Cleckheaton Cricket Club

John Wood is just 54 runs short of a tremendous landmark.

The Cleck' Captain has spent almost a decade at Moorend that followed a spell with Spen Victoria and the one-time Lancashire and Durham all-rounder has given some excellent service to both Clubs but he has also proved himself to be one of the League's main talismen.

Woody is currently on 4,946 Bradford League runs prior to Saturday's visit at Morley and the hard hitting batsman could well reach a target of 5,000 runs very soon with a Bank Holiday Monday game at East Bierley on May 27th, which is not only a fantastic feat but a rare achievement. It goes without saying that John is a talented batsman but he's also an effective quick bowler and an all round Club man. Because of John's influence his brother Ian Wood gives his services to Cleck' for around a quarter of what he could earn elsewhere.

The ethos of the Wood family is to give something back to the Club and Cricket in general and a great many of Cleck's players have benefited from John's vast experience. Iain Wardlaw is a prime example of a player that has worked hard to achieve a full time professional contract with Yorkshire CCC and Wardy would be the first person to admit that John's influence and coaching has assisted his progress.

Some players bat for themselves, which to many is the way to go about your business but there is added pride when you are an unselfish person and John's first thoughts are for the team and not himself, which makes his potential reaching of 5,000 runs an even more impressive target.

Are we jumping the gun? Not at all because when you're close to 43 and still going strong in one of the most competitive Cricket League's in the Country there's every right to be proud of a forthcoming landmark

(photo' courtesy of cricket info')

A determined John Wood pictured during his professional playing days and very soon the Cleck' Skipper will be able to celebrate 5,000 Bradford League runs

'The better part of valour is discretion' after Cleck' are well beaten by Hanging Heaton!

What we really mean to say is that the least said the better following an 106 runs defeat at Moorend to Hanging Heaton in the Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup 2nd Round on Sunday May 19th.

The visitors made 193-8 in their 50 overs thanks mainly to a knock of 81 not out from Mark Lawson and the Cleck' response was tame, to say the least. Ian Nicholson was the pick of the bunch with a battling 34 not out but the bowling of David Stiff who took five wickets for just nine runs and four wickets for the ever green John Carruthers left John Wood's boys all out for just 87 runs.

There is no after match inquest just a realisation that anyone can beat anyone in the Bradford League and you cannot take any side for granted.

The bottom line is that we're out of the Cup but still very much in contention for League honours, which has now got to be the obvious main focus. Other second round winners were Lightcliffe, Woodlands, Pudsey Congs, Pudsey St Lawrence Manningham Mills, Bradford & Bingley and Bankfoot who along with Hanging Heaton go in to the last eight of the competition.

Last year's victors East Bierley have lost their crown and Cleck' visits our near neighbours over the Bank Holiday period in a League match on Monday May 27th just two days after playing away to Morley.

Ian Nicholson was the only Cleck' batsman that troubled the Hanging Heaton bowling in the Cup on Sunday May 19th

Cleck' secured a vital win on a Super Saturday of Sport!

Cleck's six runs win against table topping Manningham Mills on Saturday May 18th was a close run thing with the visitors finishing on 152 all out whilst chasing 158-6 from 30 overs in a game that lost 20 overs because of the wet weather.

Meanwhile, down at Wembley a number of the Cleck' Cricket Committee were watching Bradford City in a 3-0 win against Northampton Town in the Second Division play-off final. Although several members and player Joe Robinson, desperately wanted to see their football favourites triumph after a long season it was difficult concentrating on matters at Wembley knowing that you'd left behind a Cricket team that means equally as much. "Eor's just text me to say the game starts at three," commented Joe. From then on it was difficult gaining a signal to see what was occuring at Moorend until after the match when the Club's Chairman Dave Worrall had his laptop on his knee following events.

The trip up the M1 consisted of listening to Talk Sport, talking about The Bantams and Cleck' as well as refreshing the JCT 600 Bradford League Live Scores page. "Oh we're okay we've made 162 - no hang on a minute," said Joe. "It is 158 for 6 and Tim's got a few and they're 14-2", which went to 44-4 etc, etc. Joe was the commentator all the way up the MI and he went from continuously saying; "They'll never get these." To; "It's going to be close!"

For the record, Cleck's 158 runs included 46 from Tim Jackson with a target that looked tailor made to reach for a Mills side renowned for having a thrash. In reply, they gave it a good go but excellent spells of bowling from John Wood who took 4-40, in addition to scoring 29 runs, and Jimmy Lee with figures of 3-43 plus an economic bit of work from Ammar Mahmood made sure that Cleck' collected 17 valuable points. After the close run game it was down to Tim to give his view on how tight a finish it was. "It was an exciting game," he admitted. "We were probably 20 runs short with the bat after a good start. We had them at 50-5 but you know it's never over against Mills who play their shots and try their luck. They needed 20 off the last over and Jimmy's 2nd, 3rd and 4th balls went for fours.Their last man was run out going for a two on the last but one ball! And it was a great win!"

