First Team - Milnrow Away - 6th July

From the Oldham Chronicle... Friday 4th July

Gibbons is confident of semi-final success
ROYTON will be painfully aware that victory in the Wood Cup is long overdue.
Beaten finalists nine times since the competition was first played in 1921, Royton have a golden chance to finally ensure that the club’s name is engraved on the trophy.
Having beaten Unsworth and neighbours Werneth in this year’s Lees Bitter-sponsored competition, Royton go into Sunday’s semi-final at Milnrow with belief strong and morale high.
And captain Lee Gibbons is backing his players to deliver the goods.
Although Royton were well beaten at home by Werneth on Saturday, they fared much better against Rochdale at Redbrook the following day and remain in decent form.
Said Gibbons: “We deserved to win. We didn’t get as many runs as we should have done, but we bowled and fielded very well and it was only their last pair, who put on 18, that saw them home.”
Royton were in command against Milnrow when rain ended play between the two sides earlier in the season, but Gibbons will not be underestimating the size of the task his team faces on Sunday.
“Their professional (Shadab Kabir) looks a good player and everybody we have spoken to says he is the man you must get out.
“Milnrow have a good top five, but after that they are not as strong, so we will be looking to get through them.”
Kabir recently hit back-to-back centuries and will pose a major threat.
But Royton have enough quality of their own to book their place in the final at Walsden on August 3, even though bowler Mark Woodward is on holiday and will miss out.

Inappropriate, inaccurate and incorrectly spelt comments from the From the Rochdale Observer... Friday 4th July

Aiming for Cup glory
LADYHOUSE is the place to be tomorrow as Milnrow bid to reach the final of the Lees Bitter Wood Cup.
Milnrow have reached the last four the hard way. In the first round they disposed of CLL champions Littleborough. It was described as shock of the week.
Some of that shock, if not all of it, was absorbed as Milnrow showed it was no fluke by comprehensively beating Rochdale, at Redbrook, in the second round.
Now comes an even bigger task, not because of Royton’s reputation, but because of what is at stake.
Milnrow are not doing too well in the league, but in recent games they have fielded well, bowled well, and batted reasonably well, although a lot of the batting depends on openers Mark Wakefield and Max Power, professional Shadab Kabir, and Mark Chadwick. The bowling side of Milnrow is varied, and those in charge on the field rotate their bowlers well, especially in cup games.
The biggest danger facing Milnrow seems to be South African amateur Dion Taljard, a mighty man with a powerful hit with the bat and a lot of venom in his bowling. Then again, the biggest danger might lie in being defeaned by the constant appeals from Royton. You have been warned.

From the Oldham Chronicle... Monday 7th July

Imam’s heroics not enough
“WE threw it away,” was captain Lee Gibbons’ candid assessment of Royton’s 10-run defeat at Milnrow in the semi-final of the Lees Bitter Wood Cup.
It looked as though Royton would snatch an improbable victory from the jaws of defeat until Pakistani professional Iqbal Imam was dismissed with ten balls remaining.
Imam’s brilliant 92 — he came in at the fall of the first wicket and was last to be dismissed — deserved more than to be in vain.
When Royton were reduced to 119 for eight, chasing a victory target of 185, it looked a lost cause for the Paddock players.
But Imam and number ten Martin Bell shared a 39-run partnership which breathed new life into Royton.
Bell was desperately unlucky to be run out by Mark Chadwick’s quick thinking as the batsman was too adventurous backing up at the non-striking end.
But even with last-man Guy Lovell in the middle Royton, still needing 27, still fancied their chances with Imam exploiting a ragged Milnrow bowling attack.
And with frequent failings in the field and puzzling positional placings, Royton were in the ascendancy while Milnrow were nervy and full of self doubt.
In the end, the weight of expectancy proved too great for Imam, who finally fell in the penultimate over.
Imam, who had been refusing to run singles so as not to lose the strike, suddenly found himself having to hit out.
And he finally holed out to Lee Storey on the long-off boundary edge to give Milnrow professional Shahab Kabir his one and only wicket.
Gibbons said: “Whether we won or lost rested on the shoulders of Iqbal, and unfortunately we lost.
“It was a great knock and his 92 put us in a winning position. If he had connected properly and hit a six it would have put us within four runs of victory.
“We batted badly at the top of the order and really should not have been in the game. It was only our lower order that gave us a chance.”
Royton asked Milnrow to bat first and it looked a wise decision as the home side were restricted to 184 all out, dismissed with the last delivery from their allotted 50 overs.
That was down to some economical bowling with Martin Bell, Gibbons and Imam each taking two wickets and Dion Taljard and Lovell claiming one apiece.
Milnrow were indebted to paid-man Kabir whose majestic 67 held together their brittle batting.
Kabir, who hit Lovell for a towering straight six, produced some delightful strokes in his 64-minute knock in which he faced only 59 deliveries.
But Kabir’s dismissal — Matthew Ward ran him out with a brilliant direct hit at the stumps from cover — prevented Milnrow posting a far higher total.
But it didn’t take it long for things to go pear-shaped as Royton were quickly reduced to 37 for four.
Young quick bowler Jon Storey claimed the first three wickets, trapping Ward leg before and bowling Warren Teall and Simon Webb.
Taljard was tempted into a big hit and was caught by Mark Wakefield at mid on.
Royton continued to limp along and when they found themselves at 119 for eight their cause looked lost.
But Imam’s explosive hitting — he faced 102 balls during a two hour 14 minute stay in the middle — took Royton to within touching distance of victory.
Sadly it was not to be and Royton remain nearly men. They have been beaten finalists nine times and must wait another year in their pursuit of a first victory in the knockout competition which began in 1921.

