Arthington 1st XI – 205/8 33 overs	203 all out – Bilton in Ainsty 1st XI 45.5 overs
Naveed Andrabi: 68 Abdul Saboor: 58	Usama Shahid: 9.5-0-42-4 Naveed Piran: 10-0-44-2

 

Two games remained in the 2026 season for the Arthington 1st XI when they took to the road to face Bilton in Ainsty on the back of a seven-match winning run. With three other teams in contention for the title, the seven-match run would have to become nine if they were to have a realistic chance of being crowned champions.

 

Captain Naveed Andrabi opted to bowl first on this occasion upon winning the toss and his seamers immediately got into their work as Usama Shahid bowled out one of the home side’s opening batsman with the score on just five. He dismantled the timbers again for the second wicket, via an inside edge, and continued to ask questions of the remaining opener and the new batsman as they tried to recover the situation. 35 runs were added but the introduction of spin in the form of Sourav Chandolia, took care of the stumps once more to remove the remaining Bilton in Ainsty opener and expose the middle order.

 

The captain fell next, to make the score 98/4, as Jahanzaib Rahim got in on the act by bowling around the batsman’s legs to unseat the bails to complete the removal of the home side’s top order. Shahid returned to reintroduce leather to wood and leave the hosts 106/5 with all five wickets being bowled up to this point. Thirty runs were compiled for the next wicket until Naveed Piran fancied a piece of the stump splattering for himself and it was not until the seventh wicket, the second by Piran and caught by Abdul Saboor at long-off that the first non-bowled dismissal occurred.

 

Keen to restore the normality that had been created, wicketkeeper Harsh Patel struck the stumps with a direct-hit for a run out as the batsmen attempted an ill-advised single, breaking a 32-run partnership in the process, just as the hosts were staging another mini-revival. 178/8 crept up to 203 all out as first Naveed Andrabi added a wicket to his contributions via a catch by Rahul Khode at deep-mid wicket before the pinpoint accuracy of Usama Shahid finished the job in familiar fashion as the ball was directed into the stumps for an eighth occasion. Arthington would need 204 runs in their batting innings for victory.

 

The significant confidence that had been gained from their recent victories was not enough to boost Arthington’s top order on this occasion in the chase, however, as their top three batsmen were all dismissed cheaply. Harsh Patel went first, edging an attempted straight drive to first slip, Hari Krishan was next via a tame shot for a simple catch at point and Owais Khan toe-ended a pull shot to mid-wicket for another straightforward grab.

 

The responsibility of the recovery fell to the Arthington captain, Andrabi, along with the free-scoring Abdul Saboor and despite the pressure of the situation, the pair were rampant in their approach to taking down the home side’s bowling. It took them just twelve overs to increase the score from a troublesome 35/3 to 150, scoring at nearly ten runs per over between them. After an explosive stay at the crease, Saboor eventually fell when he sliced a ball to point for a catch, but his 58 had come from just 32 deliveries and included 4 fours and 6 sixes.

 

The home side’s spirits were buoyed further when Andrabi also lost his wicket via a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper while attempting a shot behind square on the off side. The Arthington captain had managed the highest score of the match with his 68-run innings coming from 53 balls and including 11 fours and 2 sixes. 37 runs from victory with five wickets remaining should have posed no concerns for the remaining batsmen and so it appeared until the sixth wicket fell, beginning a minor collapse of three dismissals for just eight runs.

 

Naveed Piran’s patient innings was ended in contrasting fashion when he ballooned a full toss straight up in the air to be caught at point and just two balls later, at the other end, the other set batsman Sourav Chandolia was given out LBW. Rahul Khode was then given out though it was unclear exactly what for. The ball certainly hit his pads and perhaps it was an LBW but the ball was also caught behind by the wicketkeeper after the deflection who seemed to also claim a catch with the scorebook later revealing the catch behind to be the reason for the Arthington spinner’s departure.

 

With two genuine tailenders at ten and eleven, Arthington needed to call upon their hidden gem Javaid Hussain to coordinate the remainder of the chase and he did so expertly, striking the winning runs with a sumptuous cover drive to the boundary. Arthington won by two wickets.

 

The scenario that had been foreshadowed in the previous week’s match report ultimately came to pass once Studley Royal had secured a victory against Beckwithshaw leaving the top four teams level on 170 points each. In the final round of matches, Studley Royal must take on Colton Institute, meaning that four will at the very least become three once a victor is crowned in that match. Based on the various criteria in place should the league end in a tie it could come all the way down to net run rate to determine the champions. When Arthington host Whitkirk at the ACG they must first secure a victory, but the rate at which they achieve victory may also prove pivotal.

 

2nd XI summary – Home against Goldsborough

Arthington 2nd XI – 251/5 40 overs	226 all out – Goldsborough 2nd XI 37.5 overs
Luke Seaborne: 109* Ahmer Sadiq: 84	Luke Seaborne: 5.5-1-31-3 Joe Seaborne: 7-1-34-3

The top of the Nidderdale Division 4 table was also delicately poised in the lead-up to Arthington 2nd XI’s latest match against Goldsborough. Despite Arthington’s victory over the league leaders seven days earlier, Walton Park were still clear favourites to finish in first place having established a substantial lead over the chasing pack during the course of the season, but the battle for second place and a promotion spot was still raging with three teams in contention.