Jimmy Lee played his part in the narrow win against Manningham Mills on Saturday

With the game at Saltaire against East Bierley and Pudsey Congs' match being abandoned plus there was a tie between Hanging Heaton and Pudsey St Lawrence it enabled Cleck' to go third whilst there was an emphatic victory for Woodlands against Bradford & Bingley that sees last season's Champ's go top.

Overall, it was a nervy but a successful Saturday with Bradford City pleasing so many of their fans that includes a lot of Moorend members and Cleck's success keeps the JCT 600 Bradford League Table as tight now as it was at the end of last term. There was a genuine 'should we shouldn't we' concern about going to Wembley, especially from the Chairman Dave Worrall but despite the guilt at missing the home match against Mills there was always more than an eye on happenings at Moorend and a real punch in the air gesture when the run out gave us the win.

Bradford City, by the way, scored three first half goals via James Hanson, Rory McArdle and Nahki Wells to run the show and canter to victory and never getting out of second gear in the second period of the game.

James Hanson celebrates scoring his goal with Nathan Doyle

Cleck's Seconds' game at Windhill was abandoned. Next up is Hanging Heaton on Sunday at Moorend in the second round of the Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup and there will be a full appraisal on this website on Sunday evening.

Iain Wardlaw does his bit for Scotland.

The Cleck' fast bowler is currently with Scotland in Edinburgh where he was selected to play against a star studded Pakistan team and Wardy made a good start in the first one day international that began this Friday, with the second on Sunday May 19th.

Pakistan made 231-7 in their allocated 50 overs with Wardy finishing with figures of 1-44 from ten overs and he captured the wicket of Saeed Ajmal clean bowling the oppositions player. Scotland were bowled out for 135 although Wardy was four not out.

Anyone that wishes to follow Wardy's progress in the next game can log on to BBC Cricket, which is very easy to follow accurate and concise or alternatively cricket Scotland.

Wardy is of course a contracted player with Yorkshire CCC and apart from his international duties he may also play for his County on a number of occasions, especially in one day encounters. And yet when the popular quickie comes back to Cleck' it's as though he was never away, adapting brilliantly and being as much a part of our side these days as he ever was.

Iain misses Cleck's double weekend but who can deny him the opportunity to face some of the World's best cricketers. The games against Manningham Mills on Saturday and Hanging Heaton on Sunday will receive full coverage on this website.

Iain Wardlaw is currently playing for Scotland against Pakistan in Edinburgh

John Wood is closing in on a fantastic feat!

The Cleck' Skipper who has been at Moorend for approaching a decade and has also played for Spen Victoria in the Bradford League following on from his time with Lancashire and Durham is poised to reach 5,000 runs.

As things stand Woody is on 4,917 Bradford League runs and only second to Tabbi Bhatti who is just short of that tally. John is recognised as an all-rounder and his quick bowling, which may now be a bit slower than his spell in County Cricket, is still recognised as being top-notch and he is very capable of making batsmen hop around the crease.

But it is John's prowess with the bat that's causing a bit of a stir around the League and the big hitting man who has a frame designed to knock seven bells out of the ball, can be rightly proud of being just 83 runs short of what can only be described as a tremendous landmark to reach.

Woody's total is even more impressive because until last season and this he's not opened the batting on a regular basis but his effectiveness in getting the side off to a quickfire start is invaluable. To be within a whisker of achieving 5,000 runs is down to a number of years of good batting, dedication and of course sheer ability, which John has in abundance - even at the ripe old age of 41!

Well done Woody with congratulations on achieving a fantastic target on hold - but not for too long!

John Wood never shouts the odds but he'd have earned the right to on reaching 5,000 runs

Cleck’ face a vital weekend

A double weekend of success in the League on Saturday against Manningham Mills and in the Priestley Cup on Sunday against Hanging Heaton will take the Club massively forward but two defeats and everything looks so different.

The margins are small and it may seem crazy to put on the pressure but that’s the difference between success and failure and a win against table topping Mills would go a long way to showing the rest of the League that Cleck’ means business and Cup success is just an added bonus but of equal importance.

Last Saturday’s win at Hanging Heaton we hope signalled a positive dress rehearsal and certainly Tim Jackson’s 92 runs and Ammar Mahmood’s chanceless knock of 85 were brilliant in both their execution and timing as we cantered to a six wickets win with two overs to spare. Ammar has come over from Pakistan and in his third spell with the Club he has looked as good so far this term as any other time that he’s played for Cleck’. There is an awful lot of expectation on an overseas player and rightly so and at the minute it’s plain for all to see that Ammar’s good season in his native land has set him up nicely for his time at Moorend.

Not only has he provided quality to his game but there seems to be a bit more responsibility and the popular Asian all-rounder has settled in to life at Cleck’ just fine, which is also credit to the Wickham Arms where Ammar is staying, they have made him feel welcome and a debt of gratitude is owed to the Cleckheaton-based hotel.

