A mixed weekend of results, with the 1st XI falling to Hepworth and Idle by just 2 runs, however the 2nd XI made it 8 wins out of 8 with a 5-wicket victory at Hepworth and Idle 2nd XI.
Match reports:
The 1st XI welcomed Hepworth and Idle up to Shires Lane, where Embsay were looking to rebound following last week’s defeat at Wilsden.
Hepworth and Idle batted first and Embsay’s opening bowler Samuel Arkwright got the home side off to the perfect start dismissing one of the openers in the first over for a duck. Hepworth and Idle recovered thanks to a 54-run 2nd wicket partnership, before being pegged back to 105-7. A bit of tail wagging saw the visitors close of 157 all out in the 36th over.
Arslan Nasir was the pick of the bowlers for Embsay with 4 for 35 off 10 overs, followed closely by his younger brother Hammaad Hussain who took 4 for 32. Embsay were also sharp in the field taking 6 catches, with wicketkeeper Ben Keane taking 2, and Samuel Arkwright 2
In response, Embsay found themselves in a bit of bother at 58-4, before recovering to 114-5, before a flurry of quick wickets pegged Embsay back to 116-8. Embsay battled hard and got back in the hunt thanks to a 37 run 8th wicket partnership between Tom Robinson and Sam Keane, which set the game up for a tense finish. Embsay needed 6 to win off the last over with 1 wicket in hand, however it wasn’t to be as Embsay fell just 2 runs short
Tom Robinson top scored with a solid 39 not out under pressure, and Jack Kitching with 31. The loss sees Embsay slip to 7th in division 1, with 4 wins and 4 losses in the league campaign
Meanwhile the 2nd XI travelled up to Hepworth and Idle 2nd XI as Embsay looked to remain unbeaten and top of division 3. Hepworth and Idle won the toss and elected to bat
Batting first, Hepworth and Idle kept wickets in hand, but the run rate was kept to a minimum thanks to some very tidy bowling by Embsay. The home side found themselves 107-5 32 overs in, before collapsing to 117 all out in the 40th over.
Dominic Kay was the pick of the bowlers for Embsay with 4 for 13, followed by opening bowlers Stephen Speak with 2 for 20 off 10 overs, and Henry Ellison with 2 for 25 off 10
In response, Embsay struggled initially in their run chase and found themselves at 49-4. A useful 36 run partnership between Dominic Kay and Jono Coward took the score to 85-5. At this point the match could have gone either way, but Embsay held their nerve thanks to a 35 run 6th wicket partnership between Duncan Ratcliffe and 13 year old Adam Harding which saw Embsay over the line in the 31st over with 5 wickets to spare. Duncan Ratcliffe top scored for Embsay with 45 not out, and Dominic Kay with 22 off just 10 balls.
The win makes it 8 wins out of 8 for Embsay 2nd XI in division 3, and keeps Embsay top!
Cricket this week:
Big week coming up with both the 1st XI and 2nd XI taking on Sutton on Saturday, and the 1st XI playing Barrowford in the Wynn Cup quarter final on Sunday. The 2nd XI fixture is sponsored by Mary Hargreaves and H2K Ltd.
Let’s hope for 3 wins! Come on Embsay!
On the junior front, on Sunday morning the u13s travelled to Skipton and lost by 3 wickets. We scored 88-5 with Thomas Mountain making 28 (ret) and Will Lampkin 21no. They replied with 90-7 with Alfie Carling taking 2-8.
Next week in addition to the senior games, the u12s are at home to Skipton on Monday. On Wednesday, the u15s are away to Bradley and on Thursday the u11s are at home to Settle.
Trevor Coe
