Champions Cleckheaton made an impressive start to their title defence with a six-wicket win.

They made light of the absence of last season’s JCT600 Players’ Player of the Year Tim Jackson as they chased down a Pudsey Congs score of 243-8 and won with 7.1 overs to spare.

Skipper John Wood led from the front with an aggressive innings of 88 which included a six and 13 fours.

He was joined in a crucial second-wicket stand of 163 by Mally Nicholson (70) as the Congs bowlers were made to suffer.

Cleckheaton will have been pleased with the debut of their new Indian all-rounder Tanzeel Altaf. The leg spinner took 4-70 to peg Congs back after an opening stand of 157 between Callum Geldart (75) and Nick Lindley (59).

Another captain to play a lead role in his team’s opening day success was Pieter Swanepoel, who inspired Woodlands to a 61-run win over Hanging Heaton.

Swanepoel made an unbeaten 37 as he joined Grant Soames (42no) in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 58 which helped his side to post a total of 203-7.

Swanepoel followed up by taking 5-36 as Hanging Heaton’s highly-rated batting line-up was dismissed for 142.

Sarfraz Ahmed (3-38) removed openers Gary Fellows and Nick Connolly cheaply, then spinner Chris Brice removed David Paynter and Ben Elvidge before Swanepoel ran through the rest of the batting. Ismail Dawood made a battling 59 but it was not enough to save them.

Suleman Khan scored the first century of the season as Lightcliffe recovered from 0-2 to defeat East Bierley by 179 runs.

Khan struck ten sixes and 11 fours as he made a blistering 128 off just 92 balls. He was joined in a fifth-wicket stand of 159 by Jonathan Wilson (37) as Lightcliffe made 288-8, despite Neil Gill taking 5-113.

Such a score looked unlikely when openers Chris Taylor and Charlie Roebuck were dismissed without a run on the board.

East Bierley were dismissed for 109 in reply as teenage spinner Daanyaal Ahmed took 4-36.

Pudsey St Lawrence were the day’s quickest winners as they romped to a ten-wicket victory at Yeadon.

New signing Richie Lamb took 4-33 and leg-spinner Tom Hudson (3-11) as Yeadon were dismissed for just 66.

St Lawrence eased to their victory target in 17.5 overs with Mark Robertshaw (33no) and Adam Waite (32no) knocking off the runs.

Farsley were the only one of the three promoted teams to win as they picked up maximum points for beating Bradford & Bingley by 86 runs.

The Farsley batsmen took advantage of a good Red Lane pitch to make 285-4. Andrew Duckworth top-scored with an unbeaten 88 while new recruit Adil Islam (54), Ian Philliskirk (49) and former Yorkshire opener Joe Sayers (35) enabled them to set a stiff target, with Bingley bowled out for 199 in reply.

Second-teamer Naved Siddique was Morley’s match-winner as he scored an unbeaten 53 to steer his side to a two-wicket win at newly-promoted New Farnley. Siddique helped his side overhaul New Farnley’s total of 206-9 (Kashif Naveed 6-57).

Morley looked in trouble at 96-6 as New Farnley’s skipper Mark Lawson took (3-45) but Siddique and Colin Nuthall (40) revived their side with an eighth-wicket stand of 80.

New Farnley failed to capitalise on a fine innings of 74 not out by Peter Ross when they batted first.