Ammar Mahmood has been in superb form for Cleck' in the early season games

Although Iain Wardlaw misses this weekend’s games because of his international duties with Scotland, they play Pakistan in Edinburgh in two one-day games; Ian Wood is expected to be fit to play both weekend matches following a worrying ankle injury that was sustained at Hanging Heaton last Saturday. Ian is a pivotal figure in Cleck’s team both as a cricketer and a man and his influence is extremely important, especially when you consider that he plays for a song and does the Club a very big favour!

Without wanting to embarrass Ian it is never lost on the Cricket Committee that he commits to the Club wholeheartedly, he never moans, he’s adaptable and does not have a mercenary bone in his body! What’s that popular saying - who is the first name on your team sheet? That has to be Ian Wood and that’s not demeaning anyone else’s ability in the team but a testimony to Ian’s standing at Moorend.

Whenever you speak to batsmen that have faced Ian they will always tell you that he's the most awkward bowler to play against and that's nothing to do with his style of bowling just the fact that he's so accurate and makes the batsman work for every run. Woody's useful with the bat and although he bats lower down the order that's simply because he does not complain nor has he an ego, which deserves all of the plaudits that are thrown his way.

Ian Wood is the real jewell in the crown as far as Cleck' is concerned

There’s been a change in the scorebox with Bob Speight stepping back in to the breach as Scorer following Jo’ Mortimer’s resignation and thankfully the Club has such a reliable stalwart as Speighty. He also took back on his role of Secretary at the beginning of the new term after supposedly retiring from both of his positions at the end of last season! The Bob Speight’s of this world are a dying breed and it just shows how his likes are so hard to replace, which is no disrespect to those that tried to fill his boots but it does show that Bob makes difficult jobs look easy.

The prodigal returns after less than a year away!

Bob Speight retired from his Secretary post and role in the scorebox at Moorend at the end of last term with a heavy heart it has to be said. Speighty was trudging around the boundary edge during the first few games of this season looking like a lost sheep. But then there was light at the end of the tunnel for the Club's lost soul - by way of a recent resignation!

Initially, Liz Bailey was earmarked to replace Bob as the Secretary but her duties with the Juniors led Liz deciding to concentrate on the fabulous work that she does for the youngsters, which culminated in Bob stepping back in to a job he knows like the back of his hand. Jo' Mortimer was Speighty's replacement as Scorer but Jo' has decided to quit for personal reasons but it must be emphasised she has left on good terms and with the Cricket Committee's best wishes and thanks.

When Bob was told about Jo's resignation and asked if he would step back in to the breach, it was like asking a child if they want some chocolate and ice cream! We are being slightly flippant but that is down to the fact that everyone at Moorend knows that Bob has a good sense of humour and he is welcomed back by everyone with open arms and a great deal of gratitude.

Thanks Bob and you start back in your old job with a double weekend!!

Bob Speight is back where he belongs - thankfully!!

Iain Wardlaw is poised to face Pakistan.

The Cleck' fast bowler is set to play international Cricket this weekend representing Scotland in two one day games against Pakistan. Wardy is in Edinburgh to face some of the best talent in World Cricket and although he'll be missed by everyone at Moorend there's no doubt that he has the best wishes of the Cleck' members and players.

Cleck' has a League game against Manningham Mills on Saturday and 24 hours later an important Priestley Cup date at home to Hanging Heaton. Injuries and players missing through commitments elsewhere are always a concern and the Club has mixed news on that front. Of course, Wardy will be a big miss as he is an important part of our side but there is good news about the fitness concerns over Ian Wood who damaged his ankle at Hanging Heaton last Saturday. Woody is expected to be fit to play in both games, which will compensate for the loss of Wardy.

Meanwhile, the Club has had some fantastic news on the sponsorship front with Howdens Joinery making a generous contribution towards the Juniors' Section with the U9s being able to now afford a full kit and some of the money will go towards a bowling machine. Thanks goes to Darren Broughton who is the figurehead of Howdens and he is a man that used to play his Cricket at Cleck' but he now lives his dreams through his son Jack, who plays for our U9s.

Sincere thanks goes to Darren and his company as donations such as the one received means that the Club's kids benefit and they can feel proud to wear the shirt.

Cleck's U9s are set to benefit from the generosity of Howdens Joinery

Tim Jackson and Chris Dobson give their versions of Cleck's weekend.

Tim was instrumental in Cleck's six wickets win at Hanging Heaton over the weekend with 92 runs that went a long way to giving his side a winning total of 236-4 in reply to the home side's 235-6. Ammar Mahmood was also in superb form with his 85 runs. Meanwhile, the Club's Seconds were unfortunate to lose by just one wicket against Manningham Mills despite Dobby scoring 63 runs and knocks of 61 from Joe Bowman and 30 via the bat of Joe Wood.

