2009 Season

September 12^th – Keighley at home

The First X1 ended their season on Saturday on a disappointing note, going down at home to Keighley by 5 wickets.  The previous week’s rain had left conditions such that winning the toss was going to be vital. Keighley duly called correctly and asked Morley to bat.  Opening bowlers, Ross Towler and Paul Quinlan, exploited the conditions perfectly with Towler taking 4 wickets and Quinlan 5.  Australian Jake Best grabbed the remaining wicket as Morley were dismissed for 88.

Adam Larkin showed some resistance with 24, including a six that resulted in the ball becoming imbedded in the Clubhouse roof.  Colin Nuthall (13) and Dave Nebard (11) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

Best led the Keighley reply with 38, but Morley did put up a fight and picked up 5 wickets courtesy of Nathan Bromby (2), Josh Walker (2) and Tom Smith (1).   Davidson rounded things off with a six for the visitors to post a winning total of 90-5 to bring the First X1 season to an end.

August 29th - Great Horton away
The First X1 notched up another good win at Great Horton.  A patient opening partnership from Danny Lloyd (51) and Phil Carter (33) set the innings up for a big finish. Richard Jubb (35) and Colin Nuthall (17) kept things ticking along, but the score reached an amazing climax as Adam Larkin, coming in with only 6 overs left, smashed an unbeaten 46 to see Morley close at 207-4.

The home side were never really in the hunt as Josh Walker made the breakthrough with two early wickets, both cleaned bowled.  Nathan Bromby steadily worked his way through the rest of the Horton top order, picking up 4 wickets in the process, and then it was left to the spinners to mop things up, with Tom Smith taking 3 wickets and Captain Dave Nebard sealing the win with a wicket in his first spell of bowling in 3 years.

The 19 points collected ensure Morley cannot finish lower than their current 9th place.  There is still a chance they can overtake 8th placed Spen Victoria if they can register their 3rd win on the trot in the final game of the season, at home to Keighley this coming Saturday.

August 22nd – Hartshead Moor at home
The First X1 pulled off an exciting 3 run win in a hard fought game with Hartshead Moor at Scatcherd Lane.  Morley batted first and some tight bowling made it difficult to score runs. Gradually, though, opener Danny Lloyd began to find the boundaries, Good support from Richard Jubb (26) and Ash Daly (21) enabled Morley to build a total and Lloyd himself was eventually dismissed after scoring a fine innings of 61. There was then a wobble as the visitors Jamie Priestley put in an impressive bowling stint, gaining 3 wickets in the process, before Colin Nuthall (25) put some momentum back into the home side’s innings. David Nebard also hit 25 as he remained unbeaten at the end as his side closed on 185-7.

Morley then made the perfect start to the Hartshead innings with Nathan Bromby clean bowling overseas player Lachlan Hall with the very first ball. Two more wickets fell to Bromby, one courtesy of a superb running catch by Ash Daly, and at this stage Morley seemed well in control.  Hartshead’s Graham Hilton had other ideas though as he took the fight back on his way to a good innings of 41. Hilton then became one of three victims to fall to Ash Daly as the young leg spinner turned the game once more in Morley’s favour. Two of Daly’s victims were catches taken by Richard Jubb, the second of which was particularly memorable as the fielder held his nerve and stood fast under a towering hit that seemed to take an age to come down.

Daly’s emergence as an all-round player of real promise has been one of the definite highlights of the season and he underlined that promise in this game with bat, ball and in the field. With Tom Smith weighing in with another wicket in a tidy spell of bowling, Morley were now pressing hard for a win. Once again though, the visitor’s batsmen fought back. The eighth wicket stand seeing Hartshead’s own talented young all rounder, Priestley, and Joel Pollard edge their side back on top as they kept up with the run rate to perfection.

Josh Walker crowned another good bowling spell with the wicket of Pollard, and then found himself bowling the last over with Hartshead needing 7 to win with two wickets left. The Australian was well up to the task and his tight bowling produced panic amongst the visitor’s tail with two run outs, one from the last ball, sealing a great win as the second innings closed on 182 all out.

August 15^th – Bowling Old Lane away

Saturday saw the First X1 travel to Bowling Old Lane, where heavy midday rain caused the match to be reduced to 42 overs each.  Morley then proceeded to make fairly heavy weather of their own, despite another fast start courtesy of opener Danny Lloyd who raced to 28. Four run outs didn't help the cause too much and only another 28, this time from Captain Dave Nebard allowed the visitors to reach respectability on 139 all out, in the last over.

