Terrible weather of Thursday and Friday put paid to 20 of the games scheduled for last Saturday. However play was possible in four of the games and all had a bearing on struggles at the top and bottom of the first two divisions.
The top two in Division One met at Shires Lane and after a big mopping up operation play started at 4pm in a 25 over per side game.
Oakworth won the toss and asked Embsay to bat first. The leaders rattled up 164 -6 with opener Duncan Bullough carrying his bat for 65 not out.
Other useful knocks coming from Duncan Ward 29 and Scott Robinson whose 32 included four sixes. Jason Lockley finished with 3-67 and Michael Scarborough 2-88 off 13 overs.
The visitors must have fancied their chances especially as their players take part in an evening league of 20 overs per side. After a bright start, Aussie Mick Cox was brought into the attack and he caused mayhem. With Stephen Speak also in good form at the other end, wickets crashed at regular intervals and the innings closed on 67. John Crossley top scored with 26 as Cox claimed 5-8 and Speak 5-29.
Long Lee were the visitors at Bradley and both sides were desperate for the points. In a 35 over per side game the Keighley side batted first and blasted 180-5 with Richard Ayrton scoring a belligerent 85no, and John Edwards 35. The South Craveners reply was well paced thanks to Neil Andrews 51 and Michael Milbourn. They required 28 off 18 balls and Milbourn clattered four sixes to leave victory a formality by four wickets, with five balls to spare. He finished with 77no.
This moves Bradley to within three points of safety and leaves Long Lee five points clear of second bottom Cowling, who travelled to Cullingworth and made a fair attempt at winning. The homesters batted first and scored a mammoth 263-5 with the brothers Welch, Stuart and Chris, scoring 82 and 50 respectively, as Miles Nicholson finished with 4-97. In reply the visitors scored 213-9 with Geoff Fisher making 45no and Martyn Dalby 42, with Hodgson taking 3-39
Moving into the Division Two, leaders Haworth WE made the journey to Chatburn and came away empty handed after going down by 28 runs. The Ribble Valley side went first and made a very creditable 197-7 with Stuart Draycott leading the way with 63. The Bronte side replied with 169-9 with Andy Parker top scoring with 59 as John Lockley claimed 7-74.
FIRST DIVISION
Embsay 164-6
Oakworth 67
Embsay: D Bullough 65no, D Ward b Lockley 29, M Cox b Scarborough 0,
J Waddington b Scarborough 12, R Bateman c Pennington b Lockley 10, S Speak b Lockley 3, S Robinson run out 32 Extras 13. Total 164-4..
Bowling: Scarborough 13-1-88-2, Lockley 12-1-67-3
Oakworth: J Crossley c Bul-lough b Speak 26, R Hopkinson c Waddington b Speak 12, M Price b Cox 4, M Scarborough c Ward b Speak 3, J Lockley b Speak 0, J Pennington st Tif-fany b Speak 4, T Walsh b Cox 3, J Inman b Cox 3, C Mooney c Tiffany b Cox 0, L Moretti not out 3, S Hartley lbw Cox 0, ex-tras 7. Total 67.
Bowling: Speak 11-1-29-5, Robinson 2-0-23-0, Cox 8.3-3-8-5
Long Lee 180-5
Bradley 183-5
Long Lee: J Haider b Heseltine 19, P Stowell c Lloyd b Hesel-tine 8, M Iles c Collinge b Hirst 16, B Portlock c Heseltine b Hall 2, R Ayrton not out 85, J Edwards b Hall 35, D Baldwin not out 11, extras 4. Total 180-5.
Bowling: Hall 14-0-67-2, Hesel-tine 17-3-85-2, Hirst 4-0-29-1
Bradley: A Harrison c Haider b Stowell 3, N Andrews b Stowell 51, C Tempest c Portlock b Swindlehurst 15, S Lloyd b Swindlehurst 13, M Milbourne 77no, J Heseltine c Portlock b Stowell 0, M Hall c Cashmen b Swindlehurst 13, J Duffey not out 4, extras 7. Total 183-5.
Bowling: Swindlehurst 17.1-1-91-3, Stowell 17-0-90-4
SECOND DIVISION
Chatburn 197-8
Haworth WE 169-9
Chatburn: B Brooks run out 44, R Drinkall b A Bailey 13, S Draycott b Dovernor 63, P Craig c Ellis b Peel 26, J Lock-ley b Peel 21, T Topham c Ellis b Peel 8, T Saunders b Dover-nor 3, I Ali run out 1, J Moore not out 1, M Brown not out 2, extras 14. Total 197-8.
Bowling: A Bailey 8-3-22-1, A Peel 9-0-47-3, J Bilbrough 8-1-41-0, M Dovernor 6-0-24-2, D Bailey 8-3-24-0, A Benfield 6-0-27-0.
Haworth WE: J Nash c Moore b Lockley 13, T Welsh b Ali 8, A Parker b Lockley 59, A Bailey c Craig b Lockley 5, J Bilbrough b Draycott 23, G Ellis b Lockley 9, A Benfield b Lock-ley 19, D Peel b Lockley 4, R Haigh b Lockley 6, M Dovernor 6no, D Bailey not out 1, extras 15. Total 169-9..
Bowling: Lockley 23-4-74-7, Ali 15-1-55-1, Draycott 7-0-32-1
Cullingworth 263-5
Cowling 213-9
Cullingworth: S Welch c Frankland b Nicholson 82, A Powis lbw Rishton 27, T Richardson c Frankland b Nicholson 0, C Ratcliffe c Dalby b Nicholson 35, C Welch c Dalby b Nicholson 50, A Hodg-son not out 14, D Hall not out 48, extras 7. Total 263-5.
Bowling: Dalby 10-2-61-0, Thurston 5-0-24-0, Rishton 15-2-76-1, Nicholson 13-1-97-4
Cowling: M Dudley c Powis b Hodgson 26, Thurston b Robin-son 3, G Frankland st Powis b Hodgson 23, S Mitchell run out 13, S Spencer lbw Hodgson 10, G Fisher 45no, M Dalby b Rat-cliffe 42, J Gordon c Powis b C Welch 3, D Watson b D Hall 2, M Nicholson c Powis b S Welch 6, M Rishton not out 11, extras 26. Total 213-9.
Bowling: C Welch 10-1-31-1, C Ratcliffe 3-0-35-1, D Robinson 6-1-15-1, S Welch 1-0-11-1, A Hodgson 11-3-39-3, K Chiu 1-0-4-0, D Hall 13-1-54-1.
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