Craven League promotion fight hots up as Sutton still going

Accepting that Riddlesden, who are 76 points ahead with five matches left, will be champions, who will finish as runners-up is open to question, with Eldwick & Gilstead, Long Lee and Silsden separated by just five points.

The twin villages are level with Long Lee on 243 points, with Silsden on 238.

Long Lee made short work of Skipton CI at Sandyands, dismissing them for just 53, with only No.10 Paul Mason reaching double figures as Jamil Muhammad took 5-27 and Mohammad Ishtiaq 4-9.

Long Lee had earlier made 224-6, with seven of their eight batters making double figures, headed by opener Zafran Ghaffar with 88, which came off 110 balls and included 13 fours.

He added 50 for the fourth wicket with Daniel Kernan (15), while Paul Stowell (25) and Muhammad (25no) also weighed in.

Silsden also triumphed, defeating Bradford & Bingley III by 127 runs in a match that was switched from the troublesome Sandy Lane wicket to the Cobbydalers’ home patch.

Silsden made 264-6 batting first, with key contributions from Rob Jones (70) and Johnny Atherton (77no), backed up by Mohsam Gulbhar (39).

Jones hit 11 fours and Atherton five fours and seven sixes in a 47-ball knock, with Jones and keeper Tom Greenwood (29) putting on 60 for the third wicket and Atherton and skipper Jack Roberts (19) 84 for the seventh.

Bingley could make no more than 137 in reply, will Will Pullen taking 3-34, Tom Bradley 2-24 and Atherton 2-30.

Bradley’s second, third and fourth batters all made ducks at home to Riddlesden in their 141 all out, which was a recovery from 45-6.

Mohammed Qadeer made a defiant 32 up top, and runs down the order came from Iklaq Ahmed (20) and Shahzad GullBahar (38), with Qadeer and GullBahar adding 64 for the seventh wicket.

Mohammed Arshad (5-33) and Ibrahim Mahmood (3-27) were their destroyers in chief, and Riddlesden won by eight wickets in the 23rd over as Mohammed Shahnawaz cracked 57 not out off 40 balls, including nine fours and two sixes.

Support came from Naveed Hussain (27) and Mohammed Kamran (30).

Tamoor Munir (6-65) and Irfan Khaliq (4-76) took all of the Foulridge wickets at the Noyna, but the hosts still made 231.

Glusburn never threatened that score, ending on 147, which was largely down to James Waring (56) and Mark Pickles (23).

At the bottom, Airedale are threatening the great escape, winning at Barrowford II by two wickets to narrow the gap to 16 points from safety.

The hosts were toppled for 126, collapsing from 117-4 to Saqib Javaid (5-28) and Adam Brookfield (3-6).

Mathew Cox (30) and Matthew Gill (51) put on 72 for Airedale’s first wicket, which was just as well as they were then 112-8 before the experienced Trevor Cox (11no), father of Mathew, saw them to victory.

In Division One, Sutton continued in similar vein with their revival, notching their fifth win of the season, but their shock victory over third-placed Hepworth & Idle may still not be enough to help save them.

Sent in, the Westfield Laners lost both of their openers for ducks and could only score 113 as Sachin Abraham (3-17), George Elrick (3-30) and David Snowden (4-21) took all the wickets.

Then, as they so often do, Snowden (43) and Sam Solley (40) laid the platform with a first-wicket stand of 77, sending them on their way to an eight-wicket victory in the 26th over.

However, they are still next-to-bottom, 21 points behind Barrowford.

Cellar dwellers Ingrow were dismissed for 47 in losing by 199 runs at Gargrave.

Second-placed Oakworth gained maximum points at Denholme, but so did leaders Bingley Congs at home to Barrowford, meaning the gap between them is still 32 points.

Denholme’s innings started well, with Adam Vaux making 32, Toby Priestley 40 and Callum Gerrard 21, but only Ryan Clark (32) did much after that and they were dismissed for 180, with the wickets being shared.

Charlie Shimmin bagged 3-26, Jack Davison 3-20, Bradley Powell a mean 2-8 and Charlie Raby 2-31.

The latter, who is 17, then completed a memorable day by scoring an unbeaten 59 to take Oakworth to a three-wicket victory in the 35th over, his runs coming off 77 balls and including seven fours.

Fellow all-rounder Ellis Marshall made 54 and skipper Rob Hollingsworth 21 as Clark took 4-40 and Cameron Foster 2-54 to have Oakworth in early trouble.

Haworth remain fifth after a two-wicket victory at Haworth Road Meths, who made 198-7, with Ethan Gouws bagging 3-43 and Tom Rowell 2-70.

The visitors’ first four also made double figures, led by skipper James Roper (44) and Jamie Rowell (38) before Ben Bright scored 28 and Jacob Stephens 43 not out.

Cowling must have been optimistic when they had hosts Wilsden at 28-5, only to see victory snatched away from them in an unbroken stand of 100 between Hasnat Bukhari (85no) and Pete Longley (15no).

Captain Laiq Ur Rehman had made 40 in Cowling’s 127 before tea, Mohammed Shah Usman chipping in with 25 and Naqi Hassan 21.

The latter, who took 3-33, and Hamid Ullah (2-36) had caused the early collapse when Wilsden batted.

In Division Three, third-placed Cononley kept their promotion dream alive with a seven-wicket victory at Denholme II, who were heavily indebted to opener Guy Flanagan (59) in their 86.

Only Neil Spencer (13) and Dawud Shahzad (10) also made double figures in an innings of four ducks, with Herbie Starkey taking 3-11 and Willie Naylor, the last of seven bowlers used, 3-3.

Starkey then made 64 as Cononley breezed home halfway through the 15th over, Tim Shires taking 2-29.

Oakworth are just two points behind in fourth after a walkover against Wilsden II.

Haworth II are fifth after winning a well-contested match at home to Skipton CI II, who made 157, with the last-wicket pair adding 39.

Danny Spencer (3-45), Darren Ellerton (2-19), Jacob Hudson (2-55) and Paul Stephens (2-12) were among the wickets.

Hudson (36) and keeper Tom Loynes (44no) then helped Haworth home, with their target being achieved in the 36th over.

Cowling II won by two runs against Gargrave II after making 119, 35 of which came from Aqib Chatta.

In Division Four, Keighley III only trail leaders Bingley Congs III by a point after a comprehensive Sunday victory over Sutton II.

The Lawkholme Laners cracked 272-9, skipper and opener Zahid Bashir leading the way with 92, with great back-up coming from keeper Shehryar Hussain (65) and Dawud Qurban (33no) as Laurence Powell took 4-52.

Sutton’s reply was a decent 180-9, Tony Walton scoring 35 and Richard Walker (36) as Rahim Hussain (3-12), Tahir Mehmood (2-54) and Waleed Mahboob (2-36) shared the wickets.

Airedale II are third after toppling Congs III at Airedale Oval.

Six of Congs’ first seven scored double figures but they only totalled 180-7 as Congs old boy Mohammed Ali Raja took 2-41 and Andy Gill 3-40.

Warren Coppack (60no) then saw Airedale home by three wickets as, again, six of the first seven made double figures, Yusuf Mohammed (33) and Gill (28) playing key supporting roles.

Oakworth III are fourth, three points behind Airedale, after defeating Hepworth & Idle III by 37 runs at Wide Lane.

Sultan Khan (37) and Asim Khan (25) put on 61 for Oakworth’s second wicket in their 142, with Taariq Khan unbeaten on 22.

Elis Jones (6-17) then cut a swathe through the Westfield Laners’ batting, aided by Taariq Khan (3-33).