Triangle shaping up nicely as they extend their lead at top of Premier Division in Halifax Cricket League

Carl Fletcher hit 89 runs in 42 balls to see the hosts set, even at Grassy Bottom, a formidable target of 310-8. However the most pessimistic of Bridge supporters would surely not, at the interval, have anticipated a 238-run defeat.

Quite simply their team was not tuned in as only three players showed any fight and Kurtis Whippey (5-23) and Zach Rushton (5-43) raced through the ten wickets in an amazing 13.3 overs.

Triangle extended its lead at the top to thirteen points as both Booth and Warley were out of action due to a Covid-19 problem.

The Thornton batting scorecard returned to some normality, at home to Bradshaw, after a series of poor performances with all the six batsmen used hitting double figures. Josh Hutchinson (108 not out) was back to form as Ben King (55) anchored an innings of 257-4. Bradshaw made a brave attempt at the chase but it was always behind the clock and, despite excellent knocks from Chris Shannon (64) and Charlie Holt-Conway (47), it closed 33 runs short on 224-9.

After its recent improvement Shelf Northowram HT soon fell back into its old ways in the home match with Copley, losing its first four wickets for only 17 runs. There was little improvement after that as Oliver Thorpe proved practically unplayable with figures of 13.4-5-40-8, the League’s best of the season, SNHT 87 all out.

It took the visitors less than 17 overs to reach a winning 90-0 as Gavin Whipp (56 not out) hit an unbeaten half-century. As a result Copley continued its rapid upward movement in the table and now sits in fourth place after its early season flirtation with the relegation area.

Mytholmroyd’s innings of 202 all out, at home to SBCI, was a story of six batsmen getting into the twenties but none progressed past the 38 runs of James Cowens. As a result it used only 38.4 overs, with maybe an eye on the following day’s Parish Cup tie. Rishav Tandon took 4-44 for the visitors which was followed by an impressive innings from Sam Hinchcliffe (76 not out) and, assisted by Arun Kandy (37 not out) in a 67-run seventh-wicket unbroken partnership, they earned a welcome 12 points for their team.

Blackley opted to field as it entertained Illingworth St Mary’s, the latter going through a rough patch, and perhaps would have been satisfied at restricting the visitors to 200-9. Skipper Matthew Smith (70) was the visitor’s major contributor as Jacob Linsel (5-44) was more than pleased to be able to bowl 13 overs. The home team, certainly glad to be back in home action after their Covid-19 problems, was even more so as it made a leap away from the relegation places with a two-wicket victory. Sam Mindham (59) top scored as another six other batsmen contributed to reach 201-8 in the 41 st over. Illingworth’s poor run sees it slip to seventh in the table after being in the championship race only a few weeks ago.

Oxenhope’s batsmen were in good form in its First Division home encounter with Clayton as Chris Kibble (61 not out) and Lewis Hopkinson (51) were amongst seven in double figures in a score of 260-9. Mitesh Mistry took 4-47 but his team fell 69 rums short of the target when batting despite another seven batsmen reaching ten plus. The top scorer was Sam Wilson (42) but not enough as Daniel Scott claimed 4-43.

Sowerby St Peter’s won the top-of-table clash at Great Horton PC- but only just. The visitors were inserted and scored 186-9. That score had looked well nigh impossible when the scoreboard read 39-6, however No 8 Lyndon Baxter jnr rose to the challenge, scoring 83 not out at just over a run-a-ball, aided by no 10 Patrick Lennon whose 30 runs also proved invaluable. Dominic Anderson (5-47) had previously removed five of those first six wickets to fall.

The Horton innings was much more of a steady approach, headed by Christopher Brown (41), but when Harry Clarke, the fifth bowler used, was introduced into the Sowerby attack problems ensued and soon the score read 136-9. There was still time for a final twist in the tail as Anderson chipped in with 39 not out but despite help from Joel Beaumont (9) the latter was last out off the last ball of the innings, as it fell six runs short at 180 all out.

Problems have been Mounting up at the Field Of Dreams of late and it appeared as if there no respite to that as it was skittled out for a meagre 62 runs against Upper Hopton. The innings lasted a long 31.1 overs as only Ahmed Sulla (28) reached double figures – Joshua Moorhouse taking 4-23. However Hopton made a total mess of its response and soon 29-6 was reached as those six batsmen losing thir wickets contributed just 16 runs. Ian Wightman (16) and Joe Manning (15) then took the score to 55-6, with eight runs wanted for victory, but both were dismissed at that score and Mount claimed the remaining two batsmen for three runs – Hopton 59 all out, Ismail Mayat was the pick of the bowlers with 4-18 as Hopton was dumped into bottom spot.

