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Aamir Sajjad hit a sparkling century as Yeadon powered into the second round of the Priestley Cup after defeating Hanging Heaton by 93 runs. After a third consecutive league defeat to East Bierley on Saturday, Sajjad's performance was the perfect antidote to lift morale around the club.

Not for the first time, Yeadon looked in trouble early on in their innings, however Sajjad and Andrew Robertson steadied the ship.

After Robertson was dismissed, Grant Soames arrived at the crease and the pair's aggressive and quick running helped stabilize the Yeadon innings further.

Unfortunately for Soames he was then given out to a debatable caught behind decision. Paul Machell continued to tick the scoreboard over.

Like all the Yeadon batsmen, Sajjad has found runs difficult to come by this year. However, this performance underlined the class and the match winning ability he has.

Skipper David Leather was full of praise for his overseas star. He said:"Aamir's innings was superb. He started off really solidly, allowed some of us to bat around him and then he accelerated towards the end - something we have really missed in the first three league games."

Patient in approach, Sajjad sprung to life with a huge straight six towards the High Street end. His six hitting ability was out for all to see as a host of boundaries were scored, the most memorable being a slog sweep through mid wicket. Sajjad's ability to find runs within the gaps was another key factor in his century.

Sajjad's innings was an authoratitive one. With the pressure on the team to perform, his responsible innings helped guide Yeadon to a competitive score. His open face glance towards third man brought up a fantastic century which was much appreciated. Full of confidence, Sajjad's Kevin Peitersen-esque' reverse sweep showed the quality which is in this Yeadon team.

Last week, Leather talked about the team's inability to bat themselves out of hole but Sunday's performance pleased the skipper.

He said: "It was nice to see some of us starting to show glimmers of form. Two or three of us got into the teens but then again played some poor shots. It's something which we need to work on - but the signs are there that things are starting to improve."

Sajjad eventually fell for 115 and Yeadon finished on 248-8, the club's biggest total of the season.

After two matches were cancelled at Yeadon last week - due to the poor weather - the wicket did appear to play well.

In the glaring sunshine, it was good to see old faces such as John Roper, Darren Drake and Richard Machell - who offered to score - come and support their old club. In front of a decent size crowd, the Yeadon bowlers came under some early pressure from the Rashid brothers.

Haroon (52) and Amar (42) looked to put their team into a winning spot but Andrew Robertson rocked the Heaton line up taking 5-24. Signed as a batsman Robertson's wicket taking ability has really come to the fore this season.

The next round sees Yeadon entertain Pudsey Congs. After defeating their neighbours Pusdey St Lawrence in the first round, the Congs will go into the match as favourites.

However, Leather is happy with the underdog tag and is optimistic for the task in hand.

He said: "It's great that we have a team like Congs in the next round. A really good side, full of quality players, it's something for the club to really look forward to.

"After beating a team of Heaton's quality it has had a significant effect on team morale.

"It was really important for us to get a win under our belts, especially against a side like Hanging Heaton who I think are one of the stronger sides in the league. There was different atmosphere in the changing room after Sunday, however the key is to keep that winning mentality going and that starts on Saturday against Bowling Old Lane."

The confidence building victory came only 24 hours after a 103 run defeat by East Bierley. Yorkshire second XI player Greg Wood stormed his way to his maiden century for the club and piled more misery on Yeadon with a classy innings.

Gavin Hamilton scored a valuable 66 and Bierley eventually finished on 223-6 after their 50 overs. For the third week running, Yeadon's inability to score runs cost them, as they were dismissed for 120. Robertson (26) started the innings in a positive and attacking manner however he was unable to convert his start into a big score.

Still second from bottom the next three games see Yeadon play beatable opposition and after Sunday's cup performance Leather is hoping to convert their cup form into league form.

Leather said: "The next four games are key for us, we need to build on the momentum gained by this win over Hanging Heaton. We have started to show some form and so we need to get some wins under our belt before we get into a tough schedule in June."

Yeadon's second XI continued with their unbeaten league campaign convincingly beating Farsley. Under-17s batsman Liam Bishop top scored with 60, and his solid foundations gave the other batsmen the opportunity to score.

Will Darby's punishing 58 off 58 balls highlighted his attacking prowess whilst valuable contributions were made by skipper Andrew Pickering (37), Jake Wray (27) and Ben Galey (26).

Eventually finishing on 258-7, the experienced slow bowling campaigners Steve Gilks (4-66) and Nick Darfield (3-35) sent Yeadon home with all 20 points after they dismissed Farsley for 177.

The club's decision to give youth an opportunity in the senior teams is definitely paying dividends. Also such a positive win after last week's disappointing exit from the Priestley Shield shows the character of which this team is made.

The seconds were missing two key players on first XI duty so the strength in depth at the club is a definite positive.

Esholt continued their strong start to the season after a convincing 159 run victory over Brighouse. In a repeat of last week's Priestley Cup first round match, Esholt overpowered their opponents in another one-sided match. It was again the Cummins brothers who shone, with Mark hitting 115 not out. Gulsheraz Ahmed (49no) also batted well and helped Esholt to a commanding total of 251-3.

Brighouse were skittled for 92, with all the bowlers again contributing. The match also saw Esholt claim their first 20 point haul of the season.

Esholt seconds also continued their good vein of form with a comfortable victory over Lightcliffe. Chris Dawson (6-24) was the pick of the bowlers as Lightcliffe were dismissed for 107. Masaver Massidique (47) saw Esholt home as they hit their target with three down.

After three matches in the Bradford League the newly promoted sides are beginning to find their feet. Esholt sit fifth whilst Yeadon are 13th. After a victory over title chasers Hanging Heaton confidence will be high in the Yeadon camp before Saturday's home clash with Bowling Old Lane while Esholt will visit East Bierley. The two local clubs clash in the Second Teams league with Esholt hosting Yeadon in a top-of-the-table clash.

6:23pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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