7nd June 2025 - HBCC 2nd XI vs Glasshoughton CC (A)

From Fire to Fade: The Bridge Rollercoaster Continues 

Glasshoughton won the toss and elected to bat. Farzan Mohamed and Al Heald opened the bowling. A spiralling, steep catch was put down by Heald Senior early on, and this — along with a few other near misses — allowed Glasshoughton to get off to a strong start, frustrating the opening bowlers. 

With tensions rising as we neared the mid-innings break, Captain Dan made the much-needed breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous opener. At the halfway stage, the opposition was approaching a solid 100. 

After the break, Captain Dan struck again, removing the second opener. From that point on, the scoring rate slowed significantly, thanks to a tight spell of loopy spin from Gribble and some effective overs from Ryan Joyce and Andy Simpson. 

The return of Farzan and Heald Junior sparked an impressive end to the innings. Farzan finished with figures of 3/30, while Al picked up a well-earned 4/42. The fall of the last six wickets included some outstanding catching from John Kent, who took a series of crucial grabs. 

Mick Rozanski made an excellent debut behind the stumps, showing confidence and composure throughout the innings. 

Glasshoughton were bowled out for 146. 

The Bridge began their reply in good spirits, buoyed by having restricted Glasshoughton to 146. Openers Mick Mountain and Al Heald made a steady start, keeping the scoreboard ticking over. However, the partnership was broken with the score on 21 when Heald was dismissed via a catch. Mick Mountain followed just a few balls later for a solid 19, bringing Farzan to the crease alongside Andy Simpson. 

Farzan, having confidently declared his intention to play a more measured innings, still treated the crowd to a few classic Farzan strokes before being caught on the boundary at cow corner for 22. 

Despite Andy’s determined effort (19), the rest of the middle and lower order collapsed like a deck of cards. The innings was punctuated by a devastating spell from Glasshoughton bowler Dean Medley, who claimed a hat-trick to seal the deal. 

It was another disappointing batting display from Horbury Bridge, who were bowled out for 83 — once again left reflecting on what might have been. 

Man of the Match goes to Farzan for his 3 wickets, 22 runs, and for always being entertaining — both on and off the field. 

Special mention to John Kent, whose cat-like reflexes in the field helped turn the tide during the Glasshoughton innings. His sharp catching display was a real highlight and instrumental in helping to wrap up the final wickets.