More misspellings and inaccuracies from the Rochdale Observer, although we do get a picture of Wakey's wickets in a mess !!!

Shadababadoo it’s Milnrow through
THE JOYFUL cheer which followed Milnrow’s tense Wood Cup semi-final victory over Royton at Ladyhouse on Sunday was tinged with relief after a match which had more twists and turns than the Monaco Grand Prix.
The home side had set the visitors a victory target of 185 and with two overs remaining Royton were 174-9, needing just 11 runs.
Royton’s Pakistani professional Iqbal Iman was at the striker’s end on 92 and in full flow so the visiting supporters were in confident mood.
Milnrow captain Peter Jones had called upon his own ace in the pack, Iman’s compatriot Shadab Kabir, to close the innings despite struggling with injury.
The diminutive Kabir tossed one up and invited Iman to drive. He accepted the invitation, took a stride down the wicket and launched the ball towards the long-on boundary.
The crowd held their breath; Royton supporters praying the ball would clear the boundary, the Milnrow fans praying it wouldn’t.
The home fans’ prayers were answered as the ball looped into the safe hands of Lee Storey and he clutched it gratefully to his chest.
Iman’s shot once again illustrated the narrow dividing line in sport between glory and disaster. If the paid man’s shot had gone for six he was a hero, but as it led to his dismissal it might have been - in retrospect - an injudicious stroke.
Royton won the toss and invited Milnrow to bat on a greenish wicket which offered help to the bowlers.
With the score on 15, the home side lost opener Mark Wakefield as Martin Bell got one to nip back. Nine runs later Max Power chased a widish delivery from the same bowler and was snapped up behind by Denny Hulme.

MARK Wakefield looks back as his bails fly
Kabir and the experienced Mark Chadwick steadied the ship and had added 64 runs when Chadwick went back to a full-length ball from Lee Gibbons and was bowled.
Stephen Lane joined his professional at the crease and the duo moved the score past the 100. And when Lane’s firmly struck cover drive left his bat it looked a certain four. However, Ward dived to his left for a magnificent stop, and followed this up with a direct hit to send Kabir packing. It was probably the only way Kabir, who struck a superb 67 runs, was likely to be out as he looked destined to score a hundred.
Lane teamed up with Royds and had taken his score to 26 before he too was run out looking for a risky second. Milnrow’s tail wagged and Royds (11), Butler (19) and Jones (7) gave Milnrow a target to bowl at.
Royton’s reply was soon in tatters as Jon Storey roared in from the scoreboard end to dismiss Warren Teall, Matt Ward and Stuart Webb. This put the pressure on Iman and the experienced South African Deon Taljard.
Iman’s approach was watchful, while Taljard never looked comfortable as he was beaten time and time again outside the off-stump. His frustration finally got the better of him as his uppish drive sailed straight into the hands of Wakefield at mid-off.
Gibbons then offered Imam some support until he was deceived by a flighted delivery from Lane which shattered his stumps. Hulme became Jon Storey’s fourth victim courtesy of a great catch by Chadwick at short mid-wicket.
Milnrow were in the box seat, but Paul Hughes stuck around as Imam started to find his timing.
Man-of-the-match Lane appeared to have put paid to Royton’s hopes as, with the score on 119, he dismissed Hughes and David Wilson with successive deliveries.
Bell survived the hat-trick ball - only just - and nicked a couple of boundaries to revive his team's hopes. He had scored a well-worked 15 when he called for a quick single from the non-striker’s end and was sent back.
Chadwick kept his cool as he rolled the ball to Lee Storey and Bell was run out by a mile.
Lovell, who is not noted for his batting prowess, joined Iman out in the middle with 27 runs needed. And with Iman farming the strike and finding the middle of the bat Royton crept closer and closer towards the winning line.
However, Kabir had the final say as he won the battle of the two Pakistani professionals and with it a place in the Wood Cup final against Heywood on 3 August at Walsden.

Pictures from the day

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