PUDSEY CONGS boosted their chances of avoiding relegation from the Bradford Premier League top flight and gave their neighbours Pudsey St Lawrence a helping hand in their bid to retain the title.

Congs, who started the day in the bottom two, produced one of the surprise results of the season to defeat leaders Hanging Heaton by four wickets.

Callum Geldart and Nick Lindley held the key to their victory. Lindley took 5-44 and Geldart 3-48 with their spin bowling as Hanging Heaton were bowled out for 181.

Geldart then followed up by making a sparkling 91, batting at number four rather than at his normal position of opener.

His place at the top of the order went to Max Backhouse (37), who shared a third-wicket stand of 112 with Geldart. Four sixes and 11 fours flowed from Geldart's bat as Congs, despite the efforts of pacemen David Stiff (3-34) and Tom Chippendale (3-46), chased down the Hanging Heaton total with 13 overs to spare. Ismail Dawood (61) and Nick Connolly (45) top-scored for the league leaders.

Pudsey St Lawrence took full advantage of Hanging Heaton's defeat to cut their lead to just eight points with five games to go after beating Lightcliffe by nine wickets.

Opener Mark Robertshaw hit an unbeaten 100 and Callam Goldthorp made 80 in a first-wicket stand of 177 which helped St Lawrence to overhaul Lightcliffe's total of 208-9 with 11.3 overs to spare. Robertshaw struck a six and 13 fours as the Saints recorded only their second win in six matches.

Lightcliffe, who are now embroiled in the battle near the foot of the table, saw Suleman Khan (55) and Jonathan Wilson (52no) make half-centuries, but their colleagues struggled as off spinner Chris Marsden took 5-36.

Third-placed Farsley maintained their interest in the title race by collecting maximum points from a resounding 144-run win over Morley, who have now dropped into the bottom two.

The highlight of Farsley's victory was a mature innings of 64 not out from 14-year-old Matthew Revis. He hit two sixes and five fours as he shared a sixth-wicket stand of 123 with top scorer Dan Hodgson (83). They came together after Nathan Bromby (3-51) had reduced their side to 84-5. Thanks to their efforts, Farsley posted a score of 240-8.

Morley's batting crumbled when they replied. Luke Heinemann's 31 was the only real defiance as they were dismissed for 96. Chris Henry was the chief destroyer with 5-34 and he finished the match with a hat-trick.

East Bierley pulled further away from the relegation places with an emphatic nine-wicket win over bottom team Scholes.

Seam bowlers Tuseif Arshad (4-34) and Awais Ejaz (3-33) found conditions to their liking as Scholes were bowled out for 125.

Irfan Amjad was the one batsman who challenged the dominance of the bowlers as he hit ten fours in his innings of 59. East Bierley romped to their target with opener James Ford hitting 15 boundaries in an unbeaten 69.

There were centuries for Sam Frankland and Logan Weston as Woodlands defeated Cleckheaton by 199 runs. The pair shared a second-wicket stand of 138 with Frankland hitting a six and 17 fours in his 101 and Weston striking three sixes and nine fours in an unbeaten 115, as Woodlands compiled 288-2.

Cleckheaton crumbled to just 89 all out. Ian Nicholson (43no) was their top scorer as Elliot Richardson (3-18) and Kez Ahmed (3-33) wrapped up the 20 points for their side.

Bradford & Bingley also eased their relegation fear with a 37-run win over Heavy Woollen Cup winners New Farnley. It was the home side's first defeat in eight games and came after the visitors got a score of 266-9. Opener Jack Edgar (75) and Charlie Best (42) set them on their way but it was the late hitting of Noman Ali that proved decisive. His 64 contained four sixes and seven fours.

New Farnley, who made 341-4 in their Heavy Woollen Cup final win over Hoylandswaine last Sunday, knew it would be a tough chase and so it proved. Paceman Yassir Abbas (4-39) and spinner Ali (4-53) kept the scoring rate in check despite the efforts of in-form Lee Goddard (54), Mark Lawson (47) and Simon Lambert (37) and New Farnley were bowled out for 229.