Oxenhope Recreation took advantage of the County Cup programme to open up a two point lead at the top of the table.

They were in league action against Grassington United while the other title chasing teams were busy on the county scene. Recreation found themselves fighting out a tough contest between two well matched footballing sides.

Oxenhope just had the edge in a very even first half, thanks to a goal from Jonathan Broadbent followed by a strike from Stephen Murray before Grassington pulled one back.

The second half was really end-to-end football with Simon Knaggs scoring to put Oxenhope in command, but Grassington fought back and drew level before Simon Duffin gave Recreation a 4-3 lead.

Again Grassington pulled level and a draw looked the likely result, but two superbly taken free kicks from Stephen Murray flashed into the goals giving him a hat-trick and earning valuable points for Oxenhope.

Cross Hills visited Intake and soon had the ball in the back of the net. Within 20 minutes they had added two more to secure a commanding 3-0 lead which they held until the break.

Intake rallied in the second half but still caused few problems for Hills. The Colne side managed to score only to see the South Craven team add a fourth goal. Cross Hills scorers were Gareth Brown, Jonathan Reape, Martin Coleman and Robert Smith.

Oxenhope Recreation Reserves struggled to raise a team for their return visit to Horton in Division One - and it showed.

The home side were in superb form and had the Oxenhope defence on the back foot throughout the first half, scoring six goals. The second period saw little hope for Oxenhope as the home club hammered in five further goals, although the Worth Valley team managed to score two consolation efforts through Neil Barnes and Gary Barnes.

Bronte Wanderers Reserves visited Skipton Town and both teams contributed to an excellent match.

Town were the sharper side, taking the lead in the opening stages, but Bronte settled and came into the match with a good equaliser. Slack defending allowed Town to take the lead again and they looked to be coasting to victory when they added a third. Bronte had other ideas and pulled off a strong finish, adding two more goals, to take the points.

In Division Two Silsden Athletic entertained Ingleton and scraped home to a 3-2 victory.

A penalty from Keith Spence put Silsden ahead only to see Ingleton reply, also from the penalty spot. Silsden were on top but could not turn their advantage into goals until they regained the lead through Shaun Whittaker.

They gifted Ingleton a second equaliser and the game looked set to end in a draw as both sides wasted chances. Shaun Whittaker had the final say when he rifled home a late-late goal to take the points.

Cross Hills Reserves entertained Barrowford United and were fortunate to come away with maximum points. The first half saw Barrowford give Hills a footballing lesson against a strong wind, and they took the lead midway through the period. Cross Hills fought back with a goal from Kevin Nicholls but fell behind again through a needless penalty. Right on half time a mistake by the Barrowford keeper left Mark Birch with an empty goal and he made it 2-2.

The second half saw Cross Hills take advantage of their let off and two goals from Nicholls put them 4-2 up. Barrowford were not finished and pulled a goal back, but time ran out before they got an equaliser.

Keighley Lifts Reserves travelled to Grindleton Res and hit top form from the kick-off. They soon had the Grindleton defence struggling and a great opener from Mark Sennett set Lifts on the victory trail. An equaliser from the Ribble Valley club did not deter Lifts who were soon back in front when Lee Isherwood rattled the ball home. Sennett followed up with his second to end a good first half for the Keighley side.

Ryan Sollitt scored a fourth early in the second half, but two quick goals from the home side brought Lifts back to earth. Sennett completed his hat-trick to secure a comfortable victory.

While the league's referee problem has eased a little there are still two many matches going unstaffed and volunteers are needed. Anyone interested in becoming a referee should contact the league secretary on Peter Marsden 01756-792859.