Proud skipper Darren Robinson hailed his team’s fighting spirit as underdogs Barkisland pulled off a sensational 14-run Sykes Cup final victory over Scholes.
The Woodfield side looked under the cosh in the 96th arrowselfdrive showpiece at Elland as the Drakes Premiership leaders reached 109-2 in reply to Barkisland’s 165-8, needing just 67 from 20 overs with eight men still in the pavilion.
But canny off-spinner Matt Steers got the vital wicket of classy Northern Districts batsman Joe Carter for 56 – to end a 71-run partnership with teenager Toby Booth (36) – and Barkisland’s ray of hope turned into a beacon of success as eight wickets fell for just 42 runs and Scholes were all out for 151.
Robinson, winning his second Sykes Cup at the age of 35 and switching his bowlers with skill, beamed: “That was a fantastic performance from us, we stuck together and never gave up – all the way to the end.
“Scholes were going along nicely, knocking the runs around, and we just needed to change things around as much as we could to try and find a wicket from somewhere.
“The bowlers stuck to it, we fielded really well, taking some fantastic catches, and once we’d got the main men the wickets just tumbled.
“We knew that runs on the board would bring pressure and the bowlers stuck to the plans, bowled their lines and everyone stuck together to pull it off.
“It was a brilliant team effort and all the lads deserve massive credit, because we’ve come a long way over the last few years and all the work – both on and off the pitch – has paid off.
“We’ve got a lot of young lads in our side, we are set up nicely for the future and I’m just delighted for everyone involved with the club. It’s brilliant.”
Steers, who opened the bowling with Alex Scholefield (one for 38 from 10), was selected as the Jim Dawson man of the match, sponsored by North Light Physiotherapy Associates, for his four for 32 haul from 10 overs which ripped the heart out of the Scholes middle order once Pete Drysdale had gone for 18 and Tom Chadwick for seven.
After snaring Carter, who was caught at backward square by Seth Oddy after hitting 10 fours in his 73-ball 56, Steers picked up Tom Brook for three, Jono Boult for the same score and skipper James Noble for two as Scholes – who also lost Booth to Robinson – drained five wickets for just 22 runs inside 10 match-deciding overs.
Once Steers had finished his spell at the Grammar School end, Australian leg-spinner Chris Williams was put on from the scoreboard side and kept up the pressure by clean bowling Louis Brook for two to complete figures of two for 33 from his 10.
Robinson then delivered the killer blows himself, picking up Tommy Boorman for 11 and wicketkeeper Richard Holmes lbw as Josh Brook was left stranded – the captain had figures of three for 26 off 8.1 – and the Barkisland celebrations began.
On a good-looking pitch, which proved harder to score on than most would have thought, Robinson won the toss and batted, but they came up against some accurate bowling from Louis and Tom Brook and had lost Alex Kaye (12 off 30 including one four) and Jamie Summerscales (eight off 23, one boundary) in reaching 31-2 in 15 patient overs.
When the in-form Luke Bridges went for just six, Scholes looked in the box seat as Barkisland were held at 43-3 off 20 overs, but talented Kiwi Tim Seifert – a teammate of Carter and Boult at Northern Districts – was in partnership with a confident-looking Scholefield and they moved the score to 78-3 in 30.
They brought up the hundred in the 35th over and Seifert went to his half century off 89 balls in the 41st over with the scoreboard showing 123-3.
Scholefield was out in the next, caught by Josh Brook off Boult for 44 off 81 deliveries, including four boundaries, and Seifert followed with five overs left after scoring 58 off 97 balls (five fours and a six).
Robinson was then brilliantly stumped by Holmes off Chadwick, who exploited the conditions excellently from the Grammar School end to finish with four for 31 from eight overs, and both Steers and Oddy were out towards the close, when teenager Jake Finch was one not out and keeper Phil Ackroyd hit the last ball of the innings for four to post 165-8.
At that point, a crowd of 800 had no idea of the excitement to come in a final excellently umpired by Colin Davis and Bobby Gartside, but Barkisland produced the goods against the odds and Scholes’ spell without the Sykes Cup stretches into a 20th year.
