An incredible match in Mirfield on Saturday produced the largest ever cumulative run tally ever seen in the Huddersfield Cricket League where Mirfield Parish Cavaliers and Rastrick racked up some mind-boggling numbers featuring two centuries and a double century.
Both Parish and Rastrick had won their opening fixtures the previous week and Parish set out with intent by setting the visitors an imposing 429-7 target. Western Australian all-rounder Brayden Brehaut lit the touchpaper with 133 from 92 balls, an innings that contained 15 fours and 8 sixes. Dan Broadbent followed up his half-century the previous week with an incendiary 137no scored from only 54 balls. 11 fours and 12 sixes peppered the boundaries but the pyrotechnics didn’t stop there. Rastrick’s Jacob Waterson dominated his side’s reply of 357-9 with a massive double-hundred, built on some forty boundaries! The batsman-wicketkeeper left the field scoring 227no from 130 balls with 17 fours and 23 maximums.
But what of the bowlers? Rastrick employed six bowlers to stem the tide unsuccessfully with Richard Smith faring the best at just under 6 runs per over. Parish themselves had seven of their own men suffering the batting onslaught. Brehaut was the only one who managed to reflect on a respectable 5-45 at the cost of 4.50 per over but it was clearly a day to forget with the ball.
Denby also gave their umpires armache by rattling a towering score at home to Lascelles Hall. Two Denby batsmen Faisal Javed, their new signing from Elland, scored 90 and Sri Lankan Sanoj Wijetunge pummelled a brutal 102 in only 57 balls which contained 7 fours and 9 sixes. Tom Wightman managed a half century for Hall in the second innings but their 165ao was not a serious challenge to Denby’s 324-7.
From 34ao to nearly ten times that score, Slaithwaite was a much more buoyant club after a 129-run success at home to Holmfirth. Raheel Ahmed (65) and new overseas professional Blair McKenzie (52) set them on the way to 305ao, leaving it to Tommy Woodhead who followed his 30no up with 3-34 in Holmfirth’s 176ao reply.
Elsewhere, Shelley made it two wins from two with a convincing victory away at Meltham, thanks to George Barden’s fifty and Deno Baker’s 7th wicket in two matches. Meltham were dismissed for 124 and Shelley knocked them off for the loss of five wickets. Lepton Highlanders and Emley Clarence, both promoted last season, met at Wakefield Road with hosts Lepton defending their 216-8. New overseas Shasullah Dost first hit 55 and then took 3-33 to scuttle Emley’s reply. Ashley Thompson guided Clayton West to a win at Hullen Edge with former Shepley spinner Danny Wood taking 4-36 for the visitors who put up 189-7 and then bowled Elland out for 133.
