Delph recorded their second league win of the season with a battling win at Honley.
After being put into bat by their hosts, who were without their captain Timmy Taylor through injury, Delph’s innings yet again this season got off to a stuttering start with Mosun Hussain holing out in the first over. Alex Peters soon followed for 9 caught at slip by Yorkshire’s Will Fraine and then Nathan Jones also found the safe hands of Fraine for 5 to leave Delph on 3 for 26. Louis Aspeling and Adam Hayes set about stabilising the innings to take Delph to 76 when Hayes was bowled by Simon Kelly for an entertaining 27 off 25 balls (3 4's and 2 6's). Overseas Reman Afridi joined Aspeling and the pair put on a crucial 105 partnership for the fifth wicket. Afridi, after a relatively poor start to his Delph career, survived a couple of early scares, to settle down and play some classy shots. Skipper Aspeling took his score to 60 with 10 4's before he was also bowled by Kelly. Afridi then, with support from Luke Hargreaves (8) and Muhammad Shakir (10), took the total to 222 before falling to Honley’s overseas Mel Benito for a fine 78 which contained 10 4’s. Some late order hitting from Walter Kasim (11) enabled Delph to close their innings on a respectable 238 for 9. Honley's main wicket taker was Jack Hebden who took 3 for 54.
A rain interruption during the tea interval meant that 10 overs were lost to the reply with the target being reduced to 204. Umer Yaqoob struck early taking the crucial wicket of the prolific Simon Kelly for 5, trapping him lbw and then Walter Kasim induced Will Fraine into edging a ball and Mosun Hussain took an excellent diving catch at slip to leave Honley rocking. Kasim then took 2 wickets in 2 balls to remove Mel Benito for 5, to a fantastic one handed catch by Adam Hayes, and Ed Wilson next ball with Honley then on 33 for 4. Ryan Robinson, as he so often does, looked to steady the innings and despite losing Owen Kenworthy the innings moved on to 104. At this point, however, Robinson top edged Xander Selby to Luke Hargreaves safe hands for 34. Kenworthy (45) then tried to marshal the tail but wickets fell regularly to leave Honley well short of their target on 142 all out. Delph’s opening bowlers did the most damage with the ball with Kasim taking 3 for 34 and Yaqoob a fine 4 for 25.
