CHRIS Thompson scored a spectacular 125 not out off only 74 balls as Bradford & Bingley extended their winning run to three matches with an 83-run victory over fourth-placed Farsley at Wagon Lane.

Thompson smashed 11 sixes and eight fours as he shared an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 187 with Noman Ali (63no) as Bingley posted the day’s highest score of 308-5.

Farsley, who had won their previous three matches, were in contention when skipper Mark Harrison (65) and Joe Sayers (87) put on 134 for the third wicket.

However, once Sayers was fourth out at 195 – the first of Thompson’s five victims – the innings subsided as the visitors were dismissed for 225, with Thompson completing a superb all-round performance with 5-25 in five overs while spinner Ali took 3-55.

Second-placed Woodlands lost by 19 runs at Hanging Heaton and had to settle for six bonus points. Unusually, Woodlands’ bowlers made little impact on a strong home batting line-up, gaining only one bonus point as their opponents made 262-3.

Nick Connolly (60) and Joe Fraser (47) laid the foundations before David Paynter (74no) and Ben Elvidge (41no) launched a late assault.

Opener Duncan Snell (84) and Logan Weston (83) led Woodlands’ victory bid but they fell short on 243-7 with Connolly taking 4-33 and David Stiff (3-50).

Pudsey St Lawrence moved to within two points of Woodlands with a seven-wicket win over bottom club Yeadon. Off spinner Steve Watts took 5-41 as Yeadon made 157-9.

Oliver Stephenson (44) and Elliott Herd (37) gave Yeadon a promising start but they lost seven wickets for 54 and their final total posed few problems for St Lawrence as Callum Goldthorp (56) and Matthew Duce (46no) led them home with an unbroken stand of 63.

Alex Stead scored his second century in four matches as Lightcliffe beat East Bierley by 109 runs.

Stead hit nine sixes and ten fours in a superb innings of 146, dominating a third-wicket stand of 158 with Josh Wheatley (24) after opener Michael Brooke made a valuable 49 to enable Lightcliffe to reach 254-5.

Slow left-arm bowler Suleman Khan took 4-28 as Bierley were dismissed for 145, with only opener Mark Gill (46) and Kez Ahmed (36) showing much resistance.

Bierley are next to the bottom after this defeat. Morley climbed one point above them despite losing to New Farnley by two wickets.

Opener Matthew West top-scored with 67, supported by Colin Nuthall (35no) as Morley were restricted to 177-7. Opener Scott Richardson led the way for New Farnley with 78.

The visitors were cruising at 125-1 but they slipped to 172-8 before edging home.