Both teams end on a high as season comes to a close...

The 2006 season ended on a positive note as both teams recorded victories over higher-placed opposition. The 1st XI came out on top at home to Thornton-In-Craven. We batted first and posted a below average total of 152, Gareth top scoring with 59. The Thornton reply started brightly, but Dave Robinson (5-22) soon got a grip on their batting as the visitors crumbled to 111 all out to complete a 41 run victory. The 2nd XI were visiting promotion-chasing Sandy Lane. The home side batted first and were skittled for just 103 with Martyn Rendell taking the first 7 wickets for just 52 runs. We squeezed over the line to record a narrow 3 wicket victory.

Keighley Cup regained in style...

A glorious sunny afternoon attracted around 300 people to to witness the trophy final between Oakworth and Cullingworth. We won the toss and decided to bat first, and lost Steve Welch to the third ball of the game. Fellow opener, Gareth Marshall, and Adie Powis set about rebuilding the innings and got the score to 69 in the 23rd over when the latter went for 18, caught behind. What followed was the crucial part of the innings, which set up a dash for runs at the end. Chris Welch joined and they took the score to 157 before two wickets fell in quick succession. First went for 70, which included 6 fours, and then Chris followed for 53, six runs later. The last five overs produced 46 runs for the loss of 3 more wickets. Oakworth's innings stuttered against some tight accurate bowling. After 8 overs they were 8-2 with Steve Hartley, 2, and Luke Scott, 0, back in the hut. Joel Gallagher went at 12 and then David Hall claimed the prize scalp of Michael Scarborough for 7 which left the innings in tatters at 21-4 in the 17 over. The score progressed to 86 where Drew Duffy's 66 ball innings ended for 28. It was a matter of time before the innings closed and in the 44th over Paul McCullough was last man out with the total on 115. Dave Robinson finished with 2-10, Dave Hall 2-16 and Andy Hodgson 2-19. Leonard Falkingham presented the trophies to the players, and umpires Keith Ayrton and Ian Robinson chose Gareth Marshall as their man of the match.

First eleven are tied-up at Haworth...

There was a rare tied game up at Haworth as the 1st XI had their minds on Sunday's Keighley Cup final. Haworth batted first and made an excellent start after some loose bowling from Chris Welch, they were in the nineties before Chris came back for his second spell and took the first Haworth wicket. He then proceeded to take all 7 of the wickets that fell as Haworth finished on 232-7 & Chris ended with figures of 7-85 off his 17 overs. Our reply started brightly with Gareth and Steve launching the ball to all areas of the ground before Welchy was caught off a poor shot with the score on 66, Aidy Powis followed next ball after he had his stumps re-arranged for him. Chris Welch came to the crease to fend-off the hat-trick ball, he then had a decent partnership with Danny O'Hara but both men were out with the finishing line in sight, Chris having made an excellent 96. It was down to the tail to bring us home, which they nearly did. Dave Robinson (no. 9) held one end up as Alistair Campbell (no. 10) and then Steve Dinsdale (no. 11) joined him at the crease. Steve Dinsdale hit a majestic cover drive to bring the scores level at 232 but then tamely chipped the next ball to mid-off who took the catch to bring an end to a decent game. The 2nd XI made short work of the visiting Glusburn III. We bowled them out for 133 and then knocked the runs off in less than 30 overs for the loss of just 4 wickets.

Rain ruins it again...

There was no play for either the 1st XI at Embsay or the 2nd XI at home to Eldwick & Gilstead after some very heavy rain on Saturday. The 2nd XI's visit to Foulridge on Sunday was also abandoned after more rain in the morning.

Poor defeat against relegation-fodder...

A lack of killer instinct and some average batting handed a victory to relegation threatened Barrowford on Saturday. The visitors batted first and made a poor start as we took the first 5 wickets before the score had reached 60, but an excellent, if slightly fortunate, 6th wicket partnership allowed the visitors to reach a reasonable 168-8 off their 45 overs with Chris Welch taking 3-58 off 20 aggressive overs. Our reply never really got going, with both openers (new skipper Gareth Marshall and Steve Welch) both falling cheaply, it left Andy Hodgson (44) and Chris Welch (39) to score most of the runs as we were bowled out in the 30th over for just 132. Up at Denholme the 2nd XI had a fantastic day against our frog-boiling neighbours. Denholme batted first and made just 144-9 in their 45 overs, with the inspirational Dave Hall taking 6-44. In Reply, Russell Hogg made 41 not out and there were decent contributions from Dave Hall & Martyn Rendell as we eased to a 5 wicket victory, finishing on 149-5.

