THORNTON’S Josh Hutchinson has been racking up the runs all season in the Halifax League Premier Division but an unbeaten triple hundred at Shelf Northowram Hedge Top put everything previous into the shade.

Coming in with the score at 5-2, he demolished the home team’s attack with a staggering 314 not out in 129 balls, in a knock that contained 19 fours and 34 sixes – an incredible 280 runs in boundaries.

It was just two runs short of Christian Silkstone’s 316 runs for Triangle on September 1 last year – coincidentally against Thornton.

Hutchinson now requires 34 runs for 1,000 in the League this season, to add to his 479 runs in the Parish Cup.

On most other days Ross Parr’s 88 would have been the stand-out innings but he had to settle for being part of a massive 461-4 score. A couple of Hedge Top bowling figures are worth recording, but without names: 13-0-136-1 & 9-0-102-0.

After losing their first three wickets for only 13 runs the remainder of the Hedge Top reply rescued some pride with all eight remaining batsmen reaching double figures in an all out score of 241 – normally an above average total but amazingly one that brought about a 220-run loss.

League round-up: Low Moor clinch promotion

Meanwhile, Illingworth St Mary’s clinched the Premier Division title with a match to spare and justified their return to the League in 2017, thus completing a hat-trick of successive divisional titles.

The winning effort came at Oxenhope where Liam Kelly (50) and skipper Callum Cook’s (44) opening partnership of 86 was vital in their 161-9 score. The home team was in trouble at 55-5 and despite a knock of 40 from Ben Howell they fell to 119 all out as Ben Robertshaw took 4-37.

Oxenhope are locked in a relegation battle with one game to go with Sowerby Bridge Church Institute. They are level on points with SBCI on 113 points, with the Keighley team having a slight edge with one more win.