Skipper Paul Hutchison is upbeat about East Bierley’s JCT600 Bradford League Division One title chances after their crushing 125-run win over relegation-threatened Yeadon yesterday.

Fifth-placed Bierley – one of the teams to take advantage of the top three clubs losing – are only 16 points behind leaders Undercliffe, and Hutchison insists their fate is in their own hands.

“I think Pudsey St Lawrence are best placed, but we will keep fighting,” he said. “It was nice to show the other five or six teams around us that we are in good nick and playing decent cricket.

“If we look after our own game our fate is still in our hands,” he added, pointing our that Bierley play the other five top six sides in consecutive matches, starting on Saturday.

The match was as good as over at the tea interval after Bierley virtually batted Yeadon out of contention after posting a formidable 327-4 after winning the toss.

Foundations for this large total were laid in a second-wicket partnership of 134 between Scotland opener Gavin Hamilton and Andrew Rennison.

Then, when Rennison was out at 169 after hitting 12 fours in his 64, Greg Wood and Hamilton kept up the momentum with a third-wicket stand of 73.

Wood, the former Yorkshire second-team wicketkeeper- batsman, reached his 50 off only 25 balls before his sparkling innings, which contained two sixes and eight fours, ended when he was caught by skipper Grant Soames for 53.

The real hero, however, was Hamilton, who made the most of some dropped catches by scoring his second century in succession – 131 off 137 balls, including four superbly struck sixes and 14 fours.

By the time his fine innings came to end with a brilliant catch on the long-off boundary by Damon Gormley in the 49th over, Bierley had reached 300.

Interestingly, Kasir Maroof, the seventh of eight bowlers used by Soames in a vain bid to stem the tide, was involved in all four dismissals, taking the wickets of Hamilton, Rennison and Wood and running out opener Gharib Razak.

Yeadon needed a good start in the face of such a formidable total, but didn’t get one as they slumped to 33-3.

Overseas player Tharanga de Silva led their recovery almost single-handedly, striking a six and 17 fours in a defiant innings of 103 before being eighth out in unfortunate circumstances at the end of the 46th over.

He fell on to his wicket after being hit on the head by a ball from Mohammad Azharullah, who took 3-42, while left-arm spinner Luke Jarvis took 3-35.

Soames, with 38, was the only batsman to give Tharanga much support, helping him to add 76 for the fifth wicket as Yeadon reached a respectable 202.

Soames said: “Gavin Hamilton batted exceptionally well, but we missed our chances. In fact, Gavin was dropped three times before he got to 50.

"If we had taken our chances, it could have been different. We felt we needed to take two or three early wickets to try to contain them, but it didn’t happen.

“We are getting to the stage where we need to win six or seven of our remaining games to stay up, but we will keep trying.”