 

Arthington’s captain Luke Seaborne lost the toss and his team were sent in to bat in fairly typical September conditions. The visitors got the upper hand in the early overs with a combination of economical bowling and early wickets. Umer Khan was the first wicket to fall, having already been dropped though having also caressed two terrific shots through the off side for boundaries, his attempt at a third found a thin edge with which the wicketkeeper made no mistake. Aditya Khatua was adapting slowly to conditions until a shot across the line to a ball that kept a fraction low saw his bails hit the floor and once Steve Potter had picked out a well-placed cover fielder on the boundary who precariously managed to keep his feet in play after taking a catch, the hosts were in serious bother at 31/3.

 

Ahmer Sadiq, as has been the case on several occasions this season, was playing the anchor role as the remaining opening batsman and a recovery effort with Zaid Anwar was taking shape until he nudged a ball into the off side and called for a risky single that was followed by sharp fielding to remove the bails at the striker’s end to leave Anwar disappointed and short of his ground.

 

This brought captain Luke Seaborne to the middle earlier than he would have normally liked and his innings began with several singles and the occasional two, thanks to a slower outfield than in more recent times, to approach double figures before the drinks break. Both batsmen accelerated after the halfway point of the innings, however, and soon boundaries were being struck regularly. Sadiq’s more conventional style saw him score on both sides of the wicket, whereas Seaborne was aiming mainly to the leg-side, especially when the leg-side happened to be the shorter side of the ground.

 

Sadiq passed his fifty first but had almost been caught up by the skipper who reached the milestone soon after. Together, they rescued the Arthington innings and after reaching their initial target of 175 for maximum batting points, they set about making the score an unassailable one. Unfortunately, Sadiq lost his wicket when a minute lapse in judgement saw him misread a straight ball that hit the stumps. The opener batted until the 34th over and made 84 including 6 fours and 4 sixes.

 

With overs rapidly running out, Seaborne’s approach was largely unchanged upon being joined by Malcolm Barraclough. If anything, his desire to hit into the leg-side became even more apparent, moving regularly across his stumps to give himself greater access resulting, at one point, in a bizarre one-handed sweep to steer the ball away from his vacated stumps and to fine leg for a boundary. Extras were also helping the Arthington cause, including several chest-high no-balls, two of which Seaborne was able to hook for sixes behind square.

 

Shortly before the end of the innings, Seaborne brought up his hundred with an inside edge for two that stopped just short of the fine-leg boundary. His first ever century for Arthington since joining in 2016 contained 8 fours and 7 sixes and though the innings was not the most stylish that has been seen at the ACG it certainly came at a good rate and put the hosts in an excellent position. Seaborne and Barraclough plundered 16 runs from the final over of the forty that included an overhead ramp shot off a no-ball from Barraclough before Seaborne struck the final ball for six over long-on to finish on 109 not out and bring the partnership to an unbeaten 60 from just six overs. Arthington would need to defend 251/5 for victory.

 

In reply, Arthington’s opening bowlers failed to make early inroads, but it was not for lack of effort. Joe Seaborne saw a faint edge dropped behind the stumps and another attempted drive flash through the gap left between two gully fielders. Once frustration had almost reached breaking point, however, a catching chance was finally taken when Umer Khan held a lofted effort over his head at point. The number three batsman was then swiftly removed by the change bowling of Luke Seaborne when a ball jagged back in to hit the stumps.

 

The remaining opener, however, continued to live the most charmed of lives, due entirely to poor catching by Arthington’s outfielders. Mohammed Naeemarab was thrice let down as a catching chance at gully was tipped over the bar and still went for four and two chances at cover were also spurned. In the end, Naeemarab had to rely on his own hands for a well-deserved wicket when he clung on to a caught and bowled chance.

 

The missed opportunities in the field meant that the Goldsborough batsmen had extended time at the crease from which they took full advantage and scored at a rate that kept them well in the chase. In the 29th over, with the score 142/3, the opening batsman finally fell to Ahmer Sadiq when he was caught at gully by Aditya Khatua, who somewhat made up for an earlier drop. Damon Ive was his team’s top scorer on the day and made 48 including 7 fours.

 

The run-rate began to climb to more difficult levels, with over 100 runs being required from the final ten overs. Yet rather than subside to defeat, the Goldsborough middle order capitalised on some poor Arthington bowling in the latter stages and took 71 runs from the first six of those final ten overs. Their Achilles heel was that Arthington also took three wickets during a festival of boundaries as Ahmer Sadiq beat the free-scoring number five batsman’s shot and found the stumps via the batsman’s pads and Luke Seaborne struck with the very first ball of his second spell when a ball was lofted to Sadiq at long-on, who held the catch at the second attempt. The returning Joe Seaborne also rattled the timbers for a second wicket that should have come a lot sooner in proceedings.

 

Due to only travelling with ten players, Goldsborough had just two wickets in hand and still needed 37 runs at the start of the 37th over. After being struck for a six, Joe Seaborne struck back with a hostile bouncer. The batsman managed to get a bat to it, but skewed it straight back to the bowler for a catch. In the next over, captain Luke Seaborne rounded off an excellent individual display by hitting the off stump to dismiss the Goldsborough tailender and end the match with his third wicket. Goldsborough fell 25 runs short to give Arthington a 20-point victory.

 

Following a Killinghall defeat, Arthington move into the coveted second place and now have their promotion destiny in their own hands. Their next match sees them travel to Darley who only managed to move out of the relegation zone themselves following victory over already relegated Bishop Thornton.