Huddersfield Under 17s are out of the Joe Lumb Cup after a 15-run loss to Halifax at Slaithwaite.
The visitors made only 166 with Siraj Sajid taking five wickets and Tommy Woodhead three, but Huddersfield were sent back for 151 – with Harry Franklin’s 36 the top score – and they finished second in the group.
Huddersfield will rue missing the play-offs because, on paper, they had a strong side including players representing Yorkshire and Lancashire juniors, so a second-placed finish is disappointing.
Now, all they can hope is that the class of 2016 will emulate the successes of 2006 and 2012 in the next Joe Lumb competition.
Knowing only a win would put them into the semi-finals, Alec Jakeman won the toss for Huddersfield and elected to field – taking advantage of the cloudy overhead conditions and a wicket with lift for the seam bowlers.
Huddersfield broke the opening partnership in the fourth over – Meltham’s Jack Hinchliffe having Norcliffe caught in the gully.
Captain Connor Ryan and Spendlow then counter-attacked, straight driving Hinchliffe and pulling Jakeman’s shorter deliveries. The pair had raised the total to 46 before Jakeman caught Spendlow off Tommy Woodhead for 16 in the 15th over.
Ryan then built a productive partnership with Hosker – 50 runs in the next 13 overs – before Rastrick junior player Siraj Sajid bowled Hosker for 34, leaving Halifax 96-3 in the 28th.
Siraj bowled exceptionally well from the Marsden end during his allotted 15 overs, varying his speed, length and using his quicker ball to devastating effect.
Ryan struggled to read the spin and was trapped in front for 39 in the 32nd over, Overend was bowled in the 34th over, Stott was caught in the deep in the 36th and Graham was caught in front of the clubhouse in the 42nd. This left Halifax 141-7 and Siraj having bowled all his overs for 5-53.
Tommy Woodhead replaced Sajid and had Leonard caught for three in the 46th over and (following a run out in the 47th) had Westoby caught behind from the penultimate ball of the innings to leave Halifax 166 all out.
Woodhead finished with three for 38 from 11 and all Huddersfield’s bowlers bowled tightly – nobody going for over 3.5 runs per over.
Having faced some short-pitched bowling during their innings, the Halifax bowlers were keen to reciprocate.
The Huddersfield openers ducked and weaved until the sixth over when Delph’s Nathan Jones lobbed an easy catch leaving Huddersfield 15-1.
Golcar’s Mohammed Ali hit a century against York, but was bamboozled by Gardner in the ninth over this time. Scholes’ Jack Cooper was caught in the 12th, leaving Huddersfield 27-3 and in trouble.
Jakeman then joined the other opener, Franklin of Upperthong juniors.
After facing some of his own short-pitched bowling, Jakeman aggressively counter-attacked, scoring 32 from 36 deliveries, including three maximums.
Eventually, however, he lobbed an easy catch to the keeper, leaving Huddersfield 72-4 in the 24th. Lepton’s Jacob Mulhall departed in the following over for no score and then Siraj was caught close to the wicket in the 27th.
At 74-6 Huddersfield had a mountain to climb. Watching the carnage from the other end was Franklin, who had batted defensively for 18 from 27 overs.
Franklin found an able partner in Jack Hinchliffe, though, and they put on 39 for the seventh wicket, before Franklin ran himself out attempting a second in the 36th over – Huddersfield needing 53 from 14 with three wickets left.
Hinchliffe shared a partnership of 12 with Woodhead for the eighth wicket, until the latter was caught.
Zafar batted positively, lifting the ball over the fielders and at 143-8 with seven overs remaining, it looked like Huddersfield would win.
However, in the 44th over, Hinchliffe was adjudged caught behind for an excellent 29 and, two overs later, Zafar edged one to the keeper and Huddersfield ended 15 runs short.
Leg-spinner Hosker conceded only 35 runs in his 15 overs and Stott’s left-arm pace claimed five for 29.
