GIVEN the traumas faced by Skipton CC in recent seasons, it might be imagined that the club's historians would be needed to identify the last occasion that the team had two players scoring centuries in the same innings, as occurred against Woodhouse on Saturday.

The fact that the feat had been managed only 23 times since the league was reformed in 1935 confirms the calibre of the feat achieved by Stephen Carling and Robert Dilger.

Yet despite the rarity of the event, it is necessary to go back only four seasons to the last time it happened - in 1999, when Mark Whittaker (121no) and Chris Gott (101) both reached three figures against Collingham.

The previous occasion a Skipton pair managed such a prolific effort, however, does take us back into the mists of time, namely 1947, when J W Carrington (102 no) and R Heard (110 no) performed the feat against Burley.

While adding another entry into the record books of the Airedale & Wharfedale League is always a cause for celebration, more important to the Sandylands men was the six points gathered in Leeds which took them back on level terms at the top of the table with Colton.

With the score at 17-2 and Woodhouse with a very useful 252 on the board, Skipton's prospects looked far from rosy, but the arrival of Tasmanian Robert Dilger at the crease to partner Carling brought a swift shift in the balance of power.

Dilger set the pace with a century off only 69 balls and with Carling also moving along at a brisk pace, the pair quickly rescued the situation with some positive, chanceless batting.

Dilger eventually perished when he had reached 116 off 88 balls to take his seasonal total to 489. The stand then stood at 217, at which point Skipton were well on their way to victory.

Carling duly carried on to finish unbeaten on 113 and take his tally for the season to 355, although another interesting statistic from the talented all-rounder to emerge from Saturday's game was a 4-21 return with the ball.

Skipton duly reached their target for the loss of four wickets to complete a performance which is bound to boost burgeoning morale no end in the club's 150th anniversary season.

Upper Wharfedale hopes of picking up much-needed points against Olicanian were unfulfilled when they failed to post enough runs at Denton Road. The Dalesmen were bowled out for 160 and the Ilkley side got home with four wickets in hand.

In Division B, Silsden must have fancied their chances when they topped the 200-mark at home to Rawdon, but Bruce Percy's 100 steered the visitors to a winning 204-3 total and strengthened their promotion bid.

Jonathan Smith was another century maker as Steeton really got amongst the runs in their Division A match at Hall Park. Smith reached 112 as Steeton produced a strong all-round effort to post a daunting 275-7 tally, Neil Spragg and Gary Boulton then doing the damage to see their side to a 134-run victory.