Thanks goes to both Tim and Dobby for their written contributions with Jacko's views on the win at Hanging Heaton appearing first of all - before an appraisal of the weekend's games involving our teams from our Seconds' Skipper, which includes some harsh but true words aimed at Manningham Mills.

Jacko; 'A huge win for the lads at the weekend. Even though its early in the season it was vital to minimise the gap at the top which already would have been sizeable if we had lost and it was a big boost of confidence to successfully chase down a big score against a team who will almost certainly be championship contenders.

We are only one win off the top spot which for Cleck' has to be considered a decent start to the season - we are already about 20 points better off than last year! We were the better team for 85 of the 100 overs against St Lawrence and threw it away and also had a good chance to beat Congs needing only 160 to win. We have played some good cricket in spells but it was nice to put in a good batting performance, something which has been lacking so far.

Personally I was delighted with my 92 as it was a battling innings where my lack of form was evident until passing the 40 mark when I started to find some timing, but to go on and make a telling total was important. I felt in good form coming into the season, but with the slow wickets and getting a good bowl against congs in particular left me without a score coming into the game. I hope this is the catalyst I need to score big runs this season which is what I expect opening the batting at a big club.

Tim Jackson has had his say both with the bat and the pen!

The partnership with Ammar Mahmood was invaluable and I can't praise him enough for what was a superb and chanceless 84. Three big scores were made that day, but his 84 was without doubt the best, with shots all around the ground and the way he stayed on top of the bowling using his feet to the spinners was impressive. He has started well for cleck and I am sure he will score big runs and add a steady influence to our batting. I enjoyed batting with Ammar who thinks about the game more than he is given credit for and one of the features of the stance was the good rotation of strike and many singles taken.

The one negative surrounding Saturdays victory was the injury to Ian Wood who is shaping the ball both ways and causing batsmen real trouble. I undertsnad that it shouldn't be anything too serious and I wish him a speedy recovery. Ian along with Jimmy Lee who also opened with an excellent spell against Heaton will be crucial to our chances of winning Silverware this season.

We play Hanging Heaton again next weekend in the Priestley Cup and I am sure they will be keen to gain revenge from Saturday. We will be playing our usual dangerous attacking cricket which promises to be exciting game.

Ammar Mahmood batted superbly for his 85 runs against Hanging Heaton

Finally I would like to wish Wardy every success representing Yorkshire and Scotland but hope to see him taking sides apart for Cleck' as the season moves on.'

Following on from the thoughts of Jacko' is Dobby's weekend overview.

'Cleck returned to winning ways in the league with a convincing 6 wicket win at Hanging Heaton. Having won the toss and decided to bat Hanging Heaton were reduced to 48-4 despite an injury to Ian Wood by the bowling of Jimmy Lee, John Wood and Andrew Deegan. They recovered to post 235-6 thanks to an ubeaten century from Joe Fraser and 52 from David Stiff. Cleck's wickets were shared between the aforementioned trio who all took 2 apiece. Cleck were led to victory with little difficulty by the batting of Tim Jackson and Ammar Mahmood who scored 92 and 85 respectively and the run chase was completed by Mally Nicholson who finished on 27no. It was a fine win against a much fancied Hanging Heaton side who we look forward to welcoming at Moorend next Sunday for what promises to be an interesting Priestley Cup 2nd round tie.

Cleck's seconds lost a close encounter at home to Manningham Mills. Cleck batted first and after an opening partnership of 130 between Chris Dobson and Joe Bowman - who finished with 63 and 61 - lost quick wickets in the middle order due to some poor shot selection and only posted a resonable score of 209-8 thanks to an excellent innings of 30no from Joe Wood. In reply Mills looked to be cruising but thanks to 4-55 from Sam Gatenby and 5-63 from Joe Bowman scraped over the line with 9 wickets down. The less said about the disgraceful behaviour of a number of the Mills players the better suffice to say that the sight of an umpire being surrounded by screaming fielders and batsmen having to be dragged off the pitch having been given out is not something we want to see at Moorend.'

Chris Dobson is having a great season with the bat for Cleck's Seconds and he is a gent, which is why he was upset at some of Mills' antics on Saturday!

Cleck' overpower Idle for Cup success.

Cleck' overcame Second Division strugglers Idle in the First Round of the Priestley Cup in simple fashion. The visitors were all out for 90 with Skipper John Wood taking 3-16 and a good spell from Andrew Deegan with 4-43 made sure that the visitors were dismissed in just 19 overs. A deserved word of praise for Ammar Mahmood who bowled 5.1 overs and he took two wickets for just one run and four of his overs were maidens!

In reply Woody continued his good day with 41 not out and Ammar with a knock of 53 not out that steered Cleck' to 96-1 and an emphatic nine wickets victory.