In the Second Division Stones was grateful to Gary Hulme (71) at Augustinians as he scored nearly half its runs in a total of 151 all out, Imran Khan (6-44) causing the problems for most of Hulme’s teammates. Perhaps the shock of division’s season was to follow as the home team put in a sterling performance in reply, to record its first win and a maximum to boot. Its key innings came from No 7 batsman, Khurram Shahzad whose 57 runs boosted the score to 105-8 and then Khan (22 not out) and Munsaf Ilyas (19 not out) finished the task at 152-8, much to the delight of their teammates.

In contrast leaders Greetland lost for the first time, at Queensbury by five wickets. The visitors batted first and, unusually, were bowled out in only 38.2 overs for 193 runs, Majid Jahinger (57) its top scorer as four Queensbury bowlers shared the wickets. The home team’s win was in the main then thanks to skipper Oliver Challis (72) and Steven Priestley (44) and finished off, in a rare first team appearance, by Phil Sharples (24 not out) for a winning total of 196-5, less than 34 overs required for victory.

Bradley & Colnebrige had a 104-run win over visiting Old Town in a match dominated by the Khans. For B&C R Nasir Khan (75) top scored with Zaheer Khan chipping in with 39 not out as the home team posted 259-8, Dilawar Khan taking 4-52. Old Town in reply saw no less than five batsmen score between 21 and 29 but not one could improve on that, resulting in an all out score of 155 as Kahlil Khan took 4-40 and Irfan Rashid 4-48.

At Outlane the hosts took only 27.2 overs to chase down a Leymoor score of 159-9 in which Andrew Raw (61) and Joshua Wrigley (6-35) featured, the latter a personal best return. Jonathan Krishnapillai (56 not out) was the Outlane batsman who took control of the innings and with Andy Holding (31 not out) they took the score from 91-5 to a winning 165-5 in an unbroken 74-run partnership.

Southowram’s Dean Crossley passed 600 runs for season, as he hit 108 at Ashday Lane, against Bridgeholme. A third-wicket partnership of 135 runs with Ian Gledhill (67) ensured that the visitors faced a target of 266-5. That proved 102 runs too many as only opener Sohail Sajjad (87) showed anything like the application to win the match, the innings folding to 164 all out once Sajjad was seventh out. Southowram now sit 18 points behind Greetland having reduced the deficit.

Covid-19 is still causing problems across the League with young cricketers in particular vulnerable to the latest wave. As reported below the matches at Warley (v Booth), in the Premier Division and Low Moor HT (v Luddendenfoot), in the First, were cancelled this week due to safety reasons. Just to reiterate the warning for young cricketers and parents alike, it is suspected that one of the above outbreaks started with an unfortunate young girl cricketer aged nine.

Premier Division:

Illingworth St Mary’s 200-9 (Smith 70, Linsel 5-44), *Blackley 201-8 (Mindham 59): pts 5-11. *Mytholmroyd 202 (Tandon 4-44), SBCI 208-6 (Hinchcliffe 76no): pts 4-12. *Shelf Northowram HT 87 (Thorpe 8-40), Copley 90-0 (Whipp 56no): pts 0-12. *Thornton 257-4 (J Hutchinson 108no, King 55), Bradshaw 224-9 (Shannon 64, Holt-Conway 47): pts 11-4. *Triangle 310-8 (Stocks 105, Fletcher 89), Sowerby Bridge 72 (Whippey 5-23, Rushton 5-43): pts 12-2. *Warley v Booth - cancelled – safety reasons: pts – Covid-19 average.

First Division:

Oxenhope 260-9 (Kibble 61no, Hopkinson 51, Mistry 4-47), Clayton 191-9 (Wilson 42, Scott 4-43): pts 11-5. Sowerby St Peter’s 186-9 (L Baxter jnr 83no, Anderson 5-47), *Great Horton PC 180 (Brown 41, Clarke 5-39): pts 5-12. *Low Moor HT v Luddendenfoot - cancelled – safety reasons: pts – Covid-19 average. *Mount 62 (Moorhouse 4-23), Upper Hopton 59 (Mayat 4-15): pts 12-3.

Second Division:

Stones 151 (Hulme 71, Khan 6-44), *Augustinians 152-8 (Shahzad 57): pts 4-12. Bradley & Colnebridge 259-8 (RN Khan 75, D Khan 4-52), *Old Town 155 (K Khan 4-40, Rashid 4-48): pts 12-4. Leymoor 159-9 (A Raw 61, Wrigley 6-35), Outlane 165-5 (Krishnapillai 56no): pts 3-11. Greetland 193 (Jahinger 57), *Queensbury 196-5 (Challis 72, Priestley 44): pts 4-12. *Southowram 266-5 (Crossley 108, Gledhill 67), Bridgeholme 164 (Sajjad 87, Chaudhrey 4-43): pts 12-3. Free Date: Cullingworth.