SHEPLEY Seconds ended a 35-year wait by winning the Spectum Interiors Paddock Shield with a 50-run victory over Elland.
Playing on their Marsh Lane ground, Shepley won the toss and batted first but found runs hard to come by, and by the mid-point of the innings were still only 57-3.
Ashley Littlewood, Ian Parry and Nigel Hoyle all got into the 20s but were unable to take it on, and although skipper Rob Denton hit three boundaries, he was bowled soon after by promising young seamer James O’Connell, and Shepley were looking in deep trouble at 98-6, with only nine overs remaining and Elland clearly on top.
Steve Jennings had sent down a fine 12-over spell taking two for 24, while O’Connell also impressed from the car park end with three for 48 from his 12-over stint, including the important scalp of Rob Denton.
However, home keeper Adam Carter had other ideas and ensured his teammates would have something to defend when he compiled a match-winning innings of 31 not out, supported by his last two batsmen, Chris Cox and Oliver Huntington, as between them they took the score up to 152-9 at the close.
Elland’s reply was soon on the back foot when opener Richard Whiteoak guided a Sam Denton delivery straight to Parry and after the opening 10 overs from Denton and Chris Cox the visitors had limped to 16-1.
Jonathan Shackcloth thumped a couple of sixes in his side’s top score of 32, but after easing into a decent position, Elland lost three wickets for three runs, and then lost two more with the score on 75 as spinners Rob Denton (two for 15) and Jason Thorpe (one for 35) exerted a stranglehold in the middle of the innings.
And that left Huntington to deliver the ‘coup de grace’ by taking three for 15 at the death to dismiss the Hullen Edge side for 102, which also won him the man-of-the-match award.
