Bingley fear being at Sharp end of the table

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Monday 27th Jun 2005.

A few more performances like Saturday's and Bradford & Bingley could be another name that is thrown into the SDS Bradford League Division One relegation melting pot.

"We've just been talking about that in the dressing room and we are very worried," confessed Bingley captain Carl Sharp after they had been dismissed for 102 at Farsley and lost by six wickets.

"If we carry on batting like that we are going to get drawn right down, and we are at the halfway point of the season and all the teams at the bottom will be wanting to play us."

As far as making runs are concerned, Sharp admitted that his team seem too reliant on Mark Beckett and himself, who were the top scorers in Bingley's 43.4 over capitulation to Farsley skipper Ian Philliskirk, who returned his best-ever figures of seven for 35.

"We are not batting well as a team" said Sharp, "and we aren't batting 50 overs, which is criminal.

"Lance Shaw did well with the ball, but we had nothing to bowl at - 100 clearly wasn't enough; if we had got 180 it might have been a good game."

Farsley's Ashley Metcalfe, who finished the match off in quick time with an unbeaten 56, praised his captain Philliskirk for a devastating spell.

The former Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire player said: "Ian bowled really well. He bowls wicket to wicket at not a great pace, but uses his skill and ability to make it difficult for batsmen, and he is deceptively difficult."

With both sides hovering above the drop zone, Farsley and Bingley were under no illusions as to how important this contest was.

"It was crucial," said Metcalfe. "We have targeted this three or four-week period in terms of getting points.

"We had a good win at Idle last time out and wanted to keep that going, and next Saturday we have Morley away where we need to pick up another six points.

"If you don't win these sort of games then you are in a desperate fight for survival over the last month of the season, and there are a lot of good sides in a very similar position."

So what's the difference between Ashley Metcalfe the full-time cricketer and Ashley Metcalfe the experienced Bradford League player?

"About 20 years," laughed the veteran of 216 first-class matches who made his debut for Yorkshire in 1983 and finished his first-class career 14 years later

The 41-year-old added: "I am light years away from what I was, but I am a lot older and maybe a little bit wiser.

"I am like everyone else now in that I work hard all week - I often don't have time to practise - and look forward to playing cricket on a Saturday."

As for his innings, which included nine fours and a six, Metcalfe said: "I enjoyed it. I am not having the best of seasons with the bat but things have started to come together over the last couple of weeks."

Bingley can only hope that all-rounder Richard McCarthy is available next week after missing the last two matches. He is suffering from a particularly bad dose of chicken pox and, apart from being covered in spots, some are inside his mouth and about all he can eat is ice cream!

A fine inswinger by Craig Hitchenor started Bingley's slide in the 12th over and Sharp changed bats when the score was 42 but was out without addition.

Haroon Rashid's bad trot continued with a first-ball duck, and Richard Nichols holed out at midwicket, much as Sharp had perished at mid-on.

Wicketkeeper John Goldthorp dropped Rob Walker standing up when he was nought, but caught him later anyway for a duck, and Bingley's mini-revival from 49 for five was started by some nicely-timed shots by Beckett, Sam Anderson and Craig Cockshott.

Stephen Simpson began Farsley's innings in unusual fashion, running for a two first ball but also profiting from four overthrows.

Fellow opener Gareth Lee was unlucky to be given out lbw and Goldthorp left one that came back and bowled him to make it 23 for two.

Simpson scored 31 (two sixes, three fours) out of 36 before being trapped lbw by Nichols, and Philliskirk was deceived by a flighted Matthew Cockshott delivery after a partnership of 56 with Metcalfe.

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