Another washout...

Both teams fell victim to the miserable weather of the past few days. The 1st XI did at least manage to lose the toss in between showers but play never started.

Seconds revival continues against Long Lee...

The 1st XI eventually saw off a stubborn Ingrow at home on Saturday. The visitors batted first and lost their first 6 wickets with the score not much above 60, but an excellent partnership for the seventh wicket allowed them to reach a defendable total of 193. That score looked even better as we lost four early wickets, but Gareth Marshall who opened the batting and Chris Welch (coming in at 6) then set about destroying the visiting attack in double-quick time until Gareth was caught on the boundary for an excellent 83. Chris with 74 not out and Tony Partington (22 not out) saw us home with 18 overs to spare. Over at promotion-chasing Long Lee, the 2nd XI were in top gear as they sent the home side back to the hut for just 90 with Karl taking 7-39 off his 17 overs. Karl rounded off a fine personal performance with 52 not out at we reached our target for the loss of just four wickets.

Licker meets the 'Neighbours' in Melbourne...

Licker has reached Melbourne on his 'round the world trip. His fascinating tour 'blog' can be found at www.getjealous.com/kfc Matt will be sending some pics over in the next few days & they'll go straight onto the 'pics' page.

Seconds complete hat-trick over Riddlesden...

The 2nd XI completed a hat-trick of victories over Riddlesden this season with a hard-fought victory on Sunday. Having been asked to bat by the home side we made a poor start, collapsing to 40-5. Only an excellent partnership between Iain (62) & Stuart Holmes (38no) allowed us to reach a respectable score of 147 on what was a very poor strip. In reply, Riddlesden looked on course for victory until some tight bowling and a three wicket burst at the end left them 29 runs shy of their target. Dave Hall took 4-38, Martyn 3-55 & Karl had a very good spell of 1-16 off 9 overs.

First team lose at Cowling...

The 1st XI's good recent run came to an end in the gloom at Cowling. Having been inserted after losing the toss we found it hard going, losing Aidy & Shane in consecutive balls early on. Steve Welch was again the rock of the innings making a steady 53 only to have his stumps re-arranged with just two balls remaining, he was well supported by Gareth Marshall's 43 and a quick-fire 44 not out from Guy Flanaghan which left us on 189-7 at the close. Cowling's reply started very well with a 70 partnership for the first wicket as we were unable to get a crucial breakthrough. After the first wicket went down we made breakthroughs at regular intervals to swing the game in our favour until some streaky shots by their 9 & 10 pushed them over the line with just 6 balls remaining, with Gareth collecting a 5 wicket haul from his 21 overs. Back at Cullingworth, the 2nd XI suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Ingrow in Dave Hall's first game as Captain. Ingrow batted first and made 237-3, with Dave taking all three wickets. In reply we were all out in the 29th over for just 126.

World Cup prediction results...

Congratulations to Mick Hardaker who is this year's 'king of the predictions' with a total of 35 correct results out of a possible 45. The remainder of the top 10 is as follows:-
2 – Bev 34
3 – D. Fitzpatrick 34
4 – Luke Jackson 33
5 – Steve Dinsdale 33
6 – Debbie Sullivan 33
7 – Chris Kay 33
8 – D.J. Heaton 33
9 – Nez 33
10 – B. Pamment 33

Cup defence in tatters at the hands of Oakworth...

Our hopes of a successful defence of the Wynn Cup were left in tatters after a heavy defeat at the hands of Oakworth. On a scorching afternoon at Haworth Road it was Oakworth who won a vital toss and duly batted first, recording a solid 274-6 in their 45 overs with only Chris Welch getting any reward with 4-80. Our innings never really got going with the 3 hours spent in the field taking its toll on our batsmen. Only Steve Welch (39) and Gareth Marshall (29) made any impression on the Oakworth attack as we were bowled out for just 127.

Gareth breaks record in win ...

Gareth Marshall broke the Cullingworth Cricket Club batting record as the 1st XI made it 3 wins on the bounce at home to Glusburn. Batting first, we posted a formidable total of 318-3 with Gareth hitting a magnificent 200 not out, he was backed-up well by Aidy Powis 45no & Steve Welch with 45. In reply the visitors nearly overhauled our large total but they eventually fell 16 runs short with Andy Hodgson (6-31) doing most of the damage. Over at Skipton CI, the 2nd XI yet again managed to finish pointless despite being in a winning position. The home side won the toss and decided to bat first but they were soon in trouble, losing wickets at regular intervals. Having been 51-6 after 15 overs, they staged a decent recovery to finish on 163-9 with Russell collecting 6-66. Our reply started well with a 50 partnership for the first wicket (Mick Hardaker 27, Stuart Holmes 26), and that was followed up by a good partnership between Shaun Haigh and Martyn Rendell (34) but a late-order collapse left us just 4 runs short of a much needed victory.

