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The cricket Gods were on our side on Saturday when we entertained Darley.

Our match at their place saw us lose by just one run. Saturday’s game was just as close as we sneaked home by one wicket.

We won the toss and elected to field first. A couple of quick wickets had them 11 for 2. A third wicket partnership took them to 75 for 3. Three more wickets fell as we reduced them to 121 for 6. Then a seventh wicket partnership saw them to 172-7. The last three wickets fell for the addition of just four runs, which included a hat-trick for Sam Arkwright. Haroon Ali claimed 4 for 36, Sam 3 for 33, Jack Kitching 2 for 40 and Mo Saghir 1 for 46. Their total contained 22 extras of which twelve were wides.

We lost wickets at 37, 43, 72 and 117 with Mo making 35. Jack and Struan Mackenzie progressed the score to 151 where the former went for 40. Struan and Ben Keane took us to within one run of tying and two to win, surely it wasn’t going to happen again!! Last man Harry Ayrton played out a maiden over. Up stepped Ben and he crashed the ball to the boundary and we were home victorious. Their innings had twenty extras of which six were wides.

The welcome twenty points doesn’t get us off the bottom. However, we are just four points behind Studley Royal and ten adrift of Burnt Yates.

The match was sponsored by Bullough Cleaning Services and R McDowell Haulage and Distribution.

The second team had a free week following the withdrawal from the league of Boroughbridge and Staveley. Due to that we drop from fifth to sixth.

This coming Saturday the first eleven are at home to Burnt Yates whilst the second team travel to Whixley seconds.

Match sponsors are John Mason Printers and Watson Building Services Ltd.

Trevor Coe – ECC Chairman