BRIDGEHOLME provided the perfect response to their poor performance away to Halifax on the opening day — by routing Stainland for 33 in Division Two.
Lester Noel (six for 14) and Ditta (three for seven) ripped through the visitors' order.
On a tiny ground, a Bridgeholme side which had only managed 37 on the wide open spaces at Siddal seven days earlier had to be hopeful and after the loss of tw
o wickets with the total on one, they completed victory without further alarms.
Bridgeholme IIs also bounced back from an opening day defeat at the hands of Halifax with a fine win away at Stainland.
Having been put in to bat, the home side struggled against a Bridgeholme bowling onslaught, led by Tahir Hussain who took five wickets for only nine runs off nine overs.
Supporting bowlers Brooks (6 overs, 11 runs 1 wicket), Lord (7 overs, 11 runs 1 wicket) and Challis (8 overs, 16 runs 1 wicket) kept a lid on the middle order as Stainland IIs were bowled out for 120 runs.
The only cloud on a day of otherwise perfect May sunshine came at the beginning of Bridgeholme's reply, with a flurry of early wickets for Stainland's bowlers.
Opening batsman Simon Harris, the taker of an outstanding catch earlier, was himself caught for 0, quickly followed by Challis (bowled for 0) and M Hussain, dismissed for 0 after a disputed LBW decision.
Luckily for Bridgeholme, opener Chris Kibble kept his head. Enjoying fine partnerships with Ashworth (32), Davy-Day, Lord and Turner, the 16-year-old hit three sixes and one four as he fought his way to a superb 64 not out.
The full article contains 283 words and appears in Todmorden News newspaper.
