Late assault sees Heyside home

Reporter: KEVIN RICHARDSON
Date online: 31 August 2010

CRICKET: HEYSIDE cheers bounced off the hills surrounding Friarmere’s West View ground as Nick Campbell’s side retained the Saddleworth and District Cricket League’s Twenty20 Cup last night.

The Little Hey Street outfit possessed a touch more know-how to edge out Moorside with five wickets and two balls to spare.

Luckily for the respectable crowd and in sharp contrast to the tedious Tanner Cup showdown between Uppermill and Bamford Fieldhouse 24 hours earlier, the final was in the balance up until the last over.

Heyside, at one stage cruising to victory when John Selby and professional Roelof Hugo were together, suddenly found they required 22 runs from 18 deliveries on a ground where boundaries are always hard to come by.

Moorside were back in the fight, only for Steve Firth to land a couple of decisive knock-out blows.

He first sent Lee Warburton to the boundary in the 18th over which contained nine priceless runs for Heyside, before lifting Danny Anchor straight back over his head for six.

Moorside were in confident mood after conquering, in the morning, an Uppermill team quite literally hung over from their Tanner Cup defeat. For last year’s beaten finalists, a 10.30am start in bright sunshine was hardly the cure for a thick head.

But Warburton’s men were unable to stamp any authority with the bat in the final, and a score of 113 for eight never seemed enough to trouble a stronger Heyside batting line-up.

Matt Britton, who hit 58 in the first last-four tie, was troubled by a shoulder injury sustained in the field against Uppermill and made just nine — the opener was also unable to bowl — and Richard Baines offered similar resistance.

Paid man JP Lee was run out by an excellent piece of work from Ryan Barnes and Hugo for 12, while Miles Barnes and Lee Warburton could only manage seven each as Heyside tightened their grip.

Without unavailable overseas amateur Lloyd Kingston, Moorside’s hopes of a sizeable total rested on Anchor, and the former Saddleworth and Micklehurst batsmen did his level best to keep the lads from Turf Pit Lane in the contest.

Scoring freely on either side of the wicket, Anchor struck five fours and was in sight of a deserved half-century when he was bowled by Campbell for 46.

Danny Cashin, with figures of one for 14 from four overs, was the best of a decent Heyside bowling display. However, like his team-mates, he profited from a side who appeared intent on chasing boundaries instead of accruing regular ones and twos.

Heyside, who are almost certainties to finish as runners-up in the league, made solid start to their reply, but the loss of Campbell (one) and Mark Barnes (four) in a fine spell from Aaron Barnes (two for 14) checked their progress at 27 for two.

Opener Selby and Hugo, who hit an unbeaten 42 in the semi-final win over Austerlands, restored order with a third-wicket stand of 36, before the South Africa pro was held superbly by Anchor just in from the boundary for 17.

Selby, who played well for 41, and Ben Holt (14) added an invaluable 30 in four overs, but a required scoring rate of more than a run-a-ball still gave Moorside cause for optimism.

But hope turned to despair as Firth, who played for Norden in the CLL last year, opened his shoulders to devastating effect to finish on 15 not out.