Skipper Phil Slater welcomed Bradford & Bingley’s three-wicket win at relegation rivals Saltaire yesterday, but believes there is a long way to go before Bingley can be sure of their JCT600 Bradford League First Division status.

The were some nervous moments before Bingley overtook Saltaire’s modest 140 on a dry, turning Roberts Park pitch to end a run of four matches without a win, but Slater hopes this result will "breed confidence to take us into the next few weeks".

Defeat was a blow to Saltaire, who slipped to the bottom of the table, 17 points adrift of safety as Baildon moved off the bottom following a narrow win over Manningham Mills, while Bingley are 11 points above the safety mark following their 16-point haul.

The fact that 17 wickets fell for 281 runs tells its own story. and Slater said: “It was always difficult on that wicket. The pitch was dry and dusty and it was turning at a decent pace and, it wasn’t just turning, the odd ball was lifting too.

"Both our spinners Alex Atkinson and Harry Smallwood bowled well, but any spin bowler would have turned it on that wicket. We just let them get a few too many runs.”

Saltaire, without overseas all-rounder Khuram Shahzad, playing in a twenty20 tournament in Pakistan, made a good start with Adeel Nazir (29), one of three second-teamers in their line-up, and Tinashe Gomwe (31) putting on 56 for the first wicket before Gomwe became the first of Jack Hartley’s two victims.

However, the innings collapsed as they lost five wickets for a mere seven runs, sliding from 70-1 to 77-6 as Atkinson and Smallwood got to work.

Young Danish Hussain, another second-teamer with 22, and Mohammed Munir (33) then staged a recovery, putting on 57 for the seventh wicket before Hussain fell to a smart catch at leg gully, and Munir was out without addition to the score.

The last two wickets fell for one run as Slater joined the attack to trap Awais Ejaz, but the bowling honours belonged to Atkinson,with 3-35, and Smallwood (2-44).

Slater got Bingley off to a brisk start with 33 out of 44, but the innings stalled once he was out and Bingley lost three wickets for as many runs to leave the match in the balance at 68-4.

Ryan Cooper and David Clow put them back on track with a fifth wicket stand of 27 before Cooper was caught at midwicket, just after hitting Amjid Khan for six.

Clow (16) and Thompson (26) then took Bingley to the verge of victory with a sixth-wicket stand of 40 only for both batsmen to be out with the finishing line in sight.

Saltaire skipper Ijaz Khan, whose spinners brought him 3-24, said: “The batting let us down again - another 30 runs and we would have won that game.

"The overseas is a big loss. We have no idea whether he will be coming back. Without him it will be difficult.

"We have also lost our fast bowler Mansha Khan through a knee injury, but a couple of young ones did well – they are the future.”