3-46, while Louis Brook and Yaasir Imtiaz chipped in with two wickets each.

Broad Oak captain Dan Rushworth top-scored with a valiant 33 but their batting line-up faltered throughout, collapsing for 144 runs.

In reply, Bradley Birkhead led the Scholes chase with a well made 47. Valuable contributions from Benji Birkhead (31) and Zawandi White (31) ensured their side crossed the finish line with half an innings remaining.

Barkisland v Hoylandswaine

Barkisland put a competitive total of 212 on the board with contributions from Jasper Male (47) and a well compiled 71 not out from Cameran Van Rensburg. Umer Yaqoob was the pick of the Hoylandswaine bowlers, claiming 3-66.

However, Hoylandswaine chased down the target comfortably thanks to a solid 103-run third wicket partnership between Furqan Shafiq (61) and Kamran Ghulam (65 not out), securing a comfortable 7-wicket win.

Honley v Delph & Dobcross

Delph & Dobcross struck first and found themselves in early trouble at 13-3. Montserrat import Stevel Rodney steadied the ship with a well made 53 helping them to a respectable total of 122 all out.

However, a disciplined bowling performance from Honley saw them fall from a promising position of 106-5. Melbourne’s Darcy Munro was the chief of destruction with a five-wicket haul for just 32 runs, while off-spinner Lewis Kenworthy chipped in with 4-31. Honley chased down the target with 4 wickets remaining, Timmy Taylor contributing 31.

Kirkburton v Golcar

The first of two back-to-back games between these sides ahead of the Heavy Woolen Cup showdown saw Kirkburton record a resounding 63-point win at home to newly promoted Golcar.

Matthew Crookes dominated his team’s innings with a brilliant century (106 off 98 balls), peppering the boundaries with 5 fours and 9 sixes.

Despite a promising start of 56-0 by Golcar, their new signing Yashoda Mendis (3-51) was the only bowler to find consistent success.

Opener James Howson’s 30 was a lone bright spot as Golcar collapsed to 152 all out, with Burton’s spin specialist John Keeling (4-50) and Andy Smith (3-38) sharing the spoils for Kirkburton.