Struggling Keighley grabbed a surprising but vital 22-run win at Buttershaw St Paul’s on Saturday, easing their growing relegation fears.

The visitors were in dreadful form going into this Bradford Premier League Division Two clash, and knew defeat in Bradford was likely to send them tumbling into the drop zone.

But they batted magnificently against their mid-table hosts, racking up 290-8 from their 50 overs, before dismissing their opponents for 268.

Keighley started badly, and slipped to 37-3, but Nazir Shah (96) and Ryan Ridehalgh (63) led an excellent recovery.

They put on 107 for the fourth wicket and, with Lucas Keslinke chipping in with a superb 53 not out down the order, they finished with a real flourish.

Buttershaw’s reply was a strong one though, and at 184-3, their equation was a very gettable 107 runs to win from 110 balls with seven wickets in hand.

But skipper Simon Bailey (3-62) expertly got his side back on track, and with Ridehalgh, Daanyaal Ahmed and Johandre Barnard all taking two wickets apiece, Keighley bowled out their rivals with 13 balls to spare to claim a fine victory.

They are now 12 points clear of the relegation zone, and next up, they host fourth-placed Hunslet Nelson on Saturday.