First team win as seconds concede ...

The 1st XI cruised to an easy 107 run win at Bradley. Details to follow. The 2nd team were forced to concede Saturday's game to Chatburn as we were unable to find a ground to play on.

Keighley Cup hopes continue...

The 1st XI cruised to an easy 3 wicket win against lower league Sutton in the Keighley Cup.

Solid win at Thornton...

The 1st XI got back to winning ways with a solid victory at Thornton-In-Craven. Batting first, we posted a decent total of 238, mainly thanks to 94 from Gareth Marshall & 48 from Dave Hall. In reply the home side never really got going and were restricted to just 115, with Dave Robinson taking 5-37 & Chris Welch 5-76. More detail to follow. The 2nd XI's home game against Sandy Lane was always going to be a struggle with us only managing to field 7 men! After being asked to bat by the visitors, we made a respectable 100,mainly thanks to 30's from Stuart Holmes & Russell Hogg. In reply the visitors made use of the endless gaps in the outfield and coasted to a 9 wicket victory.

Cup revenge over Haworth ...

It was a much better day for the 1st XI as we attempt to retain the Wynn Cup. Haworth batted first and were restricted to 163, in reply we coasted to a 7 wicket victory to gain some revenge for yesterday's league defeat. More details to follow.

Heavy defeats all-round...

It was another poor day for the club on Saturday as the 1st XI were defeated again, this time by high-flying Haworth. We batted first and made 166 (Gareth Marshall 42 & Steve Welch 41), but it wasn't enough as Haworth knocked them off for the loss of just 4 wickets - More details to follow . The 2nd XI suffered another horrific batting display on a very poor pitch at Carleton against Glusburn III. Batting first, we struggled to 34 all out in 31 overs. Glusburn then strolled to a 9 wicket victory that leaves us with only one league victory since April 30.

Karl's mammoth innings sets-up victory...

Martyn won the toss and decided to field in wet conditions. Once again there were no early breakthroughs as Foulridge got off to a good start. Wickets proved very hard to come by throughout as Foulridge closed on an imposing 259 for 5. Our reply got off to a steady start until we lost Stuart Holmes and Anthony Partington in the same over, at which point Karl Bennett made his way to the crease. Michael Hardaker and Karl batted in heavy rain before Mick was bowled, quickly followed by Martyn Rendell. At 70-4 Karl was partnered by Shaun Haigh (25) and put on 90 in quick time, Karl was in top form as he hit the Foulridge attack all around the ground reaching his 100 in only 61 balls, when Shaun was finally out, Russell Hogg (34) joined Karl and they shared an unbeaten partnership of 90 to see us home in just 31 overs. Karl finished with a majestic 148 not out in just 86 balls, it was one of the finest innings ever witnessed at Cullingworth.

Bad day at the office for both teams...

In a high-scoring game at home to Embsay, the visitors came out on top, recording a narrow 2 wicket win. Batting first we managed a healthy 241-7, but it proved to be a bit short as the visitors scraped home, finishing on 244-8. More details to follow. The 2nd XI made the short journey to Eldwick & Gilstead, and encountered a very talented young side. Our lack of bowling penetration and poor catching was again evident as the home team racked-up a massive 259-7 in their 45 overs. It looked like they were heading for an even bigger total until Stuart Holmes was surprisingly brought into the attack, and took 4-15 off 4 overs! Our reply started slowly, with too many batsmen getting themselves out. Only Martyn Rendell got to grips with the attack and finished with an excellent 65 not out in our total of 141.

Shocking day for second team...

The 1st XI got their 2006 Keighley Cup campaign off to a good start with a win at Airedale. Report to follow. The 2nd XI had 'one of those days' in their 2nd round Cowling Cup tie at home to Chatburn. After winning the toss and batting first on what was a decent wicket, we folded like a pack of cards and were rolled-over for just 39, with only Mick Hardaker (18) and Alistair Campbell (14no) offering any resistance to the visitors accurate but unspectacular bowling. In reply, the visitors lost one wicket and coasted to any easy 9 wicket victory.

Poor day as both teams lose...

