Richard Elphee was the hero when Undercliffe ended their bad run with a thrilling three- wicket win over East Bierley at Intake Road.

Fielders patrolled the boundary as Undercliffe needed six runs to win off the last two balls.

However, batsman Elphee had the perfect solution as he faced his first ball, putting the result beyond doubt by driving slow left-arm bowler Matthew Barnes for six to give Undercliffe a crucial victory in their battle to avoid relegation.

Unfortunately for them, their rivals in the bid to avoid the drop also did well and, although Brighouse's position - 18 points adrift at the bottom - looks increasingly desperate, only five points separate the five clubs immediately above them.

Elphee's match-winning blow was the fitting climax to a match that summed up most of what is best about Bradford League cricket - more than 480 runs scored and the result in doubt until the last over.

At 160 for five with 73 needed still needed off nine overs, Undercliffe's brave victory bid seemed set to fail, but Chris Burns gave them renewed hope with a hard-hitting innings of 41, which included four sixes.

The turning point came when Burns smashed 23, including three sixes, in one over from Yorkshire's Gavin Hamilton.

Burns was eventually caught on the boundary by Richard Gould in the last over, but his dismissal only brought Elphee to the wicket.

Earlier, Undercliffe owed much to Howard Reeve (48) and John Sadler (39), who shared a second- wicket stand of 87 following the early loss of Mark Gilliver. When Sadler was out, top-scorer Toby Drummond (84) held the innings together to set up the thrilling climax.

Bierley owed their challenging total of 242 for nine to a sixth- wicket stand of 111 in 13 overs between top-scorer Andrew Bairstow (84) and Jaffer Nazir, whose 68 contained nine sixes.

That set the tone for a match that featured 21 sixes - 13 to East Bierley and eight to Undercliffe.

The bottom-of-the-table clash at Wagon Lane ended in a 59-run win for Bradford and Bingley over Brighouse.

Opener Carl Sharp batted through the innings for 121 not out as Bingley totalled 241 for three before bowling out Brighouse for 182.

Opener James Stansfield continued his good form with 59, while off-spinner Richard Wil-kinson was Bingley's most successful bowler with five for 53.

Gomersal - another relegation-threatened club - gained a four- point draw at Hanging Heaton in a tense match.

Chris Schofield was top scorer in Gomersal's 192 for four, while Hanging Heaton failed to build on an opening stand of 93 between Steve Foster (64) and Steve Bartle (44), and had to settle for a point at 186 for nine.

Leaders Pudsey Congs gained an eight-wicket win at home to Yeadon. Naveed Rana-ul-Hassan took six for 74 as Congs bowled out Yeadon for 141, and then openers Andy Bethel (69) and James Middlebrook took them to the verge of victory with a stand of 139, Barbar Butt ending the match with a six.

Baildon are second, still five points behind Congs, after an exciting two-wicket win at home to Pudsey St Lawrence with two balls to spare.

Captain Iain Priestley was top scorer with 55 in Pudsey's 199. Opener Colin Chapman gave Baildon a good start with 60, but but they lost wickets in the middle order and it was left to ninth-wicket pair Mark Bray and Lee Spragg to see them home.

Skipper Ashley Metcalfe batted throughout for 121 not out as Farsley moved into third with a four-point draw at Cleckheaton.