Supporters View From The Boundary Edge; In truth it was all too easy for Cleck' but John Wood's boys would be damned if they did and damned if they did not! In the cold light of day Cleck' overcame weak opponents in a professional manner and even though there was little resistance from Idle there was a job to be done and on Sunday - Woody's men came good. Despite Iain Wardlaw and Ian Wood not being available to play - for valid reasons - they weren't missed and Cleck' were worthy winners and progress in to round two.

There is an openess that exists at Cleck' that can sometimes appear to be criticism but it is in the form of being constructive. On this note the Club Captain, who totally oversees matters but he passess his decisions across the Cricket Committee, denied a couple of players the chance to be elsewhere on Sunday May 5th because they were needed to play against Idle. Therefore, thanks has to be given to the duo who passed up appealing opportunities to give their all for the Club and to respect their Captain's wishes - we thank them for that - credit where credit is due as the last thing that we want is any disharmony.

Andrew Deegan does not always receive the credit he deserves but 4-43 against Idle played a big part in helping Cleck' in to round two of the Priestley Cup.

Cleck's Seconds could not match their League form at Idle after an easy win at Cavendish Road on Saturday as in the Priestley Shield they lost by eight wickets. Chris Dobson carried his bat for 66 not out in a total of 148. The home side knocked them off with just two wickets down.

After the defeat Dobby gave his usual honest assessment of the game. "After the batting being so good the last two games it wasn't very good today," he admitted. "We had far too many soft dismissals and we only batted for 33 overs. The only chance we had was to get a couple of early wickets - and we didn't!"

Congs conquer Cleck' with ease.

Pudsey Congs came to Moorend with a 100% record, which continued as they overcame a spirited Cleck' bowling attack to score 163 and then bowled well themselves to blast Cleck' for a meagre total of 123 all out to win by 40 runs.

The visitors were 14-3 and then 73-6 before a stand of 67 runs from the bats of the former Cleck' player Eddie Walmsley and one-time Gomersal stumper and useful batsman Jack Seddon, who plays Rugby at Moorend, which took Congs to a decent total. Eddie scored 38 runs and Jack 46 but great credit has to go to Cleck's Ian Wood who was in fine form for his 5-44 from 12.5 overs. Andrew Deegan had good figures of 2-19 from his eight overs and overall it seemed that Cleck' only needed to bat steadily to win the game, even more so with an additional 10 overs to spare.

But it wasn't to be as Congs' Richie Lamb took the home side's batting apart with some first class medium/quick bowling as he bowled accurately and with devastating effect that gave the Cleck' batsmen a torrid time. Lamb ended with figures of 6-31 and it could have been even more embarrassing for John Wood's boys who at one stage were 13-5.

Ian Nicholson hit a splendid 41 runs and Ian Wood had a calculated knock of 30 and even though Richard Whitehurst with 19 and Joe Robinson with 12 runs tried their best it was not enough as Congs always looked in control.

Ian Wood was in outstanding form for Cleck' against Congs despite a defeat

Supporters View From The Boundary Edge;

There is little point in disecting the players' performances except to say that the best team on the day won and congratulations to Congs as sometimes you have to take your hat off to the opposition - and this was just one of those days.

Ian Wood was though outstanding and he proved what a brilliant all-rounder he is and he was definitely Cleck's star performer with five wickets and 30 runs on a difficult day.

Other results in the JCT 600 Bradford League included a shock win for Baildon who beat Champions Woodlands and there was also victories for Lightcliffe, Bradford & Bingley, East Bierley and Manningham Mills.

There was at least some good news for Cleck' as Chris Dobson's guys overcame Idle at a canter. The visitors scored 284-7 with Dobby scoring a 50 and Shahid Rehman continuing his good form for the Club's Seconds with a brilliant 94 not out. Joe Bowman and Craig Blackburn scored 30 odd runs apiece and then we reduced the home side to 208-6 to win by a comfortable margin of 76 runs.

Sam Bailey and Sam Gatenby grabbed two wickets each and after the match Dobby praised his team's efforts. "Today was another top batting performance all the way down the order," he commented. "Our bowling and fielding was a bit off again but both Sam's did really well and got us some bowling points. We've now won as many games this season as we won the whole of last term!"

There was mixed fortunes for Cleck's teams last weekend.

Whilst the Club's First Team pressed the self-destruct button on Saturday our Seconds have had a double weekend of success with impressive away wins at Great Horton and Pudsey Congs.

The star of the shows for Cleck's Seconds has been Joe Bowman who captured a total of 122 runs in the two games. Chris Dobson's side has turned the corner from last season's difficult spell with full details immediately after the appraisal of Cleck's First Team display at Moorend.

Cleck's Kamikaze approach assists Pudsey St Lawrence.

Without wanting to be dramatic or over critical the Cleck' players know themselves that a 16 runs defeat at home to Pudsey St Lawrence should really have been a routine victory had we not gifted the visitors at least an additional 30 runs, and we then looked relatively safe to win the match until our late order batsmen collapsed like a pack of cards with the last six wickets falling for just 19 runs. At 147-4 the game looked all over but this is Cleck' and in the end we were given a cruel lesson, which leaves everyone with a gut wrenching feeling.

