THERE were mixed fortunes for All-Rounder Cricket Equipment Central Yorkshire League Championship side Buttershaw St Paul's in their weekend league and cup exploits.

A superb seven-wicket win at Liversedge was followed by a nine-wicket defeat at home to Premier Division outfit Birstall in the Jack Hampshire Memorial Trophy.

Former East Bierley and Pudsey Congs batsman Paul Carroll (64) and James Robson (81) provided a lively response to a Liversedge total of 203-5 with an unbeaten 144-run fourth-wicket stand in only 78 minutes to secure victory with ten overs to spare.

Mark Hydes (40) followed up a century in his previous innings with a useful knock at the top of the Liversedge order, while Paul Marlow (54) and skipper Graeme Winn (48) helped them past 200. But Buttershaw teenager Kevin McDermott followed up his 3-23 with 32 runs at the start of the Buttershaw reply, leaving Carroll and Robson to finish it off.

Hopes of rounding off the weekend with a knockout upset were soon dispelled with the visit of Birstall to St Paul's Road.

On a day when extras (27) was their top scorer, Ashley Drake (4-36) doing the damage for Birstall, Buttershaw were bowled out for 150 in 33.3 overs – and Birstall quickly knocked them off after Craig Wood (77) and Saif Ur-Rehman (68 not out) put on 102 for the first wicket in just 8.4 overs.

Liversedge have enjoyed an encouraging start to the season but it all went wrong with that league defeat by Buttershaw and then a ten-wicket cup defeat at Wrenthorpe the following day.

Mustering only 130-6 in their 40 overs, Will Atkin (57) top-scoring, Liversedge never looked like springing an upset as Premier Division side Wrenthorpe sailed home without losing a wicket.

In the other ties, Townville beat Carlton and Methley won at Hunslet Nelson to complete the semi-final line-up.

While wins for Batley and Northowram leave them still first and second in the Championship, Birstall's cup success was a welcome relief after a 108-run Premier Division defeat at home to Mirfield Parish left them only two points above the relegation zone.

Good work from Lee Peters (5-52) and Danny Broadbent (3-56) restricted Parish to 176-9 but Muhammed Shanawaz (6-36) and Nazar Hussain (4-26) bowled unchanged to shoot out Birstall for 68.

Scholes (134) lost further ground as they went down by 111 runs at home to Ossett, for whom Shoaib Latif hit 121 not out in their 245-3.