THREE years ago, and it may have been the beer talking, newly-promoted Hepworth & Idle were singing about winning Division One of the Craven League.

Drinking from the Division Two championship trophy on the coach back from the league’s annual dinner at Rolls Royce Sports Club, over 40 club members sang of winning more silverware.

Covid knocked the 2020 season on the head and the Westfield Laners were only ninth last season, but could this be their year?

They are now fourth after a shock win over perennial runners-up Bingley Congs at Beckfoot Lane, and now only trail them by 19 points.

Congs won the toss but were dismissed for just 78, with Chris Dibb (23) and Mohammad Adil (20) top-scoring as they collapsed from 33-1.

Jonathan Robinson (3-34), Simon Raistrick (4-10) and Harry Pinkney (2-9) were their destroyers in chief, but Hepworth & Idle did not find things much easier after tea, winning by two wickets in the 40th over.

Opener Nigel Poustie made 22 and Raistrick 29 not out as they recovered from 45-6 against Matty Roberts (4-26), Adil (2-8) and Neil Copping, with the latter taking 1-10 from 12 overs.

Wilsden were involved in the match of the day against Oakworth at Haworth Road.

The hosts made 168, with Hasnat Bukhari (67) and the in-form Pete Longley (56) putting on 71 for the fifth wicket.

Oakworth looked home and hosed at 155-5, but lost four wickets for just 13 and needed a boundary by Tom Fothergill to see them home by one wicket.

The day’s top scorers in the top flight were Haworth Road Meths, who made 186-7 after opting to bat at home to Barrowford.

Openers Naseer Ali (52) and Ian Robson (24) gave Meths a good start, and Fahim Khan (22) and skipper Andy Gudgeon (21) soon weighed in too.

Mohammed Ibrahim’s superb analysis (3-5 from seven overs) then quickly had Barrowford on the back foot, and Tom Kaznowski (4-40) ripped through their lower order as the Lancastrians were dismissed for 129.

In Division Two, Eldwick & Gilstead lost their top-of-the-table clash against Riddlesden at Grange Road.

Ajeet Singh’s 5-48 helped dismiss Riddlesden for 171, but E&G could only make 113 in reply, with both Pat Carberry and Oliver Hall scoring 21.

Only five points separate the bottom four, with basement duo Bradford & Bingley III and Bingley Congs II level on 52 points.

Airedale made complaints about the state of the Sandy Lane wicket after being dismissed for 83, with Irfan Ul Haque taking 3-17 and Shahbaz Ahmed 4-8.

B&B did not find things much easier, losing eight wickets in triumphing, Ahmed making 20, skipper Adam Swallow 25 and Ul Haque 24 not out.

Congs II sent Barrowford II in at Bull Holme Oval, with the hosts making 187-5 after a mean spell by Asher Nutting (1-27 from 12 overs), but Congs scored just 65 after tea, with only Towhid Ali (12) and Chris Hemsley (16) reaching double figures.

In Division Three, Wilsden II, now eighth on 45 points, were at second-placed Cononley, who made 205, with Chris Foster (3-39) and Mudassar Riaz (3-51) among the wickets.

The visitors replied with 132, as Tanveer Hussain (27), Liaqat Ali (26) and Riaz (28) all nudged 30.

Bingley Congs III are leading Division Four after beating Oakworth III in a top-of-the-table clash at Keighley Cricket Club on Sunday.

Andy Copping batted through Congs’ innings, making 76 not out of their 197 and putting on 59 for the first wicket with Paul Sansom (22). Andy Greenwood later scored 29.

Oakworth were then dismissed for 107, with Simon Hatherley taking 3-6.

Hepworth & Idle III, like many teams on the day, failed to make three figures at Ingrow II.

That was tough luck on Muhammad Abdullah, who took 7-27 in Ingrow’s 114, but Bradley Elliott (21) and Abdullah (15) were the only ones in double figures in the third team’s 71 all out.