ARCHIE Cox thinks that he will be playing a mixture of second XI and first XI cricket for Steeton for at least another season.
The 15-year-old batted four times for the first XI this season in the Aire-Wharfe League Premier Division, scoring 43 runs, including a top score of 30 at No 10 against Collingham, when he added 66 with Adam Smith.
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He also took a wicket with his only delivery, wrapping up a victory over Saltaire.
For Steeton’s second XI in Division One (the equivalent of the Premier Division for first XIs), Cox batted 14 times, scoring 313 runs, including helping his team to the Birtwhistle Cup final, where they lost to Burley at New Rover.
His top scores were 40, 54, 51, 36 and 31 and he featured in five half-century stands, including 96 with his dad Simon and 86 and 51 with John Akrigg.
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Teenager Cox, who has played for Yorkshire Under-15s this year, was also man of the match for Steeton as they defeated Oakworth by nine wickets in the Upper Airedale Junior Cricket Association’s Raleigh Hargreaves Cup final earlier this month at Steeton, thereby completing a double after their league triumph.
He compulsorily retired after scoring 37 not out and said: “It was an easy decision to bowl after winning the toss because it was a nice soft deck, and as a bowler you can’t really say no to bowling on that.
“The wicket was popping a bit from short of a length, but if it was nice and full you were all right.
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“Our spinners – a leg-spinner and an off-spinner – controlled the game and have changed our game for most of the season.”
After restricting Oakworth to 88-9 (Joe Powell 14, Callum Hardy 14, Mohammed Zorai 13) from their restricted 25 overs (it should have been 30 overs per side but the poor weather forecast led to an early start, which proved very wise as it started to rain just after the presentation ceremony), Cox thought: “We could have limited them to 60 or 70 really, but with our batting strength we felt fine.”
Cox took 2-14, Harry Wilkinson 2-26, Oliver White an outstanding 2-8 and Freddie Wilkinson 2-19, all from five overs, keeper Freddie Padgett claiming three catches.
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Cox then hit six fours from 42 balls faced in his innings, and was backed up by Elliot Howarth (33no from 48 balls, including four fours) as Steeton won with almost seven overs to spare, adding 52 together, Joe Powell (1-14) and Haroon Nazam (0-14) doing the best for Oakworth with the ball.
Cox said of his first-team experience with Steeton: “I had two chances to open the batting, but that didn’t really work, but it was good to be in that environment.
“It has developed my game a lot with a younger team than the twos, and I got 30 in 22 balls against Collingham, which helped my confidence, as did playing for Silsden in the Craven League when I was 12.
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“With Yorkshire Under-15s I was more of a bowler and took a lot of wickets, although I did score 40 with the bat once.
“It has been a long season, I have played too many matches (50 in all) and my body is in bits, but I think that I will end up in the twos with Steeton next season but hopefully play a few games for the first XI as well.”
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