GARGRAVE won an exciting Wynn Cup final at Menston Cricket Club, defeating Riddlesden by five wickets with nine balls to spare.
The sides had met the previous day in Timothy Taylor’s Craven League Division One at Skipton Road, with Riddlesden winning by four runs.
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However, Gargrave were unhappy that Riddlesden were able to field 11 players on Saturday, despite one being injured and then coming back on, and that all added to the pre-match build up, with Gargrave skipper Will Smith saying: “Matches between the two of us are always a little bit spicy, and that only fired the lads up a little bit more who had played the day before.”
Riddlesden won the toss and chose to bat, which Smith, who hadn’t played the day before, admitted he would have done too.
Riddlesden lost Ehsan Khan early, but then fellow opener Omar Khatab (70) and Arfan Mahmood (91) added 145 for the second wicket.
Khatab’s runs came off 71 balls and contained 12 fours, while Mahmood, who was third out at 177, faced only 63 balls and hit 13 fours and four sixes.
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However, from 201-3, Riddlesden collapsed to 224 all out, being dismissed an over short of their allotted 40, with Freddie Pearson taking 3-30 and Dave Harrop 3-25.
Smith said: “We were a bit disappointed with the first 20 overs, but in the last 20 Freddie and Dave bowled really well and we went into tea on a high.”
Lee Barrett (35) and Brad Gardner (74) then put on 81 for the first wicket, but they had kept wickets in hand for the assault after that.
The good thing from Gargrave’s point of view was that only once in their innings did they lose wickets in quick succession – at 150 and 158 – and other partnerships of 36, 33, 51 and 16 unbroken got them over the line in the 39th over.
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Gardner scored his runs from 85 balls, hitting 10 fours, and Matt Simpson (32) and Harrop (28no) had that half-century stand for the fifth wicket.
Smith said: “We had talked beforehand about batting in partnerships and Riddlesden were gracious in defeat afterwards.
“The day as a whole went well, once we had got used to where we parked. The wicket was good, the outfield was good, the teas were good and Menston seemed like a friendly club.”
The umpires were Derek Briggs and Gary McAdam.
Gargrave therefore added their name to the Craven League trophy list alongside their second XI, who won the John Clayton Cup last month
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Smith said: “Now we want to win the Manorlands Plate and keep on pushing in the league, although it will be difficult for us to win it.”
Gardner was named man of the match, not only for his 74 but also for being involved in the three run outs in Riddlesden’s innings.
It was Gargrave’s fourth triumph in the Wynn Cup, as they had previously won it in 1946, 1948 and 2023, while Riddlesden could not add to their victories of 1984 and 1985.
However, they do lead Division One on 183 points with seven matches to go, with Eldwick & Gilstead second on 171, Silsden third on 157 and Gargrave fourth on 147.
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