WITH Tong Park Esholt winning at home to Pool, Steeton are now in a relegation spot in the Aire-Wharfe League Premier Division after losing a thriller at home to Rawdon.

Rawdon made 184-7 after winning the toss, spinner Ewan Johnston returning the best figures with 3-42, while overseas player Tremaine Dowrich chipped in to take 2-46.

Skipper Stephen Pearson (41 not out) then almost got Steeton over the line, but their innings finishing on 180-9 as they agonisingly lost by four runs.

Dowrich (28) and keeper Matthew Nutter (14) put on 42 for Steeton’s first wicket, but they slipped to 57-4.

There was a recovery of sorts when Ben Hemsley (27) added 47 for the fifth wicket with James Robinson (21).

The run outs of Hemsley and Paul Quinlan (24) proved crucial, after Pearson put on what he hoped would be a match-winning 54 for the seventh wicket with the latter.

Ben Hemsley was looking in good touch with the bat, but his needless run out proved costly for Steeton.Ben Hemsley was looking in good touch with the bat, but his needless run out proved costly for Steeton. (Image: John Heald.)

Despite losing Quinlan with 26 runs still needed to win, Steeton got their target down to single figures with three wickets still in hand, but agonisingly slipped from 175-7 to that losing total of 180-9 at the last.

Harden suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat off the penultimate ball at New Rover to leave them 16 points adrift of safety in Division One.

Sent in, the visitors made an excellent start, with skipper Andy Wear (51) and Elliott Wilson (88) putting on a magnificent 138 for the first wicket.

Wear hit six fours, while the dominant Wilson cracked 12 fours and two sixes, but there was little to follow that in terms of partnerships.

Harden tumbled from 162-1 to 163-4 before Pratamesh Kumble (21) and keeper William Grace (16) helped drag them to a competitive 235-8.

New Rover also had a decent opening stand of 60, and partnerships of 43, 30, 47 and 27 followed, but they still needed their last-wicket pair to put on an unbroken 14 to get them over the line with one ball to spare.

Matthew Hogg (3-63) did best with the ball for Harden, while Wear rounded off a fine individual performance by taking 2-44.

But it was not enough to drag their side to victory, a frustrating outcome for Harden, who would have been out of the relegation places had things had gone their way.