METHLEY chairman John Stabler didn’t mind putting his hand in his pocket to buy his team a couple of rounds of drinks last night.

After all, the Championship Division One promotion chasers had just defeated Premier Division leaders Farsley by two wickets to reach the final of the All Rounder Cricket Bradford Premier League’s Priestley Cup final.

“This is what enjoyment is all about,” said Stabler, who was lighter in the wallet after the shock victory which earned his team a match against top-flight New Farnley at Undercliffe on Sunday, August 27 (noon).

Farsley batted first and were dismissed for 89, with only Greg Pickles (17), skipper Ryan Cooper (12) and James Logan (11) reaching double figures.

Marcus Walmsley took 4-19, Muhammad Akhlaq 3-29 and Mathew Lumb 2-25 as the Rams were sent packing in 27.3 overs.

Stabler mused: “The ball was moving in the air and off the seam, but the wicket was no snakepit.

“We realised that getting 90 was not going to be easy, but we were fairly confident during the tea interval.”

Methley skipper Grant Soames, batting with the dislocated thumb that forced his retirement the previous day after he made 133 against Birstall, was out for a duck, but crucially Marcus Walmsley (19), Akhlaq (20) and Barney Gibson (12) all made double figures.

From a high point of 63-2, however, Methley collapsed to 72-6 in the face of fine bowling from Chris Henry (5-21).

Stabler added: “We were missing three key players in Sohail Raz, Jordan Laban and Ashton Blakey – former Yorkshire wicket-keeper Richard’s son – but the lads who came in were all capable batsmen at a lower level and I was confident that they could get the six or so each that we needed.”

Eddie Walmsley and Lumb then added a crucial 15 to take Methley to the brink and, even though they lost two more wickets, they got home by two wickets in the 20th over.

“The winning run was a wide, which rather took the pressure off,” said Stabler, who as a former York City Knights chairman had a good weekend with the defeat of Toronto Wolfpack.

New Farnley denied Undercliffe the chance to play on their own ground in the final by defeating them by 32 runs in the other semi-final.

Simon Lambert (46) and David Cummings (57) put on 77 for New Farnley’s second wicket, Yorkshire wicket-keeper Andy Hodd adding 34 in their 214 as Anas Mahmood took 5-42 and Zeeshan Qasim 4-27.

Undercliffe were dismissed for 182, with Qasim scoring 35, and James Middlebrook taking 3-34.