Donwell delivers for Austerlands

IF anyone had offered Austerlands a top-five finish in the Armstrongs Office Furniture Saddleworth and District Cricket League season in April, they would have snapped their hands off.

Well, after a 47-run defeat of Stayley at Millbrook, they sit second in the table. So far so good then for Kevin Du Feu’s side at the mid-way point.

Austerlands, last year’s beaten Tanner Cup finalists, deserve their success after transforming their Thorpe Lane ground and building one of the best junior set-ups in the league.

They are now performing on the pitch and, in Donwell Hector, they boast a bright, young professional whose enthusiasm for cricket is a joy to watch.

The 19-year-old West Indian, who plays for the Windward Islands alongside Friarmere’s paid man Liam Sebastien, swatted 92 from only 61 balls and instigated three run outs, which included a brilliant piece of work to remove Miles Barnes.

Adam Young also merits plenty of praise after a patient knock of 72. The opener took 16 balls to score his first run, but stuck around until the 43rd over as Austerlands amassed 284 for seven.

Young and Hector were dropped early on in their innings — Stayley put down five catches altogether — but they showed enough determination and skill to make the most of their escapes.

Overseas amateur Pubudu Seneviratne and Dave Oldfield, with 32 and 28 respectively, offered valuable back-up, while only Paul Littlewood and Imran Asghar could take any credit of the seven bowlers employed by Stayley.

Littlewood claimed three for 75, including the wicket of Young, and Asghar’s seven overs went for just 20 runs which, in the context of the game, was a good effort.

Despite requiring more than six runs an over, Stayley would have fancied their chances after successfully chasing 330 against Baxenden two weeks earlier.

At 171 for two with 14 overs to go — Alex Peters and Lou Adair had been and gone — the home side were solid favourites. Rehan Rafiq and Steven Bird, who batted beautifully to reach his half-century, seemed in control.

But the fall of Bird for 59 lifted spirits in the Austerlands camp and when Adnan Farooq was run out for a rapid 18 to leave Stayley 206 for four with 11 overs to go, the game was back in the balance.

However, it quickly swung in Austerlands favour as Rafiq lost two partners in quick succession.

Soon it was the Pakistani professional’s turn to trudge back to the pavilion when Seneviratne held a stunning catch off his own bowling.

With Rafiq gone for 102, captain Ronnie Cameron followed the very next ball.

Stayley’s innings had disintegrated and, when Hector ran out John Paul Foden, Austerlands’ job was done.