Church 132 all out

Todmorden 112 all out

Even in a season when we have come to expect the extraordinary, this was a truly stupendous win by a side that has made a habit of winning games which they look doomed to lose heavily.

After a scratchy effort to muster 132 with the bat, it looked as if Church were heading for an early finish, backsides duly tanned, with Tod`s openers racing to 43 without loss in the sixth over.

But a superhuman effort in the field almost defied the natural order of things and by sheer force of will, instilled in what I admit to initially feeling was no more than a measure of bravura aimed at salvaging a little pride by skipper Philip Gilrane, the boys imposed themselves on an opposition batting line-up growing more fragile and ashen-faced by the over.

It was captaincy and collective determination to succeed of the highest order, married with no little skill from the bowlers and fieldsmen.

But more of that after recalling how, after a decent start, our own innings rather tailed off disappointingly.

Alec and Sam Holt posted one of the better opening partnerships of the campaign but after Sam lost patience, pro Luke Woodcock couldn't repeat last week's heroics and was pouched at slip to give James Morgan the first of six victims.

Alec looked a lot more solid with a doughty knock of 42, but he too attempted one big shot too many off Mo Bux and holed out to Tod pro Jayasingha to put us 73 for three just after halfway.

Adam Greenwood and Levi Wolfenden took the score past 100 but Adam gave Jayasingha more catching practice after making 20 rapidly followed back to the tent by Phil Sykes, with an identical dismissal, and Andy Bentley, brilliantly pouched by Henderson at slip.

Levi got his head down as so often, sensibly eschewing the aerial route until he could resist no longer and gave Tod's Sri Lankan his fourth catch.

There was a mixture of farce and controversy as the last three wickets all fell on 132 in the 47th over, Phil Gilrane run out, Liam Brankin following suit - although the keeper appeared not to have gathered the ball before breaking the wicket - and Sam Tucker cleaned up by Morgan.

Simon Newbit and Ben Sutcliffe set off like a train for the home side and when Newbit gave Bentley a steepling catch after plundering 33 off 16 deliveries, there was little hint of the drama ahead.

But with the score on 63, Sutcliffe drove into Woodcock's safe hands. Three runs on, the promoted Harrison clipped Woodcock into Greenwood's hands at short leg and suddenly it was a very different game.

What had seemed a bit of a breeze for Tod became a much harder prospect, the onus all now on their pro after Ryan North clung onto a tumbling catch at mid-on to remove the other Sutcliffe and herald Woodcock's emergence as a major influence on the outcome.

When captain Jon Henderson was adjudged leg before to Bentley - a decision which had the numerous periphal-vision blessed cover-point-boundary umpires among the home faithful fuming with almost comic indignation - you almost knew the tide had turned and any swagger had disappeared from the White Rose contingent.

One individual even complained about over-excessive appealing from the re-invigorated, pumped-up Church lads, which from my memories of previous visits to the venue, brought thoughts of various accusatory ebony kitchen utensils to mind.

The burden was too much for Jayasingha, who having made 27 gave Bentley a return catch, then Woodcock bowled Marrow, extracting copious turn to pitch leg and knock out off, a feat which another of Tod's many all-seeing fully-qualified umpiring groundstaff had assured me seconds earlier was a geometric impossibilty: 63 for one had become 92 for seven.

With almost 30 overs left, run rate was not an issue but run scoring was looking more like fumbling for a light switch in the dark in a house you really ought not to be in in the first place.

The conspiracy theorists among the Yorkshire folk were given more ammo to howl their partisan slogans by a decision in favour of Luke to remove Simon Barker. It looked fair enough from my vantage point in the state of the art ground level facilities on offer but I'm one of them that generally thinks the umpire stood 22 yards away is better placed to give a decision than folk sat supping pints on the boundary.

By the time Phil Gilrane trapped David Brown in front, although the ruling again looked perfectly straightforward the locals were almost talking in terms of a sniper's bullet from the book depository as Rhoden's motability scooter passed a grassy knoll. Hint - If you are a batsman given out leg before look longingly and pleadingly at your bat and within seconds your fans will sagely assume that you knocked the cover off  it and absolve you of the possibility that you might just've missed a straight 'un there.

In Phil's next over, he clean bowled (to my knowledge in fairness no-one managed to come up with a reason that wasn't out) the still-dangerous Bux to spark an ecstatic reaction - it was fitting that the captain, who had refused to let his men slip away to what looked like inevitable defeat, should have the final say.

Wonderful stuff indeed on a day when the major disappointment was ultimately the sad sight of the one-time legendary travelling Church sides' watering hole The Staff of Life boarded up.

Alec Holt 42

Levi Wolfenden 28

Adam Greenwood 20

A Bentley 11-2-49-3

L Woodcock 14-3-32-4

P Gilrane 2.2--1-5-2