Manningham emerge victorious!
On a bitterly cold day, where even the umpires had to wrap up warm, the sunshine came from many of the youngsters taking part. For 2019, the Farid Karolia Cup, a regular date in the dairy and a Development Centre end of year celebration, had a new venue (Bradford Park Avenue) and format (8-a-side pairs based on the Kwik cricket format).
Teams taking part this year included Salem (a new centre), Batley, Rotherham, West Bowling, Manningham and last year's winners, Sheffield, who were there in force to show their support for their team.
Two groups of three were drawn, seeing the Bradford teams drawn in one group, and Sheffield, Rotherham and Batley drawn in the other. The youngsters, many at age 11 or under played under a new format - Kwik cricket. 200 runs to start and 5 runs deducted per wicket. Three pitches were prepared for play at this iconic venue and, with the back drop of the beautiful mosque, it made for an impressive sight as communities from every part of Yorkshire came to play under the banner of cricket.
The parents, coaches and supporters wrapped up warm, with plenty of hot drinks as the youngsters cricket shone.
In Group 1, Manningham came out on top, beating Salem and West Bowling. In Group 2, it came down to the last game, with Sheffield being victorious over Batley, after setting an imposing total before Batley lost wickets at regular intervals in the chase. Sheffield were to play their old foes, Manningham, in the final.
Over the years the Cup has been played, the finals between these two have been tight, often with last ball finishes. Sheffield batted first and set a score of 234-3, which was well within Manningham's grasp. After the first Manningham pair had batted, it was never going to be enough and the final total for Manningham was 261-1 by the end, aided by some big hitting by the Manningham team early on in the innings.
Shiv Krishan and Johnny Younis, festival organisers, commented that it was "a real pleasure to watch some good cricket" and thanked all those who turned up for their support. Johnny said "the day went really well and the youngsters loved it, even though the weather could have been better! Big thanks to all!"
Scores
Group 1
Manningham 218-3 V Salem 213-6
West Bowling 226-5 V Salem 236-4
West Bowling 214 V Manningham 280-1
Group Winners: Manningham
Group 2
Rotherham 208-5 V Batley 251-3
Sheffield 296-1 V Rotherham 203-4
Sheffield 256-0 V Batley 208-7
Group Winners: Sheffield
Final
Sheffield 234-3 V Manningham 261 -1