NEIGHBOURS Steeton and Silsden both came up with top-class wins in the Airedale & Wharfedale League at the weekend to keep alive their hopes of survival and promotion respectively, but Skipton went down again and are now well adrift in the relegation stakes.

Saturday's eight-wicket defeat by fellow strugglers Adel at Sandylands followed a fairly predictable course in that Skipton did not have the bowling strength to dismiss the opposition, but there were credit marks this week for a much stronger all-round effort with the bat.

Andrew Facey (25), Martin Windle (26), Simon Carling (36) and Andrew Fergie (34) all made useful runs, but the side's 171 total, though encouraging in the light of earlier efforts, simply wasn't enough to undo the visitors.

An unbroken stand between Nick Smith (92no) and David Standring (45no) saw Adel to victory and kept them in touch with Steeton and Menston in the survival battle.

Steeton's bid to escape the drop received another welcome boost in the shape of an eight-wicket home win over Collingham. It seemed that the home side had plenty to do when the visitors reached 193-7 in their innings, but Steeton had their match-winner in Australian Grant Lindsay.

He had six sixes and eleven fours in a blistering 126no and with Alex Haworth (40) adding solid support, the home side edged closer to Menston and Knaresborough, the two sides above them as the relegation battle becomes more tense.

Silsden produced a fine effort with the bat to claim six points at Ilkley and maintain their bid to get back into the top section at the first attempt. Silsden meet second-placed Kirkstall tomorrow, when an away win would really put them into the thick of the promotion race.

At Ilkley, the home side must have been fairly confident when they reached 220-8, but Silsden's response was comprehensive.

John Akrigg set the standard with an unbeaten 104 and after Craig Thornton (26) had helped launch the victory bid with an opening stand of 82, David Jackson (64) then picked up the baton as he and Akrigg saw the side home without being separated with six overs remaining.

Upper Wharfedale got back on the winning track after their hiccup the previous week when they claimed a nine-wicket win at Colton.

David Daggett was the key man for Threshfield side as the Leeds team were dismissed for 99. He finished with figures of 6-14 from 12.5 excellent overs, seven maidens underlining the quality of his work.

Having set up the position to claim victory, Daggett then saw the batsmen fulfil their role. In-form David Whitfield produced another fine unbeaten innings of 45, Paul Wrathmell (18) helped give the innings a solid base with an opening stand of 42 and Tarkin Brown (31no) did the rest as the visitors triumphed without further loss.