St Lawrence made 182-8 thanks mainly to Adam Waite who scored 54 runs whilst Iain Wardlaw took 5-52. The overall feeling from the boundary edge was that Cleck' bowled well but some sloppy play gifted James Smith's team some extra runs. Cleck's response with the bat looked solid in parts but generally wayward. John Wood made a rapid 37 runs, Ammar Mahmood was a little unfortunate to be out for 31 when the ball seemed to 'pop' at him and he was caught. Richard Whitehurst was dogged and Mally Nicholson was batting with confidence until a daft run out. But the rest seemed to hold their bats with a nervy edge, and there was almost a white flag stuck on top of the heads of some as Cleck' ended 166 all out.

St Lawrence's spinners held the upper hand with Chris Marsden taking 4-32 and Steve Watts 3-20 but don't be fooled, despite a couple of excellent catches on the edge of the boundary the visitors were fortunate that Cleck' were in a generous mood - and that is not sour grapes - but fact!

Supporter's view from the Boundary Edge; JOHN WOOD; Woody batted well for a bit but he was out to a big hit that either comes off or doesn't 7/10. TIM JACKSON; It wasn't Tim's day - simple as 5/10. IAN NICHOLSON; There was a brief interlude of skill from Eor but it was only brief 6/10. AMMAR MAHMOOD; Ammar did okay both with the ball and the bat 7/10. MALLY NICHOLSON; It's hard to be too critical of Mally as he always keeps wicket well and he batted extremely well until an all too typical run out occured 7/10. JIMMY LEE; Jimmy bowled absolutely fine but he's capable of helping his side out with the bat a bit more than he shows at times 6/10. RICHARD WHITEHURST; Because both Pauline Wardlaw and Roger Jackson praised Wiggy, Roger said in the field that the ball was drawn to Richard as though he was a magnet, he is Man-of-the-Match 8/10* ANDREW DEEGAN; Just an average day for Deeg's 6/10. IAN WOOD; Ditto Deeg's 6/10 JOE ROBINSON; Joe appeared baffled by the spinners and seemed to think 'what the heck' when he went for the big hit? 5/10 IAIN WARDLAW; Five wickets but if it hadn't have been for his Mum praising Wiggy, Wardy would have been Man-of-the-Match! 7/10.

Richard Whitehurst was Cleck's Man-of-the-Match against Pudsey St Lawrence on Saturday, according to Pauline Wardlaw and Roger Jackson!

Bring on Pudsey Congs this Saturday in the hope that two consecutive gifts cannot be going back to the town of Pudsey in the space of seven days?

There was also wins for East Bierley, Hanging Heaton, Manningham Mills, Woodlands and Pudsey Congs.

Cleck's Seconds had an excellent six wickets win at Great Horton who were bowled out for just 81 and Chris Dobson's boys knocked them off for the loss of four wickets. Bryan Telfer and Joe Bowman both captured three wickets apiece and Sam Gatenby grabbed a couple of wickets from four balls.

According to Dobby, he played a rotten shot to be out second ball but he praised all of his team and especially Joe Bowman. Joe had figures of 3-16 and he batted excellently for 42, whilst new boy Bryan earned his team mates plaudits with 3-25. Elliott Hallas was in good form for his 36 runs. The Seconds Captain should not be too hard on himself as he led his side to a convincing victory and Dobby's guys look good for a promotion challenge.

Moorend should be a fortress - not a Gift Shop!

On Sunday April 28th Dobby's boys faced their second match in 24 hours with a stern test at Pudsey Congs but they came through a tough contest with flying colours and full marks to several of Cleck's batsmen.

The home side made 279-4 and declared with five overs left supposedly to give themselves a chance of bowling out Cleck' but they hadn't reckoned on some sterling work from a number of our Seconds' batsmen, including Joe Bowman who for the second game on the trot made batting look easy with a fantastic 80 runs. Others more than chipped in with the Skipper Chris Dobson scoring 65 runs and there were knocks of 56 not out from Shahid Rehman and 44 via the bat of Craig Blackburn. Cleck' bypassed the hosts total easily finishing on 282-4.

Joe Bowman has had a weekend to remember scoring a total of 122 runs

The only real bowling success for Cleck' was Sam Bailey who took two wickets but despite a hard day in the field Dobby's team responded magnificently and after the game he was understandably pleased to say the least. "We weren't great in the field today but we batted brilliantly," he admitted.

Dobby continues to roll back the years with his performances with the bat but importantly he has given Cleck's Seconds some stability after having to cope with a team last year that was often made up of Juniors. The progress of the youngsters remains paramount and the Skipper is the ideal mentor but the added experience in his team for this year has given a boost to everyone connected with the Club's Second Team who look on course for a good season. That said; Sunday's side was full of youngsters such as, Sam Gatenby, Jack Bleazard, Joe Wood, Sam Bailey and Danny Archer and well done to them.

