THE safe hands of Yeadon wicketkeeper Jake Wray helped him capture a Bradford Premier League record on Sunday.

The 28-year-old took eight catches as his side pulled off a surprise 20-run win over Premier Division opponents Farsley.

His first two catches came in the first four balls of the innings as he helped opening bowler Oliver Halliday reduce the home side to 0-2.

Wray said: “The first one was a good diving effort but most of the catches were straightforward.

“Our bowlers were getting the ball to nip around off the seam and it kept hitting the edge of the bat.”

Wray, a corporal with the RAF who is stationed at Leeming in North Yorkshire, was unaware that his eight catches was a record.

He said: “I didn’t think anything of it until my club chairman said it was a record and it was reported on the league website.”

Wray played down the importance of his contribution to Yeadon’s success. “The key man was my opening partner James Todd,” he said. “Toddy batted really well for his 118 not out and our total of 208-9 gave us something to bowl at.”

Farsley were dismissed for 188 with former Burley batsman Ryan Cooper, a Priestley Cup winner with Bradford & Bingley last season, making a defiant 104.

Wray, whose previous best haul of victims was six – four catches and two stumpings – for the RAF claimed the most famous victim of his career last season.

He stumped the great Indian batsman Virender Sehwag off the bowling of New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori in the Cricket for Heroes Twenty20 clash at The Oval.

Wray, an electrical engineer who has served in Basrah, Baghdad and the Falklands, was one of three servicemen picked to play in the match between a Help for Heroes XI and a Rest of the World XI.

“I was in the Rest of the World XI which was captained by Brendon McCullum. I was keeping wicket in a side which included Brian Lara, Graeme Smith and Matthew Hayden while the opposition included MS Dhoni, Graeme Swann and Herschelle Gibbs.

“It was a great occasion and I was pleased when I pulled off the stumping to get rid of Sehwag,” said Wray.

The cricketing focus for Wray, who has played more than 60 times for the RAF and made 20 appearances for the Combined Services, is to help Yeadon win promotion into the Premier Division of the Bradford Premier League.

“I think we have a good chance,” said Wray. “We have been playing some good cricket and we have a big game on Saturday away to leaders Batley.

“If we can maintain the sort of form we have been showing there is no reason why we can’t make a strong challenge.”