THE wet and windy weather affected matches across the Spenser Wilson Halifax League, and the Premier Division was no exception, with three matches being abandoned when the storms arrived.

All the top three, however, averted a washout, and it was at Warley where the championship-affecting result occurred.

Leaders Thornton lost only their second match of the season as the home team won by just one wicket.

Greg Keywood was the thorn in Thornton’s side as he took 7-45 as the visitors struggled after the top order were dismissed, with Nikki Hutchinson (55) the only player in the match to score a half-century.

Warley’s response was built on steady contributions but, at 154-9, Thornton must have been counting the 12 points. Funny old game as opening bowlers Amjid Azam (32no) and Liam Senior (13no) combined to earn a nerve-jangling win.

Copley’s Alex Blagborough (58) and Oliver Thorpe (50) produced the most significant stand of the match at Oxenhope, but they had little else batting wis, to cheer about as, in a reduced 38 overs, they totalling 157-7.

In reply, Oxenhope was in dire straights at 47-5 when the weather finally brought proceedings to a halt after just 16 overs, with the Keighley team perhaps one of the few pleased to see the heavens open.

Warley closed to within 15 points of the top but it was champions Booth who gained the most.

A win at home to Southowram by nine wickets took them to within six points of the summit as Nigel Horsfall (5-29) and then Steve Senior (48no) ensured maximum reward.

SBCI produced the best performance of the day in the derby against Sowerby St Peter’s, in between a violent rain break as they also won by nine wickets.

St Peter’s never got into any batting stride, with seven batsmen failing to reach double figures as Thomas Wood (4-34) helped to dismiss the neighbours for 135.

Mindful of the hovering dark clouds, SBCI had the match won in the 21st over as openers Wood (57) and Lewis Firth (56no) gave them a big lift in the table.

Elsewhere it was a story of the weather unfortunately winning.

Shelf Northowram Hedge Top looked on course for victory at Bridgeholme with 98 required and nine wickets left, while at Mytholmroyd a tight finish was on the cards with the hosts, seven wickets down, requiring 43 runs in seven overs when the umpires were left with no option.

Half-centuries from Triangle’s Gary Rodger (72), Michael Midwood (54) and Royd’s Matthew Scholfield (75) were bonus-points earning only.

The First Division fixtures were all played to a finish.

Great Horton Park Chapel easily accounted for visitors Clayton, bowling them out for 143 with Matthew Jordan (7-40) again in the wickets.

Danny Wilkins (42) added a flourish towards the end of the Clayton innings but to no real avail as Chapel knocked off the runs with comparative ease, led by Richard Hassell (48) and Husnain Syed (40).

Blackley secured a vital and most welcome win at fellow strugglers Queensbury to lift themselves 22 points above their hosts, who are second from bottom.

The home team batted first and struggled to find any momentum as no batsman lasted long enough at the crease, proven by the fact that Phil Sharples (24), making a rare first XI appearance, top-scored.

Dave Townsend (47) led the Blackley response in gaining an eight-wicket win.

Sowerby Bridge won before even the first of the heavy rains came.

Their victims were visitors Stones as the bottom-of-the-table team could only muster 37 in 25.2 overs.

Jake Dixon was nearly unplayable on a damp track, recording figures of 13-7-15-7.

The Bridge, with black clouds over Walton Street, needed only 19 balls to bag maximum points.

Those 12 points took them to 138 for the season and were vital to keep them in the promotion shake-up as both Illingworth St Mary’s (156) and Great Horton Park Chapel (140) also gained maximums.

St Mary’s travelled to Bradshaw and, in a 36-overs-per-side match, posted 197-9, with No 9 batsman Adam Mellor top-scoring with 55 not out in an effort that proved vital.

Bradshaw never looked like making the target as only Simon Collins (43) made any real inroads, and once Ben Clarke was introduced into the attack the curtain came down as he recorded 9-2-16-6.

Should you score 180 runs for your second XI one week and get picked for your first XI the next, then what are the odds of bettering that score seven days later?

Enter Jabir Patel of Mount who, batting at No 4, did exactly that in the Second Division with a knock of 192 not out against a bewildered array of visiting Upper Hopton bowlers.

Entering the fray at 64-2, he proceeded, with assistance from Anees Rawat (87), to take Mount’s total to 419-6 to leave a massive task for the response.

Unsurprisingly it was far too much for Hopton, despite efforts from Matthew Haigh (56) and David Stones (55), and, to rub salt into the wound, Patel took 4-14 as Mount ran out winners by 248 runs.

Greetland enjoyed their third victory of the season in overturning Cullingworth at West Vale.

The visitors were all out for 92 as Mushtaq Mohammed took 5-54, and a nine-wicket win came in 18.2 overs – before the rain arrived.

The best finish of the day came at Low Moor HT, where the home side just failed to match Luddendenfoot’s reduced total of 194 (from 207 all out) – by just two runs with the last pair at the wicket.

Three Foot batsmen had made significant contributions – Lee Broadbent (53), Ryan Allen (44) and Daniel Barron (43) – that were vital at the match end, with Mark Stokes (47) and Adam Forbes (41) the unlucky top scorers for Low Moor.

Only Old Town suffered on the rain front in this division – but not really as it was visitors Outlane that left Hebden Bridge cursing the turn in the weather.

Needing just five runs to pass the home team’s 138 all out and with five wickets in hand, Outlane blasted a response in 22 overs but the 23rd lasted just two balls – a dash to the pavilion being the last of the action.

There was a low-scoring affair in the Huddersfield derby at Bradley & Colnebridge, where Leymoor were dismissed for only 78, Andrew Mitchell causing havoc with 6-33.

In reply, B&C also had problems with a lively pitch, struggling to 59-7 before Iqrar Hussain (41no) took charge and settled the issue.