With storm clouds looming, BOL had to make a fast start of their own, and 15-0 from the first two overs provided exactly that. The rain then returned and washed out any hopes of further play, with Morley picking up just 3 points.

August 8th - Idle away

The Firsts travelled to Idle and made a great start as Nathan Bromby dismissed the home side’s top 3 to leave them reeling on 20-3. Idle’s Greg Pickles then took control as he scored 106, taking his side to 215-8.  Bromby finished with 5 wickets and there was one each for Josh Walker, Ash Daly and Liam Fynn.

Morley made a brilliant start in reply, rushing to 85-0, with Danny Lloyd playing some excellent attacking strokes before his dismissal for 48. The consistent Phil Carter contributed another 40 but after that the innings fizzled out, ending on 182-9.

August 1^st - Lightcliffe at home
The First X1 home game with Lightcliffe was washed out without a ball being bowled.

July 25th - Windhill away
The First X1 went down by 52 runs at Windhill.  The home side batted first and kept their innings ticking along at a good rate.  It was a keen contest with Morley's opening pair of Nathan Bromby and Josh Walker both made a breakthrough with a wicket each.  Windhill’s opener Neil Johnson has regularly proved a thorn in Morley's side in recent seasons and he again dominated affairs with an excellent 76.

Spinners Tom Smith (2) and Ash Daly (1) picked up wickets and kept Morley in the hunt, but a late barrage of big hitting took the home team to a close of 217-9, with Walker grabbing another victim and Richard Winn picking up 2 wickets.

In reply, Morley fell behind the required run rate and struggled to catch up. Colin Nuthall continued his excellent recent form, reaching 44 in impressive style before suffering some discomfort through an  injured calf and being dismissed shortly after.  Richard Jubb produced a lively 27, but the lower order failed to make the same impact that they have in recent games and the innings closed at 165 all out in the 47th over.

July 18^th - Bankfoot at home
The First X1 produced their best performance of the season at Scatcherd Lane on Saturday to record a stunning 21 run win over league leaders Bankfoot.  On a day when their national team were finding it hard going at Lords, Morley’s two Australians, Colin Nuthall and Josh Walker played key roles in this encouraging win.  Nuthall was called up on Saturday morning when Adam Larkin reported ill and seized his chance with an excellent attacking innings of 55. Added to yet another fine knock of 54 from opener Phil Carter, and a late unbroken 7th wicket stand by Nathan Bromley and Ash Daly, Morley posted a total of 169-6. On a drying pitch after Friday’s continual downpour, this looked a match winning total.

So it was to prove as Walker grabbed 5-41 to demolish the visitors batting with another outstanding display of fast bowling. Richard Winn (3) and Tom Smith (2) provided support as the Bankfoot innings finished in the 49th over at 148, with only captain Robert Ellis and Greg Colehan offering any resistance.

July 11^th - Underercliffe away
The First X1 went down at high flying Undercliffe by 75 runs. The home team batted first and former Morley player Chris Taylor batted throughout the innings for 109 not out.  He was aided by a quick-fire 79 from Ben Heritage as Undercliffe were able to post a total of 226-4, declared after 48 overs.  Nathan Bromby and Rchard Winn, with two each, were the only wicket takers.
 
The Morley reply started brightly, with Danny Lloyd playing some excellent shots before being dismissed for 25. Phil Carter again top scored, this time with 33, and there was an aggressive cameo from Josh Walker with 19. Richard Winn, who scored 28, took the visitors to an extra batting point before being caught on the boundary and bringing the innings to a close.

July 4th - Brighouse away

The First X1 picked up their first away win of the season and their fourth in total at Brighouse on Saturday.
 
The home side won the toss and elected to bat. Although they have been struggling this year, Brighouse have one of the best players in the league in their ranks in Captain Paul Cummins. While he was at the crease Brighouse were always in with a chance, but his dismissal for 37 to Nathan Bromby, courtesy of a fine diving catch by Ash Daly, turned the game dramatically Morley’s way. There was little more resistance and Richard Winn, returning to the First X1 for the first time in 2 years, put in a great spell of bowling to finish with 5 wickets as Brighouse finished on 122-8. Nathan Bromby (2) and Ash Daly were the other wicket takers.
 
