A 10 minute away trip to Roberttown lane – one of the many local clubs that are within a stones throw of each other in this part of West Yorkshire – saw Lightliffe facing a yet unbeaten Liversedge. A deck that looked good for batting, dry and with a few cracks due to being covered for most of the week, the general consensus was win the toss and bat. Unfortunately, Lightcliffe lost the toss and fielded first for the 5th game in a row.

Skipper Jack Hendy, bowling for the first time for the season last weekend, took the new ball with left armer Andy Walker. The 5th delivery of the innings saw the ball flick the pad with Hendy appealing loudly, distraught that the batsman wasn’t given out lbw only to discover the reason was because the ball had actually dislodged a bail. 1 for 1.

The positioning of the pitch on the square meant that one side of the ground had a short boundary; the other side a huge hit. It leant itself to some strategic batting by Liversedge as they targeted areas intelligently. The early overs were a mix of late cuts, flicks, pulls and drives. Dawood and Ejaz were scoring runs relatively freely and without taking huge risks until Dawood made a strange decision to try a reverse sweep to Dikgale in the 11th. His side had been cruising at 6 runs an over before Lockley took the catch at slip, and the partnership had been broken.

Overseas player Nicholls joined Ejaz and an extremely frustrating passage of play followed. Catches were dropped – 5 in total during the innings – with Liversedge building a strong platform before Dobson made a breakthrough in the 23rd over. Liversedge put aside their early and safer strategy of hitting 4s and began to enter a contest of ‘who could hit the biggest maximum’. The short boundary aided the hitting as the ball began to disappear over fences, hedges, and into alleyways between houses on the opposite side of the road. Cars that seemed safely parked at the start of the play were now in peril. Up to this point they had struck just 1 six. In the next 25 overs they added 10 more – with Parvaise Khan smashing 9 of his own in a destructive 61 ball innings of 87. Luck ran out for Nichols, caught by the diving Lockley on the boundary to break a very dangerous partnership. It was his 6th catch of the season and his fielding and boundary catching has been exceptional.

Peter Dobson picked up another wicket in the 39th over who could consider himself unlucky as, in a parallel universe, his efforts today might well have gained him a 5fer not so many instead of 3 for plenty. Liversedge were riding their good fortune and smashing the ball freely to their well selected corners and they had, at this stage, compiled 211 for 5. 10 overs to go, they were looking towards a possible score of 300+. Thankfully it was at this point they hit the self-destruct button. From a position where a huge target looked achievable, Liversedge capitulated and were all out in the 44th over for 243. Rob Edmonds picking up a quick brace, Dikgale and Dobson 3 apiece, and Pickles and Hendy both chipping in with a wicket. It was a score that was within the reach of what is a powerful batting line up on paper, but a very daunting total given the recent form of the top order. The pitch had looked good for batting – one end had a bit more bounce than the other, but a ball barely misbehaved all innings. If Lightcliffe could just keep wickets in hand and avoid being 3 for nothing (as they have been this last month), then the possibility of a successful chase would be significantly increased.

Dikgale, promoted to open in an aim to shuffle the pack and solidify the batting order, succumbed in the 3rd over as he mistimed a pull to mid-on. A fear of a collapse loomed in the air around the ground as Rob Edmonds joined Zani Stead at the crease. Stead, having successfully negotiated his first delivery, looked well set and he carried on the form from last week’s magnificent hundred. Batting against the new ball challenged both players, but they resisted early pressure and struck the ball well with a range of easy-on-the-eye strokes all around the wicket. The pair added 65 before the stand was broken in the 14th over as Stead lifted the ball in the air – possibly the only instance in the partnership where the ball left the safety of the turf. Ammar joined Edmonds, and began with a series of well timed strokes before he too was dismissed when he looked to accelerate. 95 for 3 – by far the best position the side have been in when the 3rd wicket had fallen.

It was around this time that a welcome visitor made their entrance onto the ground, as stalwart and legend of Lightcliffe CC Rod Heyhoe made a belated start to his season. Knowledge of the game such as his is second to none, and his presence was very well received by all.

Lockley embraced the opportunity to bat with less scoreboard pressure as he smashed his 3rd ball over long on for 6. Playing with his usual freedom, he launched the ball to all corners of the ground as he finally found his feet after a tough start to the season. One of the toughest challenges is to keep going when things aren’t going your way, and it proves that eventually things will click as long as you persevere. A little luck aside, Lockley eventually fell for an often brutal and very destructive innings of 55 from just 46 deliveries, hitting 7 fours and 3 sixes. It was complimented well by the elegance of Edmond, happily playing the junior role in a 14 over stand of 75.

168 for 4 and overs no longer a worrying issue provided the board was kept ticking, nerves were still on edge as collapses have been a regular occurrence so far this season. Jordan Pickles joined Rob Edmonds and the passage of play that followed was a joy to watch. A pumped-up Pickles, keen to make amends for a couple of dropped catches, entered the crease with a bounce and pushed Edmonds on with his enthusiasm and energy. Calling positively, 1s were turned into 2s, and at a point in the innings where pressure could very easily have been placed onto Lightcliffe, the pair ensured that all the momentum belonged to the Villagers. The ball skimmed across the surface with effortless ease from the bat of Edmonds. Happy to pick up 1s and milk overs in between the boundaries, he struck the ball through point, behind square, through cover, mid off and mid on, with a range of glorious text book strokes that only left handers seem capable of playing with such finesse and timing. Pickles joined in on the fun and struck a series of beautiful drives as well as a couple of fierce Caribbean back cuts well behind square as the pair marched their way towards the total with consummate ease. The score was reached in the 45th over, Lightcliffe securing the maximum 20 points in a victory that was made harder than it should have been, but one that was achieved, in the final stages of the game, with effortless and majestic ease. Edmonds finished with a classy 89 not out with 13 fours, Pickles a breezy 37 off just 30 deliveries with 6 fours.

Wins today from the top 3 of Hartshead Moor, Bowling Old Lane and Hopton Mills – the three teams that we are scheduled to play next - means that Lightcliffe currently sit in 4th place and are just 14 points from the summit. A form guide that is LWWLW, the side are hoping that today’s strong batting performance will help to bring momentum to a side that today looked the more controlled and therefore potentially more consistent outfit of the two teams. The difference in the style of cricket played today can be summed up as follows – Lightcliffe hit 3 sixes and 34 fours, Liversedge 11 sixes and 19 fours.

Mention must also go to the two umpires who ran the game well, weren't going to be swayed by a fielding sides enthusiasm and theatrics, and erred on the side of caution when it came to making big decisions. Caution and certainty are the correct approach in my mind as amateur weekend cricketers - especially batsmen - get one brief moment per game that can help shape their day; and just 20 such moments during a season.