The 1st XI's trip to last years Champions Barrowford was a fruitless journey, with the home team notching their first victory of the season. We batted first and made a reasonable 197-7 with Steve Welch scoring 56, Gareth Marshall 43 and Andy Hodgson 36no. In reply, Barrowford's match winner Ajmal Choudrhy was dropped early in his innings, which proved to be costly as his 124 not out helped condemn us to a heavy 9 wicket defeat. Things went slightly better for the 2nd XI at home to Denholme, although we still ended-up losing. On what was a very warm day, Denholme won the toss and batted first, posting a formidable 256-8, with only Karl Bennett (3-47), Ryan Wilkinson (3-86) and Adam Wellington (2-30) getting any joy from a hard, dry pitch. Our reply didn't start well, losing the top 3 with just 21 on the board, but solid middle order performances from Karl Bennett (46), Martyn Rendell (55), Alistair Campbell (36) and Iain Wilson (42no) meant we finished just 28 runs shy on 228-8.

Cup run continues...

Again, the toss was lost and Congs elected to bat first. Gareth Marshall had Congs’ captain Andy Copping caught by wicket keeper Aidy Powis for 2 which gave us the best start possible. After being 57 for 1, wickets fell quickly, only Chris Dibb (27) and Chris Hemsley (25) offered any stern resistance to our consistent and aggressive bowling. David Robinson again doing most of the damage with 4-16 off 8.2 overs. In reply Cullingworth started badly with both openers back in the pavilion for 10 runs on the board. It was left to Shane Whitford (33) and Gareth Marshall with 88 not out, which included 9 fours and 7 sixes, facing only 51 balls to inflict a heavy defeat on the opposition.
All in all it turned out to be a good win, but we must improve on this performance if we are to achieve any silver ware at the business end of the season.

Poor defeat against rivals...

The 1st XI hosted our local rivals, Oakworth. Captain, Steve Welch lost another toss and Oakworth decided to bat first. Steady progress was made by the top order, 58 for 2 after 20 overs. The middle order accelerated the run rate until Joel Gallagher (75), Mick Scarborough (30) and Graham Rankin (35) were out. After the crucial stands were broken the last 7 wickets fell for 29 runs, David Robinson returning figures of 4-43 off 13. Our innings never got started losing a wicket in the first over, and losing wickets at regular intervals. Only a last wicket stand of 27 between Danny O’Hara and David Robinson, along with a confident 31 from Aidy Powis stood up to the straight bowling of the Oakworth attack.
This loss may have put a dent in our title ambitions, however, I am sure that our will to win and never say die attitude will return in when we meet the form teams in the coming weeks. The 2nd XI's visit to Gargrave ended in a tied game, exactly 2 years to the day since our previous tied game at Wilsden. Martyn won the toss and decided to bat on a decent looking track, but our innings started badly, losing the top 3 for just 25. We were back on track after a good fourth wicket partnership between Anthony Partington (37) and Alistair Campbell (25), which was followed by an excellent knock of 52 by Russ Hogg. We were eventually all out for 154 in the 45th over. Gargrave made a steady start to their run chase, the first breakthrough didn't arrive untill the 10th over, when Martyn had finished a lacklustre spell and replaced himself with debutant Chris Mazey, who took a wicket in his first over and finished with 3-39. Wickets fell at regular intervals after that to leave the home side needing 70 runs with just 3 wickets remaining, but... the bowling was loose & the tail wagged! Martyn came back to bag 2 wickets late on, and then in what turned-out to be the final over, Russell was swept to the boundary by their number 11 to tie the scores at 154, and then 2 balls later the same batsman missed a straight one and was out to a plumb LBW decision which rounded-off a good day for Russ Hogg who finished with 4-50.

Mixed fortunes in local derbies...

The 1st XI made the short trip to Ingrow and were rewarded with a comfortable 116 run victory. Batting first, we posted a reasonable total of 185-5, Chris Welch finishing 53 not out, and then skittled the home side for 69 with Dave Robinson taking 4-16 and Chris Welch rounding off an excellent personal performance with 4-6 - a result which leaves us fourth in the Division 1 table, five points behind the leaders Thornton-in-Craven. The 2nd XI were hosting a table-topping Long Lee side who were high on confidence, which showed in their batting, as after losing the toss and being put in to bat on what turned-out to be a decent track, they posted a total of 216-7 (Russ Hogg 3-49) with some solid top-order batting. The reply started brightly with an opening partnership of 88 (Mick Hardaker 47 & Stuart Holmes 27) followed by knocks of 29 by Steve Dinsdale & 23 from Martyn Rendell, but some strange shot selection and poor running between the wickets meant that yet again we failed to reach the winning post, finishing 20 runs short on 196 all out.