The two victories are a massive boost for our Seconds and the hard work does not stop there with a double weekend next weekend for both of our sides.

James Lee stars in sending Leicestershire CCC crashing!

Cleckheaton's talented although sometimes enigmatic quick bowler Jimmy Lee was in fine form with the ball as he helped the Leeds/Bradford MCCU side to a shock 102 runs victory in a friendly game against County Championship side Leicestershire CCC.

The home side made 181 in their first innings in reply to the Universities first innings total of 165, who then made 253 runs, setting their supposedly more illustrious opponents a target of 238 to win. But Leicestershire were shocked and beaten out of sight and were all out for a paltry 135 runs in their second innings - with an early finish on Friday April 26th.

Jimmy had figures of 12.3 overs, 3 maidens and 5-43 in the hosts first innings and he then bowled 10 overs in their second innings taking 3-47 and bowling 2 maidens, which is a great retort to a mixed weekend with Cleck' last Saturday and Sunday. The former Yorkshire man showed at Leicester what a tremendously competitive and dangerous bowler he can be and a fully focused James Lee is as good as they come in the JCT 600 Bradford League.

As far as Cleck' is concerned Jimmy's eight wickets haul against full-time opponents not only shows what he is capable but hopefully augurs well for the game at Moorend on Sat' as Pudsey St Lawrence bring their Title challenging outfit to Cleckheaton.

The win for the Universities side earned the plaudits of the Sky TV commentators and the very well respected former international Cricketers, Michael Atherton and David Lloyd during their commentary in the Somerset versus Warwicks match and Jimmy can be proud of his part in a momentous win.

Jimmy Lee played a major part in helping Leeds/Bradford MCCU obliterate the full time County Championship side Leicestershire CCC on their own territory!

Results and revenue are always key words.

A common theme amongst every Club in the JCT 600 Bradford Cricket League is to do with winning matches and being able to afford to achieve success without breaking the bank! It's a fine balancing act.

As a Cricket Section we have remarked on many occasions how loyal players have helped us keep quality in the side without putting the Club's bank balance into the red, even if our best laid plans don't always come to fruition! Never-the-less Cleck' have managed to keep a strong squad of players together on an affordable budget but fund-raising is an on-going situation.

One of the main sources of income is the Club's match day programme, which is overseen by Mark Robinson and for this season it has remained a tough task to collate a decent publication as well as acquiring advertising income. Mark has put himself out to come up with a programme, which will be available for the Pudsey Congs game on May 4th.

It is sometimes forgotten how people that work full-time still have to find the time to work on the Club's behalf and in this instance Robbo' has been able to piece together a worthy programme that more importantly achieves a four-figure sum in terms of vital revenue. And without this kind of input Cleck' would quite simply not survive at the top level of Local Cricket.

Mark's son Joe Robinson is one of the loyal players we speak about as the 22-year-old has been at Moorend since he was nine, apart from a brief spell with Scholes. But Joe is not alone in the loyalty stakes and as long as the Club can keep a few of our other loyal but sometimes lively players focused Cleck' has every chance of a Trophy this season.

Joe Robinson's Dad is his biggest critic but he's also his biggest fan!

It's just a bit of a laugh this Cricket lark!

Cleck' entered a competition only for a certain few to show it disrespect by turning up on a Sunday in the first round of the Heavy Wollen Cup with several players ill prepared, while others gave it a go. Meanwhile, there were a few naive old farts on the boundary edge thinking that everyone cares as they do and what do we have to do next to raise money to keep our semi-professional outfit going? But is the game of Cricket worth taking seriously when you're only playing a team from the Pontefract & District League even though players play for fun but also earn a few quid in to the bargain? - You bet your life it is!

For the record, Streethouse CC richly deserved a four wickets win by overcoming the home side's total of 161 runs that was largely due to Tim Jackson's 35 runs, Ian Wood's brilliant knock of 58 runs and a decent return of 18 from Joe Robinson.

Despite John Wood's valiant effort of 3-21 from his 10 overs the visitors made 166-6 and their batsman Liam Geddis batted well for his 56 not out. Jordan Page bowled well for Streethouse taking 3-21 and even though Cleck' were missing influential men like Iain Wardlaw and Ammar Mahmood nothing should be taken away from the away side, who reaped a reward for having application and the right attitude.

Cleck's Chairman Dave Worrall was not too impressed following the defeat. "We were well beaten and congratulations to Streethouse," he said. "For Cleck' there were those that were prepared properly for the game and those that were not. What we need to do now is to win two other competitions!"

A line needs to be drawn under this defeat and let's hope that next Saturday against Pudsey St Lawrence the men from Moorend remember a few good old-fashioned and meaningful phrases such as; 'It's all about attitude!!'

