WHAT a fantastic performance from Shelley Seconds to lift the Heavy Woollen District’s Crowther Cup this week.
It’s perhaps ironic that after all the club’s investment and first team re-building, it’s the second team who have got among the silverware this time.
Nevertheless, it was an excellent all-round team performance, and great to see one of our Drakes League sides finally picking up an external trophy.
It has been a long time coming, the last victors being Elland, who also lifted the Crowther Cup in 1996 when led by Dave Brier.
They beat Mirfield by eight wickets (also at Morley), having won it two years previous when defeating Scholes in an all-Huddersfield final by 20 runs at Heckmondwike, when Robert Keywood was the Hullen Edge skipper.
Shelley captain David Greaves was understandably thrilled at his side’s success on Monday, describing it as ‘a great all-round team effort.’
“I’m thrilled to bits with the way the lads played. Everyone has played their part in getting us to the final and then winning it.
“It’s great for the Shelley club and for the Huddersfield League to have one of their sides win this trophy.”
Keighley’s returning skipper Alan Birkett threatened at one stage to take it away from them, scoring an unbeaten 89, which could have been many more had he been able to ‘farm the strike’ better, or indeed, batted throughout the entire 50 overs (they gave up almost three full overs after being all out for 176).
A lot of credit has to go to Shelley’s closing bowlers, Gareth Wakefield and Danny Greenwood, each of whom took three wickets, but it was their tight bowling at the death, coupled to canny field settings by Greaves, which kept Birkett away from the strike and exposed the tail, which was then exploited.
And when the portly Keighley captain chanced a single off the first ball of the 47th over, it was to prove costly as Paul Goodman caught quick bowler Alex Towler off the next delivery. Birkett was later voted man-of-the-match, although he really played in only half of it, having left the field early in Shelley’s reply with a ‘knee injury’ which resulted in a young, agile fielder taking his place.
“It would have been nice if John Andrew had been given the man-of-the-match award for his all-round performance,” said Shelley’s top scorer Gary Eastwood.
“John took an early wicket and bowled a really tight 10-over spell for just 25 runs at the start of their innings, and then he came in with us needing a lift and cracked a crucial 29 runs in quick time, which I thought might just have tipped it for him.
“But it was great to win, and good to see officials, umpires and other people from the Drakes League there to support us.
“It was a hard trophy to win, because there are a lot of tough sides in the competition. We reached the semis last year, before losing to eventual winners Barnsley, and we said then we wanted to go a stage further this time. And we are very pleased to have done that.”
