Another good Saturday as the 1s beat @calcc2012 with 5-11 from Tom Hudson skittling Collingham from 74-2 to 100 all out! Then the batting showed great nerve to win by 3 wickets!!!

In division three five wickets for Joel Morley (5-23) and Four for Archie Ralphs (4-44) kept St Chads to 165 all out ( having been 60-6 and 86-7) at the Homestead then a stoic 38 not out from Carlos Prowse and a cultured 40 not out from Aquib Iqbal saw the second team home by six wickets .

Meanwhile Hammad continues his reports as third team captain ….

Ziad Zips through Rawdon

J.Heath 68 , Z.Khan 5.1-1-7-6 , / M.Yeadon 35, A.Thackley 6-1-14-5

North Leeds travelled to Rawdon on bank holiday weekend for the second game of their 3XI campaign; they welcomed debutant Rajvir Dutt into their side. The good news was that the weather was warmer than it usual tends to be up there.

Rawdon skipper I.Vinall won the toss and elected to field. J.Heath and T.Aldred opened up the batting for Leeds. Tom started patiently as you expect any opener to do; he rotated strike to get himself in. John on the other hand went berserk right from the off, any ball off line/length was slammed with distain to the fence, all around the ground. After 10 overs the score was 80-0 and John had reached his 50 in double quick time. The youngster O.Holmes broke the Leeds terrific opening stand on 95 as Rawdon begun to slow the scoring rate. His flighted spin had John very well caught at long-off for an enterprising 68, N.Russell covered ground well. W.Arshad joined Tom at the wicket at number 3, the former begun to play more flowingly as he struck the ball well down the ground and cow corner to the fence.

At drinks the score was 122-1. A.Thackley grabbed Rawdon their second a short while later with the score on 138, Tom’s cut shot was caught low down in the point region by J.Doidge, ending a well complied 43.With Leeds in comfortable position, things went pair shaped for them. Cricket is a funny game and it can twist and turn very quickly, so it proved to be. A.Iqbal one of the star men from Saturday was bowled for 1 by O.Holmes. He completely lost it somewhere in the hills as there are no side screens. The only ground in the league I think where they are not required due to feet above sea level, something like that anyway. Waqar on 18 then pulled one straight to O.Holmes at midwicket as A.Thackley bagged his second. Anil on 1 was then his third victim as the ball held in the wicket a touch and caught his top edge; it went high in the sky and was safely pouched by S.Austin at mid-on. R.Dutt on debut soon followed him back to the shed for 0; he flicked one straight to R.Byrom at square leg, off the bowling of J.Hill. 138-1 had become 144-6 in a matter of a few overs; Leeds had smashed the self destruct button, losing 5 for 6!

Ten runs had been added before U.Mir was the next to go on 5, A.Thackley produced a nip backer which caught the inside edge and crashed into the top off stump. D.Ralphs demoted to number 9 because he was not ready now made his way to the middle. It was time for the skipper H.Ahmad to show his departed middle order Asian brethren how to score some runs, he played a fine cover drive to get things moving. Duncan on 4 then unfortunately got one in the wrong place for him, A.Thackley produced an absolute jaffar. It nipped away from a length down the hill to kiss the off stump, giving him a very well deserved 5 for. C.Hutton was next in and the first priorty was to bat the remaining overs. The skipper nudged the ball around well, Charlie showed composure and power as he whacked 3 fours .The pair put on 30 in 5 overs to propel Leeds to 194-8 after things looked so dicey. Hammad finished on 24*and Charlie a run a ball 15*.

Tea time had everyone watching Arsenal vs Brighton, they drew anyway so who cares. The skipper opened up for Leeds and seemed to have J.Hopkinson caught behind by Duncan early on, or so they thought, it was deemed bat hitting ground. T.Aldred got Leeds the official breakthrough after a few leg before appeals had not gone the Leeds way. Hopkinson clean bowled for 5.16-1 after 8.Things were steady from there on as M.Yeadon played the more aggressive role, carving a few fours through extra cover, together with J.Doidge they slowly formed a partnership. Hammad eventually got Leeds their second, J.Doidge lbw for 8. 42-2.

The introduction of Z.Khan up the hill was a crucial one as he produced a double wicket maiden in his second over. S.Austin first bowled for 1, he then swung one behind legs of J.Cullen as he left it, looked to be going down the leg side. This put the visitors right in the box seat, the score now 45-4.Ziad was nowhere near finished at that point though as he proceeded to do the exact same thing in his next over. A.Thackley the star for Rawdon with the ball was leg before wicket for 4, R.Brylum on 0 was then swiftly stumped by Duncan being only a fraction out. This put Ziad on a hat-trick; he was ever so close to it as he wrapped the Rawdon skipper I.Vinall on the pads with the score on 58-6.Things got worse for Rawdon an over later as Aqib swiftly combined with Duncan to run the Rawdon skipper out on a duck, sent back after trying to steal a quick single to backward point. U.Mir joined the wicket party as he bowled N.Russell for 2, a good moment for him as bagged his first ever senior wicket. Ziad Khan then mopped up the show to complete a sensational bowling display. He first clean bowled J.Hill for 0, a significant moment for the youngster as he claimed his maiden 5 wicket senior haul, in only his second game!
The opening batsmen M.Yeadon had enough of blocking and decided to try smash out, Ziad knocked his middle stump back for a well grafted 35 off 65 balls to give himself a 6-for. Leeds completed a comprehensive 124 run victory.

Another solid performance from the 3XI played in good spirit by both sides. More clear signs of the talent at North Leeds cricket club. Their next game will be away at Calverley in the cup in just under a fortnight’s time.