Rain reigns supreme...

The 1st XI's visit of Cowling and the 2nd XI's short trip to Ingrow were both victims of the torrential rain we've had in the past few days.

Cup wins for both teams...

The 1st XI are through to the next round of the Wynn Cup after the visitors, J. Nelsons had to forfeit the tie as they were unable to raise a team. The 2nd XI had a good victory in the drizzle and gloom at Riddlesden. Having lost the toss and been put in by the home team, we made a steady start, although the first 3 wickets were lost at regular intervals. Mick Hardaker weighed-in at the top with 28, and was followed by some solid middle-order batting from Karl Bennett (32), Martyn Rendell (37) and an excellent knock of 61no by Anthony Partington which allowed us to reach 201-8 off our 45 overs. In reply, the home team never looked like reaching their target and were sent back to the dressing room for just 62 (Russ Hogg 5-29, Karl Bennett 2-3), giving us a 139 run victory and a place in the 2nd round of the Cowling Cup.

Rain is the winner in both games...

After starting the game late due to the recent rain and losing the toss, things could have been better. We were asked to bat first and made steady progress until Aidy Powis (10) was caught at point with the score on 24. Steve Welch (43) & Shane Whitford (24) put on 40 runs in 6 overs before Steve was caught to a tumbling catch by the evergreen Gary Coyle. We finished our innings on 166 for 8 of the agreed 35 overs. Unfortunately the light drizzle started while we took tea. This meant that Sandy Lane’s innings could not be started unless the light rain ceased. The umpires made a pitch inspection at 5.50pm and deemed that the pitch would be fit for no more play even with over 2 hours of possible play remaining. At home, the 2nd XI didn't even get started against Oakworth III as the pitch was deemed to be unplayable.

First eleven back to winning ways...

The 1st XI got back to winning ways at home to Bingley Congs. The Visitors batted first and struggled throughout, posting a below-average total of 101 (David Robinson 4-17, Gareth Marshall 4-32). Our reply didn't start off brilliantly, losing wickets at regular intervals but we were eventually guided home by Guy Flanaghan (26no) & Andrew Hodgson (14no) to complete a five wicket victory. The 2nd XI had a miserable day across the border at Pendle Forest III. After winning the toss and putting the home side in, there were at least 7 dropped catches in Pendle's total of 142, with only Karl Bennett (5-33) getting any reward. The batting was even worse than the fielding (but only just!) with a string of very weak dismissals leaving us 69 all out, with only Stuart Holmes showing the application that's needed with a solid 23 in a dismal 73 run defeat.

Victorious first Sunday game for the second eleven...

The first of four Sunday league matches for the 2nd XI this season saw them complete a weekend win double after easing to victory over Riddlesden. Having won the toss and decided to bat, the visitors never really got going & were bowled out for 81, with Dave Hall returning with figures of 7-18. In reply, we lost an early wicket but Stuart Holmes (35no) & George Fletcher with 30 (playing his final game of the season before heading around the world) eased us home to complete a comfortable 7 wicket victory.

Cup final rematch ends in defeat...

The 1st XI had a rematch with their 2005 Wynn Cup Final opponents, Glusburn, but things didn't go to plan this time, bringing our first loss of the season. We batted first and posted a decent total of 225 (Gareth Marshall 50), but a poor start in the field allowed Glusburn to reach 50-0 in only the 5th over and we never really recovered as Glusburn reached their target in the final over, completing a 2 wicket victory. Back in Cullingworth our 2nd XI won the toss against Skipton CI and decided to bat first, posting a total of 160 (Mick Hardaker 54, Martyn Rendell 33) off just 30 overs. In return SCI made very slow progress & were eventually bowled-out in the 41st over for just 86, with Russell Hogg returning lifetime best figures of 8-29.

Both teams open with a victory...

A good start to the season for the 1st XI, posting a total of 261 (Chris Welch 106no & Gareth Marshall 97) and then bowling Bradley out for 90 (Gareth Marshall 3-28) to complete a 171 run victory. The 2nd XI made hard work of a 3 Wicket win at Chatburn. After bowling the home side out for 73 (Russ Hogg 6-40 & Martyn Rendell 4-30) there was a major collapse leaving us 4-4 & 5-5 but a good partnership between Stuart Holmes (8) and Martyn Rendell (47no) saw us home with 3 wickets to spare.