It wasn't easy going by any means, but Morley knocked off the runs in 40 overs for the loss of 5 wickets. Phil Carter continued his excellent run of form to score 53 and set up another win that moves Morley closer to the mid-table pack.

June 27th – Spen Victoria at home
The First team produced their best performance of the season on Saturday to record a stunning 121 run victory over Spen Victoria.

There were a few welcome visitors to Scatcherd Lane on Saturday, with Paul Guthrie from Morley CC Western Australia and his partner Lee, calling in as part of their tour of Europe. Paul made a presentation of club shirts donated by the Committee of our sister club, a gesture that was warmly appreciated. The sun also made a rare appearance to produce conditions perfect for cricket.

After a good opening partnership from Phil Carter (46) and Danny Lloyd (30), the Morley innings started to lose its way a bit, mainly due to some fine bowling by the Spen spinner Maz Bhati, who took 5-35. Captain Dave Nebard steadied the ship with an innings of 33 and there was a bit of defiance from the tail, with Tom Smith scoring an unbeaten 14, but Morley were eventually all out for 163 in the last over.

Nathan Bromby set the home side firmly on the road to victory by dismissing the visitors top four to record figures of 4-27. It was looking good for Morley at this stage, but just how good it would get no one would have dared predict. Josh Walker, who plays for Morley in Perth during our off-season had promised his visiting compatriots “something special” when they came to see him play. He certainly delivered on that promise by grabbing the remaining 6 Spen wickets for just 10 runs in one of the best spells of hostile bowling seen at the ground in some time.

Spen were definitely having an off day, but Morley took full advantage and the 17 points they picked up takes them out of the bottom 3 for the first time this season and sets up an intriguing clash next week at Brighouse, another club fast improving from an indifferent start.

June 21st – Yeadon Away (Priestley Cup)
The First X1 made a good fist of their game at First Division Yeadon.  Batting first, there were good scores from the middle order with Michael Cooper top-scoring with 31 and Dave Nebard 26, Nathan Bromby 20 and Josh Walker 27 all contributing to a total of 163-9.  There were a couple of early scares for the home side with both openers returning to the pavilion for nought, but a couple of partnerships saw Yeadon through to the next round as they reached their target with 7 wickets in hand in just 36.4 overs

June 20^th – Keighley away
Morley CC lost by just 8 runs in the game at Keighley.  The home side batted first and posted 201-7 off their 50 overs.  There were 3 wickets for Rob Lintin-French on his return to Keighley, two for Tom Smith and one each for Nathan Bromby and Josh Walker.  The Morley response got off to a good start with 4 out of the top 5 getting good knocks.  Danny Lloyd top-scored with 51 and Phil Carter (40), Adam Larkin (37) and Rob Smith (41) all contributed good runs to the total.  However, no other batsman was able to get into double figures and the response fell just short on 193 all out in 49.1 overs.

June 13^th - Great Horton at home

The First X1 secured a comfortable 88 run win over bottom side Great Horton.  With Captain David Nebard unavailable, Danny Lloyd led the side for the first time in a league game. Batting first, Morley made a quick start and Lloyd was soon on 18 before being adjudged lbw. Adam Larkin became the cornerstone of the innings and scored an excellent 62.  Michael Cooper gave good support as he raced to 38 and the innings closed on 172 all out.
 
The bowlers then soon hit their straps and James Russell (5-30) and Nathan Bromby (4-33) ripped through the visitors batting. Josh Walker picked up the final wicket and with the aid of 4 smart catches from Larkin, Great Horton were dismissed for 84.
 
This result edges Morley nearer to the mid table "pack". With the half way point coming with next week’s visit to Keighley, Morley need to build on their impressive home form to mount a challenge to climb the table. With only one defeat in any competition at Scatcherd Lane this year, there is reason to be optimistic about putting right the problems encountered so far on their travels.

June 6^th – Hartshead Moor away
The First X1 travelled to Hartshead Moor for a league game on Saturday. Heavy rain put the start back to 3 pm, when a 35 over match started.
 
The home side batted first and kept the runs flowing at a steady pace throughout, finishing on 161-7. With Michael Cooper unavailable and Jack Seddon injured, Under 17 Wicket Keeper Matti Bramley stepped in and put in a very encouraging performance. Nathan Bromby was back to his best with 4 wickets, and the other wicket takers were Josh Walker (2) and another promoted teenager, Ash Daly, who picked up his first league wicket after some promising displays this year in the 20/20 team.