Streethouse CC completed a double over Cleck' by progressing to the next round of the Crowther Cup following a 28 runs win in the Seconds' game in Pontefract.

The hosts made 282-3 with Chris Dobson's boys making a brave fist of things in reply and ending on 254-8 with Dobby scoring 121 runs and sharing a 130 runs partnership with young Sam Gatenby who scored a creditable 38 runs. After the match the Skipper Dobby said; "We gave about 40 runs away in the field."

There can be no sour grapes on a grey day for Cleck' except to congratulate the worthy winners from South Yorkshire. It is a long season and hopefully lessons will be learnt by a few in defeat because Cleck's players' ability is not in question but sometimes one or two fall short in terms of treating the game too lightly.

To end a sad Sunday on a positive note, Chris Dobson continues to show that he can bat a bit, he plays without any fuss or favour and he also does the Club a lot of favours!

Cleck' defeated Baildon in a rare first day win.

Saturday's opening fixture against newly promoted Baildon at Jenny Lane ended in a fairly routine manner for Cleck' as John Wood's boys won by six wickets on a green wicket that gave the batsmen a few concerns.

Without delving in to the score books it's probably almost a decade since Cleck' won on the first day of the new term and after bowling out the home side for 125, which may have been a lesser total had a couple of very contentious decisions gone our way, it was relatively straightforward for Cleck's batsmen as we ended on 130-4 and a very useful 16 points but it may have come at a small cost? We were five minutes over the time that's allowed to bowl your overs that could mean a one point penalty, which is harsh but who knows there may be some sensible leeway?

Never-the-less thanks to some excellent Cleck' bowling the hosts struggled, apart from a late flurry after recovering from 53-7 to their eventual total. Tom Webb scored 40 runs but he was given not out when blatantly caught behind off the bowling of John Wood and he was also dropped by Joe Bowman. Kasir Maroof made 34 runs but the Baildon pair did live a charmed life.

Jimmy Lee was in excellent form for his 5-21 from 13.2 overs and John Wood was in a rich vein of form from the word go and Woody deserved his 3-25 off 10 overs. There was a wicket apiece for Ian Wood and Iain Wardlaw with Wardy in particular having a lot of bad luck as the home batsmen played and missed on many occasions and he had a dolly of a catch put down.

Baildon captured a quick and the prize wicket of John Wood but their early innings enthusiasm soon waned as Tim Jackson made a steady 20 runs backed up by 19 runs from Ian Nicholson and a first class 28 runs from Mally Nicholson. There wasn't too many problems late on for Cleck' and Richard Whitehurst seemed to enjoy his more than useful knock of 38 not out.

Overall, and without being disrespectful to Baildon, they look short on quality and may find themselves struggling this season, which made a win for Cleck' vital and also to rid the Club of first day failures. There was a job to be done at Jenny Lane and in the end it was done in an un-fussy fashion and with a fair bit of professionalism, which is to the credit of all of the players.

SUPPORTER'S VIEW FROM THE BOUNDARY EDGE; John Wood; Woody bowled with venom at Baildon and he has lost a stone in weight that showed in his performance. An in-form Captain with the ball is always a bonus and at times the home side found John too hot to handle 7/10 .Tim Jackson; Tim looked disappointed when he was out for 20 but it was an assured knock and he took the sting out of Baildon's initial enthusiastic approach and he was,as always alert in the field 7/10. Ian Nicholson; Eor batted well for his 19 runs and his classy style never wavers, even if his concentration in the field sometimes lapses! 6/10. Mally Nicholson; The first Baildon wicket to fall was the result of a brilliant catch by Mally off the bowling of Jimmy Lee as he took a skier that took ages to fall in to the wicketkeeper's hands. He ran 30 yards and claimed the catch despite two other players looking the favourites. Had it been a goal in football it would have been down for 'goal of the season'. Mally also batted in a calm and assured way and he looked confortable in the main 7/10. Richard Whitehurst; Wiggy scored an entertaining 38 runs even though he had a couple of scares but Richard showed his worth and quality in steeering Cleck' to victory 7/10. Jimmy Lee; Jimmy always benefits from taking an early wicket and throughout the home side's innings he was a thorn in their side and deserves Man-of-the-Match 8/10*. Ian Wood; Ian captured a solitary wicket and despite the green wicket he did not quite have the success that was anticipated. But Ian never lets his standards drop and he always keeps plugging away 6/10 Andrew Deegan; It was a quiet day at the office for Deeg's just some routine fielding to do 6/10. Joe Robinson; Like Deeg's Joe was only called upon to do his stuff in the field, which he did to good effect 6/10. Iain Wardlaw; Wardy was unfortunate not to take more than one wicket and at times the Baildon batsmen found it hard to combat his pace 7/10. Joe Bowman; It wasn't the best day in the field Joe will ever have! But that can happen to the best cricketers and this young man remains a brilliant stand-in and a solid member of the squad 5/10.