Clayton and Cullingworth win by one run on day of drama

The key to the home team’s win came in the very first few overs of the St Mary’s reply to Clayton’s 183 as Matthew Roe (2-14) and Sam Wilson (5-72) decimated their top order, reducing them to 9-4, with none of their four victims troubling the scorers.

Callum Cook (45) led a mini revival, as did Luke Brooksby (31) later, but Wilson had the final say in a highly-dramatic conclusion, trapping No 9 Brooksby lbw with one required for a tie.

Brooksby was inconsolable, having taken 6-51 in the Clayton innings in which seven batsman started well but none managed to reach 30 – but that total proved just enough.

The Second Division’s accolade of the week goes to Cullingworth, whose much-needed first win of the season came at Bradley & Colnebridge, and the fact that it was by just one run will be totally irrelevant to them – a win is a win. In doing so, they lifted themselves off the bottom of the table – a place that they had occupied for many weeks as Steve Welch (78no) and Dave Robinson (5-32) took the major honours, with only Yasir Arfat (64) in anything like decent form for the hosts.

Phil Poole (3-36) and Elliott Robinson (2-25) backed up Dave Robinson after Welch had batted throughout the Cullingworth innings, striking 12 fours and two sixes, with only two team-mates getting into the teens.

Great Horton Park Chapel took advantage of the Illingworth's slip-up with an excellent triumph at Blackley, with Richard Hassall’s performance of 4-30 and 104 not out (15 fours, two sixes) gaining most of the plaudits.

Called on as the sixth bowler, he accounted for Blackley’s middle order and then, in a 140-run opening partnership with Amaar Syed (77), laid the foundations for a five-wicket win.

In the Blackley innings Thomas Baxter (80) and Adam Turner (54no) were the top contributors.

Stones had a welcome first win of the season, at the 11th attempt, by beating fellow strugglers Queensbury at Swift Cross.

Batting first, the home team found some form, particularly William Thickett (87no) and Scott Sutcliffe (67) as they combined in an 125-run fourth-wicket partnership that paved the way for a 249-8 total (Ryan Senior 3-52).

Queensbury made a battle of it but were always just off the pace as wickets fell at regular intervals.

After opener Jack Richardson (55) had fallen to Gregory Baldwin (6-78) that became the catalyst for a much-needed win by 22 runs, despite 36 from Oliver Challis (36) and Senior (31).

Bradshaw’s batting effort at Sowerby Bridge, in a mid-table encounter, could hardly have been more ponderous as it crawled to 111-9 in 45 overs, rumours of spectators being sunburnt in their sleep not being far off the mark.

Jake Dixon’s bowling analysis of 16-4-26-4 best highlighted the struggle for runs.

The Bridge took 28 overs to claim the 11 points by then available, their consolation for an afternoon striving in the heat being that they now lie just 12 points off a promotion spot.

Greetland dropped into bottom place, despite putting up a valiant effort in chasing Mount’s 342-6 at West Vale.

The Batley outfit’s lead at the top is now ten points as their batsmen continue to enjoy a fine season and, on this occasion, it was the turn of Mahmad Kayat (103no), Rizwaan Abed (67) and Mahmad Gheewala (50) to head the list after Imran Rawat (45) and Mohammed Visnagri (39) had given them a fine start.

Any thoughts of an easy win, however, were thwarted by Damien Reynolds, whose 137 was a welcome Greetland highlight in a tough season thus far.

They finished on 252, with Mahmat Hanif Kayat (3-32).

There were some strange facts from the match at Leymoor, where Low Moor HT lost by 60 runs.

The visitors' Bradley Osborne (45) was the only player in the match to top 40.

Seven Leymoor batsmen hit double figures in their 219, and yet 'Mr Extras' was their top scorer with 40 (including 24 wides) as the hosts’ Mark Coulson (5-43) became the best bowler on show.

Outlane dented the promotion ambitions of Upper Hopton as the latter dropped to fourth place, the result of a 106-run defeat on their short journey across Kirklees for a derby.

Hosts Outlane scored 250-8 as Lee Mellor (68) and Chris Brook (62) led the way, with Hopton’s five bowlers struggling to keep the runs down.

In reply, their batsmen fared no better, with the top four only contributing 30 as Toby Croft (5-33) wreaked early havoc, and all the players were enjoying the comforts of the bar by the M62 before the end of the 29th over.

There appears to be no stopping a resurgent Old Town, who announced their entry into the promotion race as they made the short trip to second-placed Luddendenfoot to win a high-scoring match by 41 runs and go third, only seven points adrift of their hosts.

There was one century and five half-centuries in the contest, with Sagher Shaheen (106) and Adil Hanif (81) the pick for Town, while Isaac Baldwin (77) was the top-scorer for the Foot.

With only 11 wickets falling, it was the all-round batting strength of the visitors that won the day.

In the Premier Division, there was a run feast at Booth, with the aggregate score being 754-8 as the champions won by six wickets with 15 balls to spare, albeit slipping four points behind leaders Thornton due to Triangle’s batting effort.

Visitors Triangle took first knock and set a formidable target, even on the tight confines of Broad Fold Park, and after the match Triangle's No 6 Carl Fletcher must have been pondering how on earth can one score 165 runs (15 fours, 15 sixes) in a total of 374-4 and still finish on the losing side?

Chris Metcalf (75) and Christian Silkstone (59) were also in the runs as Richard Laycock toiled for 15 overs in taking 4-121.

Booth, however, were up for the challenge and their its innings contained seventies from Jon Midgley (79), Robert Laycock (78) and Ric Laycock (78no).

It was the latter, however, together with Usman Saghir (52no) in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 119 that proved the winning effort in a match that both teams took much credit from.

Thornton made light work of Southowram, winning in a canter in 28 overs, chasing a target of only 181.

Greg Soames had taken 5-54 in the first innings as not one visiting batsman reached 40, while in reply three of the hosts’ batsmen, Nikki Hutchinson (62no), Ross Carnall (58) and Soames (50), hit half-centuries to ensure the Hill Top Road team’s tenth victory from 11 outings.

At Oxenhope, visiting Mytholmroyd had first use of a superb batting track and rattled up 313-8, with Thomas Conway (67), Luke Sutcliffe (67) and Jameel Akhtar (53) enjoying the conditions.

The home team’s response appeared to be affected by their fielding efforts in the hot sun and, apart from Edward Jackson’s 70, the chase ended in a disappointing 114-run defeat as Spencer Jackson recorded 5-81 and James Cowens 4-17.

Warley had an easy win over Bridgeholme by 169 runs.

A first-innings total of 288-4, including an unbeaten century from opener Chris Atkinson (124no), was followed by Amjid Azam’s 4-40 as only No 9 batsman Samuel Dunkley (40no) showed any real resistance for the Eastwood team.

The top seven in the batting order all contributed in Shelf Northowram Hedge Top’s 86-run home success versus Sowerby St Peter’s, with Jonathan Marshall (58) top-scoring.

The visitors’ Martin Schofield (6-95) and Matthew Hoyle (4-81) put in tremendous shifts on a hot afternoon, and were very disappointed as their team-mates fell apart when batting, with only three players managing double figures – one of those Schofield (39no) showing the most resistance batting at No 11.

Near the bottom of the table, SBCI put nine points between themselves and second-from-bottom Copley at the Arches as the Woods, Thomas (105no) and Simon (43), combined in a partnership that set up a five-wicket win. Oliver Thorpe (70) was in the runs again as he and Andrew Rowles (65) were the mainstay of the Copley innings but it was Thomas Wood that ensured a third win of the season for the visitors.