The run chase never really kept up with the target. Adam Larkin played well for his 32 and David Nebard (24) and Phil Carter (22) provided support, but things fell away after that and Morley were dismissed for 113, a total made possible by a enterprising knock of 11 runs from last man Bramley.  Nevertheless, Morley CC lost by 48 runs.

May 30^th - Brighouse at home
The First X1 had a successful weekend with their first league win of the season and a victory in their opening 20/20 game.

The First X1 bowled Brighouse out on Saturday for 102 runs. Josh Walker enjoyed conditions similar to those in his native Australia and produced the excellent figures of 5-29. Phil Carter led the reply with 41, and there was good support from Matthew Green, drafted in as a last minute replacement for Adam Larkin, who had been taken ill. Danny Lloyd and Robert Smith finished things off to complete a comfortable 6 wicket win.

May 25th - Idle at home
Monday started fine and sunny and Morley batted first.  Danny Lloyd completed a good weekend’s work with a top score of 45, with support from Richard Jubb (28) and a lively 7^th wicket partnership between Michael Cooper (23) and Josh Walker (21). A four from the last ball enabled Morley to close on 150-9.

After 19 overs Idle were in a good position on 50-0. Then the rain came and another 19 overs were lost. With just 12 overs remaining, the match resumed. Idle needed 101 to win with all their wickets still intact. Morley was on a hiding to nothing, needing to take all 10 wickets to win the game.

It made for an exciting finale, as the visitors attempted to launch every ball out of the ground in a desperate bid for victory. It required some brave bowling and James Russell stepped up to the mark to grab 4 wickets, all clean bowled. Twenty-one runs were needed from the last over, bowled by Tom Smith, but only 2 runs were conceded and a another wicket fell, as the innings closed on 132-7 and the match drawn. Smith (2) and a run out were the other wicket takers in addition to Russell.

May 23^rd - Lightcliffe Away
The First X1 lost to Lightcliffe as the home side batted first and set a total of 186-9. Tom Smith led the way with 5 wickets, with support from Nathan Bromby (2) James Russell (1) and a run out.  It was a reasonable effort by Morley, who had the likes of Richard Jubb and Josh Walker setting high standards in the field.

The reply was slow in getting going and the pressure was always on as wickets begun to tumble. Phil Carter and Danny Lloyd each scored 38, but the innings petered out at 152 all out in the final over.

17^th May - Spen Victoria at home (Priestley Cup)
Sunday was a miserable, wet day with play very much restricted all round. In the First Team’s home tie in the Priestley Cup 18 overs were possible, with Spen Victoria reaching 57-3. There was a wicket each for James Russell and Nathan Bromby, whilst Richard Jubb produced some impressive acrobatics to run out the dangerous Tosh Baker. Constant rain brought an abandonment and a bowl out to decide the winners. In driving, heavy rain all 5 bowlers from both teams missed the target, but birthday boy Nathan Bromby settled the issue in "sudden death" to give the team a much needed win and confidence boost.

16^th May - Bowling Old Lane at home
On what turned out to be the best weekend of the season so far for the Seniors, the Firsts were involved in what was, incredibly, their second tie of the year already and progressed to the Quarter Finals of the Priestley Cup.
 
Saturday’s League game at home to Bowling Old Lane was reduced to a 40 over match due to the weather. Morley's batting was again not firing on all cylinders, although there were useful contributions from Phil Carter (33), Robert Smith (34) and Nathan Bromby (29). The total of 139-9 looked a shade short but was still defendable.
 
The Morley bowlers did their best to do just that and at 68-8 that first win of the season looked comfortably within Morley’s grasp. However, BOL's Mohammad Aktar produced a superb innings of 60 and with 3 balls left the visitors, with one wicket left, had drawn level. The batsmen then set off for a quick single for victory but a superb piece of fielding from Josh Walker resulted in a run out and the match was tied.  In addition to the run out, the wicket takers were James Russell (4), Tom Smith (3) and Nathan Bromby (2).

May 9^th - Windhill at home
The First X1 went down by 80 runs at home to Windhill, despite an encouraging bowling debut and some defiant wagging by the tail.
 
Windhill posted 208-4 declared after 45 overs in a game reduced by the late afternoon heavy rain.  Dropped catches were again a major problem as Mohammed Altif rode his luck to finally finish with an excellent 92.  Nathan Bromby and James Russell picked up an early wicket each to have the visitors on 15-2 but there were no further wickets until late in the innings when debutant Josh Walker grabbed two in an over, including clean bowling Altaf. The Australian Walker, had only got off a plane in Manchester on Friday afternoon, but soon settled in to the Morley cold and damp and produced a good spell of bowling.
 
