TEA-TIME thunderstorms played havoc with the 15 first XI matches in the Spenser Wilson Halifax League, with some being abandoned, others being shortened and others unaffected.

A quickfire end in the Premier Division came at Oxenhope as visitors Southowram was back in the tent with only 86 runs on the board, Liam Dyson recording figures of 7-29, backed up by Richard Ellis' 3-55.

To make matters worse, the rain calculation had then reduced the home team’s target to only 60 runs.

In less than ten overs, they were home and dry with maximum points, with Joshua Fleetwood (36) the only man out with his brother Luke 20 not out.

Leaders Thornton and Booth both had comfortable wins but the gap was reduced to two points due to Triangle’s efforts.

Batting first at Hill Top Road, the visitors posted a challenging 242-5 (Adam Stocks 57, Joshua Graham 56no), but leaders Thornton were equal to it with a five-wicket win, with Nikki Hutchinson hitting 18 fours and a six in his unbeaten 104, backed up by Joshua Hutchinson's 59, which included five fours and five sixes.

Booth’s problems, at home to Shelf Northowram Hedge Top, was how to beat the weather and their opponents.

Its top eight batsmen had all reached double figures, led by Steven Senior (75), when the cloudburst descended in the 44th over, the scoreboard showing 277-6 (Jack Hemblys 4-52).

After umpires Philip Gatehouse and Michael Smith had consulted their yearbooks and abacus, Hedge Top's target was re-calculated as 204 but that still was far too much for the visitors as a combination of five Booth bowlers, all taking wickets, achieved a 56-run victory, with only Daniel Cole (62) showing any real resistance.

Mytholmroyd’s players did not require an umbrella as less than 24 overs were required in the whole match to despatch a very sad and demoralised bottom-of-the-table Bridgeholme by ten wickets.

The hosts could muster only 50 runs as Thomas Conway helped himself to 5-20 and then, staggeringly, Matthew Scholefield (26) and Hasan Jamil (23) took only 17 balls to reach 51-0.

The shock of the programme came at Warley, however, where second-from-bottom SBCI gave themselves a massive lift with a three-run win.

In a rain-affected match, where the umpires used much common sense, the home team needed four to win off the last ball – only to see a gleeful Simon Wood pouch the dot ball.

Earlier SBCI’s Sam Hinchcliffe had scored 63 and Warley’s James Whitworth 51 but it was the Bensons, Oliver (4-64) and Ross (2-24), who had caused the early batting problems for the home team as their first five batsmen were back in the pavilion with only 45 runs on the board.

There was a much longer contest at Copley as the home team hit 261 against Sowerby St Peter’s, top batting efforts coming from Oliver Thorpe (78) and Gavin Whipp (68).

Despite a reduced target of 250 to win, Sowerby were always behind the clock and, while three batsmen reached the forties, nobody continued to make the big score required and, with Ian Hartley taking 4-60, Copley won by 47 runs.

In the First Division, Great Horton Park Chapel were the unlucky team as they had to settle for five points in their abandoned match at Bradshaw and, as a consequence, they are 13 points behind top-of-the-table Illingworth St Mary’s.

Bradshaw’s Connor Ryan had scored 78 runs, all bar six coming in boundaries, as the clouds darkened, with Chapel's Matthew Jordan taking 5-52, but all was in vain as the rains came.

St Mary’s capitalised at Queensbury, and certainly Callum Cook did as he rattled up 132, only to run himself out in the last over.

Support came from the in-form Daniel Murfet (60) as the visitors recorded 272-4.

A rain reduction to 238 runs did not really assist the home team but they battled stoically to within 58 runs of the target in a much improved batting display, with Azhar Sharif (71) being the pick.

Clayton put a further dent in the promotion ambitions of Sowerby Bridge with an fine win at Walton Street.

A target of 193 looked achievable for the home side but, Tim Helliwell (43) apart, they batted dreadfully as Mitesh Mistry (5-40) got among the wickets, with nine Bridge batsmen failing to even reach double figures.

Earlier Paul Artist (43) had top-scored for Clayton, and sympathy goes to Jake Dixon, let down by his team-mates, after a splendid return of 6-49.

Blackley put 21 points of daylight between them and the relegation places with an easy win in another rain-affected clash at Stones.

The home team scored 140 as David Peel Jnr took 4-28 but, following the recalculation, Blackley cruised to a winning score of 102-3, Dominic Walsh leading the way with 42.

The rains unfortunately also reached Batley to curtail Mount’s Second Division top-of-the-table fixture against second-placed Luddendenfoot, till leaving a ten-point gap between the two.

Imran Ravat (65) and Anees Rawat (60) improved their batting averages in the cricket that did take place as Mount scored 282-9.

Upper Hopton reduced their margin to second place to just four points with a seven-wicket win at Cullingworth.

The home team fared much better than of late and posted 151-8, with opener Steve Welch (47) top-scoring.

With Hopton at 59-3, the home team sensed a possibility of an upset but no more wickets fell as opener Keyur Mistry (48no) and Jordan France (56no) helped the visitors to ten points.

The rains also moved into Huddersfield as Leymoor’s derby with Outlane was washed out at tea-time, with Mark Coulson bashing 54 of his 56 in boundaries for the home team as the clouds arrived.

Bradley & Colnebridge escaped the weather as they travelled to Low Moor HT and came away with a 57-run win. Andrew Mitchell (54no and 4-47) was the man-of-the-match in an excellent all-round team effort.

Despite four Low Moor batsmen topping 30. it was always going to be a struggle after the top three had disappeared for only 11 runs, and so it proved.

Greetland are badly in need of another resurgence, similar to last season, as another heavy defeat, on this occasion at Old Town, leaves them stranded in the bottom two.

Sagher Shaheen (67no) and Sajid Mahmood (64) were in fine form for Old Town, and after tea if was the turn of Waqas Ali (6-29) to wrap up a 154-run maximum.