Ben Birkhill stars again for Halifax League leaders Thornton

They stretched their lead to 13 points by defeating struggling visitors Bridgeholme by 207 runs, and again Ben Birkhill was an influential figure.

His 144 not out did not include a six but did include a staggering 29 fours.

The main assistance in Thornton's 325-4 came from Nikki Hutchinson (76) in a partnership of 139 for the second wicket, Ben King chipping in with 40 not out and Greg Soames 32.

The visitors then wilted under the bowling of first-change Bradley Weatherhead, whose seven overs produced 5-23, and Mark Clayton claimed the last wicket with his second ball!

Second-placed Booth dropped a point at Oxenhope as the hosts, batting second, were restricted to 212-7 (Tom Mawer 42, Joel Fothergill 36, Lewis Hopkinson 35) chasing the visitors' 283-3.

The latter score was basically the work of only three batsmen as opener Steven Senior hit a superb 143 not out, aided and abetted by the Laycocks – Richard (53no) and Robert (52).

Shelf Northowram Hedge Top opener Daniel Cole (94, including nine fours and seven sixes) was disappointed not to score a century at Hedge Top Lane against Mytholmroyd, but his effort was the mainstay of a 51-run win.

Fellow opener Harry Talbot chipped in with 54 in a partnership of 109, and full credit to Thomas Conway for a sterling stint for the visitors of 23-5-106-6 on a muggy afternoon.

Unfortunately Mytholmroyd’s batting was not up to Conway’s standard and wickets fell at regular intervals, with only No 7 Zahid Mahmood (45), following his 3-24, causing any concern for Hedge Top and, when he became Harry Reynolds’ (4-49) fourth victim it was game over.

Warley remain third, nine points behind Booth, but their championship aspirations recede with every match played as the top two continue apace.

They also dropped two points at Copley, as conditions dictated a low-scoring affair.

The home team could only muster 172-6 and it took Warley nearly 40 overs to reach a relatively small target.

Only the hosts' Oliver Thorpe, with 84, topped an individual score above 40 in the match.

Sowerby St Peter’s recorded maximum points for only the second time this season in the visit of Southowram.

The away team batted first, with Dean Crossley (73) in the runs again, but support was lacking as seven other batsmen contributed a miserly 19 between them in an all-out total of 200.

That proved easy for Sowerby as, after Ben Watkins (53) had departed, Aiden Green, entering the fray at 78-2, proceeded to destroy the visitors' bowling with an 83 not out that included six sixes and five fours.

If you were a First Division spectator seeking a plethora of runs Stones was the place to be, which augers well for the T20 Finals to be staged there next Sunday.

On this occasion, 640 came in the match against Queensbury, with Joseph Clough (182) hitting the second highest first XI score of the season as Joshua Dougall (115no) also enjoyed his day, with the visiting pair contributing the majority of a 374-4 total.

Massive credit goes to struggling Stones, who not only did not capitulate but produced perhaps their best batting of the season, with William Thickett (70) and Jacob Furness (52) hitting half-centuries in a 266-5 reply.

Leaders Illingworth St Mary’s exacted sweet revenge for their previous two defeats to Clayton by inflicting a nine-wicket mauling on the visitors.

Clayton were surprisingly dismissed for just 78, with four fired-up bowlers sharing the spoils in an innings that lasted only 28.3 overs.

St Mary’s took just 14 overs to complete the easy win, making the tea ladies nearly redundant!

That defeat was a major setback for the Bradford side as both Great Horton Park Chapel and Sowerby Bridge overtook them as they slipped to fourth.

Great Horton recorded a three-wicket win at Blackley, where a usually good batting track caused problems as 17 wickets fell for a combined 240 runs.

Park Chapel's Matthew Jordan was the main antagonist as he scythed through the Blackley innings to take 7-40, with the hosts managing only 118 as their last five wickets tumbled for 15.

Achieving the maximum return was also not easy for the visitors but six batsmen cobbled together some double-figure scores and, despite losing four wickets between 96 and 98, they scrambled to victory.

Blackley will now be looking over their shoulder as they visit second-from-bottom Queensbury on Saturday, only 11 points clear of that drop zone.

Sowerby Bridge’s promotion hopes increased as they despatched visiting Bradshaw by 36 runs.

It would have been a lot closer, however, had it not been for the efforts of No 7 Ashton Richardson, who produced a vital 75 after a flurry of middle-order wickets.

A target of only 203 proved beyond Bradshaw, however, who were all out for 166 as Jake Dixon (4-41) and Steve Shannon (4-55) took the bulk of the wickets.

In the Second Division, the best finish of the day came at Greetland, where Mount were visiting.

Batting first the leaders posted 266 as their first nine batsmen all reached double figures in a team effort where Mahmad Kayat (49) top-scored.

Greetland’s four bowlers interchanged and kept at their task all afternoon, with the pick being Mushtaq Alam (4-60). In reply, Greetland’s batsmen make steady progress but it was the seventh-wicket partnership between Damien Reynolds (61no) and Alam (65) that set pulses racing.

They took the total to 16 runs required off 12 balls, but Mount kept their nerve and with the pressure on and two run outs in the last over, including Alam’s, it resulted in the scores being tied as the hosts closed on 266-8.

Bradley & Colnebridge took 12 points in their home match with Cullingworth, winning by 27 runs.

Despite restricting its hosts to 141 after excellent performances from Michael Bright (6-80) and Phil Poole (4-56), the visitors' batting sadly let them down again.

As Yasir Arfat took 4-29, only Gordon Fletcher showed any real resistance with 57 not out, and he was left high and dry as the last wicket fell with the score on 114.

Leymoor had a comfortable win at home to Low Moor Holy Trinity, where 20 wickets also fell.

In the home team’s middle-order, Pierce Walker (71no) and Martin Allison (61) enjoyed an 82-run partnership that proved a winning one as Moor fell 88 runs short of Leymoor’s 235, with Daniel Murgatroyd (4-34) among the wickets.

Upper Hopton were victorious on their short trip to Outlane, winning by a surprisingly large margin of 117 runs. Four of Hopton’s top five batsman contributed scores, with Ian Wightman (88), David Stones (63) and Graham Whitworth (50) hitting half-centuries.

A target of 290 was far too much for the home team and, although fifties came from Chris Brook (55) and Adam Davies (51), eight other batsmen failed to reach double-figures in an all-out total of 172.

Old Town took advantage of the tied match to move to within two points of Mount at the top and must now be dreaming of a piece of first XI silverware – last seen in Hebden Bridge in 1993.

They had an excellent win at third-placed Luddendenfoot, triumphing by 42 runs where 504 runs were scored and all 20 wickets fell.

Town took first knock and Imran Aslam provided the backbone with 101, followed by Mohammed Jamil (59) in an all-out total of 273, Thomas Hosker battling away with the ball to take 6-65.

Hosker was in action again as the Foot responded, but his top score of 49 was not enough as he needed assistance to match Town’s efforts.

Ali Asghar recorded 5-94 to assist in giving his team their eighth maximum of the season.