Phil Carter battled to 18 in the Morley reply, but it was another story of frequent wickets that plunged Morley to 67-8. A spirited 9th wicket partnership of 48 from Nathan Bromby (33) and Tom Smith (29 not out) then put some respectability to the score and even after Bromby went with the score on 115, Smith and James Russell managed to secure a batting point before the innings closed in the last over at 128.

May 2^nd - Bankfoot away
Morley's First Team slumped to a disappointing 9 wicket defeat at the home of new league leaders Bankfoot.
 
Batting first, they simply couldn't get going at all against some high quality bowling on a difficult pitch. Only stand in skipper Adam Larkin looked like offering any real resistance, reaching 14 before being caught behind from a brute of a ball that shot up fiercely.
 
All out for 53 from 30 overs told its own story and the home side wasted little time in knocking them off, despite one early breakthrough from James Russell.
 
Morley will be hoping that this was the lowpoint in what had previously been an encouraging start to the season.  Next week should see the return of Captain Dave Nebard from injury and Australian Josh Walker is booked on a flight due to arrive Wednesday.  Both factors will give the team a boost as they look to start again and put this result behind them.

April 25^th - Spen Victoria at home
The First X1 were unable to stop Spen Victoria's storming start to the season, but can take great pride in the way they pushed them so close after seeming dead and buried.  Spen batted first at their attractive home ground and quickly started to build a good total.  Nathan Bromby got one early breakthrough by bowling Spen Captain, Peter Jackson, but beyond that it was an uphill struggle as Mathew Speck compiled his second century of the season in only the second week. Spinner Tom Smith bowled a tight spell throughout the middle of the innings and the run rate started to drop considerably. However, former County player Tosh Baker completed his half century, and despite of a late wicket each for Bromby and Rob Lintin-French, the home side’s innings closed on 228-3.
 
It looked a tall order, and despite a battling 26 from Phil Carter, at 64-4 at drinks a big defeat seemed on the cards. New boys Robert Smith and Richard Jubb had other ideas however, and produced a superb 5th wicket stand of 138 to put Morley right back in the game. Smith played some memorable strokes on his way to 71 before being run out with 4 overs left. Jubb scampered his way with a constant succession of 1s and 2s via some speedy running between the wickets to finish unbeaten on 64.  Needing 31 off the last 4 overs, with a new batsman at the crease and the impressive Baker bowling, proved too much in the end and the Morley innings closed on 221-5. It was a very credible effort against good opponents, but Morley were left to rue their slow start to their innings.

April 19^th - Barnsley away (Heavy Woollen Cup)
On Sunday, Morley First X1 crashed out of the Heavy Woollen Cup on their visit to Barnsley.  Facing one of the strongest teams in the competition, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for Morley but they applied themselves well in the field as the home side accumulated 219-7 from their 50 overs.  The batting response never game anyway near what was required as the side was bowled out for just 54.  The only highpoint for Morley was the performance of 16-year-old debutant, Matthew Dowse who finished with 2-45 off his 10 overs and, batting as last man, with 12 not out.

April 18^th - Undercliffe at home
Morley First X1 made an encouraging start to the new season on Saturday when they tied with much fancied Undercliffe at Scatcherd Lane.  The visitors batted first and were grateful for the services of the League’s leading run scorer, Mark Gilliver, who contributed 72 to his team’s total of 150-7.  Fast bowler Nathan Bromby had obviously benefited from a winter playing in Melbourne, Australia as he bowled fast and straight and picked up 4 wickets. Other wicket takers were James Russell, Tom Smith and a run out.

In reply, Captain Dave Nebard and new signing Phil Carter made a steady start, but Carter’s dismissal then brought a regular fall of wickets, though Danny Lloyd looked comfortable as he top scored with 32.  At 100-6 it was looking an uphill struggle, but Nathan Bromby and Michael Cooper took the score to 140-6 before both fell. Number 9 Liam Fynn held his nerve however, and backed by last man James Russell took the innings to a nail biting climax. With two runs needed to win from the last ball and one wicket left Fynn managed to steer the ball through the cordon of close fielders and scrambled the run that tied the game and gave Morley 11 points.